News and Events

Keep up to date with the latest news and events of Modular Bikes.

Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Fixing a Bag

Bag before Change

Bag after Change (added white corflute)
2nd mod to bag (black stitches above zip line)
Hi

After my last work bag started wearing out and developing holes, I started looking for another one and wound up with one from a Garage Sale.  The bloke running the Garage Sale may have been a bag tryer-outer in his working life as there were bucketloads on sale.  Bought 2 for $2 each and started using one of them as a work bag and in-bike bag. 

This was all fine but on one occasion I managed to "lose" my black wallet when it was actually in the bag.  (see top photo, wallet is on left hand side.)

 A few days later I was looking for the comb I keep in the outer pocket.  Despite searching I couldn't find it.  It had migrated to the small area in the pocket above the zip.

So finally I got irritated enough to do something about it and the photos above are the result: white corflute in the bag helps you see things!  Sewing off the top part of the outside pocket stops mysterious dissappearances of objects!

This has not all that much to do with bikes except that these days the recumbent tailboxes I make are almost always white.  The white colour helps me to find things in the tailbox and is the most visible colour at night.  So a white tailbox on my recumbent reduces aerodynamic drag, provides lots of storage space and makes the bike more visible at night.  The advantages are so great that I would advise "don't leave home without one" to borrow a phrase from Karl Malden or whoever his scriptwriter dude was at the time.

Regards

Steve (no story too big or too small) Nurse   

Sunday, May 26, 2013

Wooden Bike mk2 part 10 & other stuff

Wooden bike in bits, ready for painting




The remaining Victoria folding bike with new tyres
Hi 

Only a little bit to report here now.  I took apart the wooden recumbent and varnished it and plugged the holes in the frame with chair stoppers or Plastibond bog.  As well I bought and just received a 11-32 tooth screw-on cluster which should fix any clunking problems. More on the bike as I head out and about on it soon.

A friend Jeremy was interested in buying one of my Victoria folders on a recent visit (bikes discussed here) so after I did up the red one with all the best parts from both bikes I offered it to him.  Sold!  So now I am up to 5 bikes sold for the year, on target for selling 10 by the end of the year.  The remaining folding bike has not been neglected, I bought new tyres for her and fitted a short set of handlebars.  The bike is great fun to ride and I took it on an op-shop excursion a few Saturdays ago.  I was having trouble attaching all the videos to the pack rack till, with vast sophistication,  I found a stick to complete the ocky strap arrangement.

Through the internet I have been researching and buying the best front wheel drive recumbent parts I can from Performer, Raptobike and (ebay for new Chinese stuff) Ali express.  Aim to make a few of the best recumbent bikes I can and am working on the design. Of course, more on this later.

All for now,

Steve Nurse




Monday, May 6, 2013

Wooden Bike Mk2 Part 9

At St Kilda on the wooden bike where there were  .......

quite a few home made vehicles besides mine, including this electric trike made using KMX parts and  .......

Sam Quadflieg's black monster.

Gathering at our destination, Williamstown, where ....
native birds weren't the only thing to see.  There were seaplanes, a warship-museum, a few curious onlookers, but none of these got a photo.

Afternoon at Jamie Friday's bike launch. (Top photo Struan Little, all others Steve Nurse)

 Hi

The photos tell the story of the first 60k or so outing for my wooden bike mk2.  The only problems were a clunking cog (worn cluster) and a wobbly seat (because it is only held together by bugger-all cable ties) which can both be remedied.  Along Beach Road, I enjoyed passing a few (ok, middle-aged, not-very-fast) road bikers on the new contraption.

My original wooden bike mk1 went  on a similar outing several years ago and was retired and pulled to pieces very soon thereafter.  I have more auspicious plans for the new bike including a 200k Audax ride.  Gosh, it might even get some lacquer. 

At Williamstown, my wife Christine rang and told me about Jamie Friday's bike launch later that afternoon which I duly attended.  Jamie has made and sold 1 lightweight cargo cyle and intends to make more!

Oh, and I almost forgot... During the week, Christine and her friend Ermi heard a loud bang in the back yard.  When I got home Christine had me check the gas hot water heater for an exploded pilot light.  It was only on Saturday when I started tuning the wooden bike that I solved the mystery, the 5 or 6 year old front tire of the bike had burst! 

Regards

Steve Nurse

Wednesday, May 1, 2013

Wooden Bike Mk2 Part 8 (World International Wooden Bicycle Day)

A few photos of

the wooden bike after

a short night

"blocky" to test the new rear triangle.
A number of junk mails have been arriving in our house advertising Mother's Day gifts.  And I got to wondering, when is Mother's day?  The calendar revealed that it's May 12.  As my wooden bike can now be ridden and there is a flat 40k ride on Sunday, and this coming Sunday doesn't seem to have any other name associated with it, I have unilaterally declared that May 5 is World International Wooden Bike Day. 

Just for the record, the bike rides ok now but needs a bit of tuning, it seems the bike is a bit lop sided (fix by tuning the steering) and the steerer tube is scraping on the wooden frame and a bit of scraping will fix that.   Will report more later.