recumbent trike build

[stuee147]

Ha ha. Yep photos looking better. I like the red / black scheme (which tractors are black then ?).
Good work as always. You're getting on well with this one.

the red thats on it at the moment is just a primer but i have the red i used for MK1 the black well thats not tractor paint its iron gate paint i have the theory that a gate will get lots of bangs and bashes so the paint must be tough and it seems like a tough finish its not chipped or anything as iv been tightening bolts up and putting back together. and its a nice finish on it to. i like the black and red it makes it stand out a bit more.

That's not a mishap! That's a successful test! Problem located and can be resolved.

Lovin' the thread. Keep 'em coming.

lol yea i was just using the film as a filter for a different affect lol

well iv been doing bit and bobs today but not finished yet iv got the front wheels all back together and the handlebars back on so im back to a ridable trike i also got a delivery today of my new panniers im halfway through fitting them now and ill try and get some pics up later if i remember to get some before its dark lol

stuee

 

[stuee147]

here is a couple of pics of my new panniers iv sorted the fixings they just need trimming down now which ill do when i strip them off to paint the frame.

iv held them up to MK1 which already has the red paint work and they match the red really well.

stuee

 

[stuee147]

well what with the bad weather and a few bad migraines iv not had much chance to do alot on the trike. iv been out on a couple more test runs and have made a few adjustments iv fixed the panniers properly now so there is no rattle or banging as i ride. iv played about with the handlebars and brake/gear leavers getting them set just right. oh yea and i managed to roll the trike on one of my test runs i was trying out the steering and i took a corner a little to fast and i went up on 2 wheels and ended up on my side, apart from a broken mirror which i have replaced already there was only a couple of small scratches on one of the panniers and one of the front brake callipers so i was lucky. but on the bright side i now know that its quite hard to flip it but when it starts to go there is no stopping it. to be fair in normal use there is no way i would be taking a sharp turn like that at that sort of speed, unless i was being chased by a mad dog or something lol but i believe testing things i make very hard that way if it survives like it did even though it did flip over i know its solid enough to handle it.
any way here is a few pics iv taken today ..

i want to fit a couple of bars on the top of the luggage rack so i can strap a bag to the top if need be, and then the main frame will be ready for paint its all been rubbed down now and the welds ground down and then the whole thing has been primed ready for the paint.

iv also fitted a spare rear derailer i had laying around just behind the seat to help guide the power side of the chain. i was finding that sometimes (normally on a fast down hill) as i peddled trying to keep up with the speed the top of the chain run would flap slightly and a couple of times it jumped off the guide in front of the seat and end up on the same guide as the bottom section of chain. but since i put the old drerailer in its not happened also its stopped the chain from hitting the rear frame
.
stuee

 

[fixedfixer]

Great looking trike. You should be well pleased with that one. Well done. Just try to keep it on three wheels you crazy man!

 

[stuee147]

thanks @fixedfixer i al more than pleased with the way MK2 is coming along, and i always thought that the 3rd wheel was just for show i didnt know it was meant to be on the ground lol
iv been taking corners a lot slower lately lol at least i know where the tip over point is lol

today iv been out doing a few little bits of fettling iv finished the luggage rack and its all sanded and primed ready for paint.

as you can see from the pics iv added a few bits of 8mm solid bar to stop things falling threw onto the wheel and as something to strap onto. i also added a a hoped peace of 10mm solid bar to help protect the seat adjustment and then i added a slightly smaller hoped section on the rear to help prevent anything strapped to the rack from sliding off backwards and also helps prevent anything covering the rear light, it also works really well as a handle to lift the rear of the trike

then i had a play about with some mudguards

i had to make a fixing bracket for each front wheel, i also had to trim the mudguards so the bracket would sit tight in

the brackets bolt on with the front brakes i still have to trim off the excess on the brackets but that wont take much, the main thing is im not going to get spray from the wheels as i turn. it should also help me to not put my fingers on the wheel, which ive been doing a lot as i go for the brake leavers, a couple of times iv stuck a finger in the spokes luckily never to far i normally notice it lol having said that i spent 5 min the other day trying to work out what was catching and rubbing the tier only to find it was my fingers running along the top of the wheel as i went along. iv now raised the handlebars as high as i can without completely changing the handlebars and it seems a lot better at least im not touching the wheel as much and now with the mudguards i shouldn't anyway lol.

im going to paint the mudguard brackets black to match the brake arms ect. then the main frame is going to be red, but im still undecided on the luggage rack. i was thinking of red the same as the main frame, but i was sitting having a smoke and looking at the trike and im considering doing the rack in black to match the black rear wheel frame that's right bellow it so it will sort of tie the frames together if you know what i mean. then the red pannier boxes on either side will help tie the different sections together. but im still not to sure it it would look odd and im not sure where to stop/start the red and black any opinions would be helpful. ill probably not decide until im sitting there with a tin of paint and a brush lol

stuee

 

[fixedfixer]

Re the colours. I think the luggage rack will look best in red when boxes are on and black when they are off. Either way ok. Wonder if you'll still get a little spray from front wheels - maybe a mudflap?
Nice job though. Well thought out.

