The Suburban Recumbent Bicycle Project (SRBP)
Or, a guy builds a bike (aGBaB)
Mike Walker
Hendersonville, Tennessee
September 25, 2004
Read the May 9, 2002 entry and get what you can out of it. The links may also prove useful. I am a dilettante.
June 5, 2003
Obviously I have not been working on this project.
May 9, 2002
I became interested in recumbents after reading an article in Tandem magazine about a father and daughter who traveled across country on a tandem Ryan recumbent.
People are immediately intrigued at the sight of a recumbent bicycle. Many riders report being stopped constantly by people asking questions about their bike. It breaks the traditional concept that most of us have "enjoyed" since acquiring the ability to auto locomote. Machines with two wheels, or three, are to be mounted like a horse, a camel, or an ostrich. The realization that one can assume a seated or reclined position while peddling exposes the mind to a different reality in which one sees their surroundings instead of the ground; the butt, neck, shoulders, and hands are spared the pain of bearing the weight of an awkward position. The realization portends pleasure.
I was able to rent a Bike E recumbent from The Touring Cyclist in St. Charles, Missouri, on the KATY trail for a ten mile ride with my family. The only advice I was given by the dealer was to start with the pedal in the 12:00 position and take off. Despite wobbling a little at times, the ride was enjoyable. My twelve-year-old daughter had no trouble mastering the bike either.
Me on a Bike E beside the KATY trail
Why build a recumbent instead of buy one? They're just so darned expensive. Just check out the pricing and you, too, might start thinking about building one instead of buying.
Decisions
For your encouragement, I confess I have no metal-working experience other than cutting pallet bands and fencing, shaping aluminum foil to fit over a pan, and cutting the odd piece of wire. I am a self-taught, mediocre woodworker.
I have a restless mind. I am not often put off by the complexity of a job or my lack of experience. The drawback is that I have a lot of projects that aren't completed before something else catches my imagination.
After my initial research I bought plans from Bentech for both the long wheel base (LWB) and the short wheel base (SWB) versions. I had hoped to start on the bike in January, 2002, but circumstances have been less than ideal for undertaking a new adventure. I plan to build the LWB with USS first and perhaps a SWB later.
I bought Bentech's plans because they offer a variety of ways to go about building the bike. At the time they offered a tube set, a welded frame, and powder coating. Recently they have discontinued providing these options.
The plans and instructions provide plenty of information including sources for parts you've never heard of. You can stick strictly with the plans or venture out with your own design.
Links
Bentech: Recumbent Bike Plans
KATY Trail: Part of the Rails to Trails program
Ryan Recumbent: Recumbent bicycle, under seat steering (USS)