JohnPR's oficial recumbent trike build thread

[johnpr]

well i have commented about it a couple times and think it is about time to start my thread about my planned build.

what i am doing:
-I am going to make (with heavy documentation) a recumbent trike.
-it will have 2 front wheels and 1 rear (drive) wheel
-it will also have an electric motor in said drive wheel
-it will be ultra low budget (under 50 usd)

why am i doing this:
-I cannot afford a commercial trike
-i enjoy the challenge of designing and building my own stuff
-commuting on a bike is much more fuel efficient and also quite a bit less stressful
-i dont like the current frame of my electric bike

so heres the scoop, i have an electric bike (schwinn stingray-chopper my dad got a couple years ago from w-mart) and 2 victims ooops i mean parts donors sitting in my basement and 1 just so happens to be full suspension. i am currently working out all the details and will have my plans finalized mid week with construction starting next weekend.

notes:
-i am considering rear suspension but am not set on it, overall length and complexity will probably be the determining factors.
-the seat back will be adjustable
-seat position might also be adjustable
-only the electric power and trike idea are set in stone (until i finalize plan, after that there will be only minor changes to design made)
-planing unique gearing idea (rear wheel has single gear, not sufficient for commuting)
-will have cargo rack mounted on rear


i found alot of information on the following site, for reference i attached 2 pictures of his trike, a picture of my concept, and a picture of my current commuter bike.
http://www.ihpva.org/people/tstrike/trike.htm

also as a side note i will be posting my final drawings in .cad format for anyone who may be interested

[SVOboy]

Good luck with it....I'll definitely be following with interest.

[tzietz]

What are your thoughts for allowing for a future fairing/velomobile conversion? (Such as this one (http://www.ihpva.org/com/PracticalIn...s/index.html)? I'm eyeing the same idea now.

[Peakster]

Woo! More people jumping on the HPV bandwagon! I'm staying tuned.

[Gone4]

Why did you decide to have three wheels? Why did you put two in the front instead of two in the rear?

[johnpr]

tzietz - my plan is to allow for a full body to make it more comfortable in weather extremes and also (hopefully) more aerodynamic.

genkreton- 3 wheels for the stability, i cant balance worth a darn on a standard recumbent and not having to focus on balance should also reduce long travel fatigue (just my theory) also this will be a utility bike so i may have heavy loads and weight shifting greatly affects bicycles.

as for why the 2 in front, simple answer is that it has, in my experience, better handling properties (less likely to tip at high cornoring speeds) and is also easier to build.

anyhow, a few things have changed since my last post in this thread, i have decided not to go with a suspension on my first build. also i received a nice donor bike for free so i have been reworking my plans, now with school out i can focus on building this and hope to get started within a week or so.