The SB Cruiser : Amberwolf's 2WD Heavy Cargo Trike & Dog Carrier
- Thread starter amberwolf
- Start date
It's by Joatmon RRR, Uninked.RageNR said:Hey, nice assembly you got there! Which kit is that?
When I was first pondering how to use it, I thought it would be stupid looking but once I'd pared it down to just the part I needed to use, it reminded me of all the asymmetrical spaceships and cars I used to design and draw up, and has actually gotten me thinking about an asymmetrical trike design, which would look more like a sidecar on a bike at first glance...but it would probably need an outrigger wheel held just off the ground for turns in one direction. Someday I mgiht actually test the idea; probably I'll just draw it up. But it would be a fancy faired design, not really a velo but sculptured-looking. Something more to be different and striking than practical.
However, I might also draw up a fairing idea around this headlight that would be sculptured in a way to make it look like the whole trike was designed to be like that. (rather than slapdash of found objects, which it really is).
But as wierd as it looks, the headlight works fine in neighborhood test runs--gotta see how it works on my commute home as a real test.
They're actually not chalkboard, though they look like it. They are old retail aisle signage from a pet store's natural foods section, and were designed to look like chalkboards, with printing on them that emulated that style of writing. I painted over that in flat black, and then used some cloth paint (all I had that I could brush on) in white, painted on with a zip tie rather than a brush (couldn't remember where my brushes are :lol
, in kind of a hurry before leaving to meet ions82 and pick up that stromer motor sunday before last. My original plan for them was to fill the whole black area with photos of all the dogs I've had that I actually have any pics of, as a kind of memorial. But when I got the idea to try the white paint and it turned out sort of ok, I decided I'd leave them like chalkboards, and I'm gonna put just a white outline of a dog head on there (probably two; Tiny and Yogi most likely). Rather than all of them, just one or two, to keep them large and easily identifiable (since I'm pretty crappy at drawing dogs).
Tonight I came within a few feet of being killed.
I was sitting at the red light on the north side of Peoria, having just left work. I looked down at the power meter, because it was going to be about 45 seconds before the light would have a chance to change, then heard a really loud POP and suddenly there was a truck and a car spinning towards me very rapidly, and there was zero way I could get out of the way. All I could do was stay where I was on the trike and hope they skidded to a stop before they hit me.
Thankfully, they did...but just barely. The car was about 7 or 8 feet away, I think, at an angle in front of me, and just sat there. The pickup truck skidded to within a few feet of me, maybe 3 feet from the front tire of the trike, just to the left of it and forward, then slowly rolled away from me, going the wrong direction down the road I had come from to get where I was, but diagonally, and then up onto the concrete median, where I think it eventually stopped.
THe guy driving the car pushed the airbag away from his face, and I yelled out "are you ok?" but he ignored me and yelled something at the truck driver, then he started to try to drive the car forward, but it didn't work very well; I think he was trying to go after the truck; not sure, but then he got out and yelled something else, and then "park it!", I think. He seemed so angry; as if the truck driver had done it on purpose.
At that point, the light went red for both east and west traffic, and the green arrow turn signals for north and south came on, and the cars wiating to turn started going. I was still watching the guy from the car cuz he seemed very angry and focused on the truck, and wasnt' sure exactly what he was going to do, so the loud honking from (I think) the city bus turning west onto peoria out of the north end of metrocenter, at a car that had stopped and was in the rightmost lane before the bus stop there, with it's flashers going. I don't know why they were stopped, but they moved over some as the bus just kept going (as did the other cars) as if they didn't care if they caused yet another collision.
I figured I should just get out of there before someone else did something stupid, possibly just becuase they were looking at the wreck instead of the road (happens a lot), so when the green came on to let me cross, I did that. There were cars behind me waiting to turn right, too, so I would have had to move for that reason alone, as the car being in the intersection blocking the next lane (or two) over would've kept them from just going around me if I didn't move.
I was apparently still in a little bit of shock because until the light turned red while I was still crossing the intersction, I didn't realize I was only at about 12MPH or so, and I pushed the throttles forward and confirmed it was an operator problem and not the trike itself (like maybe a flat from having to go thru the debris from the fronts of the two vehicles, scattered directly across my path, some of it in large chunks of pointy plastic). No flats/etc., though.
I continued home, mostly at 16-18mph rather than near 20, not really sure why; I just kept slowing down whenever I got near my usual speeds.
I didnt' see the actual collision, but I think the truck was making a left turn across traffic when he should have been stopped at the red arrow on the west side, and the car was going thru the green light from east to west, and they hit each other with zero attempt at braking; probably didn't even see each other at all before impact. Dunno...just a guess. I couldn't even see the actual damage on the truck or car, just the swath of debris from their front ends scattered across the intersection.
Still kinda stuck on my mind, even four hours later; nowhere near dozing off like I usually would've done a few times by now.
The post I *would* have made today was just to report that I only y got about 52wh/mile again, vs the 62-63 on my previous commutes. But since it was still at the 63wh/mile level on the way to work, the reason for the lwo average must be because of my low speed on the way home.
And also to report that the front fender has split in half as if cut, just behind the brake-arch bolt-on point. At first I just couldnt' imagine what caused it, but then I realized it's just thin aluminum, and it hasnt' got a brace to hold it out at the front end, so the wiggling up and down and sideways sheared thru it via metal fatigue.
I can fix it, of course, but before tehre's mcuh point, I'll need to add braces to the front end of it like I have at the rear. or it'll just fatigue somewhere else and fail again.
Also, the stuffing behind the headlight holding it up at the correct angle didn't survive the bumpy ride to work, so it sagged down enough to only light the area for about 30 feet in front of teh trike, at best.
I jury rigged it for the ride home, but it didnt' stay very long; too many bumps/potholes, so I'll have to rethink the mounting. It does still work the way it is now, just doenst' light the road much better than the old one (though it is much more even).
I was sitting at the red light on the north side of Peoria, having just left work. I looked down at the power meter, because it was going to be about 45 seconds before the light would have a chance to change, then heard a really loud POP and suddenly there was a truck and a car spinning towards me very rapidly, and there was zero way I could get out of the way. All I could do was stay where I was on the trike and hope they skidded to a stop before they hit me.
Thankfully, they did...but just barely. The car was about 7 or 8 feet away, I think, at an angle in front of me, and just sat there. The pickup truck skidded to within a few feet of me, maybe 3 feet from the front tire of the trike, just to the left of it and forward, then slowly rolled away from me, going the wrong direction down the road I had come from to get where I was, but diagonally, and then up onto the concrete median, where I think it eventually stopped.
THe guy driving the car pushed the airbag away from his face, and I yelled out "are you ok?" but he ignored me and yelled something at the truck driver, then he started to try to drive the car forward, but it didn't work very well; I think he was trying to go after the truck; not sure, but then he got out and yelled something else, and then "park it!", I think. He seemed so angry; as if the truck driver had done it on purpose.
At that point, the light went red for both east and west traffic, and the green arrow turn signals for north and south came on, and the cars wiating to turn started going. I was still watching the guy from the car cuz he seemed very angry and focused on the truck, and wasnt' sure exactly what he was going to do, so the loud honking from (I think) the city bus turning west onto peoria out of the north end of metrocenter, at a car that had stopped and was in the rightmost lane before the bus stop there, with it's flashers going. I don't know why they were stopped, but they moved over some as the bus just kept going (as did the other cars) as if they didn't care if they caused yet another collision.
I figured I should just get out of there before someone else did something stupid, possibly just becuase they were looking at the wreck instead of the road (happens a lot), so when the green came on to let me cross, I did that. There were cars behind me waiting to turn right, too, so I would have had to move for that reason alone, as the car being in the intersection blocking the next lane (or two) over would've kept them from just going around me if I didn't move.
I was apparently still in a little bit of shock because until the light turned red while I was still crossing the intersction, I didn't realize I was only at about 12MPH or so, and I pushed the throttles forward and confirmed it was an operator problem and not the trike itself (like maybe a flat from having to go thru the debris from the fronts of the two vehicles, scattered directly across my path, some of it in large chunks of pointy plastic). No flats/etc., though.
I continued home, mostly at 16-18mph rather than near 20, not really sure why; I just kept slowing down whenever I got near my usual speeds.
I didnt' see the actual collision, but I think the truck was making a left turn across traffic when he should have been stopped at the red arrow on the west side, and the car was going thru the green light from east to west, and they hit each other with zero attempt at braking; probably didn't even see each other at all before impact. Dunno...just a guess. I couldn't even see the actual damage on the truck or car, just the swath of debris from their front ends scattered across the intersection.
Still kinda stuck on my mind, even four hours later; nowhere near dozing off like I usually would've done a few times by now.
