Last year I decided to go to Burning Man and knew I needed a bike. Rather than decorate an existing bike I chose to make one that could fit two people and carry anything else I wanted with me. Also important was durability, I wanted as few delicate parts as possible and to keep it as simple as possible. As you will see this bike was very successful and I continued to use it around town for the last year. Now this alone would make a complete subject for an instructable but why stop there?
This summer I entered an art boat race and decided to make my big bike float. With the help of a friend we made our team and retrofitted my bike so it can now ride on land and float in the water.
This summer I entered an art boat race and decided to make my big bike float. With the help of a friend we made our team and retrofitted my bike so it can now ride on land and float in the water.
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Signing UpStep 1: Gathering your base materials
The first step in building a bike like this is to collect lots of raw materials. I spent about a month cruising junk yards and yard sales buying old bikes that I could use for the frame. I decided to use bikes with 24 inch wheels because they are abundant and cheap. I figured with the style of the bike the wheel size would not matter. I stayed away from bikes with suspension forks and tried to get them with about the same frame size.
After I collected a half dozen bikes I picked four of them to use for the four corners of the big bike. For the rear I made sure the rear triangle dimensions were as close as possible. I tried to match the front as well. The pictures show the four bikes I chose set on a chalk outline of the finished bike. I figured out how much room I needed for the seat, and how big I wanted the bike to be. I was limited by the dimensions of a sheet of plywood that I would be using for a roof rack.
After I collected a half dozen bikes I picked four of them to use for the four corners of the big bike. For the rear I made sure the rear triangle dimensions were as close as possible. I tried to match the front as well. The pictures show the four bikes I chose set on a chalk outline of the finished bike. I figured out how much room I needed for the seat, and how big I wanted the bike to be. I was limited by the dimensions of a sheet of plywood that I would be using for a roof rack.
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So if any of you could use my help please get in touch. I have CNC Mills, manual lathes, full weld and cut shop,andmy wife and friends think I'm a little crazy, but as all you guys who make things like this already know, a little crazy always helps,,,,
I'm in South Carolina, email = chucknsc@yahoo.com ,,, have a great one all!
That's a very generous offer to use your shop. The biggest hurdle for a project like this is the all important welder, cutter, grinder, and misc tools that just are not in most tool boxes. I am lucky to be able to use the shop at my work and it is very well stocked with all kinds of tools.
I think what you want to find for your ATV project are the inflatable pontoons that many Kinetic racers use in the Kinetic Grand Championship they hold in Humbolt county each year. http://kineticgrandchampionship.com/
There is a company up there that makes torpedo shaped pontoons. They are expensive but they pack down into the size of a small back pack. I don't know the name of the company but google can help you with a little looking. Otherwise you are forced to have something larger or detachable.
Good luck with the project and I hope work picks up for you in the future......but not so much that you don't have time to build something fun.
Daniel
btw if thats your girlfriend, your a lucky man!
The rest you can figure out. Think-Out-Riggers on a Canoe .
One question though: how practical are the plastic side barrels on land? I just hope it doesn't spoil any fun when on the road for the size. Butâhey, who said this was a thing only designed for the road in the first place? It obviously ain't no civilized discreet chain and wheel vehicleâ It's a 4 wheeler for innovative thrill-seekers who like to experience some fun adventuring elsewhere, most likely a little farther from the big cities. THAT'S when that bike becomes ultimately practical for any situation!