 

[stuee147]

Re the colours. I think the luggage rack will look best in red when boxes are on and black when they are off. Either way ok. Wonder if you'll still get a little spray from front wheels - maybe a mudflap?
Nice job though. Well thought out.

yea i agree i can see the both colours looking good i have been considering doing a base colour of red and then maybe do some design/ pattern in black to help brake up the lines of the box section. (if i get some yellow then i could do flames going up the frame lol)

iv been out for a quick ride in the wet and i didnt get any spray from the front having said that it was raining quite hard so it was a bit hard to tell. if you look closely you can just see i have run the mudguards right down to the brake arms which are bellow the level of the seat so im hoping not to need mudflaps. but i have thought about it and i can easily attach some on if needed. and i was thinking if i do need them i could use either and old innertube or even an old bike tier just a small pice cut out would make a good mud flap.

stuee

 

[fixedfixer]

A bit cut from an old black plastic plant pot is good. Choose the thin flexible pots - they are even pre contoured!

 

[stuee147]

A bit cut from an old black plastic plant pot is good. Choose the thin flexible pots - they are even pre contoured!

thats a good idea. have a gold star

i used heavy rubber door mats on my landrover they worked great for years but i think it might be a bit of overkill on the trike lol

 

[fixedfixer]

thats a good idea. have a gold star

Thanks. They have worked fine for me. Also those plastic cutting boards which come in various colours ( including red) can do the job.

 

[stuee147]

i love them cheap plastic chopping boards, iv used them for all sorts of things over the years i used one for the seat adjustment on MK1, they also make very good spacers and low friction washers.
i also find them hot glue sticks are great for moulding into things and there is lots of different strengths of the glue. i once made up a couple of bushes for an old series landy rear door buy melting the glue into a match box and then carving out the shape when it was set. as far as im aware that old landy still has my home made bushes on the rear door lol. i had read about it on a forum and me being me i had to give it a try. it worked really well and me and my eldest used a similar method to make modles for a school project he got a merit for that to lol

 

[fixedfixer]

Good weather for painting trikes today. Are you designing some wicked flame paint job then?

 

[stuee147]

Good weather for painting trikes today. Are you designing some wicked flame paint job then?

still not got round to painting but i do have a few designs in mind
the weather has been great for painting but i had bits to do and a stinking migraine for a few days. but i have been out for a few short runs to the shops and things when i could. iv also been playing about with little ideas iv got some have worked others haven't but im glad i havent done the paint yet or i would be forever repainting bits iv changed lol

the first thing i have changed is the seat base i was sitting having a smoke looking at the seat, iv always had a plan of mounting a small 6v lithium battery i have under the seat. the battery charges in about 2 hrs with a small solar panel i have that i can clip to the rack at the back. the battery is very small and light and im wanting to have a couple of usb sockets to charge my phone and gps and im also planing on running the trike lights off of it to. i know from experience that the battery fully charged can charge about 4 or 5 smart phones and run a small led light at night for a couple of nights before it needs to be recharged. so its got plenty of power for my needs and its only about the size of a pack of cigarettes and about the same weight so there is no issue there.
but then i decided to change the seat base to become a storage/tool area too. i boxed in the seat base with some sheet metal and made a lid that i covered in some foam (an old yoga/sleep mat) i had. i used some very strong contact adhesive to fix the foam to the seat base.

iv used an old set of front forks as a frame for the seat base so it gives a nice curve to the top to help water run off and to make it a bit more comfy. i then used the same spray contact adhesive that i used on the foam to fix on a waterproof cover (and old car seat cover)

i also lined the inside of the panniers with the same foam to prevent things inside rattling around

i then had a small issue of the chain rubbing on the new under seat tool box

so i then fitted a second chain guide just behind the seat but that seemed to pull the chain to low at the back and i was getting some chain slip in higher gears
so i added a triple at the back to raise the chain back to correct height

but when i went for a test run i found that when changing gears quickly like when going from down hill to a steep up hill the chain would jump off the triple, so after a think i took an easy option of fitting a derailer as a guide to keep the chain on the triple

and now this setup seems to be working great iv been on a couple of rides with it and touch wood iv not had any problems with it. i will be fitting a guard to the triple i just took it off while i played about getting it right.

iv still got a couple of bits i want to play with before i decide its finished enough for paint lol

stuee

 

[stuee147]

one thing im considering is fitting a couple of supports to the rear rack. i know i can sit on it with no cracking or bending of any type and there is no way i would be putting 17st on the back. but over time say on a long ride with the panniers loaded im a bit worried that the bumps from the roads may cause some twisting or bending in the rear rack,

this is the area i was thinking of putting a support or two

im also considering a e bike conversion too iv seen some kits that are quite well priced i have a few things i need to consider first and some ideas to think threw so i will have a bit more of a think first.

stuee

 

[classic33]

Electric wheelchair motor considered?