A top down shot showing the trimmed footrests.  Vacation starts Friday time to bring this Frankenbike to life!  Bent kingpin bolts to be replaced along with spacers and bushings to secure and stabilize the front end better.

Ride the crazy tandem

My Brave, Brilliant and Talent friend cesar At the tip of the spear while I provide the primary horsepower on the inaugural run.

I marked out the new shape for the footrests.  The rear edges stick out too far to permit the tightest turns.  Hoping to get them cut down and edged this week.

This is a different view of the tanktrike with my friend Cesar giving it a try.  Unfortunately, not much progress made since the last posting.  Look for new shots with updates in the new year.  Happy Holidays to all.

It LIVES!!!! The beast rode today! The tanktrike went on a series of test rides today!

Today, my youngest assistant, Seth Robert and I took the Tanktrike out to the big playground near our home and gave it a thorough test ride.  We took the most broken up sidewalk route there without incident, rode standing and sitting down, single and tandem and I feel very satisfied and a little tired.  We took it home on the road and it handled very well.  

The tank trike is almost ready!

The frame is complete!,  The wheels are on, The steering is ready!  Just need to mount the seat and finish installing the drive train.

The newest version of the Tanktrike front end.  Some custom fit square aluminum tubing and some scrap salvaged from a junked wheelchair will brace the new aluminum I-beam main tube extension. I am getting excited because I expect to have the frame reassembled shortly. 

I have completed a project: a low adapted trike for my students.

This trike is a front wheel drive, rear wheel steer trike.  It is made from parts from two different "Big Wheel" style trikes.  The front end was restored after almost being consumed by rust.  It was left laying out after being covered in salt water during Hurricane Sandy.  The frame length is adjustable to allow it to comfortably fit kids of various sizes.  I teach in a school with special education high school students, some of whom have issues that prevent them from ever riding a regular bike.  I think in this picture, it is set up for a person around 5' 10".  I will probably shorten the extra tubing that sticks out the back and reconnect the brake.  I'm not worried about the brake as it will rarely be used anywhere  but in the gym and it's fairly slow.  Cutting the extra tubing would make it a tad lighter.   

The rumor is has that spring has arrived!  It must be mad bike scientist season!.  Picked up a new project on Saturday. a front wheel drive/steer recumbent tandem.  Another one of a kind vehicle.  I have also picked up new materials for the tank trike and looking forward to picking up the build on that.

  This missing post from last week has a good shot of the front end:  pre-hacksaw.  The front end, slimmed down somewhat, has the alloy wheels with new spindles, and a even lighter steering setup with ht. adjustment.   

The Tanktrike Lives!!! It rides!!!

The Tanktrike Lives.  Dusk on the last day of our trip, Ian test rode it with a unpadded wooden seat form on it.  Brakes work, chain stayed on, steered ok. 

My short term help Gordon who installed the tensioner on the chain.

Next steps:  finish seat, tweak steering, create rear rack/fender,

Back on Track? This is the latest version of the rear end. The custom seat design is yet to be completed.

 This is the latest version of the rear end with the new FSA bottom bracket and the Xtracycle frame extension.  Tomorrow, I will have the drive train complete and a field test ready tanktrike.  The custom seat design is yet to be completed.  I think it's time to take some measurements.  

The positives!

The front end now has 20"alloy wheels, an even lighter steerer setup, and brand new spindles.  I have the new rear wheel with shifter etc.  I also have a pile of materials for doing a cool seat. including the black banana seat with a sissy bar.  My brother is coming in next week and I want to have this beast ready!

The new vision !#?%&* ?! or the down and dirty

This project has just had the 40% of the damn thing junked! The parts shown and a rear wheel are basically all that is left.  

The silver and blue frame in this picture will supply the new back half, though I might save the bottom bracket, crankset and rear brakeset.  I'm fairly sure this next step will solve the major problems and a least make it ridable.  This is assuming the new frame fits!  Wish me luck.  I'm waiting once again for delivery of Tanktrike parts.
 

Forced back to the drawing board!

My efforts to solve the bottom  bracket ht. issue by adding the section of frame from the Mixte frame were a failure. The change introduced way to much flex in the frame and I can't figure a way to fix it.  I'm probably going to find a larger rear suspension frame and use that instead of two frame sections bolted together.  I haven't been able to find a cheap frame of the type that matches the setup from the pivot point and has the bottm bracket in the right place.   

frame picture-assembly details

Taking tonight off!.  I'm wiped out.  The picture is the new rear section of the Tank Trike shown upside down.  I cut the rear off of a Mixte frame and cut the chainstays in front of the kickstand plate.  I also cut the bottom of the seat tube off to make installing this easier.  This will be bolted to the remainder of the existing piece of the kids suspension bike at both kickstand plates.  The lower seat stay bolts to the brake bridge and the seat tube will be through bolted to the original false seat tube of the suspension bike.   more picture to follow during the next 2-3 days, scout's honor !

The Tank Trike grows!

On the most recent test ride, the pedal strike was intolerable.  The bottom bracket is so low the pedals hit the ground.  My overly complex solution was to cut of the back of the kids bike and attach an old Mixte frame rear that can take a 26" wheel.  I also flipped the stem to face toward the driver instead of away, put on a wide set of handlebars off of an old cruiser.  I used the seat tube from the new rear to move the front of the banana seat back.  My goal is to have it all together for the 4th of July!  I'll post sooner this time Trust Me :)

the master and apprentice

My wife's Facebook photo and caption of this evening's efforts.

Finally, an update on the "Tank Trike" AKA the "Lowrider"

This has turned into a much bigger project than I ever imaged!   I replaced the whole rear end with a kids suspension bike frame with a 6 speed cluster and a proper brake setup.  Then I decided the whole thing now rode way too close to the ground.  I replaced the spindles to be able to install the 20" custom wheels off the old trike.  This gave us a lot more ground clearance and hopefully easier rolling.  I need to install the new tie-rods, and provide a shifter and brake lever. Hopefully, we will have our first test ride this weekend!

I have found out that the tank trike began life as a "WRFF" trike (see picture)not the front end of a go-cart as the seller indicated with a smaller rear wheel and no suspension. This doesn't impact my immediate plans but showed me that it originally had a running board or floor board mounted on the front of the main tube. That's something worth considering closer to completion of my changes.