NOT-YOUR- GRANNY Trike build.

[rkosiorek]

after a short hiatus i'm going to build another bike. this time it will be a big delta trike. i will start by using a KHS Manhattan frame.



mine has seen a couple of mods already. but so far they are failed experiments. here is how she looks at the moment.



Front hub motors on a trike like this are a bad joke. there is so little weight on the front wheel that the motor is constantly fighting for traction. not too bad for flat and level terain in good weather. but not so good when it is wet. also not very good uphill. so that front motor has got to go.

in the past i had also tried a 500W Cyclone kit. but i found the gear box noise to be very annoying. those motors are loud. that is not so bad. but there is something in the pitch or sound of the motor that makes it realy bug me. other than that it worked fine and there was plenty of room to mount it. but i don't want to use one on this bike anymore.

the basics of what i want to do are:
1. add a front suspension.
2. add a differential to the axle so that both wheels can be driven.
3. add disc brakes so that both rear wheels can be used to brake. and they will still work when it is wet.
4. adapt a NuVinci Hub for the transmission.
5. a motor unit that drives through the gears
6. better tires
7. 48V 20Ah LiFePO4 battery pack
8. decent lighting so i can both see and be seen at night.

but i think i'll start with the front suspension. i have a triple clamp fork in mind.

rick

 

[deardancer3]

Any predictions on the budget to make this race trike corner at what top speed?

d

 

[rkosiorek]

budget? is that really a word? i'll have to look that one up.

i have most of what i need lying around somewhere. ready to be modified and repurposed. most of the things i have were bought for other projects. when those projects were finished some of the parts were sold off and others were put into storage. some of the parts were donated. for example the differential is one that was originaly used in a lawn tractor. one of the axles broke. you can't buy just the axle you have to buy the complete rear axle assembly. i kept the broken one and now parts of it age going to get recycled.

but really i wasn't planning on having a budget. but i'll only buy what i don't already have to hand or know where i can't find for cheap. exceptions to this are safety items like brakes and tires.

rick

 

[tropmonky]

No budget eh? Independent rear suspension possibly? LOL

On a serious note, I like your approach and believe this will be a great build. I think it's really realistic.

Any idea on the motor you want to use yet?

 

[rkosiorek]

No budget eh? Independent rear suspension possibly? LOL

On a serious note, I like your approach and believe this will be a great build. I think it's really realistic.

Any idea on the motor you want to use yet?

at the moment i'm leaning towards twin powerpack 1000W motors.



but that may change before i get around to them. i first want to get the bike sorted out and in running form. than i can worry about a couple of brackets and the motor. i just have to keep in mind to leave that rear triangle as empty as possible.

this also brings up one of the challenges. most trikes either use single speed or 3-speed, coaster brake shimano hubs these days. almost all of these are made for a 120mm dropout spacing



notice that one of the spoke flanges has been replaced with a 20 tooth sprocket to drive the rear axle. but this means that the rear dropouts are set for 120mm. the rear triangle on this trike is strongly built. thick tubing, lots of cross bracing and 6mm thick dropouts. they ain't no way, no how i'm gonna be able to spread those 15mm wider to take a 135mm wide NuVinci. and i don't want to cut and weld that triangle. so i'll have to find an alternative position for the NuVinci to make it all fit.

rick

 

[rkosiorek]

on to the current project though. the FORKs.

the only 24" triple clamp forks i could find were were a cheap set on eBay. cost about $20.00 from NYCE Bikes. the problem is that they have a 1-1/8" THREADLESS steerer tube and i need a 1" THREADED to fit the frame.



so i'm gonna have to adapt the forks for them to work. so i'm off to the local scrap yard to find a scrap fork willing to donate it's steerer tube for transplant.

rick

 

[AussieJester]

I built a trike myself that might be of interest to you for ideas, full worklog is here, actually
contains several trikes, the last one would prolly be of most interest too you? also have youtube vids of it running...Best of luck

KiM

 

[rkosiorek]

Jester,

i watched your thread constantly during your build. enjoyed it immensley. i even posted a few questions about your home made springer forks. i really like your custom built frame. i like your work.

mine is going to be a little less radical. mostly bolt on stuff for an existing frame. i don't have a welder. so i won't be building a radical low rider custom frame. just a street rod one. sort of the "Little Deuce Coupe" idea applied to a granny trike.

rick

 

[rkosiorek]

at the scrap yard i found a set of cheap suspension forks with a 1" threaded steerer tube. i wanted a set with the tube pressed into an alloy frame so that it would be easy to remove.


a couple of cuts separated the tube from the forks. then some careful work with a cut-off wheel on a dremel and i separated out the tube.


now the hole in the lower triple clamp is too big for the new steerer tube. i cut a ring from the bottom end of the tube that came with the new fork to use as a spacer. i slit it so that it would work as a clamp. fortunately the hole in the new tube was the right size to fit over the 1" threaded tube.


i cut a similar ring for the top clamp as well. now all that remains is to mount to the headest.

rick

 

[rkosiorek]

here is the fork mounted to the frame.



color doesn't coordinate. likely have to repaint it later. these forks are a few inches longer than the original. that should lift the front and give the finished trike a more aggressive stance.

rick

 

[amberwolf]

I like that modification.