The post I *would* have made today was just to report that I only y got about 52wh/mile again, vs the 62-63 on my previous commutes. But since it was still at the 63wh/mile level on the way to work, the reason for the lwo average must be because of my low speed on the way home.
And also to report that the front fender has split in half as if cut, just behind the brake-arch bolt-on point. At first I just couldnt' imagine what caused it, but then I realized it's just thin aluminum, and it hasnt' got a brace to hold it out at the front end, so the wiggling up and down and sideways sheared thru it via metal fatigue.
I can fix it, of course, but before tehre's mcuh point, I'll need to add braces to the front end of it like I have at the rear. or it'll just fatigue somewhere else and fail again.
Also, the stuffing behind the headlight holding it up at the correct angle didn't survive the bumpy ride to work, so it sagged down enough to only light the area for about 30 feet in front of teh trike, at best.
I jury rigged it for the ride home, but it didnt' stay very long; too many bumps/potholes, so I'll have to rethink the mounting. It does still work the way it is now, just doenst' light the road much better than the old one (though it is much more even).
Last night I passed (as I always do) the same spot, and could see the fire-retardant powder residue from the cleanup of the car crash, relative to where I was stopped, and it looks like the car ended up about 20-ish feet from me after rolling forward post-crash-skid-stop. The skid itself looks like it was about 8 or so feet from me, in the crosswalk, before rolling away.
Can't tell where the truck skid was; too much powder around the area covering stuff. Maybe next time it washes off from rain or whatever, if the marks are still there afterward.
I redid the headlight mounting today, but it wasn't enough, and the bumps still shook it down over the ride to work and home.
I'm probably going to have to just cut the actual tubes going back to the steerer mounting point, and jsut add a pivot and bolt so I can use that to adjust the angle and tighten it down. :/
Can't tell where the truck skid was; too much powder around the area covering stuff. Maybe next time it washes off from rain or whatever, if the marks are still there afterward.
I redid the headlight mounting today, but it wasn't enough, and the bumps still shook it down over the ride to work and home.
I'm probably going to have to just cut the actual tubes going back to the steerer mounting point, and jsut add a pivot and bolt so I can use that to adjust the angle and tighten it down. :/
RageNR
100 W
- Joined
- May 23, 2016
- Messages
- 216
Don't know why I didn't see your post before. Sounds like you had a near miss. The man upstairs might have had an eye on you that night.
Sad how few humans care for another human simply because they do not know who the person is. Are they any less human than you? Do you think they have feelings too?
These are questions we should ask ourselves daily, to remind of us that every action we take could affect someone else. Just because you do not know that person does not mean that the pain and trouble you cause them does not exist.
Just be careful out there brother. Always be mindful of your surroundings. For the things we can not see, we must trust that a higher being is keeping close watch.
Glad you are alright.
Sad how few humans care for another human simply because they do not know who the person is. Are they any less human than you? Do you think they have feelings too?
These are questions we should ask ourselves daily, to remind of us that every action we take could affect someone else. Just because you do not know that person does not mean that the pain and trouble you cause them does not exist.
Just be careful out there brother. Always be mindful of your surroundings. For the things we can not see, we must trust that a higher being is keeping close watch.
Glad you are alright.
Thanks--yeah, I'm always watching around me, because I cant' assume anyone else is.
Aside from the usual inattentive drivers, I've had pedestrians step off the sidewalk right in front of me, and if I weren't already watching them knowing they might, I'd probably have at least grazed them if not run them over. :/ This has happened numerous times over all the years I've been riding bikes (about my whole life past middleschool). Iv'e also had other cyclists riding off the sidewalk into the street, or out of driveways or side streets right into traffic, not even caring if they get hit, paying zero attention, or even riding the wrong way on a street in the middle of a lane or between them, or weaving all over.
So...I have to watch--cuz I have to assume no one else is.
Normally I am even watching while sitting at the intersections, with the same pattern of mirror, street mirror, that I use while riding, because if I wasnt' I'd've been run over from behind at least once--but since I was watching, I saw the car taht wasnt' going to stop, and managed to get over and forward enough to not be where they were headed by the time they got there.
As for humans not caring about others...I see that every single day at work, where the only thing customers come in caring about is themselves--not even for their pets that they are coming in to get stuff for, or the kids they may have with them or be talking about at home, but just themselves. Everyone else is just either an obstruction or a servant, as far as they are concerned. Either you do whatever they want, or you get the hell out of their way.
sort of a crosspost
https://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=86729&p=1268905#p1268905
brought up an idea I have had in the back of my mind for CrazyBike2 for a long time, and a lesser time for SB Cruiser (because it might not be practical on the trike), of adding a front rack over the wheel, that is supported by tubes from teh frame, rather than by the fork.
Because of it's height, it wouldnt' be good for anything but flat / thin cargo, or it would obstruct my view of the road. But I do sometimes need to carry stuff like that, in grocery runs, etc., and would be able to carry a bit more than with just the cargo area in the back (and a more even load).
Most likley the headlight and turn signals would go out on the front edge of this rack, so cargo wouldnt' obstruct them. That would actually give more room on the rack itself and/or move the rack back a few inches. But it would also mean teh headlight would no longer point with the steering, and would only point wherever the trike's frame was pointing. So teh next option is to build a fender frame onto the fork that would be able to hold up the headlight and turn signal stuff, and sit just below / forward of the rack. Best would be if it stayed at the same height its' at now, as that appears to be the best one, around halfway between my eye level and the road surface.
Anyway, it's all just a thought for the future; whenever I get around to rebuilding the front end.
I'm still thinking about building that rear-suspension-linkage-as-front-fork contraption, especialy now that I have a good air shock to do it with. (at least, a lot better than the present crappy spring suspension fork).
Aside from the usual inattentive drivers, I've had pedestrians step off the sidewalk right in front of me, and if I weren't already watching them knowing they might, I'd probably have at least grazed them if not run them over. :/ This has happened numerous times over all the years I've been riding bikes (about my whole life past middleschool). Iv'e also had other cyclists riding off the sidewalk into the street, or out of driveways or side streets right into traffic, not even caring if they get hit, paying zero attention, or even riding the wrong way on a street in the middle of a lane or between them, or weaving all over.
So...I have to watch--cuz I have to assume no one else is.
Normally I am even watching while sitting at the intersections, with the same pattern of mirror, street mirror, that I use while riding, because if I wasnt' I'd've been run over from behind at least once--but since I was watching, I saw the car taht wasnt' going to stop, and managed to get over and forward enough to not be where they were headed by the time they got there.
As for humans not caring about others...I see that every single day at work, where the only thing customers come in caring about is themselves--not even for their pets that they are coming in to get stuff for, or the kids they may have with them or be talking about at home, but just themselves. Everyone else is just either an obstruction or a servant, as far as they are concerned. Either you do whatever they want, or you get the hell out of their way.
sort of a crosspost
https://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=86729&p=1268905#p1268905
brought up an idea I have had in the back of my mind for CrazyBike2 for a long time, and a lesser time for SB Cruiser (because it might not be practical on the trike), of adding a front rack over the wheel, that is supported by tubes from teh frame, rather than by the fork.
Because of it's height, it wouldnt' be good for anything but flat / thin cargo, or it would obstruct my view of the road. But I do sometimes need to carry stuff like that, in grocery runs, etc., and would be able to carry a bit more than with just the cargo area in the back (and a more even load).
Most likley the headlight and turn signals would go out on the front edge of this rack, so cargo wouldnt' obstruct them. That would actually give more room on the rack itself and/or move the rack back a few inches. But it would also mean teh headlight would no longer point with the steering, and would only point wherever the trike's frame was pointing. So teh next option is to build a fender frame onto the fork that would be able to hold up the headlight and turn signal stuff, and sit just below / forward of the rack. Best would be if it stayed at the same height its' at now, as that appears to be the best one, around halfway between my eye level and the road surface.
Anyway, it's all just a thought for the future; whenever I get around to rebuilding the front end.
I'm still thinking about building that rear-suspension-linkage-as-front-fork contraption, especialy now that I have a good air shock to do it with. (at least, a lot better than the present crappy spring suspension fork).
The power usage has been lower last coupel days, around 56wh/mile by the time I get home, about 65-68wh/mile on the way to work. There's been a lot of breezy wind in the 10-15mph+ range, and I expect that enough of it is headwinds on the way to work and tailwinds on the way home that it's affecting the wh/mile by a lot.
Headlight still the same; wont' get a chance to deal with that till monday or tuesday at the earliest.
