Print PDF
Favorite
Email
Front wheel drive, rear suspension lowracer...
Recumbents offer less drag, and the rider's position makes use of powerful leg and back muscles.
I chose the front wheel drive arrangement to minimise the chain length, and to see how it would work.
I had concerns that the bike would not steer, but there is plenty of flexibility in the chain, and at anything above a very low speed (where you usea large steering angle) there was no problem.
Recumbents offer less drag, and the rider's position makes use of powerful leg and back muscles.
I chose the front wheel drive arrangement to minimise the chain length, and to see how it would work.
I had concerns that the bike would not steer, but there is plenty of flexibility in the chain, and at anything above a very low speed (where you usea large steering angle) there was no problem.
Remove these ads by
Signing UpStep 1Find an old bike, get all the useful bits off it.
All the parts other than the main frame (the silver bit) are taken from scrap bikes. I used a front fork and steering tube from a kid's bike (make sure the kid is not looking).
I cut the steering tube off the frame with an angle grinder, and cleaned it up so it was just a tube. This will be welded into the new frame.
The rear forks are from a Saracen AWOL. They have a little bit of suspension which is useful on a recumbent since you can't use your legs to absorb bumps like you do on an ordinary upright bike.
Again these were cut from the original frame with an angle grinder, ready to be welded into the new frame.
Brakes, derailleur, pedals etc were also scrounged. Bottom bracket was also cut from an old frame ready to weld to the new one.
I cut the steering tube off the frame with an angle grinder, and cleaned it up so it was just a tube. This will be welded into the new frame.
The rear forks are from a Saracen AWOL. They have a little bit of suspension which is useful on a recumbent since you can't use your legs to absorb bumps like you do on an ordinary upright bike.
Again these were cut from the original frame with an angle grinder, ready to be welded into the new frame.
Brakes, derailleur, pedals etc were also scrounged. Bottom bracket was also cut from an old frame ready to weld to the new one.
| « Previous Step | Download PDFView All Steps | Next Step » |
I don't have the bike anymore so I can't finish the instructable, but will be happy to answer any questions and help anyone else build something similar.
Do you find you need a headrest? What are the loses like through the pulleys?
At very slow speeds there can be some rubbing on the chain but it's generally not a problem.