# Prototype Homebuilt "transportable " 20" wheel tadpole trike



## voyager (1 Oct 2014)

Hi Folks 

This is the current project 
a "dismantlable " to transport and store trike that will be easy to assemble and carry around , This is not a folding trike and has 3 main bits , The rear end with suspension , the cross boom , and the front crank boom 

It has disc brakes all round but has been designed with a form of Direct Knuckle Steering that comes up from the brake arms , At present in a prototype form so we can see if there are any problems .
the initial idea is not to fit a front changer and to fit the rear disc brake as a parking brake and the rear gear lever in a place where it can be operated on the rear frame and keep the weight below 40lbs assembled .

The 20/20 e-trikes fit in the car and with a bit of a struggle on the roof , But being a one piece trike they takes up a bit of room when not in use( 7 ft x 3ft approx ), so the plan is to make a trike that takes up less space when not in use . 
A light weight trike built from smaller tubing and uses the down tube from a larger diameter MTB frame BUT still retaining 20" wheels all round for a reasonable smooth ride and the "fullsize " look .

Unfortunately the photos are not in the correct order as the Thread editor wont allow me to shuffle the pictures around 

The cross boom is 40 mmx 20mm with centre point steering angles cut into the boom , In the centre there are two anticrush tubes to ensure the boom remains strong when the bolts are tight and wont deform and the caster angle has been cut into the rear section of the main boom ( 40mm square ) , but the front boom ( 35mm MTB down tube ) is also angled 5 degrees down so the bottom bracket does not sit too high , there is more than adequate clearance without any possibility of heel strike ( 17.5 " ) and folding pedals will be fitted to make storage simpler . 

So How far have we got ? 
:- the trike is almost there with all the main things fitted except for the front brakes , They are merrily swimming over from China alongside a tea boat ( or something like that ) This build will be using LH and RH pit bike brake calipers and brake levers .
But we have everything thing else ready to assemble apart from a few brackets , The chain line is now sorted as the chain was trying to machine away one of the rear chain stays but an extra pulley has corrected this , 
Probable another 8 hours to get the trike " on the road " and then 50 or so miles sort out before stripping and painting , 

apart from a mirror and a removable flag pole there will not be a rack at present it is starting to look like a trike 

Further updates as the build progresses ,,,, watch this space ......


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## cyberknight (2 Oct 2014)

I so want a trike but no where to store it and i am not allowed any more bikes


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## numbnuts (2 Oct 2014)

cyberknight said:


> I so want a trike but no where to store it and i am not allowed any more bikes


What about a folding trike


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## voyager (2 Oct 2014)

The problem with a folding trike is they are expensive and they usually only fold once ( in half ) . I have seen a trike that even the cross boom folds but they are mega money and only use 16 " wheels 

This idea is to have 3 bits that can be laid in the back of a car and have 2 bolts to fix it together .

Fitted the pair of front brakes today and adjusted the gear mech to get a 70" gear ,
I am using Pit Bike calipers as they make a left and right hand caliper which makes mounting them even easier ( photo will follow )
the calipers are out of the way under the brake booms .

Had a ride around the block , The trike rides wells and rolls nicely . The only little problem is the 3mm plate of the front "JOINT " needs to be a bit more substantial so next stage is to increase the front and rear plates to 6 mm plate and have another go .

That is another day 

photos to come when they decide to release themselves from the vault on my phone and appear on my sky drive
( the wonders of a windows phone )

regards emma


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## cyberknight (2 Oct 2014)

numbnuts said:


> What about a folding trike


The problem is cash what with kids etc and N+1 not being allowed, i mean 3 bikes is not enough surely ?