I wonder if I will be able to do something similar to a set of Skarab / Manitou shocks? Hmm....

 

[rkosiorek]

I like that modification.

I wonder if I will be able to do something similar to a set of Skarab / Manitou shocks? Hmm....

the Skarab would require a slightly different technique. get the 1" threaded tube the same way from a donor fork. the bottom end of the 1" threaded tube is thicker and and is designed to be pressed into the fork. using a boring head on a mill bore out the existing steerer tube to be a press fit size for the 1" one you will be using. trim the tube so it is flush with the alloy crown of the fork. then using some green assembly Locktite press the 1" steerer into place. might be a good idea to lightly knurl the bottom end of the 1" steerer so it holds better.

rick

 

[amberwolf]

Wow--thanks! That is very helpful--probably saved me days of screwing things up. Now I will only have hours of screwing it up before I get it to work.

 

[rkosiorek]

did a little more work on the front end. using a piece of the 1 1/8"steerer tube i made an extension and used it to mount a threadless handle bar stem and the stock handle bars.

last summer i had gotten a black 24" rim at a yard sale for $1.00. using some new stainless black spokes i laced it to the original cheapie front hub and put on the original white sidewall tire. mounted on the bike it looks pretty good.

after mocking the front fender into place i decided to keep it. next mini-project will be figuring out how to mount it.



gotta look in the drawers and find some screws that i can use for that.

so far i am pleased with the looks. enough new stuff so it looks modified and customised but not outlandish. just like an old street rod should be.

rick

 

[rkosiorek]

well something called life interfered with my build the last few days. so i was looking for something i could do for some quick gratification. i needed to see a result.

so i took apart the original wheels. i cleaned up the hubs that i was re-using and laced them into the NEW rims. they cleaned up real nice.



maybe not as serious as Kim's trike. but a big improvement over stock

rick

 

[AussieJester]

maybe not as serious as Kim's trike. but a big improvement over stock

rick

oh i dunno about that, mine don't look so 'serious ' these days



KiM

 

[rkosiorek]

least yours still got a motor and an axle.

my next step will be to modify a lawnmower differential to fit my axles. i'll make those by splitting the oldone in half. and i got to make a pair of flanges so's i can attach wheels and brake rotors to em.

but first i need to change out the oil in the head of the lathe. don't know what they used in the factory but that cheap chinese crud just dried up into a thick sludge.

rick

 

[AussieJester]

least yours still got a motor and an axle.

You would think so wouldnt you LoL..truth is the motors blown and the axle is rusted in place i cant get it out or it woulnt be there either LOL..damn freewheel adapter is stuck solid, tried to get it off so i could send the rotor to Amberwolf, tiz why the trike is sitting out where it is, has been sitting back against the wall for last 6 months .. I do have to rebuild it soon though, i have donated to a freind of mine.

KiM

 

[etard]

Looking good Rick! Those rear tires are massive! Can't beat $1 per rim.

 

[rkosiorek]

laced up the second rim to it's hub and mounted the tires.





and i think they will look good holding up the back end of the trike. certainly a lot more impressive than the originals.

rick

 

[AussieJester]

Prolly just the pic, but that looks like some weird lace pattern on the wheel...

KiM

 

[rkosiorek]

it is a variation of a CROWS FOOT pattern. 1/3rd of the spokes are radial and the rest are 3 cross.requires spokes of 2 different lengths.



a little less obvious but the front wheel is also a different pattern



rick

 

[AussieJester]

Ahhh yes, i didnt think my eyez were playing tricks.... show off

I only do the cross 3 lace myself, i'll leave this fancy panzy stuff to you proz LoL

Nice job mate...well done

KiM

 

[rkosiorek]

i was thinkin about doing a twisted spoke "snow flake" pattern but i didn't have enough odd length spokes lying around to experimentally determine the required length. besides the twisted spoke stuff is near impossible to tension properly.

the pattern is easy enough to do. the 3 spoke "crows foot' was very common on older British and Canadian bikes built up through the 50s. i do all of the "Heads Out" spokes first and then fill in all of the "Heads In" spokes. easier to do the crosses that way.

i once did a 3 spoke crows foot using 10 gauge spokes for the front wheel of a friends Vincent Black Shadow. the spokes were painted red. black drum brake and rim with red pin stipes. looked really kewl when it was done. i really loved the looks of those vintage Vincents. wish i had one.

rick

 

[rkosiorek]

Well winter finally struck in my area and i'm snow bound. doesn't take much for a wheelchair to get stuck in the snow. so while i am stuck at home i guess i'll just be forced to do some work on the trike.

i had some aluminum bars and plate delivered this afternoon to take advantage of my confinement. i guess i'll be making some parts in the next couple of days.

rick