Crush All Those Who Stand Before You, The Environmentally Friendly Way.

THIS IS MY ENTRY INTO THE BIKE CONTEST.

Convert your bicycle into an object of desire that makes even the hardiest mountain bike look like a little girl's cycle by comparison.

Step 1 Parts + Tools Needed... and Step 1.

Your bicycle.
A fat wheel from a trailer or van car.
Some bits of metal tubing.

A hacksaw.
A Welder,(I used an arc welder.)

Bicycle spanners and allen keys.

I have not gone into details such as how to remove forks etc., as these are found on any bike site and possibly even this site.

---

Step 1.

Saw fork legs off, near the crown.

Comments

[SIRJAMES09]

OH MY WORD!!!!!!

can you imagine having a 10 or 15 speed gearing system & then heading DOWN HILL??

Talk about a major rush!!!!!!! LOL

This is awesome dude!!!!!! I gave you 5 stars!!!!! TY for sharing!!

[sonofstone]

why don't you make one with a suspension fork? i'd imagine that it would be really cool looking, and more than that, it would feel comfortable

[The nerdling]

put a nother fat wheel on the back and a robin engine.
it's make by subaru and is really powerfull

[VagsmaCutter]

This is way cool! I'mma get my mom's boyfriend to make my bike like this, for going off a jumps. 4 stars only cuz I might run over my cat with it.

[eshneto]

Ah ah ah. This is so funny. Thank you for making me laugh. By the way, great title for the instructable!

Now, I just would like to see someone going uphill with this monster :)

[Knex X Knex]

k, this idea totaly made me laugh... this is the weirdest instructable ive seen...

[Lokisgodhi]

This is a stupid idea.
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A bicycle needs a front wheel with a rounded tread in order to be able to countersteer when entering a turn. 
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This is the kind of thing that can end up killing you because you won't be steer around a sudden obstacle.
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Countersteering

[FriendOfHumanity]

Dear Lokisgodhi,

Of course it is stupid. . . it's meant to be stupid!
Do you really think that I was suggesting that this was a revolutionary step in bicycle design?

I did think that the bike would be hard to handle before I rode it but was pleasantly surprised;  whatever ideas you may have on paper, this bike steers perfectly; this can be seen by the two 90 degree turns in the video; it rolls onto the rounded edge of the tyre.

Thanks for your interest.

FOH

[Lokisgodhi]

Well, suppose someone suddenly stepped out of the woods on to a narrow trail ten feet in front of you while heading down hill? Could you steer around them to avoid hitting them?

[FriendOfHumanity]

Dear Lokisgodhi,

I personally would not ride a bike like this fast, downhill in bumpy woodland setting, (nor would I a track bicycle, a tricycle or a penny farthing).

As for stopping on a tarmac surface, I found it to have a surprisingly good stopping distance; good enough for me to actually use it on the road.

Your concerns for safety are quite valid but I do have the advantage in this discussion of actually having experience of riding the bike so I can assure you that with caution and common sense I found this a safe ride. 

The reason I stopped riding it was a worry that my amateur welding would fail around the axle.

I hope this puts your mind at rest.

Kind Regards

FOH

[TSC]

Sweet!!!!!!!!! nice!!!!!!!!!!! I will give it 5 stars

[smooth97]

does it require a n adults help if you are 12?

[Russian sniper]

hahaha lol
baby noob

[stephenniall]

Unless you can weld id imagine not ! im 13 and i can weld and its really handy ! if you cant id reccomend you get a cheap welder and learn !

[smooth97]

thanks for your help

[(seabear)]

remember: you get what you pay for and always use a welding mask, gloves and earplugs. i should know, my brother is doing an engineering aprenticeship.

[stephenniall]

Especially for stick welding as the stick is always live when stick welding.

Never used earplugs though Mig welder is quiet!

[kingstumps70]

I like the fact that you played a number by Suicide.Anyway,nice lefty!

