Pencil Bike

Step 1: Start Design on the CAD system

See Woodenbikes' genius "CAD" instructions to create a cardboard cutout of your body, so you can figure out proper positioning of wheels/seat/handle...

Step 2: Basic Parts (A kid bike and some 4x4 lumber)

This is the 4x4 beam and the kid bike we used.  The kid bike has 16" wheels and a coaster (back pedal) brake for simplicity. 

Step 3: Disassemble donor bike and start the design layout

Disassemble the donor bike paying attention to how the wheels attach to the frame, how the stem attaches to the steerer tube (in the fork), and how th...

Step 4: Mark and Drill the Headset Holes

With the head angle figured out to give proper trail ( the link is to a description of bike steering geometry and "trail" http://www.instructables.com...

Step 5: Mark and Drill the Crank Bearing (BB) holes

We drew pencil lines to mark the center point locations for both sides of the BB holes. Drill the largest diameter holes first (While you have good so...

Step 6: Shaping the 4x4 into a hexagonal pencil

We let the top and bottom planes of the 4x4 remain intact (but narrowed) and cut slanted strips off the two side faces of the 4x4 with a table saw to ...

Step 7: Cut the rear triangle off the donor bike.

We actually did wear eye protection while building the bike.  I (WB) have had a piece of rusty steel cut out of my cornea by an eye surgeon after my o...

Step 8: Sanded, primed, and ready for paint

Step 9: Painted

Step 10: Cut the stem and weld an extension between the pieces

The handlebar stem is cut carefully with a Sawzall ("cut carefully with a Sawzall" is an oxymoron, but we do the best we can) in a plane that anticipa...

Step 11: Attach rear triangle to 4x4

There are different ways to do this.  After much hemming and hawing, with considerable chin scratching we welded a piece of steel to the cut ends of t...

Step 12: Assembled with the seat attached

The seat is made from a chair back.

Step 13: Admire your bike

Step 14: Make the Eraser

4 inch diameter aluminum flex duct is used to connect some used polyethylene packing foam to the pencil wood, mimicking the band that is used to do th...

Step 15: Ready for test riding

Ellen assembled the long chain out of regular bike chains following this handy instructable about using a chain tool.  http://www.instructables.com/id...

Step 16: Pencil bike in action.

Step 17: Future Bikes?

So many ideas.  So little storage space. Hopefully you will be inspired to make your own fun bikes! Happy Trails!