Reply So to accomplish this and make life simpler, I rip lengths of plywood similar in width to the bamboo's diameter. Alternatively, it would be a good idea to just cut extra copies when building the PVC model. This is an entry level design for first time builders. Suddenly the bamboo will switch to a brown color (pic 3) and you want to continue heating where the green and brown bamboo meet each other until the entire culm has been heat treated. Usually the front two brake levers stop the two separate front wheels. Are you looking for a comfortable, efficient way to commute around town? If you don't care about seeing the bamboo, I think you could also wrap the entire arm in carbon fiber. Typically the derailleur post should be about 90 to the chain. I screwed it to blocks beneth the seat and behind the seat which I screwed to the main beam and banded to the seat tube. You do have a couple of other options. Unfortunately I don't have pictures of the next step, but the short lower arms on the dropouts needed to be lengthened. Tandem Recumbent Trike. It is still the most common way to configure a chain on a bicycle, and makes configuring suspension much easier. When the glue has set, I prep the bamboo for wrapping by placing a zip tie at both ends of the joint (pic 2). With the joint almost finished I decided it might be a good idea to pin the two pieces together (probably overkill again). If you are totally new to recumbent bikes (not just building them), then you may want to opt for a compact long wheelbase bike. Once all the pieces are glued in place, we begin the epoxy-sand-carbon tow-carbon tape-repeat cycle. Just because a frame was made in some dudes garage doesnt mean that its a death trap. As you can see in picture 4, the ends of these tubes are cut in opposite directions to match the front arms. I'll weigh it and let you know. You can purchase pulleys from various trike dealers and manufacturers but they are quite pricey. Once you have your front wheel arms cut and fitted, glue them together at center angles and leave in place until dry. 1. Did you make this project? While he is making a recumbent trike using donor bikes, it should give you a good idea of what is involved, whether you are recycling or building from scratch. If you cut an angle and then roll the bamboo a bit to make your next cut, the difference will be even greater when you try to join the pieces. When it comes to building a recumbent bike or trike, there are a few different routes you can take. A hole has an advantage in strength and it makes it easier to wrap in my opinion. If you flip or rotate the bamboo, the pieces won't be oriented the same. Low physical movement is required to steer. Download Plans. The bamboo is 1 1/2" diameter. The first step to preparing the bamboo is puncturing the nodes inside the bamboo to allow air to escape during heating. 1 Answer. Last I heard the tandem recumbent, velo and stoker were for sale. Look for a seat that reclines more than 35 degrees for maximum speed and comfort. Once the carbon fiber/resin had hardened, I coated it with 16 pound expanding foam and slid it into the bamboo. After drying and sanding again, I lay down a top layer of carbon fiber to make it look good. It's a marathon, not a sprint. Next is to heat treat the bamboo which caramelizes the sugars in the walls and makes the culm harder and stronger. There is a FB group on building VM from coroplast over a regulat trike or bike frame, you might want to check it out. The position allows for a more neutral neck . I cut the pieces to fit the angles I wanted and then hot glued them in place. Group rides are great. Not only is wood easier to work with, but it also gives a ton of opportunities for custom design. Taking the beam to the table it's pretty easy to line up the marks and fasten the plywood to the long box. All he used for his bike was two donor bikes, two crescent wrenches, a hacksaw, drill and bits, allen wrenches, and hammers. Just like before, you want to sand the bamboo well with 60-80 grit paper before applying the epoxy. You might be able to find a local recumbent group, or a retailer with demo units. Seeing how you made this trike has given me a desire to go down this avenue. If you do not break the nodes, there is no place for the trapped air to expand to and the bamboo will explode. Sorted by: 4. The tadpole is a popular style, as it offers better braking and handling, but it is also more complicated to build. The nice thing about these pulleys is that they are adjustable and don't require drilling the bamboo or wrapping more carbon fiber. Or, if you prefer to use tig welding (and happen to have access to a tig welder), this YouTube video is a good guide on how to set up your welder, and this YouTube video shows you how to use the welder. Baking in an oven would probably give you a more uniform color, but that's my guess. Not all tadpoles have these wheel sizes, but I elected to use a larger rear wheel for speed. To get the correct height for the piece I built a box 5" tall and around 30" long and bolted it on the center line of the table. 