Fender screws keep coming undone; gotta find my loctite. Also gotta rig up a wire-frame for the front half of the fender, as right now it's entirely held on by a single nut at the brake bridge, and a zip tie a few inches forward holding it to the front bottom edge of the headlight frame. All the rest of it's length is unsupported. :/
Side note: While I was at work, there was a huge collision and rollover with mulitiple vehicles on the main street out front of our parking lot. I couldn't leave work to find out what happened, but there were at least a couple dozen emergency vehicles, and the entire intersection and some stretch of that street was blocked off for a while, incluidng the north exit from Metrocenter and the freeway access. The fire trucks and police cars had to go thru our parking lot to get around parts of the crash site, and we were not very busy for a while as there was no easy way to get to us-just the west entrance. A very few customers came in now and then, and reported bits of info, but other than the basics, most of it conflicted with what others said. But there was quite a mess still scattered over the road and sidewalks when I left work.
Headlight still the same; wont' get a chance to deal with that till monday or tuesday at the earliest.
Fender screws keep coming undone; gotta find my loctite. Also gotta rig up a wire-frame for the front half of the fender, as right now it's entirely held on by a single nut at the brake bridge, and a zip tie a few inches forward holding it to the front bottom edge of the headlight frame. All the rest of it's length is unsupported. :/
Side note: While I was at work, there was a huge collision and rollover with mulitiple vehicles on the main street out front of our parking lot. I couldn't leave work to find out what happened, but there were at least a couple dozen emergency vehicles, and the entire intersection and some stretch of that street was blocked off for a while, incluidng the north exit from Metrocenter and the freeway access. The fire trucks and police cars had to go thru our parking lot to get around parts of the crash site, and we were not very busy for a while as there was no easy way to get to us-just the west entrance. A very few customers came in now and then, and reported bits of info, but other than the basics, most of it conflicted with what others said. But there was quite a mess still scattered over the road and sidewalks when I left work.
Power usage appears to be back down to the 51-53wh/mile range the last couple of days; no winds or breezes, so I'm guessing that primarily the increases in power usage are from the wind vs the very un-aero trike.
The screws holding the seat to the box cover have come loose; not unexpected, it was only temporary anyway.
Am still looking for my long-core cabinet locks, might have to add a different kind of latch to some short-core ones instead, to make a lock for the cover.
Have been glad of the canopy this week, though, as it's been in the low 90's F already.
The screws holding the seat to the box cover have come loose; not unexpected, it was only temporary anyway.
Am still looking for my long-core cabinet locks, might have to add a different kind of latch to some short-core ones instead, to make a lock for the cover.
Have been glad of the canopy this week, though, as it's been in the low 90's F already.
SOmething wierd today, just about 1/8 mile from home on the way to work: throttle on the left motor wouldn't "stay engaged", or rather, the motor would stop responding in a way that almost felt like it was braking for just an instant and then coast. The right motor kept working normally.
Then I stopped at the 4-way stop and...nothing. No response from either motor.
I already had it shifted into the lowest gear for pedalling so I tried to pedal across the intersectin to get out of hte way of hte cars behind me, but the pedals "stuck" about 1/4 revolution, as if the chain was caught on something. Kept having ot rotate backwards and then forwards, rocking it until I got across and stopped at the curb.
I checked everything in the motor, controller, and throttle path, but couldnt' find a problem. Voltage fine from battery, etc., vmin on CA was normal, so wasn't a sag under load problem.
Too hot in the sun (95F in the shade under the canopy!) to keep troubleshooting there, so I needed to head back home to work in teh shade there. Pedal problem turned out to be that the bolted-on gear on the IGH's input gear is off-center, and the bolt on the most-offset side was sticking out far enough to get stuck on the frame there.
While I was fiddling with taht, a gentleman parked in front of me and asked if I needed help; we talked a bit as I worked; he's a fan of the trike and the dogs (sees me going donw the road a fair bit), but there wasn't really anything he could do to help.
I eventually just took that bolt out and pedalled as far as I could manage, about halfway home, then I simply had to get off and push it the rest of the way; it hurt less to do that.
I flipped the trike on it's side and checked out voltages and wiring all around the controller area and handlebars, etc., everything was fine, except hte ebrake line was enabled, even though the lever did not appear to be pulled.
So the reason for the stop was taht the heat must be affecting the springiness of the lever; I've had this problem before with ebrake switches taht are not connected to any cables, jsut used bare, and had to use springs or rubber bands to keep them pulled "off". So I did that with thsi and fixed the rightmotor problem.
But the left motor stil has the cutout problem. What specifcally happens is that the first second or so it'll work, then cutout. if I release and reengage throtttel, it'll work again for a second or two (variies, and again, and again, until I reach a bit more than 7-8MPH, or sometimes 12-13MPH (varies).
It is not an amp limit thing...cuz it does the same thing by itself or with the other motor also pulling.
It is not a speed thing.
It isn't likely a hall thing, though I'll need to check with a scope on the hall lines to verify there isn't some noise there. Halls are soldered so isn't a connector issue.
it isn't a phase connection thing on the andersons; checked and verified those are ok and fully seated, not backed out or bent or anything.
I'm too tired still from being sick with some flu or cold the last two or or th4ree weeks now, plus a new sinus infection I'm working on getting over, so not sure I can deal with the probelm until my next days off early next week.
There's alsoa fender rattle in front that I can't find and it' really annoying; it only stops during left turns, so when the wheel is pressed a bit in that direction--nothing is touching anything, nothing is loose...so just gonna have to play with it and figure out the issue....later.
Then I stopped at the 4-way stop and...nothing. No response from either motor.
I already had it shifted into the lowest gear for pedalling so I tried to pedal across the intersectin to get out of hte way of hte cars behind me, but the pedals "stuck" about 1/4 revolution, as if the chain was caught on something. Kept having ot rotate backwards and then forwards, rocking it until I got across and stopped at the curb.
I checked everything in the motor, controller, and throttle path, but couldnt' find a problem. Voltage fine from battery, etc., vmin on CA was normal, so wasn't a sag under load problem.
Too hot in the sun (95F in the shade under the canopy!) to keep troubleshooting there, so I needed to head back home to work in teh shade there. Pedal problem turned out to be that the bolted-on gear on the IGH's input gear is off-center, and the bolt on the most-offset side was sticking out far enough to get stuck on the frame there.
While I was fiddling with taht, a gentleman parked in front of me and asked if I needed help; we talked a bit as I worked; he's a fan of the trike and the dogs (sees me going donw the road a fair bit), but there wasn't really anything he could do to help.
I eventually just took that bolt out and pedalled as far as I could manage, about halfway home, then I simply had to get off and push it the rest of the way; it hurt less to do that.
I flipped the trike on it's side and checked out voltages and wiring all around the controller area and handlebars, etc., everything was fine, except hte ebrake line was enabled, even though the lever did not appear to be pulled.
So the reason for the stop was taht the heat must be affecting the springiness of the lever; I've had this problem before with ebrake switches taht are not connected to any cables, jsut used bare, and had to use springs or rubber bands to keep them pulled "off". So I did that with thsi and fixed the rightmotor problem.
But the left motor stil has the cutout problem. What specifcally happens is that the first second or so it'll work, then cutout. if I release and reengage throtttel, it'll work again for a second or two (variies, and again, and again, until I reach a bit more than 7-8MPH, or sometimes 12-13MPH (varies).
It is not an amp limit thing...cuz it does the same thing by itself or with the other motor also pulling.
It is not a speed thing.
It isn't likely a hall thing, though I'll need to check with a scope on the hall lines to verify there isn't some noise there. Halls are soldered so isn't a connector issue.
it isn't a phase connection thing on the andersons; checked and verified those are ok and fully seated, not backed out or bent or anything.
I'm too tired still from being sick with some flu or cold the last two or or th4ree weeks now, plus a new sinus infection I'm working on getting over, so not sure I can deal with the probelm until my next days off early next week.
There's alsoa fender rattle in front that I can't find and it' really annoying; it only stops during left turns, so when the wheel is pressed a bit in that direction--nothing is touching anything, nothing is loose...so just gonna have to play with it and figure out the issue....later.
So today I turn the trike on to go to work, and the lefthand motor/controller won't operate correctly even a little bit. It judders as if it had the wrong hall/phase combo (but I know it doesn't; hasn't changed).
The righthand one works fine, and while it will get me up to my 20mph cruising it takes quite a lot longer (3-4x) to get there than with both motors--and in traffic that's a problem; sometimes a big one with impatient drivers behind me.
Braking still works but the lefthand motor shudders and jerks; I don't think it's very good for the controller.
I suspect the halls are causing the problem; either a failure of one of the halls in the motor itself, or a broken wire somewhere between the motor and the controller.
