Steering Knuckle Mock-up

This is a mockup I did today of the steering knuckle. The real knuckle will be built out of welded flat steel but this aproximated the shape nicely, plus I got to play with the rod ends I got on eBay!

My 1st Purchase for the Trike Project

I guess I am actually committing a little bit to this project. I bought 4-3/8" rod ends on eBay, they will end up being the "ball joints" of the steering system.

Total cost = $30.13 CAD
Cost if bought locally: $63.79
Total project cost to date: $30.13
Project budget: $200
Remaining budget: $169.87

The Red Greene Recumbent

I decided to do a crude mock up of the trike to get an idea of the size and where things would end up. The front has 20" wheels I "borrowed" from Jack's bike trailer, they are exactly the size and type of wheel I need. The read wheel is a 26" but the real tike would probably use a 24" wheel. Yes, I know the seat is too high ;) and yes, that is a crutch used as the rear fork.

Frame Design

This is the frame design I am going to use with some modifications. It is a Spitfire which is a later version of the Thunderbird, both designed by Rickey Horwitz. Rickey makes his frames from 6061-T6 aluminum, but I will build mine out of a combination of mild steel and aluminum. The all aluminum bike weights only 28-32 pounds (bare frame is 18 lbs)!!! Mine will be heavier, most home builds are around 50-60 lbs. I decided to draw on other people's experience and not re-invent the wheel for a change. I think there is a pun in there somewhere... Check out the Links section of this blog to see more detail about this and other designs.

P.S. This model of trike sells for $3500 US! Most trikes are at least $2500.

Welcome to the Ruzter Trike BLOG

For the past month, I have been enthralled with the idea of building a recumbent bike, specifically a recumbent trike in the tadpole (2 wheels in the front) configuration. My great friend Grant and I have spent many a late evening discussing all aspects of trikes related to building design and astetics. It has been GREAT fun.

Then I stumbled across a series of websites with tadpole design information from Rickey Horwitz. These are, by far, the most compehensive sources of info I have found so far. The more I read the more I thought I could build one myself and the more I knew how I would build it. This week I made several small purchases of parts and tools that I would need to build the trike, so I guess I am actually going to try. I am starting this blog to document what I am doing, show off my sucesses, make fun of my failures, but most of all just share with my friends and family. Wish me luck, I don't always have the best track record finishing these things, but finish or not my goal is to have fun and enjoy every single minute I am doing or thinking about this project.

It's not what you can buy, it's what you can build.

BLOG on...

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