Recumbent Update

M

mwerner

Joined
Apr 23, 2002
Messages
5,354
Here's the 99% finished bike:



e555.jpg


Ugly, ain't it? :D

I still have to fabricate a chain tensioner to make the front derailleur work, and exchange the fat front tire for a proper road skin. Other than that, it's pretty much ready to go.
Took it for a brief test ride this morning (It's rather cold), and everything works; shifting, brakes, etc. Need to work on cable management.

First thing I found was that you have to STEER this beast much more than a regular bike. Lots more handlebar input. Still, I didn't fall off or anything.

There's bits of four different bikes here, the frame is a cheap "dual suspension" mountain bike, the front "boom" is from an old 10-speed, the forks and various other bits are from a GT mountain bike, and the front wheel is from an old kid's stunt bike. The chain guide is an old MTB derailleur cage. Total expense so far is under 50.00, and the thing weighs in at 38 pounds. Not too bad, really. The seat is fabricated from a NordicTrack ab machine I found at goodwill for 10 bucks. Also the extended stem, pirated tubes from the framework.

Annoyances were fabricating brackets for the caliper brakes, and buying extended cables for the rear DR.
I'll have to carry some tool kit if I take any long rides, there's a mess of odd-sized bolts, nuts and fasteners, some metric, some American. No Quick-releases on the front wheel or either brake.....Yet.
e555.jpg
 
Hehe- It was there, maybe yahoo pics took it down after a week. I'll see if I can't connect again.
 
Pic notwithstanding, how hard was this to put together? Also, how hard would it be for someone with only marginal mechanical ability to do?
 
Not too bad, really. I used more carpentry than bike tools. :D

Lots of hacksawing and drilling, no welding.

I had an advantage in being familiar with bike mechanics, and having a lot of parts available. I had a decent test ride today, on one of the local bike paths.
I got the seating position right; it's quite comfortable. Need to work on the gearing, as I can top out the highest gear pretty easily.

If you're interested, I can give you more complete building tips by e-mail.
 
Thanks, MW--e-mail on the way!

Revised: Tried e-mailing you from address in profile but it bounced. I'm at eda_koppoATyahoo.com.
 
I havn't updated in so long, it's probably still my old AOL adress.
Should be Bikewer@yahoo.com. (hard to figure, huh?)

I have very limited experience to date! From reading a lot of web pages and reviews, it seems the general consensus is that if you have a lot of problems with hand/wrist numbness (or arthritis!), low back or neck pain, and so forth, the recumbent might be a good deal.
There are a wide variety of models, from very fast, sporty racers to full-bore tourers, and even a couple of off-road models. (I can't imagine...)

Price ranges are typical of what you'd expect for "better" bikes, from about 1000.00 to well over 2 grand. Remember these are mostly small firms with limited distribution. (Mine has so far cost me about 60 bucks...)

Of course, a lot of the above mentioned pains can be eliminated in most cases by proper bike fit and setup, and good technique.

Two things I noticed right off the bat. Almost no pressure on hands. Your arms bear no weight. Second, clipless pedals are a good idea. With this particular bike's riding position, I felt like my feet were going to fall off the rattraps I had installed originally. I put on an old pair of "spuds" (Shimano SPD), and it was much better.

Ed: I'll snap a few more pics to illustrate things. I was sort of thinking of photographing the whole construction progress, but things got in the way.
 
Hell, there are decent Y-frames going for the 70-100 range in my area. That makes this thing in the $500 range!
 
If you decide to try this, I suggest looking for the Y-frame bikes made by Royce Union. They are a couple of cuts up from the Next and Magna cheapies you see everywhere.
The only aluminum bits on the Next job I used were the wheel rims...Well, not quite that bad, but almost.
 
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