Had planned to try to figure this out tonight after getting home, but there were several very loud sound systems out there thundering bass, which I couldn't handle even here in the house (shakes the walls, rattles the windows, vibrates objects until they fall off counters and such, terrifies the dogs, gives me migraines). Definitely couldn't take it outside--it's like someone walking up and hitting me with a sledgehammer constantly. Thankfully the've finally stopped around 130am after a couple of extremely loud explosions and some gunfire. Dunno what happened but at least the assault on the neighborhood finally stopped, so now I can try to sleep, at least, if I can make the migraine go away.
The righthand one works fine, and while it will get me up to my 20mph cruising it takes quite a lot longer (3-4x) to get there than with both motors--and in traffic that's a problem; sometimes a big one with impatient drivers behind me.
Braking still works but the lefthand motor shudders and jerks; I don't think it's very good for the controller.
I suspect the halls are causing the problem; either a failure of one of the halls in the motor itself, or a broken wire somewhere between the motor and the controller.
Had planned to try to figure this out tonight after getting home, but there were several very loud sound systems out there thundering bass, which I couldn't handle even here in the house (shakes the walls, rattles the windows, vibrates objects until they fall off counters and such, terrifies the dogs, gives me migraines). Definitely couldn't take it outside--it's like someone walking up and hitting me with a sledgehammer constantly. Thankfully the've finally stopped around 130am after a couple of extremely loud explosions and some gunfire. Dunno what happened but at least the assault on the neighborhood finally stopped, so now I can try to sleep, at least, if I can make the migraine go away.
The hall sensors appear to switch, but it's really hard to tell if they are actually working properly, as I suspect the ground into the motor is broken mostly or completely, somewhere past the splice-in point a foot or so from the axle outside the motor.
From that point to the battery ground it's fine.
The hall voltages are, with just the probe touching them, around 5.4v for two of them, and 3.7v for the third. Power wire reads 5.4v.
But if I am touching the probe tip while touching the wire, voltage fluctuates and goes up to nearly 7v on the two, and almsot 6v on the third.
The voltages do toggle as the motor is hand-rotated, after a fashion, but only by a very little bit, a couple of tenths of a volt, if that.
So until I can get into the motor and find the problem with the halls, I'll have to use a sensorless controller. I pulled the old ecrazyman off and put the generic black sensorless on, and tested it ok.
The "3 speed switch", at least with this motor, doesnt' work as I expected; I cant' remember for sure but I don't think I got much of a reaction out of it when used with the old little 9C. But on this motor, in it's "high" setting it gives faster unloaded top speed, but only about 600w of power when loaded. In it's medium setting it's the same as the low, and the low setting hasa slower top speeed by perhaps 50%! but has full power, around 1300w at peak.
As expected it doesnt' start correctly most of the time unless I"m already moving even just very slightly; I miss the sensored controller already.
But at least it does work, and so I can accelerate nearly as quickly as before, making it safer in traffic.
However--tehre is zero braking of any kind with it; I had thought tht I got regen with it before, but it does not now. ebrake line simply disables it, and wheel spins down exactly as if I had just let off the throttle. :/
Anyway, its' going until I have time to open up the motor, probably on my next vacation at the end of April.
From that point to the battery ground it's fine.
The hall voltages are, with just the probe touching them, around 5.4v for two of them, and 3.7v for the third. Power wire reads 5.4v.
But if I am touching the probe tip while touching the wire, voltage fluctuates and goes up to nearly 7v on the two, and almsot 6v on the third.
The voltages do toggle as the motor is hand-rotated, after a fashion, but only by a very little bit, a couple of tenths of a volt, if that.
So until I can get into the motor and find the problem with the halls, I'll have to use a sensorless controller. I pulled the old ecrazyman off and put the generic black sensorless on, and tested it ok.
The "3 speed switch", at least with this motor, doesnt' work as I expected; I cant' remember for sure but I don't think I got much of a reaction out of it when used with the old little 9C. But on this motor, in it's "high" setting it gives faster unloaded top speed, but only about 600w of power when loaded. In it's medium setting it's the same as the low, and the low setting hasa slower top speeed by perhaps 50%! but has full power, around 1300w at peak.
As expected it doesnt' start correctly most of the time unless I"m already moving even just very slightly; I miss the sensored controller already.
But at least it does work, and so I can accelerate nearly as quickly as before, making it safer in traffic.
However--tehre is zero braking of any kind with it; I had thought tht I got regen with it before, but it does not now. ebrake line simply disables it, and wheel spins down exactly as if I had just let off the throttle. :/
Anyway, its' going until I have time to open up the motor, probably on my next vacation at the end of April.
Today I got the sprocket fixed, on the IGH input.
Basically, the way I had it assembled before, the sprocket was held in place only by the clamping force of the bolts holding the sprocket pressing against washers on the bolts between the original input sprocket and the larger one actually being used.
This is because the original sprocket "domes up" where it connects to the IGH, and the larger sprocket's ID is smaller than that dome, so it rests on it, but is not secured by it.
This means that as the torque pulls on the sprocket, it can pull it off-center; this is what happened the other day. Then the bolts were far enough off on one side that the washers popped out from between the sprocket,s and allowed it to get so far off center it rubbed on teh wood panel behind it and then as it rotated jammed against the dropout frame holding the IGH.
To fix this, I used the angle grinder to carefully alter the shape of the inner circumference of the sprocket, so that instead of being a flat disc with about 1mm thickness, it is now shaped opposite the dome of the other sprocket, coming to a blade-thin edge on the ID, so it will now sit flat against hte face of the other sprocket, and can't shift around as long as the bolts are tight.
So the bolts were then reinstalled silghtly differently, as well, so they sit against the "back" edges of the holes in the larger sprocket, so when the chain pulls it against the other sprocket and bolts, the bolts will tighten against it in all four spots.
WIth the sprocket centered like it should be, and is now, and was to start with, it's easy to pedal around the yard, even over several-inch-diameter pieces of palm frond ends that the dogs use for chewtoys, and the 2.5"-3" pieces of mulberry branch they also chew on, and thru the 4"+ deep holes Kirin enjoys leaving here and there.
With it offcenter by the 1/2" or more after the failure, it was very hard to pedal, not because of drag or rubbing, so not sure of exact cause, but assuming that it was because of the offcenteredness?
Anyway, it's fixed now, and hopefully stays that way. I'll have to recheck teh bolts/etc after some rides where I use it in lowest gear to help startup from a stop just before I hit the throttles, so it gets the most torque on it as often as I can manage it.
Other than that, been resting and doing yard work today--wassupposed to be around 94F for a high, but it was already that hot by noon, and got up to 98F, and not back down to 94F again until a couple of hours ago. It's only dropped below 90F a little after 6pm, and is now only down to 89F
Basically, the way I had it assembled before, the sprocket was held in place only by the clamping force of the bolts holding the sprocket pressing against washers on the bolts between the original input sprocket and the larger one actually being used.
This is because the original sprocket "domes up" where it connects to the IGH, and the larger sprocket's ID is smaller than that dome, so it rests on it, but is not secured by it.
This means that as the torque pulls on the sprocket, it can pull it off-center; this is what happened the other day. Then the bolts were far enough off on one side that the washers popped out from between the sprocket,s and allowed it to get so far off center it rubbed on teh wood panel behind it and then as it rotated jammed against the dropout frame holding the IGH.
To fix this, I used the angle grinder to carefully alter the shape of the inner circumference of the sprocket, so that instead of being a flat disc with about 1mm thickness, it is now shaped opposite the dome of the other sprocket, coming to a blade-thin edge on the ID, so it will now sit flat against hte face of the other sprocket, and can't shift around as long as the bolts are tight.
So the bolts were then reinstalled silghtly differently, as well, so they sit against the "back" edges of the holes in the larger sprocket, so when the chain pulls it against the other sprocket and bolts, the bolts will tighten against it in all four spots.
WIth the sprocket centered like it should be, and is now, and was to start with, it's easy to pedal around the yard, even over several-inch-diameter pieces of palm frond ends that the dogs use for chewtoys, and the 2.5"-3" pieces of mulberry branch they also chew on, and thru the 4"+ deep holes Kirin enjoys leaving here and there.
With it offcenter by the 1/2" or more after the failure, it was very hard to pedal, not because of drag or rubbing, so not sure of exact cause, but assuming that it was because of the offcenteredness?
Anyway, it's fixed now, and hopefully stays that way. I'll have to recheck teh bolts/etc after some rides where I use it in lowest gear to help startup from a stop just before I hit the throttles, so it gets the most torque on it as often as I can manage it.
