I made and rode recumbent bikes and trikes for 20 years. Rather than build from someone else's designs, I designed my own. These are some I built. The White/grey one I built about 17 years ago from scrap I found, it would have been around my sixth or seventh build from memory. The only things I bought for it were the front hubs and spokes, the rear rim and spokes, tyres, tubes and steel for the frame. I rode this fellow practically everyday for about 15 years. I was younger and stronger then so I fitted a modified cassette just behind the front crossmember fitted with a modified front deraileur. This compensated for the 20" wheels and gave the trike four ranges, two very low and two very High. It was fitted with underseat steering which got a little skittish over 50 kph. Tie rods ends were made in my workshop from small bits of angle iron. This was a great ride, quite fast, very comfortable and my little dogs loved it, couldn't go without them, first Toby and then Dennis. Eventually the drive train wore out and so instead of fixing it, I hung it up in my workshop and built a two Wheeler.
I never got the two wheeler to the paint stage, I fell off trying to ride it around my small back yard badly gashing my leg and smashing my head on a concrete pot. With this, my wife convinced me to build another trike. The two wheeler was parked around the back of my workshop where it sat rusting away for quite a while.
Next I made a trike using Deore parts from my MTB, including hydraulic disks. Placement of the front crossbar is critical, too far forward and it's impossible to get out of, too far back results in rear wheel slip on loose surface upgrades when pedalling hard. I made this one with the bar too far back, so making it easy to get out of but resulting in rear wheel slip, so I retired this this one.
The last one I made had 9 position adjustable suspension, hydraulic disks, Deore cycle parts, 20" wheels at front, 700c wheel at back and two degree camber and caster. I threaded the tie rod with left and right threads, to ease toe in adjustments. The seat back was 3mm ally and shaped to follow the line of my back. I fitted this trike with tank steering, which is a lot better than USS at any speed.. It had 6mm tie rod ends linking steering joints, chain idlers were turned up from Delrin and fitted with ball bearings. The frame was a departure from previous designs, resulting in a little weight loss. All up it weighed 19kgs. I placed the crossbar a fair way forward, resulting in Good rear wheel grip but it made life difficult to get out off. One had to apply brakes, rock the body back and forward until enough inertia was built up to get out of it. Eventually I came up with a better plan: slam on the brakes and the momentum threw you forward and out of the seat.
All up I made 12 recumbents, three two wheelers and 9 trikes. Trikes are a blast to ride, seriously comfortable and quite fast. Two wheelers are seriously fast, recumbents were banned from competing against diamond frames back around 1930, the ban is still in place.
Eventually I took the white/grey one down from the roof, cut it up and discarded it, same with the trike with the wheel slip and then the two wheeler. I still have the final build trike, but never ride it as my hips are now shot.
I never got the two wheeler to the paint stage, I fell off trying to ride it around my small back yard badly gashing my leg and smashing my head on a concrete pot. With this, my wife convinced me to build another trike. The two wheeler was parked around the back of my workshop where it sat rusting away for quite a while.
Next I made a trike using Deore parts from my MTB, including hydraulic disks. Placement of the front crossbar is critical, too far forward and it's impossible to get out of, too far back results in rear wheel slip on loose surface upgrades when pedalling hard. I made this one with the bar too far back, so making it easy to get out of but resulting in rear wheel slip, so I retired this this one.
The last one I made had 9 position adjustable suspension, hydraulic disks, Deore cycle parts, 20" wheels at front, 700c wheel at back and two degree camber and caster. I threaded the tie rod with left and right threads, to ease toe in adjustments. The seat back was 3mm ally and shaped to follow the line of my back. I fitted this trike with tank steering, which is a lot better than USS at any speed.. It had 6mm tie rod ends linking steering joints, chain idlers were turned up from Delrin and fitted with ball bearings. The frame was a departure from previous designs, resulting in a little weight loss. All up it weighed 19kgs. I placed the crossbar a fair way forward, resulting in Good rear wheel grip but it made life difficult to get out off. One had to apply brakes, rock the body back and forward until enough inertia was built up to get out of it. Eventually I came up with a better plan: slam on the brakes and the momentum threw you forward and out of the seat.
All up I made 12 recumbents, three two wheelers and 9 trikes. Trikes are a blast to ride, seriously comfortable and quite fast. Two wheelers are seriously fast, recumbents were banned from competing against diamond frames back around 1930, the ban is still in place.
Eventually I took the white/grey one down from the roof, cut it up and discarded it, same with the trike with the wheel slip and then the two wheeler. I still have the final build trike, but never ride it as my hips are now shot.
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Cant wait to see these recumbent's take off in the Tour de France! All those Pro World Cycling teams have been doing it wrong for centuries!