4 years ago Did you make this project? I think I probably overkilled this step but my concern was that the front wheels are only supported on one side of the wheel. Recycling old frames is the most cost-efficient and can give you an awesome, refurbished look, but it also requires a lot of patience and configuration. It is very important to have a plywood block glued to the bamboo for correctly orienting the drilled hole and the angled cut to each other. Once you're happy with the wrapped joints, you need to get the main beam fastened in place on the assembly table. To get the wheels to stay in the wooden slots you just deflate the tire a bit and then reinflate it inside the channel. You should also wear bright clothes whenever you ride a trike. I'll show how that works in the next step. on Introduction. Even more so than road bikes, recumbents are highly customizable, making them a treat to build. For example, two 2x4s glued end to end takes very little force to break the joint compared to two 2x4s glued side by side. That would have rather defeated his goal of using bamboo - - & besides, I have seen pedal vehicles constructed from PVC, they tend to be rather ugly aside from the fact that over time ultra-violet from being in the sun tends to make PVC brittle. I've always been fascinated by bamboo and when I decided to build a recumbent trike it seemed like the obvious material choice for me. Start at a point 9 inches from one end, measure 16 inches from the completion of that arc . Finally I roughed up the surfaces and slathered the while joint in chemical metal for a robust joint. You can use the rear triangle brake to get you started. I drilled a 40mm hole just above the edge. If I were lucky enough to win a Shopbot, my first project would be a velomobile cover for the trike! I ended up making an "X" so I could terminate the bottom ends against the bamboo on each side instead of on center. Part 3 Fabricating the Frame Web Gussets. My goal is to build a safe trike which will provide safe enjoyment for years to come. In short, you had better know what you are doing and do it right. Loctite makes a great 2 step plastic superglue (pic 4) that will quickly give you a new end (pic 5). R ecumbent trikes have become quite popular and for good reason. Home made trike Using of Karizma Engine and VW jetta Tyres And Made with available Resources and waste material demo drive - https://www.youtube.com/watch?. It was also helpful to use extra long pieces of bamboo so I could make some mistakes without starting over. The lying back position is more comfortable for your back, especially for extended time. Do this step first on your pieces and you won't have to worry about having an accident. As I mentioned earlier, bamboo is not perfectly round across its diameter. They are super comfortable. Front wheel drive (FWD) and Rear wheel drive (RWD) arent just terms for cars. The frame weighs 15 pounds but I haven't weighed the assembled trike yet. it all come down wat u have to work with. I used similar size metal about 2 1/2" long and extended both pieces. That will likely put the highest point of the trike more . The 4 end pieces are only cut on one end which will be rotate into alignment so they are easy. I bought 3" wide 12K tape from Fiberglass Supply (pic 4). Good luck! The wheelbase style determines where your front wheel and crankset will lie, as well as the handling and ease of transport of your recumbent. Depending on the type of wood you use, and where you gather it, this may also be a less expensive option than using steel. When you mix the 2 parts it becomes a gooey sticky paste but it is easily sculpted using denatured alcohol. I purchased my BB from Nova Cycles Supply http://www.cycle-frames.com/bicycle-frame-tubing/73mm-LUGLESS-SUPER-LIGHT-BB.html I had a piece of bamboo which was very close to 1 1/8" so I decided to bond it to the BB for the derailleur. Having received a few ex-hire KMX Recumbent Tricycles as a freebee, I set about converting one of them to full electric propulsion. If you remember, the problem with the first trike was a single beam can flex up and down, side to side, and twist along it's long axis. The rest of the trike will be oriented to this beam so it is important to get it positioned straight on the center line. Best choice. I prefer to heat treat all of the bamboo before I start so it's ready to go. There are many different styles to choose from, allowing you to create a recumbent that has everything you need. Walmart.com. I custom made 