Other than that, been resting and doing yard work today--wassupposed to be around 94F for a high, but it was already that hot by noon, and got up to 98F, and not back down to 94F again until a couple of hours ago. It's only dropped below 90F a little after 6pm, and is now only down to 89F
I'm using a similar technique to the one for making the seatbox to start making a tailgate for the cargo area, for use when I'm not using the dog crate or the complete wooden shell I'm hoping to build on my next vacation.
I transport small stuff a fair bit, that I have to spend a while tying down, but would not need to if I simply had a tailgate to keep it from coming off the back.
I transport small stuff a fair bit, that I have to spend a while tying down, but would not need to if I simply had a tailgate to keep it from coming off the back.
So the front fender has just about driven me crazy with it's antics.
First, it broke in half right in the middle where it mounts to the fork.
Then it kept coming loose and rattling around whenever I made a sharp turn, at the repaired center mount for the rear half.
Then the rear bottom mount to the wire frame (that goes to teh dropouts) ripped thru, so the bolt is still on the frame, so I used a larger washer on the outside of the fender, but that ripped thru the very next trip to work, on the first "washboard" corner, and now the hole is almost big enough for my thumb in the fender.
I've been temporarily repairing it with zipties to secure that fender part to the wire frame, but every time I make a turn over the rough "washboard" corners at various intersections, it instantly breaks *all* teh zipties there, whether they are loose or tight, and whether there is only one or if there are six.
I can't see any mechanism where it would cause this, but obviously something is happening that isnt' visible, and it probably doesn't matter what I do it's going to keep doing this. If I use a bigger washer it'll probably just make an even bigger hole, or destroy the fender completely.
Since the fender is already so damaged, I am just going to take it off for now, and see about building a completely new one on my upcoming time off (along with the bajillion other things I have to get done in that week). I dont' knwo waht design it will be, or what it will be made from, but that will rpobably depend on what materials happen to be at hand at the time.
Ther'es a good chance I'll make it angular rather than round, to go along with the rest of the trike's general geometry.
I'm also looking at finally building that suspension front end made out of a multilink rear suspension frame and some double-crown clamps and steerer, and whatever tubing will fit those.
Then I'll see if I can also fit teh old rear Fusin 1000w geared hubmotor in there for a front wheel, just to see if it helps acceleration any, and also to see if it is capable of pulling the trike at all, withotu damaging it. (by itself, as a backup)
I'll probably have to use a bigger / DD motor there instead; but we'll see. It's just another experiment anyway, not something I actually need to operate the trike.
First, it broke in half right in the middle where it mounts to the fork.
Then it kept coming loose and rattling around whenever I made a sharp turn, at the repaired center mount for the rear half.
Then the rear bottom mount to the wire frame (that goes to teh dropouts) ripped thru, so the bolt is still on the frame, so I used a larger washer on the outside of the fender, but that ripped thru the very next trip to work, on the first "washboard" corner, and now the hole is almost big enough for my thumb in the fender.
I've been temporarily repairing it with zipties to secure that fender part to the wire frame, but every time I make a turn over the rough "washboard" corners at various intersections, it instantly breaks *all* teh zipties there, whether they are loose or tight, and whether there is only one or if there are six.
I can't see any mechanism where it would cause this, but obviously something is happening that isnt' visible, and it probably doesn't matter what I do it's going to keep doing this. If I use a bigger washer it'll probably just make an even bigger hole, or destroy the fender completely.
Since the fender is already so damaged, I am just going to take it off for now, and see about building a completely new one on my upcoming time off (along with the bajillion other things I have to get done in that week). I dont' knwo waht design it will be, or what it will be made from, but that will rpobably depend on what materials happen to be at hand at the time.
Ther'es a good chance I'll make it angular rather than round, to go along with the rest of the trike's general geometry.
I'm also looking at finally building that suspension front end made out of a multilink rear suspension frame and some double-crown clamps and steerer, and whatever tubing will fit those.
Then I'll see if I can also fit teh old rear Fusin 1000w geared hubmotor in there for a front wheel, just to see if it helps acceleration any, and also to see if it is capable of pulling the trike at all, withotu damaging it. (by itself, as a backup)
I'll probably have to use a bigger / DD motor there instead; but we'll see. It's just another experiment anyway, not something I actually need to operate the trike.
Sorry for not participating here for a while. You know how computers and I get along.
It's scary to even think about driving my 8 ton truck around Phoenix. It takes guts of steel to commute on bikes there! I'm glad you're able to avoid altercations with the infernal consumption machines!
The fender cracking is probably due to your front axle flexing. Dirtbikes use rubber isolators to mount the fenders or even they'll crack eventually. For a thin aluminum/steel fender mounted to a flexy axle, I'd cut up some pieces of old tire, punch holes in it and use it as bushings.
Keep on trikin'!
It's scary to even think about driving my 8 ton truck around Phoenix. It takes guts of steel to commute on bikes there! I'm glad you're able to avoid altercations with the infernal consumption machines!
The fender cracking is probably due to your front axle flexing. Dirtbikes use rubber isolators to mount the fenders or even they'll crack eventually. For a thin aluminum/steel fender mounted to a flexy axle, I'd cut up some pieces of old tire, punch holes in it and use it as bushings.
Keep on trikin'!
Thanks--but it isn't mounted to the axle itself. The wire frame (which itself is flexy) is mounted to the threaded fender mounts on the rear bottom corner of the fork leg.
It is still possible that because the axle isn't really stiff and neither is the crappy suspension fork, that it is still doing the same thing that it would if on the actual axle; twisting back and forth and banging the fender around and stuff.
I'm pretty sure what caused the original split of the fender was having the Grin Tech LED light mounted to it's unsupported front edge, fatiguing the metal at the mount to the brake arch at the center of the fender.
The other failures...that's the strange part to me; I'm using basically the same fender and mounting method on CrazyBike2, and even when it was with this very same fork (albeit with a hubmotor rather than normal wheel).
I've also used this same type of fender and fork and mounting on other bikes, and never run into this problem.
I suspect that it is side-loading on the wheel and fork, causing twisting and snap-back, repeatedly, on the washboard parts of the road at corners (since that's where the sudden damage always occurs)...that sideloading doesnt' happen on a bicycle, because it is leaning into the turn, while SB Cruiser doesn't lean, so the wheel remains perpendicular to the road surface.
As for a fix (for this and other issues):
I *was* going to buy one of Inertiaproject's double-crown clamp/steerer sets and use that to make a completely custom front suspension setup taht woudlnt' have ahd the issues this type of fork does.
But for whatever reason, after he'd sent me the info to paypal him but with an email address that paypal didnt' recognize (a couple of transposed letters AFAICT) and I'd sent him a question about that, instead of responding with whichever address was correct, he said he'd sold all the rest of the kits already (instead of holding one for me, who would have already paid him had I had the definite address for him).
So I'll have to figure something else out for the steerer and crowns and clamps; I don't relish the idea of using just a single crown at the bottom of the steerer; would much rather use a double with one at the top and one at the bottom.
I can't machine aluminum to do this sort of thing, so most likely I'll just have to see what I've got in steel plate that will be thick enough (and if it isn't, if I can weld two or more plates together).
Boring the holes thru it will be a challenge; they probably wont' be really round, but careful filing might make them good enough to clamp the tubes. Most likely I'll just have to weld them to the steerer and fork tubes instead of clamping, to be sure it can't slip or whatnot.
Maybe instead of plates I'll use square tubing to connect the fork legs to the steerer....all welded together.
It's frustrating, cuz the kit would've made this a few minutes' work to put together at the top, most likely, while it's going to take at least several hours, potentially days, to make my own solution. Given that I'll only have a week off, and have a lot of other things I really *need* to get done, this new front suspension is probably going to have to wait till my next time off (if even then), probably sometime this fall.
It is still possible that because the axle isn't really stiff and neither is the crappy suspension fork, that it is still doing the same thing that it would if on the actual axle; twisting back and forth and banging the fender around and stuff.
I'm pretty sure what caused the original split of the fender was having the Grin Tech LED light mounted to it's unsupported front edge, fatiguing the metal at the mount to the brake arch at the center of the fender.
The other failures...that's the strange part to me; I'm using basically the same fender and mounting method on CrazyBike2, and even when it was with this very same fork (albeit with a hubmotor rather than normal wheel).
I've also used this same type of fender and fork and mounting on other bikes, and never run into this problem.
I suspect that it is side-loading on the wheel and fork, causing twisting and snap-back, repeatedly, on the washboard parts of the road at corners (since that's where the sudden damage always occurs)...that sideloading doesnt' happen on a bicycle, because it is leaning into the turn, while SB Cruiser doesn't lean, so the wheel remains perpendicular to the road surface.