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## voyager (2 Oct 2014)

hey there cyberknight , my heart goes out to you only 3 bikes , that's only enough for 3 days riding a week, but saying that if l didn't build the trikes myself l wouldn't have 2 . My problem is storage at 7x4 per trike it don't take much to fill a garage

regards Emma


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## cyberknight (2 Oct 2014)

voyager said:


> hey there cyberknight , my heart goes out to you only 3 bikes , that's only enough for 3 days riding a week, but saying that if l didn't build the trikes myself l wouldn't have 2 . My problem is storage at 7x4 per trike it don't take much to fill a garage
> 
> regards Emma


I normally ride 1 bike for commuting which is my self built vanquish, the boardman which is my nice bike and a subway for riding with the kids and winter commuting. ( halfords c2w at our place ) and a 7x5 security shed ( upgraded )
And yes "only" was not meant to be taken seriously.


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## voyager (2 Oct 2014)

. it wasn't


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## Archie_tect (2 Oct 2014)

Voyager, you would enjoy speaking to @stuee147

{edit: I see you already have! ]


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## voyager (2 Oct 2014)

Hi Folks
today I fitted the pit bike left and right handed calipers and used a spare of electric bike brake levers ( plot thickens perhaps ) tweaked the rear mech into 6th gear and fitted the chain on the middle ring .
This made the trike ready for a quick test around the block , The trike rode well and the test ride has shown up one little problem . the front plate bent out of shape .
A test sitting on the floor showed that at 165lb bod weight I could still exert a force on the pedal ( pushing against the seat back ) in excess of 220lb so the force on that joint is quite large , after a couple of discussions with a couple of mechanical engineers I believe I have found a good fix that will strengthen the whole joint and still look "right "

any way the photos appeared on my sky drive so here they are









image hosting services

So all in all a good morning the trike had its first ride and the first problem identified and a cure will be effected soon
Initial feelings about the trike , the riding position is comfortable and everything available to me works ok , Tomorrow l will get a couple of pieces of bar stock and make the gussets and triangle stress reducing plate .

as ridden today



pic host


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## voyager (3 Oct 2014)

Hi Folks 

Rebuilt the joint today 4 gussets and 2 plates to make an I section on the front boom plate 
that took care of the morning 

road test next and a rear gear lever 

then i will clean up the welds 

regards emma










upload gifs


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## voyager (6 Oct 2014)

After a little brain storming we came up with a simple idea , two little plates each 40mm square welded top and bottom, this transfers the moment onto the rear boom and the noise / movement has gone , I tried the trike around the block before the rain set in and it seems ok , next step is to fit the gears and new brake callipers when they arrive from China ( edit :- they have just arrived from China at 13:50 ) 









free photo hosting

next fine day ( not much room left in the garage/workshop now ) will see the gears and proper brakes going on together with the rear parking disc brake .
Then comes the test rides before the paint work


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## markg0vbr (7 Oct 2014)

voyager said:


> hey there cyberknight , my heart goes out to you only 3 bikes , that's only enough for 3 days riding a week, but saying that if l didn't build the trikes myself l wouldn't have 2 . My problem is storage at 7x4 per trike it don't take much to fill a garage
> 
> regards Emma


Hooks on wall hang them by the back wheel, I have one on the back room/ trike garage wall, then one stood above the other in a car transporter style of rack. And A delta trike stood up against the wall on its back wheels.


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## Scoosh (7 Oct 2014)

markg0vbr said:


> And A delta trike stood up against the wall on its back wheels.


Still practising the wheelies then ?


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## voyager (7 Oct 2014)

Food for thought 
.....................


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## voyager (7 Oct 2014)

markg0vbr said:


> Hooks on wall hang them by the back wheel, I have one on the back room/ trike garage wall, then one stood above the other in a car transporter style of rack. And A delta trike stood up against the wall on its back wheels.



Problem is I cannot lift an e-trike ( weighs between 75lb and 87 lb ) up on end onto the wall unfortunately with an intermittent bad back and a slender frame , I'm not built to do it , I can just manage with puffs , pants and groans get the trike in and out of the back of the estate car , ( without its battery pack 68 lbs inc panniers ) a stacking system for a second trike above the first one might be an option in the shed and garage though 

still food for thought 

regards emma


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## jayjay (8 Oct 2014)

Got room and the support for a cycle winch from the ceiling?


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## voyager (8 Oct 2014)

jayjay said:


> Got room and the support for a cycle winch from the ceiling?



