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This is a site that shows my interest in human-powered vehicles, and my designs and experiments.
27" FWD High-seat Recumbent (FrankenBike)
To the right you will see my first recumbent design. Constructed from a discarded ten-speed bike, 2x4s, plywood and a pair
of aluminum crutches for the rear triangle.
This was my first completed recumbent project, and I was very happy that it worked at all! I consider this one a prototype,
and I'm currently riding it to shake out the design flaws. I'm close to building a proper version, completely out of steel
this time!
Since these photos, I've dropped the seat about two inches, added a shifter for the cassette, improved my braking setup
and added a biking computer. My average speed (cruising) is 8.7 mph, and my top speed is 27.3 mph. Not bad for something
cobbled together in my garage!
UPDATE 10/23/2006:
The FrankenBike now has 70+ miles on it (including a 23-mile bike trip), and is still behaving respectably. I'm still using
it to gather information for Phase Two.
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Phase Two
The next phase of the FrankenBike will entail an entire rebuild in steel, adding rear suspension, an adjustable seat, cassette
and chainring shifting, and a semi-folding design for easier transport.
As I'm learning to weld while completing phase two, it might be a while before I have something to show. But this will
certainly give me a project for the winter months!
Click on any picture on the right to enlarge
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