Cut-Rate Recumbent Bike

Image Gallery Lay back and enjoy the ride. MOTHER EARTH NEWS

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Although the common bicycle is — as we've noted before — an efficient form of transportation, it's not above improvement. In fact, over the course of its history, enthusiasts have often altered the typical two-wheeler to suit their varied needs ... and the results have run the gamut from rider-supine speedsters to environmentally sound service carts.

Now few would deny that the reclining-seat racers — or "recumbents", as they're referred to in cycling circles — are the most exciting of the lot. You see, because the design allows the rider to rest in a lying-back position (thus being supported at the lumbar and pelvic regions), he or she has something to push against, and is able to develop a great deal more pedal pressure than would be possible when sitting on a more conventional saddle and relying on body weight alone. In addition, the low seating position lessens wind resistance (increasing the vehicle's top speed) and furnishes a comfortable platform upon which the cyclist can relax and breathe fully, without the restriction that results from being bent at the torso.

Understandably enough, though, the cost of such specialty vehicles is high ($1,000 and up), simply because they're individually built and usually contain light, strong (and expensive) materials. Nonetheless, the concept is a good one ... so Mother Earth News' research staff decided to cut a few corners and design an affordable recumbent bike that could be put together using a combination of standard bicycle parts and commonly available electrical metallic tubing (E.M.T.).

We're certainly not claiming that our chariot can compare with the exotic chrome moly-and-aluminum units now on the market. But we do feel that anyone who's willing to spend a weekend's worth of time, and perhaps $65 or so, will be rewarded with a sturdy little sport trike that'll do anything most ordinary bicycles will do, and may even be a heck of a lot more fun, besides.

Consider, too, that we put a good deal of thought into the design of this pedal recliner, and it's got some features worth keeping in mind. For example, the seat is not only light in weight (by virtue of its lawn-chair webbing), but also happens to be sprung front and rear to enhance rider comfort. Equally important, that sling is positioned in such a way that it distributes loads just about equally on all the trike's wheels, and the track-to-wheelbase relationship enables the machine, to maneuver tightly at speed, yet still remain quite stable.

And that's not all: We've also engineered steering geometry so that the front wheels self-center ... utilized a three-speed hub to improve hill climbing and acceleration ... and added a set of caliper brakes to stop the wheel. (The wheels, by the way, are made from discarded 20" rims spoked with sections of E.M.T., and should be able to take greater side loads than ordinary spoked wheels would probably be capable of handling.)

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