As for a fix (for this and other issues):
I *was* going to buy one of Inertiaproject's double-crown clamp/steerer sets and use that to make a completely custom front suspension setup taht woudlnt' have ahd the issues this type of fork does.
But for whatever reason, after he'd sent me the info to paypal him but with an email address that paypal didnt' recognize (a couple of transposed letters AFAICT) and I'd sent him a question about that, instead of responding with whichever address was correct, he said he'd sold all the rest of the kits already (instead of holding one for me, who would have already paid him had I had the definite address for him).
So I'll have to figure something else out for the steerer and crowns and clamps; I don't relish the idea of using just a single crown at the bottom of the steerer; would much rather use a double with one at the top and one at the bottom.
I can't machine aluminum to do this sort of thing, so most likely I'll just have to see what I've got in steel plate that will be thick enough (and if it isn't, if I can weld two or more plates together).
Boring the holes thru it will be a challenge; they probably wont' be really round, but careful filing might make them good enough to clamp the tubes. Most likely I'll just have to weld them to the steerer and fork tubes instead of clamping, to be sure it can't slip or whatnot.
Maybe instead of plates I'll use square tubing to connect the fork legs to the steerer....all welded together.
It's frustrating, cuz the kit would've made this a few minutes' work to put together at the top, most likely, while it's going to take at least several hours, potentially days, to make my own solution. Given that I'll only have a week off, and have a lot of other things I really *need* to get done, this new front suspension is probably going to have to wait till my next time off (if even then), probably sometime this fall.
This is what I was talking about.
If you cut a two inch square section of thick rubber out, popped two holes near the bottom corners, and one in the center on the top edge, you could bolt the top hole to the fork with a fender washer and torque it down tight to keep it from spinning and use the two bottom holes to rivet to the fender sides. This would keep the fender straight but isolate it from the fork flex.
I'll probably try that when I rebuild the fender next time.
But I may just move the much better fork over from CrazyBike2, fender and all; moving this older worn fork over to CB2, since I use the trike much much more. Then do the mods with teh rubber/etc to the "new" fork/fender.
Was actually planning to do this yesterday/today, but it took a lot longer than expected to finish the yard work yesterday, and to do the various house maintenance stuff today. Maybe later this week or weekend.
But I may just move the much better fork over from CrazyBike2, fender and all; moving this older worn fork over to CB2, since I use the trike much much more. Then do the mods with teh rubber/etc to the "new" fork/fender.
Was actually planning to do this yesterday/today, but it took a lot longer than expected to finish the yard work yesterday, and to do the various house maintenance stuff today. Maybe later this week or weekend.
Day before yesterday I pulled the white Suntour XCV(?) fork off CrazyBike2, along with it's fender. Then yesterday I pulled the old junk Suntour fork off the trike, and installed the white one on there, with fender.
It wasn't quite a straightforward install, becuase the steerer on the white fork is a few inches longer, and I didn't have enough spacers for the steerer cap to be able to pretension the steerer/crown against hte bearings/headtube prior to tightening the clamping bolts on the stem. But I found that an old junk kid's "bmx" type bike had a headtube just the right ID to slip over the steerer, so I cut it off the bike and cut enough of it off to make a spacer. Worked fine.
I still havent' moved the brake-booster-arch over from the old fork, as the brake arm bolts on this one are super-tight; probably rusted in place cuz I don't recall if I put lubricant on them or not. Or maybe I loctited them; don't remember. Either way, I have to get them out before I can nstall the arch. Brakes are ok without it but they will be better with it.
SOmeting I hadn't thought of when changing over is that this is a taller fork (with more suspension travel), and it changes the ride and handling a bit--it actually seems better in most instnaces.
The only bad so far is that turns have to be just a tiny bit slower than before, since the front end (everything forward of the rear axles) is a bit higher than before, so COG is a bit higher. Not a big deal.
Fork is a lot stiffer than the other one, and this helps a lot with steering, especially on the washboard areas which are on several of the sharpest turns in my commute, where previously the front end would bounce and skip and make the whole trike unstable at certain speeds, that doesn't appear to happen with this one.
It also is better suspension by a fair bit than the other one, though not great it's still the best I've ever had, and it does a lot for curbs and some of the potholes/etc.
Oh, and one other side effect: The headlight now aims almost exactly where I wanted it. I was going to have to cut the headlight mount and re-aim it, but now I don't have to do that, which saves a lot of frustration and work.
I still have to put the old fork back on CrazyBike2, and remount the hubmotor and torque arms and whatnot on it, but since I havent' had to use antyhing other than the trike in at least a few months, it's not critical (other than just to have a backup bike in case of a problem with the trke that makes it unrideable for my commute).
I'll have pics up eventually; keep forgetting to take them when ti's daylght.
It wasn't quite a straightforward install, becuase the steerer on the white fork is a few inches longer, and I didn't have enough spacers for the steerer cap to be able to pretension the steerer/crown against hte bearings/headtube prior to tightening the clamping bolts on the stem. But I found that an old junk kid's "bmx" type bike had a headtube just the right ID to slip over the steerer, so I cut it off the bike and cut enough of it off to make a spacer. Worked fine.
I still havent' moved the brake-booster-arch over from the old fork, as the brake arm bolts on this one are super-tight; probably rusted in place cuz I don't recall if I put lubricant on them or not. Or maybe I loctited them; don't remember. Either way, I have to get them out before I can nstall the arch. Brakes are ok without it but they will be better with it.
SOmeting I hadn't thought of when changing over is that this is a taller fork (with more suspension travel), and it changes the ride and handling a bit--it actually seems better in most instnaces.
The only bad so far is that turns have to be just a tiny bit slower than before, since the front end (everything forward of the rear axles) is a bit higher than before, so COG is a bit higher. Not a big deal.
Fork is a lot stiffer than the other one, and this helps a lot with steering, especially on the washboard areas which are on several of the sharpest turns in my commute, where previously the front end would bounce and skip and make the whole trike unstable at certain speeds, that doesn't appear to happen with this one.
It also is better suspension by a fair bit than the other one, though not great it's still the best I've ever had, and it does a lot for curbs and some of the potholes/etc.
Oh, and one other side effect: The headlight now aims almost exactly where I wanted it. I was going to have to cut the headlight mount and re-aim it, but now I don't have to do that, which saves a lot of frustration and work.
I still have to put the old fork back on CrazyBike2, and remount the hubmotor and torque arms and whatnot on it, but since I havent' had to use antyhing other than the trike in at least a few months, it's not critical (other than just to have a backup bike in case of a problem with the trke that makes it unrideable for my commute).
I'll have pics up eventually; keep forgetting to take them when ti's daylght.
Forgot to note that yesterday the tab on my righthand thumb throttle broke off, so while it's still usable, it's not comfortable (stub is pokey). I still have the tab so I'll reattach it as soon as I can. IIRC its' a pretty old throttle, so not surprising the plastic cracked.
Someday I'd like to design a weatherproof all-metal throttle unit, with bearings and whatnot, if I ever have time. :/
Someday I'd like to design a weatherproof all-metal throttle unit, with bearings and whatnot, if I ever have time. :/
Early this week I moved the brake booster arch over, but the brakes don't perform like they should even with that. I swapped pads over and no change.
I even cleaned the rim and pads with a citrus-based cleaner, to be sure any oil or paint is off of them, and the metal powder from braking off the pad surfaces, etc.
So even though it is clean and all set the same way it used to be, other than the fork itself, there isn't as much braking power as there was.
SInce the brake levers have adjustable leverage, I tried the two extremes, then returned it to where I had it, as it doesnt' do anything other than make it harder or easier or me to squeeze the lever to the same amount of braking.
What power there is applies more smoothly, though.
Since the fork itself is stiffer than the old one, it's not that. But it could be that since the brake arch is clamped to the fork and not welded to it, it might be shifting just a tiny amount, just enough to prevent hard braking. I'll have to look into ways to confirm or prevent that, see if it helps.
I still get decent braking--just not as good as it was.
I also built the temporary version of hte tailgate, which is just a sign frame like the side covers are, only shortened a few inches so it fits across the back without sticking out ot hte sides. It's only held on with magnets right now, but it works fine like that so far. Once I beef up the actual gate, I'll add more magnets and/or an actual latching system, so that it will securely hold small cargo in the bed without strapping each thing down, or having to use the dog crate, etc.
I was going to get pics of all this stuff, but the Canon camera died as I pressed the shutter button. Figuring the battery was just so low that it didnt' have time to even tell me that, I tried the second battery, and got no power at all there either. Recharging both batteries made no differnece either. :? Same without the memory card in, etc. It's just stuck with the lens out and won't power on. I even checked the little switch on the door that keeps it form working with the battery/memory card door open.
