New Bike: Front Frame and on the road

 

Source material: 28mm steerer fork for top of front frame, stripped down bike frame with only bottom bracket and down tube. I stripped down 3 frames before I was happy with the down tube diameter. 

 

Hi

For a while I have been working on a new leaning trike, and I'm proud to say that is is on the road and going well. I still have some painting and finishing off to do and want to make a new design of tailbox for it. This post shows making the front frame of the bike, I already had a spare seat / tailbox which I am using temporarily. A comical "guy / bikeart piece" emerged halfway through the build process: this was completely by accident but having made one, I can make more now!

It's basically the same as the leaning trike I completed in this post and have been riding this year. However I've changed the front frame configuration, eliminating 2 joins in the "downtube" section and making a small, unobtrusive support frame. This small frame can be easily swapped out if I decide to use another fork. I have also eliminated a join in the steerer section of the front frame.

There was a small amount of drama getting the bike on the road. It was finished except for control cables when I received a Friday night dinner invitation. I got back home about 10, worked on the bike in the lounge room till 11, fitting the V-brakes and derailleur cable. The first trial of the bike was the next morning heading off to Wecycle. It all worked fine with only a few allen key tightenings required. I want to paint it red and yesterday bought some red 3d printer filament to make matching 3d printed parts.

Obtaining a length from the old bike for transfer to the new. This shows one of the joins which was eliminated.

Tubemitre plot used to hacksaw ....

the fishmouth join in the front frame steerer section.

Steel bar used as a brazing jig to ensure bottom bracket is parallel

Comparing old and new.

Larger part of the front frame. Another piece was brazed to the top later.

Housing for small frame on fork made from a bikes stand plate

The plate attached

Trike setup before the small front frame was made

Trialling a "small frame" configuration.

Small frame was set up on the trike before brazing: the whole front part of the trike was a jig

And this guy....

emerged from the

... manufacturing process!

Finished small frame, gear and brake cables in place.

After 1st ride at Wecycle

Later in the day - nothing special here, it looks just like my other trike and most of my friends at the shed are used to my trikes.

Small front frame on the front part of the trike and just before brazing