I tried to get around building my own wheels. ![]() So at this point I had parts that would cost around $400 to buy individually just by starting with a fat tire bike. In my case the two came together so I didn't have to worry about it. If you're using a regular frame you'll need to make sure you get a fork that fits your frame's head tube. Fat Tire Fork - These are around $100 to buy separately - you need a special fork to fit the wider tire in. ![]() I really liked the look of this frame though, even though it's very cheaply made, and quite heavy - I'm not planning on doing any acrobatics with this beast. More on this later when we start trying to attach the rear axle housing. Frame - a regular bike frame would actually be easier to work with due to the rear stay spacing.2 100mm fat rims (these are $50-$70 each for cheapies and up to hundreds for nice lightweight ones).2 fat tire tubes - also about 20 bucks apiece.2 fat tires (these are around $40-50 to buy separately).I like to think I took a limited edition cool thing and made a one of a kind awesome thing, so there. I dunno if this will anger any memorabilia collectors - I hope not. I used a Huffy special edition "Darth Vader" bike. This is a heavy machine compared to a bicycle and it takes some stopping power. It's very important to have a good functioning front disc brake or you will have a very hard time stopping. SAFETY NOTE: Tricycles do not have rear brakes, unless you use a gear hub with a coaster brake. Other Bikey Stuff: You may have all of this already from your donor bike stuff like a seat and handlebars and grips and shifters (if using a gear hub) and brakes and so on. Some steel plate and some welding skills: You could just convert an existing trike (like my sun atlas) to a fat tire model, in which case you won't need to weld anything but in general you will probably need to do at least a little bit of fab work to make the trike rear end work with a bicycle frame. I will discuss this in detail in its own step later on. Trike Rear Axle Housing Assembly: I actually had one already, but they are available online for $70-$100. I'll discuss this in more detail in its own step later on. This means you will need to either have custom wheels built, or build them yourself. Three Fat Wheel Assemblies: Trikes use special hubs. Starting with a fat tire bike gets you a lot of expensive parts for relatively cheap right off the bat, but does require some extra work to attach the trike rear end. So I'll list the basic elements you need, and give you some options for how to figure them out.ĭonor Bike: Discussed in detail in the next step. I don't like putting a bill of materials with these projects, as I'm sure anyone else building this will put their own spin on it. ![]() I had to weld, I had to learn how to build wheels, I had to learn all about the different kinds of fat wheels and how they work. In the last few years we've seen the advent of sort of silly looking, but sort of awesome looking fat-tire mountain bikes, even from economy manufacturers, and I've started to see these trike adaptations, so I set out to make my own! This turned out to be a bit of an undertaking, as it's not a simple bolt up conversion. Over soft ground it would also bog down, and even with a 5 speed gear hub, sometimes it would sink in and stall out completely. It had some shortcomings though - if anyone sat on the rear "trunk" it would lift the front wheel up, making it impractical to carry a passenger. It was a sun atlas industrial cargo trike, and it served me very well for 5 years. Maybe you're going to have a drink or two at your destination and the added stability of three wheels eases your worry that you'll scrape your knee!īefore I started working on this trike, I had another tricycle (pictured above deep in a desert dust storm) that I managed to rescue from an industrial scrap dumpster. A tricycle is eminently practical for medium distance travel - where you could walk but it would take a while, and you could bike but you've got stuff to carry, and maybe sights to see along the way.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |