Homemade recumbent

M

mwerner

Joined
Apr 23, 2002
Messages
5,354
Bicycle, that is. I've been wanting to "get bent" for some time, but with most decent new bikes going for 1000.00 plus, that would involve selling my present roadster (at a terrific loss) and accumulating more cash besides.
Then I saw this:

http://hometown.aol.com/david5430/index.html

page with a guy selling plans for making a short-wheelbase model from bits of other bikes. Plans are only six bucks, but I'm terminally cheap. A bit more searching found this page:

http://www.wideopenwest.com/~lipetz/Bicycles/bicycles.htm

by a guy who actually built one. (slightly modified) This guy's photos:



Bicycles


were good enough so that I could pretty much figure out what's what.

I have obtained three junkers, a Y-frame dual-suspension MTB (virtually all steel!) a cheap GT solid-frame MTB, and a "Spalding" roadster of dubious origin.
Already I've stripped the frame, installed the front forks from the GT onto the Y-Frame, and cut up the Spalding to furnish the "boom" front crank assembly.
I'm going to need to rebuild some cranks and wheel bearings (just bearings and grease, and dirty hands), and see if I can replace the stamped-steel rear derallieur on the Y-frame with the much nicer Acera DR from the GT. (the steel one is RIVETED to the dropout!)
I'll post some pics as it comes along.
LipetzHomeBuilt_020.jpg
 
That would be really cool to convert a couple of bikes into one recumbent. My idea of a 'bent back when I was a kid involved using an old bicycle that had a cargo/passenger rack in the back. I would tie the ends of a rope to the ends of the handlebars, sit on the rear rack, pedal, and use the rope for steering. :D
 
I havent gotten used to the idea of having the... uh... pole between my legs. At least with a regular bike you can jump...

"Thats gonna hurt in the morning!"

:eek:
 
Wow, that really cool. My friends and I built some wacky bikes, but not a recumberent... That page got me thinking. Thanks. :D
 
If you weld, there are plenty of plans available for more efficient designs. This thing involves no welding, but will top out on the hefty side. Still, fun to play with.
 
Hi All-

This recumbent would be fun for parades and coasting around the barrio, but a fit rider on a traditional bike would eat it for lunch!:)

~ Blue Jays ~
 
Outrageous! I like it!

On a practical note, I seem to remember that BF forumite slide13 was a bike mechanic. Perhaps he could offer suggestions?

Good effort!

maximus "Still riding his Trek 1400 road bike" otter
 
Hehe- I am a bike mechanic too, of sorts; I do all the work for the department, and have been working on my own for many years. About all I don't do is wheel lacing.

Looks like I'll either have to fabricate a new hanger for the rear DR, or drill out the rivet and tap the hole. No biggie.

I'm sure any decent roadster could well eat this particular "hybrid" recumbent, but you may or may not know that recumbents of various sorts hold all the HPV land speed records, and are well known on group rides to achieve much higher speeds on descents than regular roadsters.
It's a matter of aerodynamics, primarily.
 
Clever! I have a book called Bike Cult, which is an encyclopedia of information. The author is always talking about "Bicycle Ingenuity", the odd mindset of some bicyclists to make, alter, modify, or create all sorts of unusual bikes, accesories, and gear.

Interestingly, I walked into a local shop last night to buy some bearings, and on the showroom was a little number from Giant that looked like a combo of a scooter, a recumbent, and a step-through:

http://www.giant-bicycle.com/us/030.000.000/030.000.000.asp?model=10788

Not exactly for the Tour crowd, but interesting!
 
Hotrod said:
I havent gotten used to the idea of having the... uh... pole between my legs. At least with a regular bike you can jump...

"Thats gonna hurt in the morning!"

:eek:
Click to expand...
Designed and built a home-brewed recumbent using a coulple of old bikes back in the '80s. Designed it using steering tubes to place the your hands at an ergonomic position by your sides with the handlebars near the seat under your legs. It was a blast to ride but take some getting used to.

Worried about the pole at first but during trials hit a deep pothole and became "dislodged" doing 20 +. Ended in a standing position after a few running steps and never worried about the center pole again.

I would recommend a flashing light or bright flag as motorists look through them even more than a regular cycle. "Bent" bikes are efficient and offer less frontal resistance. They can run away from your "fit" cyclists on downhills. If you're in reasonable shape they keep up with them on the flats. Uphill? You're on your own and often alone. :)
 
I guess if the handle bar was under the seat one might be less protective of the family jewels!

:D
 
Ran into my first real glitch. I have all my "bits" assembled, for the most part, and I've been taking apart the two bottom brackets and wheels for rebuilding.
Found a fossilized wasp in one BB....

The wheel on the V-frame bike is really cheesy, but I have a nice rear wheel and Acera hubset from the GT. I also have a MTB-sized road tire. Stuck this assembly on the frame and it just didn't look quite right....

The cheapie has 24" wheels. That means the standard 26" MTB wheels are too big for the brakes to line up. Most annoying. I have the choice of rebuilding the incredibly cheap hub on the 24" wheel, or lacing the Acera hub to the 24" wheel. (This would be interesting-I don't do wheel lacing normally)

Or...Find a welder and have him install brake mounts higher up. (the sub-frame is chrome plated...)
 
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