Show us your workshop!

Take a look at one bike builder's workshop. "My son Jesse's black and yellow powder coated 20'' bike frame, orange buckets, work bench, air compressor, Clarke 110 wire feed welder."

 

Share pictures of your workshop in the AZ builders gallery. More >>

 

 

Hurricane Sandy "Frankenstorm" bearing down on Eastern U.S.

Eastern U.S. braces for Hurricane Sandy

Red Cross officials urge Canadians to prepare for coming storm

"The mayor of New York City ordered the mandatory evacuation of hundreds of thousands of residents as Hurricane Sandy roars towards the east coast of the U.S. and parts of Canada, bringing punishing winds, heavy rainfall and storm surges. At a press conference Sunday, Michael Bloomberg said some 375,000 people in a number of coastal areas including Coney Island, lower Manhattan and parts of the borough of Queens would need to leave their homes. He said those affected would have to stay with family and friends outside of the evacuation area or at one of the 72 shelters the city has set up.

Forecasters said that because of giant waves and high tides made worse by a full moon, the metropolitan area of about 20 million people, could get hit with a 3.4-meter wall of water."

More >>


A shout out to our Atomic Zombie family - stock up, stay safe and stay in touch.

Bike builders news October 26

In this issue:

 Feature article by RadicalBrad of AtomicZombie.com:

New Tutorial:  Using a chain link tool to modify chain length

Table of Contents

Introduction

Opening the chain

Joining the chain

Opening on a bike

Around the derailleur

Stiff link problem

Stiff link repair 

Optimal chain length

  

Hub flanges and axle adapters for your bike projects

Bike builders community chat

Bike builders gallery - new additions:

recumbents, trikes, choppers, tall bikes, kids' bikes, cargo bikes & more

This and archived newsletters are here.

Evolution of the StreetFox Tadpole Trike

From the Builders Gallery:  "This started out as a StreetFox. Every time I rode her I went home and started modifying. Here's where it is today."

Another great handmade tadpole trike built from our own AtomicZombie do-it-yourself plan!

The StreetFox Recumbent Trike is a fast and comfortable version of the classic "tadpole" style trike (two wheels in the front), which includes rear suspension, three wheel braking, and 26 inch rear wheel for optimal gear range. The StreetFox looks and handles as good as any commercially produced trike, and can be completely made using commonly available and inexpensive bicycle components and some square tubing. Not one single machined part is needed. The StreetFox has an adjustable bottom bracket so it can fit riders of most heights, from 5 feet to well over 6 feet tall. Due to the rugged construction and use of sturdy 14 mm axle, 48 spoke front wheels, the StreetFox can easily accommodate riders over 250 pounds.

Because this project only requires a basic welder, an angle grinder and a hand drill, the StreetFox can be built by anyone with the desire to put a little effort into this rewarding hobby. Because of the simple mono tube main frame, the StreetFox is highly customizable, allowing the builder to alter the plan to suit his or her own needs, or simply to try new ideas. 

The most complex part of the trike is obviously the steering, but the StreetFox uses commonly available and "bullet proof" BMX wheels and hubs, so you don't need to source hard-to-find, expensive front wheel parts. All three wheels have standard bicycle brakes and cables as well, so you can find most of your parts by salvaging old bicycles or at most bicycle stores.

Every step of the build is detailed in high resolution photos, with clear instructions on how to calculate critical angles and lengths based on the parts you have on hand. The final product is a very sleek looking tadpole style trike that looks professionally built and rides like a dream. Enjoying the scenery on a comfortable recumbent trike is like sitting in your favorite chair, but you can always put your ankle to the pedals and get the wind in your hair because the StreetFox is as fast as it is comfortable.

Take a look at our Builder's Gallery to see other StreetFox examples, including many creative modifications to the plan. Our international builders community ranges from students to retired engineers, but they all have one thing in common - the desire to build their own stuff!

All of Atomic Zombie Extreme Machines plans are downloadable PDF format. Multiple plan discounts, free tutorials, videos, gallery, newsletters, blog and more.

Bike building addicts

When you start building bikes, it becomes an addiction. Most builders can't seem to just build only one project. We bike freaks love to build stuff.

This is the case of member "cjjunkie" who has a real passion for making bikes and trikes of all sizes. Here are some of his handmade rides and some happy riders who are all smiles about their rides:

Captain America tall bike - I now fly a flag off the back on a 10 foot mast.

Hammerhead trike - Built for a local girl with Cerebral Palsy who couldn't ride a normal bike.

 Birthday trike - The best presents are handmade.

 Bikefest ride - One of the Owosso, MI, Bikefest rides.

Cinco de Mayo - From the Saginaw, MI, Cinco de Mayo parade.

Cool bus - The youngest gets picked up every day from school on this (picture is about 3 years old). It's painted black and yellow now.

Great stuff and thanks for sharing. We hope that your creativity will inspire others to take up this rewarding hobby.

You can upload pictures of your own bike pictures to the Atomic Zombie builders gallery - free! Check out all of the great bikes, trikes, recumbents, choppers, motorized bikes, kids' bikes, tall bikes and fun rides. See you there.

