Poll

Which one should I build?

20-26 Atomic Zombie Spirit
0 (0%)
26-26 Azub Max clone
6 (60%)
Buy one first
3 (30%)
Build something else
1 (10%)

Total Members Voted: 10

Author Topic: Choosing what sort of first recumbent bike to build  (Read 5283 times)

Phil W

Re: Choosing what sort of first recumbent bike to build
« Reply #25 on: 15 February, 2020, 11:41:16 am »


Re: Choosing what sort of first recumbent bike to build
« Reply #27 on: 06 March, 2020, 01:34:47 pm »
Here’s a mountain bike converted into a recumbent.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/britishhumanpowerclub/permalink/10156961449256964/

Nice. :)

I spotted an HP Velotechnik Grasshopper in a bike rack near where I work so I left a note on it to see if I could pick the brains of the owner. 
Today we had a sandwich at the cafe on the business park and he showed me the bike. :) He's had it 15 years (and also has a Challenge for the summer) - it's really neat and I would never had guessed it's so old or done so many miles. He's a bit taller than me, so trying it wasn't really an option - I sat on it and rolled a few feet - I can see why I need to go somewhere and try some. Must arrange a visit to DTek!

Kim

  • Timelord
    • Fediverse
Re: Choosing what sort of first recumbent bike to build
« Reply #28 on: 06 March, 2020, 02:59:24 pm »
He's a bit taller than me, so trying it wasn't really an option - I sat on it and rolled a few feet

Where's that picture of EldestCub riding my Streetmachine when he was a lot smaller than he is now and had no sane[1] prospect of reaching the pedals?   :)

HPVelotechnik stuff just goes and goes.  All that heavy German over-engineering makes for reliability, even though the machines are hardly simple.  Other than crash damage[2] and the usual wear components, you just have to look after the suspension and replace the USS gear and brake cables when they inevitably gum up - very little recumbent-specific mucking about, and no fear of crappy road surfaces.


[1] After a couple of goes of scooting it and being pushed, he managed to pedal it a hundred metres or so with his shoulders on the base of the seat, with his back arched out of the way of the steering.
[2] USS tends to mean the hand controls bear the brunt if the bike falls over.  I have a sacrificial bell...

Re: Choosing what sort of first recumbent bike to build
« Reply #29 on: 08 April, 2020, 08:43:33 pm »
I took the forks out of the BMX and the MTB to measure them. They both seem to be 1 1/8 inch. The most unusual part is that the simple ball bearing headset on the (cheap, kids) BMX was in much better condition than the semi-integrated one on the (reasonable quality) MTB. I also found that I had more steel than I thought - 3m.

I'm going to order 2 headtubes and BBs from Ceeway, model up the designs in 3D Builder and then create a new thread for each of them, but I'm going to build the off-road one first. I would go to DTek if I could, but it doesn't seem likely to happen any time soon.

Edit - Bits now ordered from Ceeway. Depending on how I get on I might even end up with a round boom (the head tube I've ordered is 600mm long and I only need about 210 for 2 bikes)! :)