Ideas for a 3-person Super'bent?



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Jason Pecor

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Okay.... I have this wild brainstorm for wanting to build a 3-person recumbent trike. Probably a
delta-type formation - two side by side seats in back and one in front. I think it could be a fun
vehicle for organized rides. (RAGBRAI, etc...)

Am I crazy? Is this even possible? Hey you homebuilders!!! Have any thoughts?

Jason
 
You have to be careful asking this Newsgroup a question like are you crazy. Somewhere on the Tim &
Ally Smith website there is a 3 person Tadpole and I think Ian Sim @ Greenspeed has said they make
one or plan to make one (not sure which), supposed to be a tandem with a single using a S&S coupler
as the hitch for the single.
-----------------------------------------------
"Jason Pecor" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> Okay.... I have this wild brainstorm for wanting to build a 3-person recumbent trike. Probably a
> delta-type formation - two side by side seats in back and one in front. I think it could be a fun
> vehicle for organized rides. (RAGBRAI, etc...)
>
> Am I crazy? Is this even possible? Hey you homebuilders!!! Have any
thoughts?
>
>
> Jason
 
"Jason Pecor" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> Okay.... I have this wild brainstorm for wanting to build a 3-person recumbent trike. Probably a
> delta-type formation - two side by side seats in back and one in front. I think it could be a fun
> vehicle for organized rides. (RAGBRAI, etc...)
>
> Am I crazy? Is this even possible? Hey you homebuilders!!! Have any
thoughts?

Not crazy at all.

May I suggest a tadpole arrangement, with two in front and one in the back. The extra-wide wheel
stance will make it very stable in the corners. If you design it to be stiff and low, it could also
be very fast - with 3x the pedal power! Try a mid-drive design for extra-wide gear ratios.

Why not build a sleek fully-enclosed fairing for it? Then it becomes the family HPV.

Sounds like a great project!

-Barry
 
"Dave Larrington" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:<[email protected]>...
> IIRC one of the early Vector streamliners was a triple. Paging Jeff Wills...
>
> Dave Larrington - http://legslarry.crosswinds.net/

At your swervice, sir...

IIRC, none of the Vectors was a triple. There was a Vector tandem that cracked 60 mph in, ummm...,
1980-ish.)

In 1982 there was a monocoque quad that we hosted at the old Aerocoupe headquarters. It was built so
the entire body shell sat above its 700C wheels (tadpole trike configuration), supposedly to get it
out of ground effect. It looked like a 50-foot long cigar on stilts! They had problems keeping the
chains on the cranks- I recall one "speed" run where they coasted through the traps at 11.11 mph.

Also that year was a 5-person space-frame 4-wheeler from MIT. I remember it being somewhat
unfinished- it had a nosecone, but the rest of the vehicle was covered in clear plastic. Not the
kind of thing *I'd* want to sit in on a Southern California afternoon.

Now that my brain's up to speed, I *think* there was a three-person streamliner at one of the
earlier (Ontario Motor Speedway) IHPSC's that had all of the riders side-by-side. It's major
weakness was the go-cart wheels they were using for primary drive. I'd love to go through Bill
Gaines' archives to see if I'm remembering correctly.

Heady days...

If you want to have something for 3 people, why not try a Bilenky Viewpoint Waltz (aka Counterpoint
Trio): http://www.bilenky.com/images/waltz2.jpg ?

Jeff
 
Better give it four wheels if you're going to put two people side by side in the rear. There'd be
tremendous side to side stress on it, if they were spaced out with just one rear wheel between them,
not to mention steering and stability problems. A single front wheel design for a tricycle can also
be dangerous (deadly might be a better word) for stability. The now outlawed three-wheeled ATVs
demonstrated that. I think what Greenspeed is proposing is the equivalent of a trail-a-bike, tacked
onto a tandem tricycle.

Steve McDonald
 
Neat idea. I like a tadpole design. How about a front wheel drive configuration (like Barcroft
Oregon Low Racer) for the two forward riders and a rear wheel drive for the rear rider. Now each
rider pedals at their own cadence. Perhaps you could reduce the length of this concept vehicle by
accomodating just enough space between the two forward riders to allow for the crank and pedals of
the rear rider...... hmmmmm......

Jim Reilly Reading, PA
 
I have seen many of the historic multi-rider vehicles in action, and my impression is that weight
and complexity go up much faster than power as you add humans. Not saying you shouldn't do it or
that it wouldn't be fun, but I would not expect much performance. I expect it would be a real chore
to crank something like this on a ride as long as RAGBRAI.

FWIW it looks to me like there _was_ a three person Vector at the Ontario, CA races. It went
57.06 mph.

There were a pair of nice 4 person machines in the 80's at Indianapolis. In 1983 the Pegasus had
four wheels, two riders facing front side-by-side and two riders facing rear side-by-side. In 1984
there was a machine with similar body and configuration, but now it was a trike with one rear wheel.
I say one wheel, but this thing might have had something like paired 700c tubulars, IIRC.