So the Canon is dead now; maybe if I get time I'll take it apart and see if I can find a fuse or something (I fixed an old Olympus that way once, years ago).
The Sony (that would power on but not take pics) I started to take apart and found that the shutter button's pin (that actuates the switch inside the camera) was broken off. So I can press it with something else; I'll need to make a new pin for hte button--but at least I can take pics with it.
However, I cannot change the flash settings or use the flash at all, except in a couple of modes where it won't let me turn the flash off. That part doesn't make sense, as there is no one button for that.
But it also won['t hold the date and time if I pull the main battery, so maybe it having the date/time battery dead is affecting other things. Have to open it up to find out, but since it is actually working I'll leave it as is and at least use it to take pics, the next chance I get.
I even cleaned the rim and pads with a citrus-based cleaner, to be sure any oil or paint is off of them, and the metal powder from braking off the pad surfaces, etc.
So even though it is clean and all set the same way it used to be, other than the fork itself, there isn't as much braking power as there was.
SInce the brake levers have adjustable leverage, I tried the two extremes, then returned it to where I had it, as it doesnt' do anything other than make it harder or easier or me to squeeze the lever to the same amount of braking.
What power there is applies more smoothly, though.
Since the fork itself is stiffer than the old one, it's not that. But it could be that since the brake arch is clamped to the fork and not welded to it, it might be shifting just a tiny amount, just enough to prevent hard braking. I'll have to look into ways to confirm or prevent that, see if it helps.
I still get decent braking--just not as good as it was.
I also built the temporary version of hte tailgate, which is just a sign frame like the side covers are, only shortened a few inches so it fits across the back without sticking out ot hte sides. It's only held on with magnets right now, but it works fine like that so far. Once I beef up the actual gate, I'll add more magnets and/or an actual latching system, so that it will securely hold small cargo in the bed without strapping each thing down, or having to use the dog crate, etc.
I was going to get pics of all this stuff, but the Canon camera died as I pressed the shutter button. Figuring the battery was just so low that it didnt' have time to even tell me that, I tried the second battery, and got no power at all there either. Recharging both batteries made no differnece either. :? Same without the memory card in, etc. It's just stuck with the lens out and won't power on. I even checked the little switch on the door that keeps it form working with the battery/memory card door open.
So the Canon is dead now; maybe if I get time I'll take it apart and see if I can find a fuse or something (I fixed an old Olympus that way once, years ago).
The Sony (that would power on but not take pics) I started to take apart and found that the shutter button's pin (that actuates the switch inside the camera) was broken off. So I can press it with something else; I'll need to make a new pin for hte button--but at least I can take pics with it.
However, I cannot change the flash settings or use the flash at all, except in a couple of modes where it won't let me turn the flash off. That part doesn't make sense, as there is no one button for that.
But it also won['t hold the date and time if I pull the main battery, so maybe it having the date/time battery dead is affecting other things. Have to open it up to find out, but since it is actually working I'll leave it as is and at least use it to take pics, the next chance I get.
Today I got a few small things done on the trike:
--replaced the missing two short boards on the rear right corner of the bed. Not sure how, but they came off (or someone took them), a little while back.
--added a thick reinforcing backing to the tailgate, using some 1/4" thick "foamed" plastic off an old retail display. This way it's unlikely that anything that ends up loose in the cargo bed would break the 1/16" (or less) styrene that makes up the "chalkboard". It could still knock the tailgate off if it exceeds the magnet strength, but that's unlikely too, since if I was carrying anything like that I'd strap around the side boards and the tailgate, or strap the cargo down.
--added inboard fender covers to the fender frames, so stuff can't hit the wheels (including doggie tails and paws, once I enclose the rest of the rear end with the wooden frames).
I considered several materials, first wood but that would take too much space. Then thin sheet metal, cut from old retail shelving, but it's heavy and it would be "boomy", making the doggie compartment loud, even if I welded it to the frame. Instead, I went with a composite material off that same retail display, thin aluminum sheets bonded to a foamed plastic core, cuz it's stiff enough to not boom/rattle, and light and thin as well as tougher than just plastic would be. I wish I had a lot more of this stuff, cuz I can imagine a lot of uses for it. I pop-riveted it to the frame; was gonna use rivnuts at first (so I could remove them for access to the wheels from inside the bed), but I couldn't find any screws/bolts that were short enough, with flat/bevelled heads (so they don't catch on doggie fur or cargo), so went with regular rivets for now (can always change it later).
View attachment 2
To wrap it around the back end, I didn't ctu all the way thru, just partway so it would "fold" around the corner of the frame.
View attachment 5
I intend to use the same basic method, but using rivnuts, to cover up the "front triangle" that has the wiring in it--but this will be metal covered with wood, or just wood glued into something like the seatbox is made with, but secured to metal straps that the bolts going into the rivnuts would actually hold down. Or maybe just recessed holes in the wood for the bolts and some washers. Not sure yet, have to build the wood stuff first and see from there where I go.
That's about all I actually finished today, but I also borrowed some chalk from Raine so I could start sketching the dog heads on the "chalkboards", so I can then use some glow-in-the-dark and/or white paint to permanently outline them on the side and rear signs.
Now I just have to decide exactly how to sketch them, and who goes where.
I was going to sketch Tiny and Yogi as the main two in teh big space to the right of "S.B.Cruiser" but after running across this picture (while trying to get just the right angle for reference), I may just do Tiny in that pose in the big area on one side,
and Yogi in one of his cute poses on the other side, like maybe this one
and Teddy in one of hers on the rear--probalby the one with the goggles. Then the others, including Kirin, and those I lost in the fire, will be smaller heads/etc under the "S.B.Cruiser" part.
I'm not a very good artist so I don't expect this to look very good. I might do what Raine suggested, which is to print out a "line art" version of the reference pictures onto thicker paper that's then sprayglued to card stock or plastic, and used as a template/stencil.
We'll see how it turns out, I guess.
--replaced the missing two short boards on the rear right corner of the bed. Not sure how, but they came off (or someone took them), a little while back.
--added a thick reinforcing backing to the tailgate, using some 1/4" thick "foamed" plastic off an old retail display. This way it's unlikely that anything that ends up loose in the cargo bed would break the 1/16" (or less) styrene that makes up the "chalkboard". It could still knock the tailgate off if it exceeds the magnet strength, but that's unlikely too, since if I was carrying anything like that I'd strap around the side boards and the tailgate, or strap the cargo down.
--added inboard fender covers to the fender frames, so stuff can't hit the wheels (including doggie tails and paws, once I enclose the rest of the rear end with the wooden frames).
I considered several materials, first wood but that would take too much space. Then thin sheet metal, cut from old retail shelving, but it's heavy and it would be "boomy", making the doggie compartment loud, even if I welded it to the frame. Instead, I went with a composite material off that same retail display, thin aluminum sheets bonded to a foamed plastic core, cuz it's stiff enough to not boom/rattle, and light and thin as well as tougher than just plastic would be. I wish I had a lot more of this stuff, cuz I can imagine a lot of uses for it. I pop-riveted it to the frame; was gonna use rivnuts at first (so I could remove them for access to the wheels from inside the bed), but I couldn't find any screws/bolts that were short enough, with flat/bevelled heads (so they don't catch on doggie fur or cargo), so went with regular rivets for now (can always change it later).
View attachment 2
To wrap it around the back end, I didn't ctu all the way thru, just partway so it would "fold" around the corner of the frame.
View attachment 5
I intend to use the same basic method, but using rivnuts, to cover up the "front triangle" that has the wiring in it--but this will be metal covered with wood, or just wood glued into something like the seatbox is made with, but secured to metal straps that the bolts going into the rivnuts would actually hold down. Or maybe just recessed holes in the wood for the bolts and some washers. Not sure yet, have to build the wood stuff first and see from there where I go.
That's about all I actually finished today, but I also borrowed some chalk from Raine so I could start sketching the dog heads on the "chalkboards", so I can then use some glow-in-the-dark and/or white paint to permanently outline them on the side and rear signs.
Now I just have to decide exactly how to sketch them, and who goes where.
I was going to sketch Tiny and Yogi as the main two in teh big space to the right of "S.B.Cruiser" but after running across this picture (while trying to get just the right angle for reference), I may just do Tiny in that pose in the big area on one side,
and Yogi in one of his cute poses on the other side, like maybe this one
and Teddy in one of hers on the rear--probalby the one with the goggles. Then the others, including Kirin, and those I lost in the fire, will be smaller heads/etc under the "S.B.Cruiser" part.
I'm not a very good artist so I don't expect this to look very good. I might do what Raine suggested, which is to print out a "line art" version of the reference pictures onto thicker paper that's then sprayglued to card stock or plastic, and used as a template/stencil.
