Gadget wrote:
> I've come across a website of a guy who makes his own bikes, especially 'bents.
>
>
http://www.atomiczombie.com/
I found that the other day too - great bikes! Oh, when I found it, there were lots more pics and
stuff about mad electronic devices too. That doesn't seem to be there now.
> Is there any advantage to building your own 'bent?
For me, personal satisfaction, and potentially saving a lot of dosh. I wanted to try the whole thing
out without spending a shedload on something which depreciates faster than a C5.
> Is it difficult?
Not if you are happy doing all your own maintenance and have appropriate tools. I chose to get a
friend of a friend to do the welding for me, but the rest was just tinkering. I could have avoided
the welding, but I'm a fairly heavy powerful type person, and I wasn't convinced by the strength of
any of the no-welds designs I'd seen or heard about. Since then, I've been lent a welder, too.
> Is it cheaper?
I reckon my homebuilt cost me about £89, using roadkill components. Cheaper than anything I have
seen other than the one someone gave away on this newsgroup a while ago. I reckon a really
professional job with all brand new bits etc. might be doable for £700.
> Where do you get plans?
Um, I didn't really work from plans, but I did get a lot of ideas from the large picture on this
guys site:
http://www.wideopenwest.com/~lipetz/Bicycles/bicycles.htm
<get carried away with description mode>
I ended up using a regular 15" mountain bike frame, rather than a girls bike frame. This did end up
a bit taller than some other designs, but I can still get my feet on the floor while sitting on it,
so its fine.
My major contribution to improved ease of building was the front brake design. Mr. Lipetz fabricated
a new bridge on his forks, but I cheated and used U brakes on the regular canti mounts which fit
perfectly for a 20" wheel in a 26" fork.
My main problem was with the seat. I ended up just throwing one together made out of an old
skateboard, a camping mat and bits of hardware from Homebase. The idea was to mock up something
which would allow me to decide where the ideal seat postion was, because the distance to the pedals
was not adjustable (without a welder etc.). It worked well enough that I have not got around to
replacing it yet. It has one feature I haven't seen on anyone elses recumbent - the forward part of
the seat is hinged to allow me to get on easier. I would have upgraded this to a fibreglass one the
other day, but for the normally well regarded Bikefix failing to stand by the price of the recumbent
seat as advertised on their web site.
The other bit which takes a little time is getting the chain routing sorted out. I used the two
chains approach like Mr. Lipetz, to avoid routing problems. I aimed for a straight line from the top
of the front cog to the top of the 'middle' cog (at the normal bicycle frame's bottom bracket) so I
didn't have to go around a guide pulley on the drive side of the chain. I used an old rear deraileur
bolted to an old front derailleur for the chain tensioner, and a bit of round electrical conduit for
a chain guide.
I went for over seat steering, which was eased by finding Halfords getting rid of multiple stem
raisers for £2 each, and a set of BMX handlebars whcich were lying around.
I didn't go with suspension, just two inch slick tyres.
One other thing I would probably do if I wanted it to look posh would be to get a better paint job
done on it - its current "anti-theft-hammerite" job is a bit flaky.
I realise that you gave me a bike a few months ago, and if you do decide to embark on the homebuilt
project, I can let you have some useful bits in return. Contact me directly if you're interested.
Now, if I could borrow a digital camera, I could put up some pictures on the web site...
Jim Price
