Projects for a bike with no rear wheel

[Yellow Fang]

A friend of mine just bought a new Revolution Courier Nexus from the Edinburgh Cycle Cooperative. As it happened, someone then nicked the back wheel of his old Revolution Courier. He doesn't want to buy a new wheel for it, and said he'd let me have it. I'm not sure I really want it, because I haven't got much space, but what projects could I do with a rear wheelless Courier?

 

[tyred]

SS or Fixed?

 

[killiekosmos]

unicycle :-)

 

[Yellow Fang]

SS or Fixed?

Yes, I was thinking SS or fixed. There is actually a Courier Singlespeed you can buy. Can you buy ready made single speed back wheels in your local shop, or is a wheel with cassette hub and a singulator the way to go?

I also thought:

Luggage carrying cycle using an Xtracycle, but they're rather expensive. I don't have the space, and I'd be worried about the panniers getting nicked.

Tricycle, but they're seriously uncool and I haven't got the space;

Electric bike: possibly, but I'm too much of a fitness freak to use electric, and the motors and batteries are still a expensive.

Electric generator: I knew someone who built bicycle powered generators. I fancy making a cycle powered kettle, just to demonstrate how much energy it takes to heat water, but I doubt I'd ever find time, and don't have the electrician skills.

 

[Yellow Fang]

I see there's a company that sells little petrol engines to convert your mountain bike to a moped. Are these legal in the strictest sense of the word.

http://www.transformercycles.com/

 

[Woz!]

Scroll right down to the bottom of their (hideous) page and you'll see that if you want to use it on the roads you'll have to register it as a moped, tax it, pass a test, get an MOT and pay insurance.
Not such a bargain!

 

[Piemaster]

Luggage carrying cycle using an Xtracycle, but they're rather expensive. I don't have the space, and I'd be worried about the panniers getting nicked.

Some cheap ways of doing this. Instructables for ideas. Using the rear swing arm of a BSO full sus mtb looks to be about the easiest/cheapest way to do it (link)

edit: to add all of the home brewed longtails look nasty enough that I can't see theft really being an issue