Eccentric-hub scooter / bike (no pedals)

Tim and Gael want to build a Hula bike .

Main Problem : how to easily displace the hub from the center of the wheel ? Play around with spokes ? No ! way too painful . But Tim is a carpenter and has access to a router .

So They decided to craft it out of plywood planks . Quick, easy, strong enough, not that awful, and works fine.

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Step 1: Wheel building .

For this step, we used a router to cut two planks into circles . We cut them in two parts, at 1/3 of the edge to be able to put them around the hub. The hub being wider on its extremities, we couldn't simply drill a hole and slide it onto the hub . We took care to alternate the cutting directions , so the wooden assembly stay strong .

Also, we checked the 1/3 rapport was good enough to allow the wheel to spin without rubbing against the frame . It was a wheel from a smaller bicycle .

randomray says: Jan 13, 2013. 1:32 PM

Right , now I don't plan on building one of these , but I was wondering how I could build wooden wheels and still have rubber tires . I thought this method might work , but hadn't tried it yet . Thanks for proving the idea for me . Saved me some time . Great job guys .

e1ioan says: Jul 6, 2012. 11:49 AM

That's awesome!

woodstockbirdy says: May 4, 2012. 2:29 AM

Wait. What is the point?

joshfromga in reply to woodstockbirdyMay 9, 2012. 8:10 PM

1. just because, or
2. I saw one built for a man with dwarfism. regular bikes didn't fit his proportions.

woodstockbirdy in reply to joshfromgaMay 9, 2012. 9:11 PM

Yah, but why do you need to make all the parts out of wood???

Hazzard2theworld911 in reply to woodstockbirdyJun 25, 2012. 9:21 AM

Simple and easy to prototype with. cheap, and easily replaceable, too!

Hamzah says: May 6, 2012. 9:59 PM

awesome

wthit56 says: May 6, 2012. 7:01 AM

Pretty cool... "Pogobike"!

LegoBrickMaster7 says: Apr 29, 2012. 4:47 PM

Cool project!

I think you should add the terms "eccentric-hub scooter" and (or) "whymcycle" to the search terms, or maybe even the title.

Hula-bike is a specific product made by a company, much like the Ingo-Bike in the 1930s.

Wikipedia - Eccentric-hub scooter

Gael - Tim (author) in reply to LegoBrickMaster7Apr 30, 2012. 4:37 AM

Thanks a lot for the advice, I'm changing the the title and adding the terms you suggested.
I'd only heard of the hula-bike as a commercial version of this type of bike but I find the Ingo-bike you evoked much cooler!
Once again thank you for the tips.

Jhokur in reply to Gael - TimMay 5, 2012. 10:14 AM

Awesome project Gael - Tim! When I was a kid my grandparents had a "Kangaroo Scooter" noted in the Wiki LegoBrickMaster7 noted, and I always wanted to find one when I got older - now I can make one out of my busted bike!

Gael - Tim (author) in reply to JhokurMay 5, 2012. 11:41 AM

Cool! If you need any help in the process of building yours, go ahead and ask questions, I'm glad to help!

AVE DE FUEGO says: May 3, 2012. 10:03 PM

WHAT IS THE MAXIMUM SPEED IN THAT BIKE ?

Gael - Tim (author) in reply to AVE DE FUEGOMay 4, 2012. 9:07 AM

You can go at a reasonable speed but the faster you go, the more it shakes aroud and eventually if you go too fast (downhill for example) you'll get thrown off the bike ...

vincent7520 says: May 3, 2012. 12:34 PM

Beautiful South of France â¦Â
How come do you have such a nice weather ?...
It's supposed to be raining all over the country !

Great project too !!!...

Gael - Tim (author) in reply to vincent7520May 3, 2012. 8:11 PM

Yeah, South of France. We're lucky...

rickpaulos says: May 3, 2012. 8:50 AM

I built 3 similar bikes last year.

But I calculated the spoke lengths needed to rebuild wheels,
I did both front & rear wheels,
I used a standard coaster brake hub, cranks, pedals and chain.
yehaw!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nisn6lmi9tQ

rick

Gael - Tim (author) in reply to rickpaulosMay 3, 2012. 5:35 PM

Nice video and above all, real nice job!
We considered using spokes too but it felt a little too ambitious so we went for the easy way... However I have to agree that spokes look way cooler than big planks of wood :-)

Gael - Tim (author) in reply to Gael - TimMay 3, 2012. 5:41 PM

Disc brakes would look extra cool on one of your bikes!

rickpaulos in reply to Gael - TimMay 3, 2012. 11:43 AM

I thought of disc brakes, briefly. It would be easier to use a disc brake bike to start with. Maybe in a future build when I find a suitable doner bike. Discs are an alternative because a rim brake won't work, well not as you might expect.

Thanks, rick.

rickpaulos in reply to Gael - TimMay 3, 2012. 11:40 AM

I like the wood! They just need finishing. Stain & Varnish or some eye popin' paint job.

vincent7520 says: May 3, 2012. 12:35 PM

Et avec les deux roues excentrÃ©es ??â¦

rickpaulos says: May 3, 2012. 8:53 AM

I like the way you added that extra odd shape of board to reinforce at the hub. Kinda shaped like a Wankel engine rotor. Add some pop-art paint in some psychedelic pattern! Wuuuuw doooood.

mwm341 says: May 3, 2012. 8:30 AM

I get ideas about this thing powered by steam...

dasgemuse says: May 2, 2012. 12:48 PM

(removed by author or community request)

jakobus9 says: Apr 30, 2012. 7:23 AM

that's hilarious!
brilliant, but hilarious!
if you ride this to work you'll have a tons of muscles is a matter of weeks :D

diyer8 says: Apr 30, 2012. 6:30 AM

@theyesman I would think that making the axis closer to the center would reduce the effort required and increase speed - albeit providing less torque & making uphill more challenging.

=> here's an idea, make the equivalent of a gear box by making the distance of the axle to the center of the wheel adjustable while riding!

theyesman says: Apr 29, 2012. 9:01 PM

That is awesome, i want one! Does it take a lot of effort to use it?

Gael - Tim (author) in reply to theyesmanApr 30, 2012. 4:29 AM

Yeah it's quite tiring, it's definately not made for distance and you don't want to come upon a hill (either going up or down). :P
Thanks for the comment!