I prefer the low tech approach , i think it will be a ramp and a frame 3ft off the ground .

Storage solutions can get sillier,  than storing a product


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## voyager (9 Oct 2014)

Hi Folks
A little bit more done today between shopping and the raindrops .
The bottom bracket or should it be front bracket




was too wide causing the front changer not to be able to cope with the push outwards so as a temporary measure I have replaced the assembly with a standard one and fitted a triple that lies closer to the front boom .
The front changer now works well and with both levers mounted at the top of the bars with thick home made slide over grips the initial problem of being able to disconnect the cables has been sorted and the rear brake is mounted under the seat , even the 140mm disc is too efficient and locks the rear wheel up so it might as well become the parking brake . Rode it around the block again before the rain came and apart from a few adjustments , all is well.
Might be next week before I have ironed out the little quirks and then its extended road test time
regards emma










image hosting free


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## numbnuts (9 Oct 2014)

Looking good well done


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## voyager (9 Oct 2014)

Hi folks 
Its always said that red trikes go faster than blue ones , But seriously the next decision is the colour , Luckily I have a little time to test ride it before committing it to colour and i will get used in bare metal ( in the dry weather - no mudguards , no paint ) , I am sure it will get scratched a bit and its not getting powder coated so it will be an acrylic finish , the rear triangle and the handlebar/steering arms will be matt black which only leaves the 3 parts that make up the frame , at present I am thinking a dark gunmetal colour but the nagging thoughts says something bright . that leaves a big question , *What colour? *

I have tried red, blues ,silver and matt black with gloss black writing on the stealth , I tried an orange and that looked like a rusty hamster , the yellows I have test sprayed come out wishy-washy , I posted for a giggle about spraying one pink because it would go fast as nobody wanted to be seen on a pink trike 
Oh well , any ideas ?.......... 

regards emma


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## classic33 (10 Oct 2014)

One main colour, with a second(contrasting) used to highlight certain areas/parts?


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## starhawk (10 Oct 2014)

Those handles looks very awkward, I thought I have the thickest handles but you beat me with those ones


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## voyager (10 Oct 2014)

starhawk said:


> Those handles looks very awkward, I thought I have the thickest handles but you beat me with those ones



Handllebar grips are only temporary , they are a piece of pipe lagging wrapped with pvc tape , it beats getting cold hands on cold bare steel 
when you are test riding the beast , lt was the first thing that I saw when I was looking for something to push over the bar ends , actually feel quite comfortable and if they were trimmed a bit they would look 1/2 decent ..

regards emma


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## steveindenmark (10 Oct 2014)

I like this idea but I think it would look far better with a seat similar to the ICE trikes, and far more comfortable.


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## voyager (10 Oct 2014)

steveindenmark said:


> I like this idea but I think it would look far better with a seat similar to the ICE trikes, and far more comfortable.



Hi Steve 
I am in total agreement , 
a trike that you are going to spend several hours on in one session would indeed benefit from a mesh seat but in this instance the bulk of the extra parts and the size of the seat would defeat the exercise in making it transportable on a trike that probably wont do more than a 15 -20 mile ride in a day , also the two flat "plates " slip happily into a corner when being stored . 

regards emma


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## voyager (13 Oct 2014)

here is the detail for the pit bike brake calipers , the advantage is that they are handed and you only need one template to make the mount,

If anyone is gong to DIY then the advice is clamp the caliper to the disc with a cable tie and cover the disc with a damp cloth to avoid splatter .

These calipers with brake levers are under £15 on ebay and fit the standard mount of a MTB caliper













image upload no compression

here is the link to the low cost disc wheels and calipers 
http://forum.atomiczombie.com/showthread.php/9193-Tadpole-disc-brakes-the-alternative-calipers

regards emma


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## voyager (21 Oct 2014)

Hi Folks

After a bit more riding and testing I decided that the DKS would have to go and be replaced with Under Seat Steering the tike has become more responsive since the "upgrade " and I am thinking of replacing the Left and Right hand braking with normal dual front and rear braking , This is because I am thinking of electrification and that calls for all wheel braking . 