We'll see how it turns out, I guess.
With limited time, I decided to simplify the front triangle wiring covers, and just use more of that 1/4" thick "foamed" plastic.
The right side is riveted directly to the frame, as that has the chainrings on that side, and would be harder to work on stuff in there anyway.
The left side uses rivnuts in the frame (which are damned hard to install),
View attachment 5
with teh plastic cover bolted to the frame.
To be able to take the cover off completely, I'd have to either cut a slot in the cover, or take the pedal off the crank (Easy enough with a wrench I have with me in my toolkit anyway), but I would usualy only need to take off the bolts, and then slide the cover down the crank and lean it on the pedal. Then I can access any of the wiring in the frame area there, which hopefully won't be needed except at upgrades.
I havent' needed to access it since the rewiring, so I could probably have just popriveted the left side on, too...but if I did need to access it at roadside, that would have been annoying to have to get off of there.
While I was at it, I popriveted the main cutoff switch and the XLR charging port into place, but I swapped their positions since my toes sometimes hit the switch housing when I get on or off the trike. It's not much more clearance, but it's enough.
I need to make a bracket to rivet to the frame that will let me mount the lighting switches to it.
While I had the cranks off to install the side covers, I swapped them out for some non-ovoid regular 28/38/48 rings (also 170mm cranks),
because while the Shimano BioPace stuff works great on a regular bike at the angle the cranks are at to my legs/body, they actually make it harder to pedal at the angle everything is at on the trike. I'd need to rotate the ovoid part around something like 30-40 degrees (at a guess) to get the same effect as I'd have on a regular bike.
The round cranks let me pedal it quite a bit easier, even with the same tooth counts. I could also take the derailer (used as a tensioner only) off the IGH input, if I didn't want to be able to change the front gears (by hand, no derailer).
I was going to add the locks to the seatbox, but couldnt' find the hasps and stuff I was going to use for that, will have to continue the search tomorrow. (part of the reason for the time-off this week is organization). I have an alternative, though, but I have to come up with a few bits and pieces to be able to actually lock them.
Was also going to mount one of the HLG chargers under the trike on the battery side, but I ran out of time due to the above search.
That also left me without time to add switchable LED lights on the bottom of the seatbox cover to light it up inside, so I can see what I'm doing in there at roadside or any other dark situation.
Ditto on replacing the rightside reflector, which went away with the short boards on the right rear corner, whcih were replaced yesterday.
I'm considering adding a stiffening frame to the outer edges/bottom of the seatbox cover, made of L-shaped metal formerly part of a shelving/cart unit. It's heavy steel, though, and would add a few pounds to the trike. If I can find something thinner/lighter, I'll probably do it, but probably not with this stuff.
The right side is riveted directly to the frame, as that has the chainrings on that side, and would be harder to work on stuff in there anyway.
The left side uses rivnuts in the frame (which are damned hard to install),
View attachment 5
with teh plastic cover bolted to the frame.
To be able to take the cover off completely, I'd have to either cut a slot in the cover, or take the pedal off the crank (Easy enough with a wrench I have with me in my toolkit anyway), but I would usualy only need to take off the bolts, and then slide the cover down the crank and lean it on the pedal. Then I can access any of the wiring in the frame area there, which hopefully won't be needed except at upgrades.
I havent' needed to access it since the rewiring, so I could probably have just popriveted the left side on, too...but if I did need to access it at roadside, that would have been annoying to have to get off of there.
While I was at it, I popriveted the main cutoff switch and the XLR charging port into place, but I swapped their positions since my toes sometimes hit the switch housing when I get on or off the trike. It's not much more clearance, but it's enough.
I need to make a bracket to rivet to the frame that will let me mount the lighting switches to it.
While I had the cranks off to install the side covers, I swapped them out for some non-ovoid regular 28/38/48 rings (also 170mm cranks),
because while the Shimano BioPace stuff works great on a regular bike at the angle the cranks are at to my legs/body, they actually make it harder to pedal at the angle everything is at on the trike. I'd need to rotate the ovoid part around something like 30-40 degrees (at a guess) to get the same effect as I'd have on a regular bike.
The round cranks let me pedal it quite a bit easier, even with the same tooth counts. I could also take the derailer (used as a tensioner only) off the IGH input, if I didn't want to be able to change the front gears (by hand, no derailer).
I was going to add the locks to the seatbox, but couldnt' find the hasps and stuff I was going to use for that, will have to continue the search tomorrow. (part of the reason for the time-off this week is organization). I have an alternative, though, but I have to come up with a few bits and pieces to be able to actually lock them.
Was also going to mount one of the HLG chargers under the trike on the battery side, but I ran out of time due to the above search.
That also left me without time to add switchable LED lights on the bottom of the seatbox cover to light it up inside, so I can see what I'm doing in there at roadside or any other dark situation.
Ditto on replacing the rightside reflector, which went away with the short boards on the right rear corner, whcih were replaced yesterday.
I'm considering adding a stiffening frame to the outer edges/bottom of the seatbox cover, made of L-shaped metal formerly part of a shelving/cart unit. It's heavy steel, though, and would add a few pounds to the trike. If I can find something thinner/lighter, I'll probably do it, but probably not with this stuff.
Attachments
All I really got done today was adding the first lock to the seatbox.
It took a few hours to find the locks and stuff, because I'd managed to hide them from myself at the back of the center shed, whcih I'd packed completely full of stuff trying to make room in the north shed to park the trike in and work on it for my last "vacation" (when it was raining).
But I also found a bunch of my reflectors, LEDs, brake parts, etc., so I can maybe get some of the stuff done with those that I wanted to do, once there's time.
I also stacked up the wood left over from those old signs, and somehow I thought I had a lot more of it than I do--there is nowhere near enough to build the enclosed rear end--but I had previously calculated there should be. Guess I either used it for something else that I can't remember, or made a serious miscalculation. :/
I do have enough wood to do it, just not out of that particular kind. Instead, I'd be taking apart another couple of old pallets for the majority of it, plus some I'd already done that with, plus what's left from the signs. It won't have the same look, and won't exactly match the rest of the trike, but it'll still do the same job.
With luck I'll get the pallets pulled apart and start figuring out which boards can be used where, tomorrow.
It took a few hours to find the locks and stuff, because I'd managed to hide them from myself at the back of the center shed, whcih I'd packed completely full of stuff trying to make room in the north shed to park the trike in and work on it for my last "vacation" (when it was raining).
But I also found a bunch of my reflectors, LEDs, brake parts, etc., so I can maybe get some of the stuff done with those that I wanted to do, once there's time.
I also stacked up the wood left over from those old signs, and somehow I thought I had a lot more of it than I do--there is nowhere near enough to build the enclosed rear end--but I had previously calculated there should be. Guess I either used it for something else that I can't remember, or made a serious miscalculation. :/
I do have enough wood to do it, just not out of that particular kind. Instead, I'd be taking apart another couple of old pallets for the majority of it, plus some I'd already done that with, plus what's left from the signs. It won't have the same look, and won't exactly match the rest of the trike, but it'll still do the same job.
With luck I'll get the pallets pulled apart and start figuring out which boards can be used where, tomorrow.
Didnt' get anything significant done after the above.
For the last week or so teh steering tiller has felt loose on the stem/steerer, because the metal of the tiller tube cracked around the spotwelds securing the braces from the tiller tube to the headlight assembly/ rest of tiller tube (past the cracked part from last year).
Because of the way I did that repair, there's no danger of anything coming off, but the looseness/wiggliness during steering is annoying.
So this morning I found a couple of long bolts intended to secure a big tall sign frame (like I built the Mk IV trailer for Yogi from) to retail shelving frames, and drilled holes thru the square tubing of the headlight assembly, first above the tiller tube at the rear of the HA tube, and then thru the stem just behind the clamp and steerer tube.
Tightened the bolts and this now clamps the square tubing to the tiller securely. No more wiggle.
For the last week or so teh steering tiller has felt loose on the stem/steerer, because the metal of the tiller tube cracked around the spotwelds securing the braces from the tiller tube to the headlight assembly/ rest of tiller tube (past the cracked part from last year).
Because of the way I did that repair, there's no danger of anything coming off, but the looseness/wiggliness during steering is annoying.
So this morning I found a couple of long bolts intended to secure a big tall sign frame (like I built the Mk IV trailer for Yogi from) to retail shelving frames, and drilled holes thru the square tubing of the headlight assembly, first above the tiller tube at the rear of the HA tube, and then thru the stem just behind the clamp and steerer tube.
Tightened the bolts and this now clamps the square tubing to the tiller securely. No more wiggle.
Similar threads
