Front Wheel Drive build

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The other problem you have is the actual angle of the seat and NOT it's position in relation to the frame ?

I have been caught out by this myself ?



It is pretty obvious these 2 recumbent s have different different seat geometries ?



and the low racer seat cannot be made to sit at the same angle as the yellow cruiser recumbent

Paul
I'm missing the yellow cruiser photo?
 
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He can modify the seat with a pillow or bend it a bit. What you say, with a pillow is better, but I think tha
The other problem you have is the actual angle of the seat and NOT it's position in relation to the frame ?

I have been caught out by this myself ?



It is pretty obvious these 2 recumbent s have different different seat geometries ?



and the low racer seat cannot be made to sit at the same angle as the yellow cruiser recumbent

Paul
He can mod the seat with what you say a pillow.
But yea, the seat not modyfied is better more straight.
 
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You can't add suspension using just one pivot. You also need pivots at the bottom of the forks and one at the handlebar end, effectively pivots at each point of the triangle. Without those extra pivots you'd rip welds apart. With suspension the length between top of the steerer tube and wheel axle will vary and as such the angles that triangle makes will vary too. This will put strain on the welds to give as there is no mechanism to deal with that variable length / angles. Those pivots are likely to have enough slop in them to make pedalling an interesting experience. You'd really need to use heavy duty rod ends in pairs for the pivots to have any chance.

A sprung seat will likely sap pedalling effort.
 
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You can't add suspension using just one pivot. You also need pivots at the bottom of the forks and one at the handlebar end, effectively pivots at each point of the triangle. Without those extra pivots you'd rip welds apart. With suspension the length between top of the steerer tube and wheel axle will vary and as such the angles that triangle makes will vary too. This will put strain on the welds to give as there is no mechanism to deal with that variable length / angles. Those pivots are likely to have enough slop in them to make pedalling an interesting experience. You'd really need to use heavy duty rod ends in pairs for the pivots to have any chance.

A sprung seat will likely sap pedalling effort.
You are correct. So I will likely add another pivot point.
 
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By way of an update. I've made a few changes, as I was thinking I would.

I added disc brakes front and rear, modified (bent) the seat frame a bit, added a front shock, relocated the center boom so it's lower, changed the handle bar configuration, and made a separate attachment point for chain stays. Whew!
I took it for a spin on my little street, but haven't ridden it extensively yet. Still seems to ride just fine. I'm excited to see how it handles the bumps on the bike path.

 
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That looks like it'll be easier to get on and off.
I'm not sure it is. The seat is about the same height. But, that was my goal, not to make it worse by adding front suspension.
I used a suspension fork designed for a 24" wheel, and put a 26" wheel on there. I made some adjustments and it seems to work, so far.
 
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So I was able to do a good testing ride and found a major flaw in using a 26 inch wheel on a 24 inch front suspension fork.

It bottoms out against the crown of the fork. Which was kind of funny. I was cruising along and when I hit a bump, I would hear a weird rubbing noise. I was thinking that the front wheel must be rubbing... then when I accidentally rode off the bike path the front suspension compressed and locked up on a dime. This put me in the standing position in front of my bike and a little startled but standing...

Which ended up being a good thing, because that means it's working right? Well it also means that the 26 inch wheel had to go or I would have to use a 26 inch front fork instead.

Since the bike was already at the height limit for the rider (me), I decided a 24 inch wheel would have to be used. In case you're wondering, there are far more tire choices for a 26 inch size when compared to the 24 inch variety. But I found a good road wheel and it felt good on my little test ride tonight.

Also the benefit of having a smaller front wheel makes it easier to get on and off the bike.

There are some other changes that I made as well, from the Dec. photo. The front boom (from the bottom bracket to the fork) had to be raised as it also rubbed against the wheel when the suspension compressed. I also had to add a little front derailleur post (which ironically I had removed before I knew). I know, these are all things I'm learning.

So now it's a 24/26 inch wheel set up. It doesn't feel too bad at all actually.



Another thing that I've worked on is making it easier to take the front wheel off. When I started, I had the chain stays and rear derailleur all connected on to the front wheel axle. Which meant, when I took the front wheel off, everything would fall apart. And putting the front wheel back on was a test of one's patience and dexterity. So I welded a bolt to the bottom of each front fork which allows the chain stays to stay attached all the time (in the Dec. photo above, this was already done). Then I welded on a bit of metal that was threaded already to hold the derailleur. Now it's quite easy to take the wheel off and put it back on.

Below is a close up "before and after" photo of the front wheel assembly.
 
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