[tirapelli]

i would like to know, if it rides well on beach sand

i'm afraid that the rear wheel would sink in the sand

i'm thinking seriously on building this style of bike w/  a steel cable commanding the front brake

sorry for the bad English, but i need to know your experience with this marvellous instructable

[FriendOfHumanity]

 Dear Tirapelli,
I have not tried this on a beach, I think that you may be right about the rear wheel sinking into the sand.
You will have to be the pioneer.
Let me know.

Best Wishes.

[peanutbutterman]

Nice toe. :P

[FriendOfHumanity]

 Thank you, I'd like to take the credit but it was in fact a stunt-toe; hired for the days filming, for shots that I considered too dangerous.

[yo man]

cool job dude!

[burpreynolds]

I love that it's "A vehicle or trailer," instead of "YOUR vehicle or trailer."

[(seabear)]

Shhh...*grabs the tyre iron*

[rorpen]

Woah


by tomorrow, my Dad's van will be missing a tyre!!

[FriendOfHumanity]

 Why not take two of them?

www.instructables.com/id/EXTREME-FAT-TIRE-BICYCLE/

[burpreynolds]

So, the braking argument went on waaaay longer than I thought it would.  Somebody introduced a Sheldon Brown article, for crissakes!  There are infinite combinations of bike geometries, bike weights, and brake types in the world.  The people who say that grabbing the front brake of their bike will _definitely_ flip it are right.  As long as you're on their bike and you are their size.  Not the case on my 79 Suzuki GS1000.  You could definitely flip a bike like my 80 Motobecane Grand Sprint which was way too nice not to ride, but way too small for my height and girth, and also happened to have chop'nflip bullhorn bars (I know).  I remember seeing a curb drop coming up way too fast and getting about three feet of air with the back wheel on that thing, then gently setting the wheel down by slowly and evenly releasing the front brake.  Can be done.  Ask anybody on a stunt bike.  If there's anything in the world where size, girth and dimensions matter, it's bikes.  Trust me.

[drycell]

I have just one problem, and I don't mean to sound like the nerdy kid who's afraid of falling down. This had to have added at least fifty pounds to the weight of the bike. Now you've gone and taken the brakes off the front, where they do the most good, and left only the back brakes which do a marginal job of stopping the bicycle at its stock weight, especially down hills. Have you thought about leaving the car's hydraulic brakes inside and possibly adding the brake lever from a motorcycle? You'd have excellent stopping power, although it would be weighed down a bit more. I love the bike, though, it's very Mad Max. If I had a welder, I'd build the same thing.

[hammertong]

Remember: you have a brake at the end of each leg. Foot dragging, destroying new shoes since the first bike was invented.

[danlab]

If you ever talk to a hard-core mountain biker they will likely tell you to use the front brakes to slow down, to stop you would use primarily the back with help from the front brakes in extreme/slippery situations. While it would be a good Idea to have front brakes they are not necessary; a well adjusted rear brake can stop you and the bike no problem.

[hi6908]

The brakes in the front of a bike do not do the most good, usually because if you don't use the back brakes, you will flip over your handlebars.

[hammertong]

Because your momentum is pushing you forward, the front brakes do about 70% of your stopping power. If you lean far backwards, you can stop just about as hard & quick as you want with only the front brakes. I have hydraulic brakes on my mountain bike, and do this just for fun. On another note, I have not noticed anybody mentioning the built in brakes everybody has: YOUR FEET!

[snowpenguin]

Using back brakes alone does you no good either. You need both. Without back, you flip. Without front, you can't stop well. Think before you speak.

