New Parts!

Shafts for iLean trikes

Reinforcing brace for rear Monostay on wooden bike.

Hi

In the last few days, I've picked up a few custom made bike bits I've ordered.  This will keep me busy at home on the weekends for a while.

iLean trike shafts: Vi Vuong designed a series of Python style trikes and has a series of videos about them.  I've made my own version but something bugged me about the design.  The assembly of the wheels onto the shafts was a bit of a hit and miss affair and (for me at least) involved abducting perfectly innocent pedals and 20" bike wheels, torturing, and forcing them into an unholy marriage.  Well, maybe not quite that bad but "a bit messy" from an engineering point of view.  So to sort it out, I ordered some hubs from Bitex, and had them built into wheels by Abbotsford Cycles.  Lastly, I designed and ordered some NC machined shafts from a local supplier, and I picked these up a few days ago.  Not much left to do to install them now, although I might have to reinstate some parts stolen from the trike.  Will report more later.

My Hollow Beam Bike has been great fun to build and ride but the design of the "rear triangle" could be improved.  How about a monostay as championed by Mr. Mike Burrows? There's no brake on the back wheel to complicate things and it can be as aerodynamic as all hell.  Here is an example from Toxy in Germany using a very solid hinge.  My approach will be a bit different, I'm using a laser cut steel plate to go on the side of the hinge  and reiforce the monostay.  The monostay can be from the same material as the main frame, slightly larger than the stays I have used previously.  Finishing a bike with this monostay is slightly longer term, It involves building a whole bike first!

Regards

Steve Nurse