Happy New Year 2018!
- Thread starter ak-tux
- Start date
ak-tux
Zen MBB Master
We both have steel framed DIY MBB bikes modified from old bicycles. Quite heavy and not for the faint hearted!
. Mine weighs 18Kg yet it is noticeably lighter than his! I guess his is more than 20Kg! Funny thing is that he climbs better than me despite the extra weight! We could both make significant weight savings by using composite or plywood seats but that's a project for another day.Here are a couple pictures of his bike from another ride:
And here below is mine as used on the ride video:
** Notice we are both rocking the @Emeljay/Silvio 1.0 style boom/steerer setup, a very stiff and quiet front triangle even with smaller diameter tubes!
** and my handy parking brake cut from an old inner tube
.
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bladderhead
Zen MBB Master
You are both great engineers. I can see the old BB shell on your bike, but I cannot see his.
He was at Critical Mass. Did you ever do it?
He was at Critical Mass. Did you ever do it?
ak-tux
Zen MBB Master
Great observation! Yes, he cut off the old BB from the original U shaped ladies donor bike and MIG welded the frame back together. Mine was a suspended Y-frame "step through" ladies bike. I just welded a seat stay and removed the suspension. Generally, step through cromoly/steel ladies bikes are the best donors for DIY MBB bikes. It takes two donor bike frames to build a FWD MBB bike.
Sorry, I was not available to attend the Critical Mass. Hopefully next time.
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ak-tux
Zen MBB Master
Yes, considering the weight of these bikes, the triples are a must for steep or long hills. However, unless the grade is greater than 4 - 5% or very long, we rarely use the granny gear. (My cassette is an 8-speed Sunrace 11-34 and my crankset is a 50-39-30 Shimano Sora. I use barend ratcheted friction shifters by Dia-Compe).
As for our upright buddy, he usually drops us on longer climbs, but we even out on really short punchy ones. Obviously, he also accelerates much better than us. When he does drop us, we usually catch him on the long flat stretches. If the rides are longer than 100Kms of mixed terrain, we often arrive ahead of him because recumbents seem to create less fatigue on the body in the long run. All in all it's good fun. We also occasionally get on our DF's for a change.
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bladderhead
Zen MBB Master
That is why the UCI banned them. Sadists.ak-tux said:
ak-tux
Zen MBB Master
The wide lens of the action camera makes it look worse than it really is. However, I still choose my routes to avoid highly congested roads. Being a weekend it was alot better. On a week day, it's absolutely crazy. I can only dare ride it with an upright for my commute. Here is an old video on my upright commute, a bit long so fast forward to 1:40 for the interesting part. It's part of the same route I rode above on a busy hour :
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bladderhead
Zen MBB Master
Busy road, but at least the surface is well-maintained. In these situations I am always worried about hitting their wing-mirrors and breaking my own mirror. I would be more scared on a DF than on a 'bent.
ak-tux
Zen MBB Master
.. for me I'am more scared riding my recumbent on extremely congested roads like these because quick starts and stops are harder for me on my recumbent than on the DF. I also feel psychologically more vulnerable because I'am seated lower and with slightly wider handlebars and I cannot jump the side curb just in case I need to .
bladderhead
Zen MBB Master
Curbs are a nuisance on a 'bent. Ask Larry Oslund about the handlebars.
