Build your own recumbent bike, the camel bike, part 2.
about camel-frontdrive-chainside.jpg
you see that i place the fork over the rearframe.
it didnt fit nicely over the derajeur holder,
so i took the angle grinder to make the fork fit, grinded a bit off the inside.
The better way actually is to place the fork closest to the wheel, between the rearframe.
This will lower the tensions on the wheel axle..
camel-frontdrive-frontlight.jpg
just cut off the frame from the old bike, put a piece of wood in there,
perfect mount for a frontlight. and some paint over it..
camel-frontdrive-steer-mount.jpg
for your knees to fit under the steer, you need quite a long pin to fit in your frontfork.
i didnt have such, so i took an old pin, cut it off, stuck it in the frontfork,
took an old frontfork, cut off the tube,
camel-frontdrive-lug.jpg
use this bit as an extention sleeve,
stuck the steer into that and ready (well..)
also nicely shown is where i use the saddlepin and parts of the saddle
to mount the frontpart to the steer. (the part around the cut off fork sleeve is scrap metal)
more about this in camel bike part 1
the steer should be properly mounted,
as you counter the forces from paddeling (mostly at startup)
when it is running, it goes like a train.
camel-frontdrive-seat.jpg
the seat, i used some wood i had lying around, eventually put n some foam and water resistant cloth.
first i mounted a slotted board with some metal plate around the frame tube, standard building material..
this makes the seat extra low, easier to get on the bike, and the feet are lower to the ground making it easier to stop.
then came the board for back support, mounted with standard 90 degr. building attachements in steel, used screws to fasten them to the wood.
mind you to properly reinforce the place where the back support meets the frame,
where the saddlepin used to be.
in an accident or so, your back could be injured seriously if the tubing of the frame would dig in your spine... (i still have to do that...)
so attach some nice flat metal mount on that point where the saddle pin used to be,
or in an other way make sure that your back never can come in contact with that pipe.
by the way, i cut off some metal where the saddle pin used to be some so it was more flat againdt the back board, and put a screw in to fasten the back to the frame (not visible here)
the seat can be quite short, maybe a bit longer than drawn, and the seat can be higher.
when you paddle, you will use the back suppurt a lot, also in balancing.
so it needs to be firmly i place.
2012-06-24