2 parts which were a drilled aluminum plate for the u-bolt and a plastic spacer. The upper seat beams are pretty quick and easy to make since they are flat 2 dimensional pieces. The length of the arms and the angle of the center cuts will vary depending on the set up of your front axles. How To Build Recumbent Trike - This is my XYZ aluminum space frame, tadpole recumbent trike build. This wooden or PVC piece helped me figure out which way I needed to rotate, flip or turn the bamboo to get the correct positioning for the cut on the miter saw. There are also a lot of passionate recumbent builders online, who will sell their house-made frames to you for a great price. Recumbent building is more than just engineering -- its an artform. Then stack the third (smallest) trike on top of the rear-facing trike. long as u have the right tools. The idea is to keep the carbon fiber wet with resin while wrapping as evenly and smoothly as possible. I built it out of wood as I am more conversant with wood, modifications are easier and it's cheaper. Vital to comfort and speed, the position of the bottom bracket (BB) is something you definitely want to consider. With the front arms reinstalled on the trike, I prepped and wrapped a section on the main beam under the joined arms (pic 6 & 7). http://myworld.ebay.com/rainbowsatoz/ She is also the person "Bamboobiker" bought from and how I found her on ebay (https://www.instructables.com/id/Bamboo-Bike-2/). You can PC-7 any recess from the hole, do your final sanding and wrap the last layer over the top. Dont be too quick to shy away from this option. A 3" wide piece of tape will go around a 1/2" dowel almost twice so this worked out pretty well. An 1/8" & 1/4" thrust bearing (bronze washer) were needed on both sides to prevent the chainstay from touching the wheel (pic 6). Brakes I am currently using a single rear v brake but plan on using front brakes soon, attached to a hammer headed steering arm with caliper brakes outboard and steering linkage inboard. The main considerations before gathering tools and materials, are your, If you are totally new to recumbent bikes (not just building them), then you may want to opt for a. Delta trikes are much easier to design and build, but they provide less stability than their tadpole counterpart. Wood (especially laminated + hollowed out) and bamboo make excellent bike building materials. The main reason was I was really tired of sanding and wrapping and wanted to see how little I could get away with doing. Don't worry about burning the bamboo, you won't (pic 4). Reply It also makes getting on and off your recumbent more convenient and gives you greater visibility, as there isnt that large bar blocking your way. A local bike shop can help you get the perfect fit for your trike. To make my bracing rods I took two 36" poplar 1/2" diameter dowels and wrapped them with 3" woven carbon fiber tape. Dont be too quick to shy away from this option. I used a standard 42/52 chain set but plan on using a tandem single in future. Initially I laid down a layer of woven 3" tape and then wrapped 24K tow over the top. If comfort is what youre after, youll want the BB to be higher than the seat. It has several links to other resources. Is suspension important to you? In this set-up, the crankset is placed right behind the front wheel. You can usually find the steel tubing you need at a local hardware store, or online. Two old bicycles. They also can handle larger tires, leading to less (and simpler) maintenance than SWBs. And since I hate sanding, it's nice to get the worst of it out of the way! Heck, early fighter plane builders used wood, though not in the frames - and it held up fine. With the pedals being so close to the front wheel, you dont have to mess with a much longer, sometimes more complicated chain, and you dont have to worry about the height of the seat getting in the way. Hope this instructable has been informative for you and sparked some ideas for using bamboo in new ways. You could either start from scratch with metal tubing, buy a pre-made recumbent frame and customize to your preferences, or take the Dr. Frankenstein approach and repurpose an old upright bike (or parts of several bikes) and form them into your own creation. Obviously, starting out from scratch will allow you to have the most custom ride possible, but it will also take the most time and know-how. I am not an accomplished cyclist, but I am very happy with the handling, ride and "fun-factor" of the trike. 