Scotstounman
Über Member
- Location
- Lochwinnoch
I recently completed a project for a friend who had purchased an old ice cream tricycle of 90’s vintage to refurbish it and convert it to use for vending coffee and snacks. My friend owns a cafe and thought this would be a good addition. The original tricycle was in poor condition - it had sat outside for some time then in a cowshed for two years. The insulated ice cream box was removed before I received the rest of the machine, which needed to be fully stripped down, repainted and re-built. The trike had roller brakes on all wheels and Shimano 3 speed gears on the rear wheel. After assessing the state of the components, I replaced all 3 wheels with new ones built from scratch - 20” on the front and 24” on the back, but retaining the original rear hub gears and roller brake as these seemed ok. The front wheels were fitted with new Shimano roller brakes, but the overall wheel width was slightly more than the original, so I cut off the old drop-outs and made new ones which were welded in position on the front frame by a friend. The stripped down frame and other components were blasted and powder coated in a shop in Edinburgh I use now and then, and came back looking very good. I reassembled the trike with the new wheels and also replaced the other drive train components as the originals were too far gone for re-use. The pivot between the rear and front frames was a little tricky to refurbish. This performs the duty of a bicycle headset, allowing the trike to be steered. The headset bearings were completely corroded but the bearing cups seemed ok, so I was able to replace the bearings with new . However the bearings were adjusted by tightening the moving threaded cones on a central threaded rod of a strange size - 15/16” BCS from what I could determine. Getting replacement threaded cones and a locknut in this size proved challenging, so I retained the originals, which seem ok.
The reassembled frame was fitted with new cables, saddle , brake levers, gear shifter and bar tape then the whole thing was tested around my yard. It worked fine but felt a little unstable and has a very large turning circle. The roller brakes are pretty effective.
The second part of the project was to build a new “box” for the payload, to carry coffee flasks, baked goods etc. and provide a counter-top to serve from. I built this from suitable timber and plywood, with a hinged top and door which allow access inside and and an extending counter top flap. My woodworking skills are not bad but were stretched by building this box, particularly the recessed hinge for the counter top.
The box was finish painted white inside and green outside to match the colour scheme of my friend’s cafe. The counter top was sanded and varnished. The finished coffee tricycle also has a parasol which sets it off nicely. It’s due to go into service in the next few weeks.
The photos show the original ice cream tricycle (about 5 years ago), the repainted frame components, and the rebuilt tricycle with the coffee box.
The reassembled frame was fitted with new cables, saddle , brake levers, gear shifter and bar tape then the whole thing was tested around my yard. It worked fine but felt a little unstable and has a very large turning circle. The roller brakes are pretty effective.
The second part of the project was to build a new “box” for the payload, to carry coffee flasks, baked goods etc. and provide a counter-top to serve from. I built this from suitable timber and plywood, with a hinged top and door which allow access inside and and an extending counter top flap. My woodworking skills are not bad but were stretched by building this box, particularly the recessed hinge for the counter top.
The box was finish painted white inside and green outside to match the colour scheme of my friend’s cafe. The counter top was sanded and varnished. The finished coffee tricycle also has a parasol which sets it off nicely. It’s due to go into service in the next few weeks.
The photos show the original ice cream tricycle (about 5 years ago), the repainted frame components, and the rebuilt tricycle with the coffee box.