[drycell]

You're silly. You won't flip if you only use the front brakes. I ride a motorcycle to work every day and a bicycle at least three times a week. A motorcycle brake system is set up similar to a bicycle's. The front and back operate separately, at least. That's possibly the only similarity between my two machines. Anyway, I rarely use the back brake on either and I've never flipped either, even when I mash down as hard as possible because some jerk cut in front of me and I don't want to end up as a part of someone's trunk. I've never even so much as lifted the rear wheel off the ground. However, I've used the back brake alone many times and what happens most often is that the rear wheel locks up and skids. Skidding seriously increases your braking distance and decreases your braking capability. The reason for this is because when you brake, the weight on the vehicle shifts forwards. Therefore, you have more weight on the front wheel and less on the back. The front wheel then has more traction because of the force pressed on it and the rear wheel has barely any because much of the weight is lifted on it. It's true. Google it. Better yet, try it. I find your statement "think before you speak" mildly offensive. Maybe I'm just sunburnt and cranky. Maybe I should just come back with a clever line like 'do before you speak'. Maybe not. Have a good one.

[ProfessorJWN]

Drycell, Ever take a bike to say 70mph, dump the clutch and pull the front brakes?? Me Either, as I am still alive. You can use rear brake only, works great for "slideouts", we used to do this and see who could lock up the rear wheel on our dirtbikes and slide sideways the farthest on the road (way out int he country) where there was ABSOLUTELY no traffic. Don't EVER try that with the front brake, unless you are a trick rider. YOU WILL raise the rear end of the bike (whatever size) off the ground, and hopefully realize this and release the front brake before gettign up close and personal with the road surface. Bicycles are the same way, though perhaps not "quite" as violent as the bike weighs less. BUT that said, you just can't beat kinetic energy though, it has a tendency to sneak up on you. BTW - same thing happens with cars front brakes do 60-80% of the stopping for a variety of reasons. Hard to use front brakes only (unless catostrophic failure of rear brakes (happened to me once) hard braking, you go unstable (I was lucky and didn't 360, only severe fishtailing. I was able to recover. DON'T EVER try that either, that was a mechanical failure on the car, was not planned, and to this day, I consider that the closest I ever came to being killed. Respect your brakes, and they will save you. Jim

[marxdarx]

When I was 15 I coasted down a down grade road and my back brakes failed, only had front..in the split second it took to break fully, I went head over heels and landed hard..my bike flipped a few times and was totaled...I was in the hospital for a week dealing with severe road rash on knees and elbows....too the bone I carry the scars today. All because I was going relatively slow and used only my front brakes...it was one lesson I never forgot..both brakes are needed..something I have always made sure of after that blunder of mine. (From then on I never flipped when using BOTH breaks..and only tipped over to one side once if I used back only) Motorcycles are much heavier and wont react quite the same on a surface when stopping. More force forward, and less in back means more friction on front wheel but it ALSO means a severe imbalance. especially downward..on a straight even road..yes no problem but when going on downgrade..the speed picks up even while stopping..then front tire stops suddenly and whack! flip. I have flipped before my final one many times..eventually I learned the whys. So please not only THINK but also experience the BIKE not only the motorcycle..they are very different . the only resemblance is the fact they have two wheels and a chain with spokes..not much more than that..everyone else is weight and distribution differences..BIG ones at that. It all comes down to physics and how fast you are going, as well as grade of road and all that...anything can happen given the right circumstances set up.

[mrdepo96]

 Okay, if you "tap" the brakes, that wont happen. You failed to clarify if you where on a motorcycle or a bike, so i have no idea if "tapping" works with a motorcycle...

[Fraggotmode]

 Ok, I'll end this discussion. The front brakes do most of the job.
Hammertong is right. Obviously your not supposed to fully press your front brakes. I ride downhill mtb, and I got a 3000£ bike and I own a pitbike and my dad owns a harley davidson. We both know that the main work is done by the front brake. so your supposed to press the front brake with about 50% power. and apply about 80% to your rear brake

But for normal to-work bikers, the rear brake does it all.
And don't start whining with me about this.

And heres the info www.sheldonbrown.com/brakturn.html

[marxdarx]

agreed. and you say it better than I did.