Donor Leaning Standup Tadpole Trikes?

deepfraught

deepfraught

100 W
Joined
Jul 9, 2011
Messages
260
Location
pants, downunder
I'm thinking of an electrified rear wheel driven something like this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cif-qfXcIHc&feature=player_detailpage#t=240s
It's no longer listed on their website for sale, though I have enquired.
http://youtu.be/OVfsKYtR-rI

It features the essential things for using it legally here, primarily pedal powered with electric 200W limit (or now new law for 250W if pedelec) to be treated as a bicycle by the law and traffic codes.
It has what I'm looking for in conventional upright bicycle controls, not recumbent so can use legs to dampen the shocks over rough grass.
Safety for newbies to have fun on eliminates pedal strikes and possibly easier to bail out and jump ship if not death gripped into a crash.

I used to have one of these parallelogram front suspension Gilera Fuoco 500, on wet grass the back came around nice and easy but although it didn't fall, the narrow track meant heavy handed hopping to keep it up rather than any steering control, no lean limit that it would rest at so a lot more like 2 wheels in low siding with the rear overtaking the front.
This is the intended slow speed control with wider track, lighter/lower bicycle vehicle weight, and better control with feet platforms.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=sVpD5xyAetE#t=285s
You can see the beefy over-strength front suspension weight is up high, radiator filled the lower centre:
mp3_suspension.jpg
 
Awesome blog, I just added it to my faves yesterday, I only just found it by chance on the two only other ES posts as "streetstrider" and your blog via one of them.

I checked out the FreeCross, there is one in the country barely used, but GBP $2k = AU/U$3k, seller dropping freight cost of ~$500, very heavy price, can't imagine it shifting soon.

I had dropped this idea for only a week, when by chance wife talked about getting a cross trainer especially for indoors over winter in the morning hour before kids wake up, when I'm cycling to work, but she has to be home. Now that I had Street Strider in mind, the value to both of us was now justifiable... with the catch so long as it was coming out of the cash I sold my car for.

So tonight the local importer is bringing an ex-demo Sprinter 3r (with rack) over on his way home to sell to us, and I'm looking for an indoor fluid bicycle trainer to get the wife going. I have some panniers to drop on the back and conventional rear child seat that I can adapt to get the whole family out. I have a TykeToter on the way for my A2B Metro to take our 2yo toddler with me.

I'm still keen to find out the status of the Fusion model, no reply yet via the Street Strider website. Local importer doesn't stock it, but will try to pry more info from him.
 
Thanks, I saw the Onyacycles one in a search last week and subscribed to their email list for when it is available, I liked it a lot. I got distracted a bit reading their fabricator's blog as well to see the frames he was welding and bikes building.

That Progressive Leaner looks good for being a front end replacement retro-fitted to your own compatible bike of choice. I would want to put it in a strong step through frame with or without rear suspension.

What I like about the Fusion is the lack of seat and pedals in the way of "jumping ship" if you put some torque on for breaking traction on wet grass. It's also still pedalling primary power so remains under bicycle rules, which is good given the attention it gets you don't want to ever go through the shame of it being impounded and collecting your Wild Raspberry colour StreetStrider.

As for review, I'll give it a once over tonight and take it for a learner test. The front left tie-rod end nut was very loose and knocking on unloaded side to side movement. I just did it hand tight and eliminated the noise. So much for the idea I had that being an ex-demo it would be well assembled and any manufacturing issues dealt with. The local agent is a business person doing it on the side, not a bike person at all, reminding me why exclusive import/distributor agreements can leave a "no added value, just added mark-up" feeling.
 
Just an update, I haven't been on the street with the Street Strider. I bought a used fluid trainer and able to mount it via the rack due to right axle end having the Nexus 3 speed shifter, and 20" wheel too small at that height to contact without a trainer base adapter, so killed two birds with one workaround stone. It makes a great cross trainer with this setup, light and portable so it can be moved or wheeled out and stored if necessary. I also use the trainer as a bike workshop stand and rolling road test ride which I never thought of and is another great bonus.

In the same week that I got it, I remembered another weird bike I had looked at for a while, and found a couple going cheap. I could see some potential and value just in basic parts like same 20" single speed wheel as the Street Strider, horizontal dropouts, elastomer short travel rear suspension. I don't have anything positive to say about the front bogie, just slots into cliches of redesigning the wheel. The filled voids of frame feel like paper thin alloy, so it might have potential as a removable access hatch for some slim LiPo and hidden wiring. I'd like a light BMX suspension fork up front.
http://www.streetsurfer.com.au/

PS: or I could fit a leaning trike front end like the Street Strider Fusion with BMX handlebar =D Only downside to it is the high bottom bracket requiring very high seat height for knee-friendly pedalling, Mine is a black example, but here's a silver to better show the frame.
8813i6k_20.jpeg
 
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