Tuesday, August 23, 2011

New videos - Spirit SWB Recumbent & TimberWolf Recumbent Trike

 
 




Recumbent bicycles offer an aerodynamic advantage over upright cycles due to the reduced frontal area hitting the wind. You also have a massive strength advantage as you can now deliver the full power of your legs directly into the cranks as your back is pushed into the seat. On an upright cycle, you can only deliver as much force as you weigh, and any more will just lift you off the seat. Having the cranks so high from the ground also means that you can blast into corners without slowing down or worrying about where your pedals are.

The building process is designed to allow anyone with a Do-It-Yourself desire to finish his or her own version of the Spirit SWB without requiring previous bike building experience or specialized tools and skills. The plan is laid out in a format that makes customization or alternate parts usage a breeze, so you will certainly be able to include your own imagination in the process of building a fast recumbent cycle.

With the adjustable bottom bracket and unique frame design, riders with shorter legs will be able to pilot the Spirit SWB without dealing with crank interference with the front wheel. All components used can be found at your local bicycle shop or salvaged from another bicycle, and there are no machined parts necessary. There is plenty of room for your own design changes, and the Spirit can be built using the parts you have available to you.




 
 




The TimberWolf combines the agile and speedy characteristics of a racing trike along with the comfort and practicality of a shopping trike to bring you the best of both worlds. Having a seat height of 16 inches gives the TimberWolf a good stance for city traffic yet allows for some very agile handling characteristics with the ability to take corners at a much higher speed than what would be possible on an upright delta trike. The TimberWolf also includes rear suspension with a cargo area behind the pilot's seat, allowing fragile objects to be carried without risk of damage.

The TimberWolf is also easy and inexpensive to make, since it requires only a few small machined parts along with common bycycle components. You will require only a basic welder, an angle grinder, hand drill, and the usual hand tools in order to create you own TimberWolf trike. Thanks to the simple single boom flat frame, you can easily modify the width or length of the TimberWolf to modify it to your own needs. The TimberWolf could easily become a fully faired velocar or a pedicab, or a multirider vehicle, or just about any other human or electric assisted vehicle you can imagine

The TimberWolf frame is extremely durable, yet light due to the thin walled square tubing design. There is only a single machined part on the entire vehicle - a small freehub axle adapter. Even the wheels and hubs are off-the-shelf parts, so you will not need to scrounge for any exotic or expensive components to build your own delta trike. There is plenty of room for modifications, and anyone with a welder and basic tools can complete this project.