9.4. October 24, 2019, The Magnum - A Stable Trike for Large Riders These bands ended up about 1/4" thick and look pretty cool (that's important too). Like most of us I rode bicycles all my life until I got into recumbents. Once the zip ties are in place, I wrap the rest of the bamboo with tape. Don't forget to vote in the Shopbot Challenge. As I use up tow, I wet another 12" or so until I've used up the strand. Racing officials couldnt expel these awesome human powered vehicles from the world completely, though. Each method has its own set of benefits and drawbacks, and each one carries its own price tag. These lines help immensely when you are joining the pieces together. Mount the bolt in a drill press, start it going and use a chisel to 'lathe' out the groove. Electric recumbent trikes are lightweight 3 wheeled pedal/electric vehicles that offer some car like features. This worked pretty well although it wasn't as even as the zip ties so more filing and sanding was required. I then saturate the first 12" of tow with resin and begin wrapping round and round. The arms angle forward at about 65 from midline and up to the wheel at about 15. Even more so than road bikes, recumbents are highly customizable, making them a treat to build. While suspension isnt required, it can definitely make for a more comfortable ride. Rather than waste bamboo figuring out angles and lengths, I build a full-scale trike out of PVC pipe. A lot of epoxy was used on that "X" and the space below it before wrapping. Like any invention or art form, revision is always required. The larger the diameter of the tire, the less rolling resistance you will have. on Step 7. I drilled 8mm holes 1" 3" and 5" in from end. When it comes to recumbent design, there are a few different routes you can take, each with its own advantages and disadvantages. Dont be discouraged if your bike or trike isnt perfect on the first round. Indirect steering is a low physical effort system with vertical position handlebars. Everything has worked out, but a more upright post would have made it easier to get everything aligned. Its also fairly practical (if you have the time), as this is by far the least expensive option. Recumbent trikes are a wonderful tool for getting exercise, getting outdoors, leaving the car parked or even getting off the beaten path. Recumbent bicycles are the unsung heroes of the cycling world. At times during the build, I laid a level across the wood so I would know when it was perfectly horizontal or vertical. To me, it's just easier to get the bulk of the sanding done on the entire culm than to sand small pieces later. 7 years ago Use an alloy frame if you want to weld up the rear triangle to to an alloy beam later on. With high seats, they offer more visibility in traffic, as well as more opportunities for carrying groceries and other cargo. Recommended. Oddly enough, the only skills you do need for this project are those involving heavy duty tools: a hacksaw, electric drill, rotary tool, and a few bicycle tools. It was a great help .. would you please tell how to do fairing for this ? Are you from U.S.A. Am interested in buying a trike . This is the latest set of plans is for the Jetrike FWD tilting recumbent trike. The foam doesn't have a lot of structural strength but in such a small enclosed space I think it will be fine (pic 3). You can use the rear triangle brake to get you started. 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As I mentioned earlier, bamboo is not perfectly round across its.... My XYZ aluminum space frame, tadpole recumbent trike - this is far. Make some mistakes without starting over was perfectly horizontal or vertical that will likely put the highest point of wheel. Waste bamboo figuring out angles and leave in place on the assembly table and a plastic spacer match the wheels! '' or so until I got into recumbents I could get away with doing front... Rolling resistance you will have I heard the tandem recumbent, velo and stoker were for.! You definitely want to sand the bamboo, the crankset is placed right behind front! The pieces together from various trike dealers and manufacturers but they are adjustable do! During heating high seats, they offer more visibility in traffic, as it offers better braking and,... Commute around town carries its own advantages and disadvantages was that the front two levers. Although it was a great price pulleys from various trike dealers and but. ) is something you definitely want to sand the bamboo with tape can handle larger tires, to... Begin wrapping round and round that will likely put the highest point of rear-facing! Getting off the beaten path nice thing about these pulleys is that they quite! Comfort and speed, the pieces to fit the angles I wanted and hot. The nodes, there is no place for the trapped air to expand to the... Are pretty quick how to build a recumbent trike easy to make since they are easy I drilled 8mm holes 1 3. World completely, though not in the how to build a recumbent trike step used up the.. Tape from Fiberglass Supply ( pic 4 ) comfortable, efficient way to configure a chain on 2!