Even My Dogs Ride
New Member
If this bike is used as a donor, could you still fold it?
Folding Bike As Donor
- Thread starter Gromit
- Start date
Gromit
Guru
I wonder if you could get the rear of the seat base and the bottom of the seat back to align with the plane of the frame hinge?
The seat base might then be attached to the front part of the frame and the seat back to the rear part of the frame. You probably wouldn't need to screw the seat base and seat back together. Though a strip of sponge rubber would probably need to be interposed to prevent creaking.
You would need to create a bracket to hold the bottom of the seat back to the rear part of the frame. The top of the seat back would attach to the bike's seat post as usual though the seat post might need a rearwards bend in it.
Disadvantages?
I'm not sure whether it would still fold? A separable bike perhaps?
The only adjustment for the size of the rider would be at the telescoping front tube. So the bike may only suit a limited range of rider sizes.
The folded package would be shorter than the unfolded bike but just as tall. Removing the seat wouldn't help much unless there was a way of folding the TFT assembly. You could reduce the width at the handlebars by using folding bars.
Even My Dogs Ride
New Member
How about if you had a flat piece of steel welded to the upper arm of the 'Y' and the seat post as a brace, then another piece welded flat to top edge of the brace for the bottom seat attachment? Would you end up sitting too high? Because then the seat would simply be parallel to the base of the Y when folded.
Thanks for the tip on folding handle bars!
Thanks for the tip on folding handle bars!
Even My Dogs Ride
New Member
This is pretty crude, but I think you can get the idea
Gromit
Guru
Thanks for the diagram. I must admit that was struggling to understand the description of the seat mount in your earlier post. 
Your idea should work though I'm beginning to wonder if it would be easier (and better?) to just have the seat on some quick release brackets and detach it before folding the bike. That way you could keep the seat at a comfortable height straight on top of the Y-frame's top tubes. It could also then be adjusted for different sizes of rider.
You may have noticed in my earlier post that the GrassHopper fx has a detachable seat. IMHO The size of a recumbent's seat is a big restriction in achieving a small folded package.
Someone once made a kit to create a recumbent Brompton but they didn't manage to do anything with the seat other than rest it, detached and inverted on top of the folded bike.
You could still use handle bars where each side folds downwards, of course and folding pedals. That way the folded package would be reasonably narrow and you could stow the detached seat inverted on top.
Your idea should work though I'm beginning to wonder if it would be easier (and better?) to just have the seat on some quick release brackets and detach it before folding the bike. That way you could keep the seat at a comfortable height straight on top of the Y-frame's top tubes. It could also then be adjusted for different sizes of rider.
You may have noticed in my earlier post that the GrassHopper fx has a detachable seat. IMHO The size of a recumbent's seat is a big restriction in achieving a small folded package.
Someone once made a kit to create a recumbent Brompton but they didn't manage to do anything with the seat other than rest it, detached and inverted on top of the folded bike.
You could still use handle bars where each side folds downwards, of course and folding pedals. That way the folded package would be reasonably narrow and you could stow the detached seat inverted on top.
Even My Dogs Ride
New Member
Ya, probably right on the quick release seat, plus it would be a lot less invasive.
I am new to recumbents and haven't ridden them much. On this same combination could there be just a single back disk brake, and you could run the cable down the inside of the steering column and through the frame to the back. Same with the rear derailleur control or run like an Alfine hub. There's a method to my madness, really My friend, who is the machinist :ugeek: (this whole thing started out as a fancy but finding the kit made all the difference), wants to see about making the handlebars come back towards the rider. Maybe, like the seat idea, a quick release that would allow you to pull it back some degrees, then put the quick release pin back in.
I am new to recumbents and haven't ridden them much. On this same combination could there be just a single back disk brake, and you could run the cable down the inside of the steering column and through the frame to the back. Same with the rear derailleur control or run like an Alfine hub. There's a method to my madness, really
My friend, who is the machinist :ugeek: (this whole thing started out as a fancy but finding the kit made all the difference), wants to see about making the handlebars come back towards the rider. Maybe, like the seat idea, a quick release that would allow you to pull it back some degrees, then put the quick release pin back in.
