Hollow Beam-Bike

Light, hollow timber components for bike: "rear triangle".  This is an engineered version of a completely handmade rear triangle shown here.

Rotary Laser cut Handlebar parts, brazed in and as supplied.

Some extra routing I did, recesses for the bottom bracket plate.  Note the plates under the wood used to set the milling height.

Back of frame with rear pivot (black square) and plates used to hold the back wheel. 

Bike taking shape, I am borrowing a few bits from the bike shown in the background.

Some solar lights bought today and now adorning the back yard.

Edith Lynch with Christine - dinner out the front of our place.

Front of the frame assembly.  There are 2 plywood plates and one steel plate each side of the frame and these help distribute the load (mainly from braking) evenly into the frame.  Without these plates, the main beam timber splits pretty quickly. 

Hi

Its summer holidays here and I've been spending some time working on a hollow beam bike.  As mentioned way back here , I've been gathering parts for a while and some of the NC routed timber parts for the bike been hanging round the house for months.  More recently, I've bought custom made laser-cut flats and tubes (lugs, dropouts and handlebars) and various bronze bushes and shoulder bolts (suspension pivot).  So this week there has been some fairly patient drilling, filing, painting, varnishing and gluing.  In some places where the wood looks weak, I've put a fibreglass - and - epoxy skin in place to improve strength.  The timber frame and rear triangle bits are routed on one side only.  The routing is to remove material for weight saving and to get most of the functional holes ( for bottom bracket, rear triangle pivot etc.) in place and  accurately cut.

It may be rideable tommorrow, will see how it goes.

Best Wishes and compliments of the Season!

Steve Nurse

PS - My article about iLean trikes was published this week, thanks to Vi Voung and Theo Schmidt at Hupi.  Here is the link -  your comments most welcome.