Thursday, January 28, 2010

My Youtube picks

http://www.youtube.com/jacobs721

My list includes a number of velomobile and bike modification videos as well as Point of View video series for the HPV events at Battle Mountain with time trial footage, interviews in the racers workshops
POVme: Part 1 of 3
From: sciencemediagroup | April 13, 2007 | 7,543 views
A program showing that science is something top athletes — people tweens admire and respect — care about, know about, and use. POVme provides tweens with new role models for science — something those who are underserved and at-risk sorely lack — and give them a new mental image about what doing science can be all about.

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

vintage columbia trike photo


This is a picture from before I touched this bike. It is in very sad shape. I haven't done much to this, some of the rusted parts were dumped. I have replaced the bottom bracket with an adapter to take a modern crankset instead of the original one piece crank. I need to replace the rear wheels, the rest of the drive train. This is definitely a long term project.

An amazing art custom bike site and a sheldon brown link

This website features galleries of one-off rides of the wildest imaginations, mostly home built, though some of them required some serious home shop upgrades to complete.
http://bikerodnkustom5.homestead.com/cover9_0_2.html

Sheldon Brown was one of the first bike mavens to post articles, reference materials and links on all sorts of bike related content on the web. He is gone but his webpage lives on.

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Project recumbent status


This summer I bought a Bikee recumbent bike that I made my short daily commute with in September and October. I really enjoyed riding it. The long wheelbase makes it amazing comfortable to sit on and I like sitting more upright. It came well equipped with a large custom bag mounted on the seat, rear suspension, a computer and electric horn. I rode with my son Ian on his Worksman trike just 2 laps inside track at Marine Park. Ready to go needs very little work BUT I also have a short wheel base frame, A short wheelbase Counterpoint Presto since in the attached photo, I tried to built last year and never got the drivetrain right. Another big project: make this rideable, I should have all the bits get there. Two bikes should be the limit I, would probably sell a recumbent and keep the Mt bike. I have been thinking about modifying it to take child seat, trailer, sidecar of something to ride with the 3 year old.

Hooking up my son's Trifecta trike


This is a modern American made adult size trike. My son will not ride a two wheeler and all the trikes for kids were so low to the ground, poor quality and heavy as too not be an option. I've installed a center pull brake on the front fork to compliment the drum brake. You just can't have too much brake power. I've install a plastic basket with the bottom about even with the rear hubs and a bell. Next is a new quick release for the seatpost so it stays steady better and a new set of handlebars. The bike in the picture is not his, just a similar one til a get a photo to post. !

My first post is up. That wasn't too painful. Next: here is a partial list of the projects/bikes/frames/major bits in the collection. In the stable we have:
1) my recumbent, the most comfortable bike I have ever riden
2) My Cannondale Mt. bike the workhorse, I rode it down Mt. Killington in Vt. summer 2008
3) My 10 year old's Worksman Trifecta trike, a work in progress but he loves it
4) My wife's Cannondale Mt. bike another work in progress, upgrades to make it more likely to be riden, more comfortable, easier.

I also have a folding wheelchair frame, a xtracycle frame extension, a vintage columbia folding trike, another recumbent project, seen above, that needs some drivetrain work, a vintage Ross Europa, an early '60s Raleigh Sports, a chrome Dyno BMX frame and too many others to mention. I want to be able for my 3 year old to be able to ride with us or I guess more accurately to be carried by me on a bike or trike.

Home Brew Human Powered Vehicles


This blog is a free resource, journal, outlet and forum reflecting my interest in Bikes, Trikes and all manner of human powered vehicles. I currently own way too many bikes and bike related bits and pieces and way too many bits of recovered, recycled and salvaged bits of flotsam I've kept because they could be used for a bike project. The bikes I have currently have in a rideable state in the stable are: a Cannondale mountain bike with a suspension fork and hydraulic brakes, a BikeE recumbent bike with rear suspension and couch like ride. This blog will document my progress this year in converting the remaining 1/2 ton of stuff into rideable vehicles for me, my wife and kids. I have never blogged before and I hope this will help me document the process because this year I will have access to a proper place to work on my stuff for the first time in over ten years. I will be posted photos of my work. My philosophy is I don't build stuff to look pretty. I would like to be able to commute to work be bike in all weather. Anything I make will be functional. Reactions to the blog will be welcomed. Thanks for looking.