Street Ready

[TheKid]

All brakes and gears are working, flag holder is installed. (But no flag in the pic) The tie rod was raised after the pic was taken, to stop the chain from rubbing on it when using the small chainring. A nut between the tab and the rod end did the trick. The cranks were shortened again last night. Those are the same cranks that I stripped the other day. I also put new pedals on, the kind I like that have metal points to prevent slipping. They can also be used with some types of clipless shoes.
I'm waiting for the seat foam and small pulley for the return side of the chain. I'll be using the sliding pulley, like the power side pulley instead of the usual derailler gears. RR introduced this method in the old forum, and Joey used it here:

http://forum.atomiczombie.com/showthread.php?t=1460&highlight=sliding+pulley

I found this method on the net back in 2006, but can't find the article anymore. It was a different approach than RR's, but served the same purpose.
It used a clamp on method that could be slid forward and back as needed. I'll use this method for the return side pulley.

http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z66/edpol_photos/tadpole/100_0294Small.jpg

Once all my welding is done, like plugging holes and adding mirror tabs on the bars, I plan on painting with foam brushes so I don't have to take the whole thing apart. My friend at the body shop says he has some flourescent green lacquer I can have, but I'll have to pay for the thinners. He said I wouldn't need too much thinner if I'm not going to spray it, probably less than a quart which will cost about 15 bucks. That stuff is still expensive. I thought the price would have come down since it's not used nearly as often as urethane paint. He's also going to try to match the color of the foam noodles as close as possible with the compuer mixer.

[Bodhi]

Lookin' good. :rockon:

[Patrike]

Sweat ride -- I like the postion of the handle bars, they look they are in a comfortable position for long halls.

[Radical Brad]

I enjoyed the metamorphosis of your ride since the beginning. Are you adding/changing anything else or is it complete? I guess complete is a word we rarely use around here... I have yet to call anything complete.

Brad

[TheKid]

The bars are perfect for the boat seat, hopefully they'll be good for the new seat, which will be slightly further back and a tad higher. Once I get the battery rack in place, I could start the tailbox to hide the motor. I took a look at the paint this morning. It's not what I had in mind. It's a bright, light, green, but nowhere near the shocking green that RR used, which is close to the foam noodles. Hopefully I could find the kind of paint I want at a paint store near the house. The mail came, but still no pulley. That's kind of holding me up. So far, this is the best compromise yet, but I think I should have made the track a little wider.
The adjustable return pulley will be very helpful. RR's version of the sliding pulley on the drive side works perfectly. And it's very simple. I welded a 2" long piece of angle iron under the boom, so the side that hangs down is in perfect line with the boom. I used a 3/8" SS bolt, 2 1/2" long, partially threaded to hold the pulley. A nylock nut goes on until it can't thread anymore, then the bolt goes through the angle iron and nutted from the other side. Right now, the pulley is hidden under the seat, but it will probably be exposed when the new seat is installed. The angle iron is securely welded to the bottom of the boom, so no welds will show on the side. Very neat looking.

[graucho]

Looks solid and well built. Great bike you have there. Cant wait to see it in full color.

[TheKid]

Thanks guys. I went to the hardware store to pick up some T-nuts and screws to mount the plywood seat. I feel a little more secure with them over wood screws. Besides, I'm putting Brad's "foam hockey puck" seat suspension to the test, since I don't have rear suspension anymore, and I'm giving up the nice cushy boat seat. I'll be using strips that span the mounts and the boom instead of individual "pucks".

[TheKid]

It never ends with this thing. Another test ride for speed and performance proved there's too much caster angle. I went up on two wheels again, which for me at least is not good. The front wheels tilt too severely on sharp turns, which I generally don't make, but in case of emergency, I want to have full control. When I made it a LWB, I lengthened the head tubes to get more caster and level the boom a bit. I forgot to shorten them again, which is causing not only the steering problem, but the chain still rubs the tie rod in certain gears. Plus I'd like to level the boom a little bit.
I'm off to the plumbing supply house to get new wheels for my pipe cutter. Nothing like nice straight cuts when you're cutting round tube. I Haven't used this cutter in a couple of years, and forgot that the wheel broke when I was making the trike conversion rear.

[Buffo]

Have you tried running the chain through plastic irrigation tubing to prevent the tie rod contact?

Once I discovered the concept of routing the chain through tubing, I eliminated a lot of my chain management problems (including the dreaded "Black Leg"<g>). I also find that the chain collects less grit on those wild bush runs. Having pedaled without the tubing and with tubing, I can say that I didn't notice a real difference in chain drag.

[TheKid]

Have you tried running the chain through plastic irrigation tubing to prevent the tie rod contact?


I would go that route if I had to. My main goal was to improve handling and comfort, while at the same time resolving other issues.
The caster angle was too severe, and so I shortened the tubes from the bottom to drop the front end, which also brought the boom closer to level, which in turn, lowered th BB in relation to the seat. I figured by shortening the head tubes 1 1/2", I would have a caster angle of about 12°, give or take 1°, which it did. It also raised the tie rod 1 1/2", so now the chain doesn't rub the tie rod, so there's no need for the tube. And with the BB a bit lower, it's easier to ride. Artie sucks.
I now have much more control, and the trike's a lot more stable at higher speeds. Even taking sharp turns at 20mph doesn't put it up on two wheels, in fact the wheel flop is gone, and there's just a touch of wheel scrub when taking those higher speed sharp turns. It's not noticeable unless you're looking for it, which I was. Several respected builders say there should be a hint of wheel scrub when executing high speed cornering for better control.