John Riley johnriley1(at)rogers.com
 
Jeff, Dave

Bicycling Science (mine is the second edition), page 350, figure 13.19 shows the Vector three-rider
quadracycle. This is the old Vector, before they

Cheers

John [email protected]

"Jeff Wills" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> "Dave Larrington" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:<[email protected]>...
> > IIRC one of the early Vector streamliners was a triple. Paging Jeff Wills...
> >
> > Dave Larrington - http://legslarry.crosswinds.net/
>
> At your swervice, sir...
>
> IIRC, none of the Vectors was a triple. There was a Vector tandem that cracked 60 mph in, ummm...,
> 1980-ish.)
>
> In 1982 there was a monocoque quad that we hosted at the old Aerocoupe headquarters. It was built
> so the entire body shell sat above its 700C wheels (tadpole trike configuration), supposedly to
> get it out of ground effect. It looked like a 50-foot long cigar on stilts! They had problems
> keeping the chains on the cranks- I recall one "speed" run where they coasted through the traps at
> 11.11 mph.
>
> Also that year was a 5-person space-frame 4-wheeler from MIT. I remember it being somewhat
> unfinished- it had a nosecone, but the rest of the vehicle was covered in clear plastic. Not the
> kind of thing *I'd* want to sit in on a Southern California afternoon.
>
> Now that my brain's up to speed, I *think* there was a three-person streamliner at one of the
> earlier (Ontario Motor Speedway) IHPSC's that had all of the riders side-by-side. It's major
> weakness was the go-cart wheels they were using for primary drive. I'd love to go through Bill
> Gaines' archives to see if I'm remembering correctly.
>
> Heady days...
>
> If you want to have something for 3 people, why not try a Bilenky Viewpoint Waltz (aka
> Counterpoint Trio): http://www.bilenky.com/images/waltz2.jpg ?
>
> Jeff

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john riley wrote:

>I have seen many of the historic multi-rider vehicles in action, and my impression is that weight
>and complexity go up much faster than power as you add humans.
There was a triplet (?) bicycle in one of the first Velovisions; no longer than the average solo
'bent, with a (semi)recumbent rear rider, an upright midlle rider, and the front one lying prone.
All using the same bottom bracket, by way of some very special three-way pedals!

Mark van Gorkom.
 
I can't locate the image now, but I seem to recall a three person TWO wheel machine... It had two
people back-to-back up high, and a third person down low between the wheels.

John Riley
 
"Mark van Gorkom" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> john riley wrote:
>
> >I have seen many of the historic multi-rider vehicles in action, and my impression is that weight
> >and complexity go up much faster than power as you add humans.
> There was a triplet (?) bicycle in one of the first Velovisions; no longer than the average solo
> 'bent, with a (semi)recumbent rear rider, an upright midlle rider, and the front one lying prone.
> All using the same bottom bracket, by way of some very special three-way pedals!

I need diagrams to visualize that one. Three way pedals? Huh?

Very special indeed. I'd really like to see this contraption.

-Barry
 
"B. Sanders" skrev...
>
> "Mark van Gorkom" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> > john riley wrote:
> >
> > >I have seen many of the historic multi-rider vehicles in action, and my impression is that
> > >weight and complexity go up much faster than power as you add humans.
> > There was a triplet (?) bicycle in one of the first Velovisions; no longer than the average solo
> > 'bent, with a (semi)recumbent rear rider, an upright midlle rider, and the front one lying
> > prone. All using the same bottom bracket, by way of some very special three-way pedals!
>
> I need diagrams to visualize that one. Three way pedals? Huh?
>
> Very special indeed. I'd really like to see this contraption.

Here you go: http://www.smart.net.au/harrop/recumbents/tridem.gif

M
 
A la Dr. Seuss!



Originally posted by Jason Pecor
Okay.... I have this wild brainstorm for wanting to build a 3-person recumbent trike. Probably a
delta-type formation - two side by side seats in back and one in front. I think it could be a fun
vehicle for organized rides. (RAGBRAI, etc...)

Am I crazy? Is this even possible? Hey you homebuilders!!! Have any thoughts?

Jason
 
Ah, La Triplette! Jean-Charles Gosselin said they did it so as to have to pay only one (expensive)
entry fee for the '99 Worlds in Interlaken...

Those of a nervous / xenophobic / vegetable disposition should refrain from looking for photographs
of this machine, as it is French.

Dave Larrington - http://legslarry.crosswinds.net/
===========================================================
Editor - British Human Power Club Newsletter
http://www.bhpc.org.uk/
===========================================================
 
[email protected] (stratrider) wrote in message
news:<[email protected]>...
> Neat idea. I like a tadpole design. How about a front wheel drive configuration (like Barcroft
> Oregon Low Racer) for the two forward riders and a rear wheel drive for the rear rider. Now each
> rider pedals at their own cadence. Perhaps you could reduce the length of this concept vehicle by
> accomodating just enough space between the two forward riders to allow for the crank and pedals of
> the rear rider...... hmmmmm......
>
> Jim Reilly Reading, PA

I recall an early two-person HPV where the riders were prone (head forward) and stacked one on top
of another. With synchonized pedals, there's no interference between legs/knees/feet and whatnot. No
reason why you couldn't do that with three people... except it'd prompt some rather ribald jokes.

Jeff
 
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