Regards emma





upload pictures online


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## numbnuts (21 Oct 2014)

Looking good


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## Drago (21 Oct 2014)

Impressive.


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## steveindenmark (21 Oct 2014)

Red...it has to be red as that is the fastest colour.

Can we asee a photo of the engineer at work please?

Are you keeping detailed plans of this because we all might want one.


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## voyager (21 Oct 2014)

steveindenmark said:


> Red...it has to be red as that is the fastest colour.
> 
> Can we a see a photo of the engineer at work please?
> 
> Are you keeping detailed plans of this because we all might want one.




Red might be a good colour and go with black handlebars and seat . That is a definite maybe

Cannot take a photo of myself at work but I have found one of us on trikes

5 of us met up in July for a weekend of trikes ,rides and good food

Ken , me , John Tuula and Danny on the trikes in Lancing ( the barn ) caravan and camping site
All home built trikes , Ken is on my 20/20, I am using the Voyager and John's is a completely home built trike , Tuula's trike is a modified Atomic Zombie Streetfox where as Danny's is a virtually an "off the plan" version .






I have 2 sketches so far on the build and lots of photos but I could be persuaded to firm up a drawing later .

John is building a pair of electric touring trikes at present and Danny is building a Trike using round tubing , an Ocean moulded seat and Sturmey Archer 90mm hub brakes and a 8x3 rear S-A hub , Tuula is waiting to get her hands on her new touring trike when John finishes them , Ken is just at Home on a DF as he is on a trike


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## starhawk (22 Oct 2014)

voyager said:


> Hi Folks
> 
> I am thinking of replacing the Left and Right hand braking with normal dual front and rear braking , This is because I am thinking of electrification and that calls for all wheel braking .
> 
> Regards emma



 I had my trike "electrificated" years ago and I still have my two drumbrakes on the front wheels, no need for anything more. I am currently fitting a discbrake on the rear wheel but that is for parking brake only (and maybe as a drag-brake if the need arises)


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## voyager (22 Oct 2014)

starhawk said:


> I had my trike "electrificated" years ago and I still have my two drumbrakes on the front wheels, no need for anything more. I am currently fitting a disc brake on the rear wheel but that is for parking brake only (and maybe as a drag-brake if the need arises)



Here in the UK the EAPC regulations calls for trikes to have "all wheels brakes " but it does not say the levers have to be mounted on the handlebars .

An hour in the workshop today produced a dual pull adapter for a brake lever . I hope to fit it tomorrow . The brake levers I am using have drilling for the kill switches so I am a little way towards preparing for electrification .

regards emma


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## voyager (23 Oct 2014)

Ho Folks

with little rest from this damp weather today I fitted the dual front brake converter and cabled up the front and rear brakes and rode around the block
the brakes ( like always on the dual system ) work well on the front and the rear locks up at slow speed
still here are the photos of this weeks efforts showing the USS handlebars reworked from a pair of rounder bars and a pair of bmx bars and the dual front brake mod fitted in place










capture screen

regards emma


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## starhawk (23 Oct 2014)

I have also thought about having both brakes coupled to the same lever, but I can never decide which lever, so the project has stayed at the thought level


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## classic33 (23 Oct 2014)

voyager said:


> Ho Folks
> 
> with little rest from this damp weather today I fitted the dual front brake converter and cabled up the front and rear brakes and rode around the block
> the brakes ( like always on the dual system ) work well on the front and the rear locks up at slow speed
> ...


 Top one looks like a @stuee147 replicant.


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## voyager (23 Oct 2014)

classic33 said:


> Top one looks like a @stuee147 replicant.



SJS cycles were, until March this year selling theses as a DIY kit at £3.95 post free on E-Bay . I bought 6 and have used them all .
Unfortunately they have sold out of them and I have replicated the ones used on the other trikes.
Only difference is these are made from 10mm x 13mm bar stock aluminum and 8mm steel rod and secured with an Allen bolt 



starhawk said:


> I have also thought about having both brakes coupled to the same lever, but I can never decide which lever, so the project has stayed at the thought level



Standard side would be the side used for the front brake on a DF 

A toe strap can be used to turn the lever into a parking brake.

regards emma


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## starhawk (24 Oct 2014)

emma wrote:
Standard side would be the side used for the front brake on a DF

_I no longer remember which handle on the DF is for what_

A toe strap can be used to turn the lever into a parking brake.