Cardboard bicycle can change the world, says Israeli inventor

A bicycle made of cardboard? I thought it was a spoof story at first, but after doing some research, I've discovered that it just may be possible.

It's an interesting concept, but no mention how much wear and tear this type of bicycle can take, or how it will hold up under severe weather. It's an interesting concept, though. Kudos to the inventor. We need more out-of-the-box thinkers in the world to create green transportation possibilities.

Read more>>

Bike builders news October 15

In this issue:

Wheel building and truing tutorial

Hub flanges and axle adapters for your bike projects

Bike builders community chat

Bike builders gallery - new additions:

recumbents, trikes, choppers, tall bikes, kids' bikes, cargo bikes & more

This and archived newsletters are here.

Bicycle wheel building and truing tutorial

3 Cross Wheel Lacing

This wheel lacing tutorial will show you how to take apart a 36 spoke 3-cross wheel and then put it back together again. Never built your own bicycle wheels? No problem. Thanks to AtomicZombie's latest tutorial, you will learn how to spoke and true your own bicycle wheels affordably. No experience is necessary.

Our wheel building tutorial has high quality pictures and 17 videos detailing the process step-by-step. You asked for this tutorial and AtomicZombie delivers! 

Table of Contents:

•     Identifying Parts
•     Removing The Spokes
•     The First 9 Spokes
•     The Key Spoke Location
•     The Crossing Spokes
•     The Other Side
•     Other Crossing Spokes
•     Truing The Wheel
•     Final Wheel Truing

Here's an excerpt of our tutorial:

"This tutorial will show you how to remove all of the spokes in a wheel and then reinstall them in the common 3-cross lacing pattern. This tutorial will also demonstrate some of the techniques used to true the wheel after it has been put back together. To follow along, you will need a wheel of any diameter with 36 spokes and a sharp flat head screwdriver. 

The 3-cross lacing pattern is the most commonly used wheel lacing pattern, and it will yield a strong wheel that will work well on both a 2 wheel cycle as well as a trike or quadcycle. Building a wheel from scratch is not a difficult job; it just requires some careful counting and patience. Your first try may take several hours, but once you memorize the lacing pattern, you will be able to build up your own wheels in less than an hour from start to finish. Learning to lace your own wheels is both cost effective and fun, so grab a wheel, lean back, and enjoy this tutorial." More >>

Freewheel axle adapters are in stock

Freewheel axle adapters

Shipments went out on October 4 to anyone who had back ordered the adapters. If your order contained freewheel adapters and other parts, your order was also shipped on October 4.

You will receive an email from Purolator (Canada Post for domestic orders) with tracking information within 48 hours. Thanks for your patience.

The freewheel axle adapters fit any Shimano style thread-on freewheel and a standard 6 bolt bicycle disc brake rotor. Drilled for a 3/4 inch axle and includes a 1/4 inch mounting bolt. Disc brake mounting holes are tapped for standard M5 bolts.  

To add a transmission to your trike or quadcycle, you will need to install a freewheel onto one of the rear axles. A freewheel is a single speed or multi-speed sprocket that can ratchet in reverse so that drive power is only applied to the axle when it turns in the clockwise rotation. A standard Shimano type freewheel is installed by threading it on in the clockwise rotation. A more detailed description of a Shimano thread-on freewheel can be seen on our DIY tutorials page.

The freewheel axle adapter is used for these projects: StreetFighter Racing Quad, Kyoto Cruiser Tandem Trike, LodeRunner Cargo Bike, LodeRunner Tandem Cargo Bike and Aurora Delta Racing Trike.

The axle adapter can fit with these projects with some modifications: TimberWolf Suspension Trike, DeltaWolf Racing Trike, DeltaRunner Delta Trike and Gladiator Chopper Trike. More >>

Disc brake adapters

Our Delta Trike Axle Disc brake Adapter fits onto any 3/4 inch axle and allows for the installation of a standard ISO standard 6 bolt bicycle disc brake rotor. With this part, you can add reliable disc brake stopping power to any trike or quadcycle using only standard bicycle components. The included locking bolt secures the part to the axle and allows for easy removal at a later time. The 6 disc rotor mounting holes are also tapped so you can mount your bicycle disc brake rotor using the standard M5 bolts that are supplied with it. The DBAX34 Delta Trike Disc Brake Adapter is a high quality machined part made of aluminum and anodized black. 

Bicycle disc brakes are widely used and fairly inexpensive, so they are the perfect option for adding brakes to a delta trike or any other DIY project that has more than one wheel in the back. Bicycle disc brakes are also highly effective on even the largest cargo trike, and will offer superior breaking power for many years without needing any adjustment. Our Trike Axle Disc Brake Adapter will fit any diameter disc brake rotor that uses the ISO standard 6 bolt mounting pattern. More >>

Bike builders news for October 1

In this issue:

NEW DIY plan - Short and tall unicycle

Hub flanges and axle adapters for your bike projects

Bike builders community chat

Bike builders gallery - new additions

AtomicZombie family mourns

The Deacons of Deadwoods Chopper - Houston's Chopper Shop

This and archived newsletters are here.