News and Events

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

Sunday, May 26, 2019

Mule Train Part 3

Done!
Making parts ......

for the load platform.

A test run to Ceres.

Raleigh Medale at WeCycle.

Ricardo at WeCycle

Painting metal parts, this photo shows the origin on one of the pieces,

left over pieces from a clothesline built in the back garden several years ago.

With load carrying frame....

and platform added......

and milk crate.
A few velcro straps were added, 1 keeps the steel frame snug on the bike, and 2 & 3 protect the fork when it rubs up against the main beam.

Front view.

A sculpture of a bird made out of an old hand spokeshave.

Chris, Sam and Irmi discuss things in the kitchen.
Hi, over the last few days I have been finishing my Mule Train Bike, started here and continued on here.  The whole thing is a conversion of a Victoria separating bike or 24" Klapprad.  Over the last few days, I've taken apart the front rack part, painted it, finished the timber bit, painted it, and been for a test ride.  As well as that, life has been continuing on.  I've fixed a few bikes at Wecycle and photographed a few nice old donated machines that have come through.  Sam the painter has been painting the side of the house, and this involved moving and emptying a large homemade wooden box.  The box contained some spokeshaves and saw sets among other stuff that has mostly gone to the op shop.

Anyway, one spokeshave became a model wooden bird which I made by adding a wooden venetian blind to it.  It didn't take long and I put it up at night and was then away the next day.  One of Christine's friends asked what it was and she said she didn't know, maybe Steve has been painting something and left it to dry.  But she is gradually coming round to thinking it might be a bird mobile sculpture. Thing.

Regards

Steve Nurse


Thursday, May 16, 2019

Mule Train Part2

Start of the day, flat head bolts are on the green post..........

and mid change, the flat head bolt is moved to below the green post so the for has more movement, and......

some cheapie velcro-type straps were put on the forks as a cushion.

This arrived during the day, a set of folding handlebars, about $aus 30 from this ebay seller. Shown here in riding position, and

Here folded up.

A little bit of extra disassembly, and you can fit them to any 22mm stem.

Bike at the end of the day.

Handlebars mounted.

Working on these as well as the mule train bike.  A couple of recumbent bike seats which started as an order for routing on Sean and Horn for routing at Spacetank Studio.  Will write more about these later.
Hi

This shows today's progress on the Mule Train Bike.  The main thing that happened was a pair of folding handlebars arriving, and sofar I'm quite pleased with them.  I wasn't really concentrating on building this bike today (gardening, giving away a trike, working on some tailboxes as well), but that has worked, its given me a bit of space to think about the rest of the design of the bike, which is now mainly timberwork and painting.

Rest in Peace David Gordon Wilson, a fine pioneer of recumbent cycling.

Regards

Steve Nurse

Saturday, May 11, 2019

Bikes and Beer at Brunswick

Retro-Motorbike inspired e-bike.

Mine was not the only leaning trike,

these 2 dragsters tyrned up but I didn't see them ridden.

My Leaning Trike

Dragster Leaner
Gayle & TJ

Mike, Gayle, TJ

Start of the lowest gear race....

Which included these 2 dragon bikes.

Mike and Gayle battle it out for bragging rights.

Dragon Bikes


My son Ewan, Phoebe in background in red.

Just about every novelty bike competing in the novelty races got a prize. Including mine!  I passed the socks I'd won on to Ewan & Phoebe.

The prize I actually won was a scarf, but I swapped it for the socks this young lady won.
Ewan in the slow race (Flouro helmet)

Small circle race, Penny Farthing hanging in there.

Tandem triplet girls.

A rush on raffle tickets followed some spruiking by Gayle and Kirsteen.

This was the original start line for the skid competition, the start line....

Was later moved back to here.

Raffle presentations with Gayle and Kirsteen

Triple was very ably ridden, even at low speed.
Hi

Today was the the first "Bikes and Beers" festival, part of Good Beer Week .  The bike charity I help, Wecycle had a stall there to recruit volunteers. Kirsteen provided the food on the stall and there were several bikes of the sort we repair and give away on display.  One small bike was hooned on and even ridden on by adult riders, and was sold right at the end of the day.  A pleasant day had by all I think, especially some of the organisers who were fuelled up by some of the sponsors product and were singing along to the Dad rock (We are the Champions, Queen, Horses, Darryl Braithwaite etc.) with great gusto by the end. Thanks to all the organisers & volunteers, Regards

Steve Nurse

Wednesday, May 8, 2019

Mule Train Bike

Latest bike rolling off the production line is the "Mule Train" which
.......started with this bike (already much abused, see here for example)
....and is named after the (also an antiquated form of transport) curve Bikes Clydesdale Cargo Fork.
Everything on the bike sofar is made from bits in the shed. This shows the main cantilever beam end (centre), the green support bar, and a bolt that was turned down to go into the green bar.

This is another pair of bolts, one already modified, they were later brazed to the frame,

....as shown here

..... and here.

Jigging to drill the support bar.

Hi, here are a few pics of my latest project, the Mule Train.  I had seen a few pictures of "Clydesdale" bikes, but couldn't find much about them, and then after I had started on this, discovered them to be based on the Clydesdale Cargo fork from Crust Cycles.  Anyway, I've built a version on this bike before which I had forgotten about, and a couple of others as well. I will report further as the project continues.

Regards  Steve Nurse