_Well at present there are a velcro strap at each brake handle but I don't feel they work very well and they are a little tricky to handle, a "park" lever is much easier to use_


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## starhawk (24 Oct 2014)

Maybe I should clarify what a "park" brake lever is, one of these


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## voyager (24 Oct 2014)

Hi Starhawk

We have been using them for the past couple of years , Rather than pay the "ICE park " price , we have been using standard friction shimano gear levers 
Having the word PARK on then makes it a little bit too easy for the thief .
I would rather confuse them with a third gear lever to slow down their getaway 
Using them in conjunction with a sprung arm also allows the use of the handlebar rear brake and parking brake ( similar to the configuration used on a caravan brake ) 


Today was spent getting the other trike ready for winter  :- by replacing the lights  and remaking /welding the bracket for the rear reflector and rear lamp that fell off during the summer ( after I backed into a fence  ) after a mid morning cuppa  I made a head tube fitment to mount a mirror on the new trike  .Surprise Surprise it has started raining again .

Hopefully next week I can get out for a proper ride 

regards emma


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## starhawk (25 Oct 2014)

Having the word PARK on then makes it a little bit too easy for the thief .

_Well that depends on where you mount the lever, what about under the seat?_


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## voyager (31 Oct 2014)

starhawk said:


> Having the word PARK on then makes it a little bit too easy for the thief .
> 
> _Well that depends on where you mount the lever, what about under the seat?_



defeats the idea of having "Park " on the lever ?

the cheaper friction lever can be used ..


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## starhawk (6 Nov 2014)

Looks better  besides that I don't really see the parking brake as an anti-thief measure


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## voyager (6 Nov 2014)

It tends to slow down the opportunist and the joyrider mates that just want a go up the road ,
The best parking brake is a toestrap around the brake lever . It does confuse people .


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## starhawk (7 Nov 2014)

voyager said:


> The best parking brake is a toestrap around the brake lever . It does confuse people .


 Hmmm...  maybe people over here are brighter, nobody here is confused by a toestrap


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## voyager (7 Nov 2014)

starhawk said:


> Hmmm...  maybe people over here are brighter, nobody here is confused by a toestrap



That could start a thread on its owns  , A toestrap around the handlebar grip pulling the brake on with the "buckle" underneath does tend to confuse the non cyclists and does act as a 100% effective parking brake .

Coming of the subject quickly and quietly . 

The rain over the last few days has curtailed any more riding  and testing  and I am waiting on some machined plastics and the delivery of the e-hubs , I hope the weekend will be better to get out on the trikes 

Nothing to report this week other than the comsumption of many cups of tea .

Once the hubs arrive I can build the wheels and assemble for a few last hours of testing before its strip and paint time 

regards emma


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## voyager (23 Dec 2014)

Hi Folks 

During the last few weeks the transportable has seen some more fair weather testing ( due to the lack of paint and the fair chance of getting an orange coat if it gets damp ) . the trike is ready for its strip down and paint or its e-upgrade , at present I have decided not to go along the "e-" route and concentrate on the other projects . Work ( strip and paint ) has been suspended on the trike until the weather improves as the workshop is not really warm enough to spray until February , by then I hope to have finished some of the other pressing projects like the trike rack .

regards all and have a Happy Christmas 

emma


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## voyager (23 Feb 2015)

Still too cold / wet to do much more but the decals are cut ready for the warmer weather , IF I can finish the trike rack then I will have some space to spray it 






The other decals are for another project that was done "in the warm" 

regards emma


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## paul fellows (26 Feb 2015)

possibly a bit late now but i would suggest you have a look at wheel chair technology.


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## voyager (26 Feb 2015)

paul fellows said:


> possibly a bit late now but i would suggest you have a look at wheel chair technology.



