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Recumbent Trike Project: '08-'11

I have always wanted a recumbent bike, and think they are an engineering masterpiece.  Since a child, I've always been interested by them and their design.  However, they are quite spendy, so I decided to design and build my own.  I modeled and designed my trike based off of the Catrike Speed.  Below are pictures of my journey; designing, building, testing, re-building, and tweaking.  In the end, half the fun was building and customizing it solely for me!

Catrike Speed
Catrike Speed. Approx. $3,700 new.
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Catrike Speed model recumbent. A piece of artwork really!

_Fleet Trike Design

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The fleet trike website was amazing! Tons of information, pictures, suggestions, etc. Tim was very open and willing to share! His email address is: info@fleettrikes.com

Rev 1, with suspension and square tubing

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Frame wasn't rigid enough, so I changed design directions!
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The shock absorber was too compliant
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Building a jig was the best thing the rev 1 bike taught me.
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15degree caster and 15degree camber.
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I used a hydraulic tube bender and welded to straight sections for the complicated profiles.

Assembly fit up prior to paint

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The chain sections drag on the front arms, so I needed to add idlers.
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Steering tie rod and rod end bearings from a go-kart supply company.
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Seat is made up of shipping ties and 3/16' nylon rope.
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A tight fit between chain, steering linkage, seat, and frame!
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Fully adjustable handlebars. Caliper brakes, BMX front wheels, many holes for the Ackerman compensation (it took me a few attempts!)
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Test ride and minor tweaking

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Testing the fit, handling, and adjusting before paint!
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Minor wheel scrub in the corners.

Frame after sandblasting

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Frame with primer applied

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Components painted, waiting to dry

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Putting it together!

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