Hi Paul 

and welcome to the forum 

Never too late ,

Wheel chair technology is a very good starting point - They use QR sturmey archer hub brakes and other "push the button " qr hubs 
I have a couple ( off a quickie sports chair ) sitting looking at me in the workshop BUT New the items are expensive and scrap ones dont come along too often .
I am looking to convert the standard ones I have to disc brakes by machining up some converters , that will be a next winter job as there is so much to do this year as the longer days are on their way . 
DannyC (UK) and Darnthedog (USA ) on the AtomicZombie forum are both going to use hub brakes on their new trikes and Danny already has the qr hubs but at £280 a pair they are not cheap whilst DTD has the hubs in a non QR format and hopes to convert them when he comes to the UK .

The transportable has given many of the clever builders some inspiration and there has been some interest in producing " home built " trikes using folding technology over the past six months with a few Krew Members going that way .

regards emma


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## paul fellows (27 Feb 2015)

p { margin-bottom: 0.25cm; line-height: 120%; }

Here in the UK the Red Cross loans out wheel chairs. They have a small number of chairs that can no longer be loaned. For a donation they may become a source of serviceable parts.


About 8 years ago at Stockton festival I saw a wheel chair / trike conversion. Front forks and steering had been added to pull the wheel chair along by a small petrol motor.


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## voyager (27 Feb 2015)

Whist these parts are as rare as rocking horse droppings I have a contact in the wheel chair refurbishment service industry .
Sturmey Archer Drum brakes are so seldom scrapped off as they keep the wheels for the refurbs 

will esquire later thanks

regards emma


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## paul fellows (27 Feb 2015)

uk wheel chairs have lever onto tyre brake


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## voyager (27 Feb 2015)

I know but SOME chairs have the golden fleece ( the cream of the chairs mostly attendant propelled have drum brakes ) and these are so rare that the NHS wheelchair dont have them


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## Gareth (2 Mar 2015)

paul fellows said:


> p { margin-bottom: 0.25cm; line-height: 120%; }
> 
> About 8 years ago at Stockton festival I saw a wheel chair / trike conversion. Front forks and steering had been added to pull the wheel chair along by a small petrol motor.



We have a young lady who takes part in Norwich AlleyCat in a wheelchair that has an electric assist motor built into the front half of a bike.


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## paul fellows (3 Mar 2015)

looks like the same sort of idea, are the small wheels of the ground.


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## voyager (8 Sep 2015)

Hi Folks 
its been a while since I touched the transportable , 
Yesterday I lifted it down off the workbench and blew up the tyres and rode it around the block a couple of times before stripping it down to paint it .

Currently all in piece and getting some paint on it but this is what it looks like in pieces 





regards emma


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## paul fellows (8 Sep 2015)

Emma  i wish i had 1 10th of your build skills.

on a different topic, have you or any of your friends made a flying model of a SDR microlight.
the  is for the SDR microlight. you are


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## paul fellows (8 Sep 2015)

sorry that should be SSDR


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## voyager (8 Sep 2015)

We now fly " built up " depron RC models not profile foamies haven't been flying for a little while as the trikes have filled our time .
but if the weather holds we have a mustang to test fly  see twinkle on RCGroups.com 







here is the depron Falcon 42 on finals - note the shadow the model is about 6" off the ground 
this has a built up foam wing , tailplane and Fuselage and is powered by a 200 watt brushless motor !


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## voyager (23 Sep 2015)

Hi Folks 
after a lot of rain and cold damp weather I have actually finish painting the trike 








Final specification includes - 
20" x 1.75 tyred alloy rimmed wheels all round with Under Seat Steering and centre point geometry . 
21 speed index gears from 17" to 90" , and disc brakes all round - 160mm front and 140mm rear 
a respectable specification for a home built prototype. weight is about 42lbs ( from memory )

I have sorted most of the little niggles that occur in the rebuilding process and it just needs a few more miles to sort itself out .

I have done a few miles on it and it rides well and looks nice .

regards emma


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## numbnuts (23 Sep 2015)

Looking very nice there well done


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