Yet another T50 mod

flevoracerMK

New Member
20210228_110731_resized.jpg 20210228_110743_resized.jpg 20210228_110756_resized.jpg 20210228_110808_resized.jpg 20210228_110822_resized.jpg 20210228_110830_resized.jpg 20210228_110902_resized.jpg 20210228_110912_resized.jpg 20210228_110925_resized.jpg 20210228_111009_resized.jpg Hi folks, thought I'd contribute to the community with pics of my own T50 mod here in the UK.
  • The chain stays are extended (self made carbon extensions) and rely on an additional carbon shell and shrink tube (!) for structural integrity. I'm of normal height (6'4"), but have quite long legs.
  • The seat stays are made of carbon tube and self-made carbon end pieces, glued together with 3M EC-3532 PU adhesive (and then again wrapped with some carbon)
  • The seat is a copy of my seat from the Optima High Baron.
  • There's a self-made carbon chainset guard in the front (required to attend local recumbent competitions, hopefully I can do that this year)
  • There's also a self-made holder for a Ravemen PR600 light
  • The front boom is self-made (several layers of carbon on a 3d printed mandril). It already broke during one of the crashes in winter and was cobbled together again, this time with thicker walls around the headset area.
  • The two carbon clamps on the boom are also self-made. Used a 3d printed core and wrapped carbon around it, removed the core later.
  • The 3t handlebar is a 46cm wide model, just enough to fit my legs in between
  • The tires are Bontrager R4 classic 28mm. The wheelset is a cheap Chinese build, light enough and plenty stiff for the price.
  • Shimano 105 is the groupset I had lying around at the time of the build. Might upgrade to Dura Ace DI2 later, might save a few grams. I'm not a fan of the long throw of the mechanic shifters, interfering with the legs.
  • Still mounted are my winter lights (one long LED strip on the boom, two red LED strips on the rear, 5V battery/power bank under the seat). In winter mode I was using mud guards/fenders and 26" wheels with Conti SpeedContact tires.
  • Mirror is from Zefal and quite crash-resistant...
  • I use the bell on the left side all the time, what with the many horse riders and walkers on the quiet English country roads in my area
 
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Rampa

Guru
Cool! :)
You might want to move your seat backwards, and thus down as well. Still rides with plenty of traction. You can raise your bottom bracket up a lot higher that way.
 

McWheels

Off the long run
Ha! I immediately thought it was BHPC-compliant when I saw it - then you confirmed that was the plan. You've made a pretty good imitation of an S33 by the look of things. The chainguard looked aluminium at first glance, but what do I know?

Loving the carbon manufacturing. How's the weight of the seat vs stock? And which bit of the UK? I'm Bristol/Bath vicinity.
 

flevoracerMK

New Member
Ha! I immediately thought it was BHPC-compliant when I saw it - then you confirmed that was the plan. You've made a pretty good imitation of an S33 by the look of things. The chainguard looked aluminium at first glance, but what do I know?

Loving the carbon manufacturing. How's the weight of the seat vs stock? And which bit of the UK? I'm Bristol/Bath vicinity.

The carbon seat shell should be around 500g, plus maybe 100g for the mount+bolts and a few grams for the Amazon Basics Yoga mat cover. The majority of weight saving in the rear is the thin carbon struts instead of the beefy aluminium struts that come with the T50.
 

flevoracerMK

New Member
Cool! :)
You might want to move your seat backwards, and thus down as well. Still rides with plenty of traction. You can raise your bottom bracket up a lot higher that way.
Yup, did what you said and it worked out nicely. Also did a DI2 conversion so that the levers aren't getting in the way with the legs when shifting.
Weight is now 11.9 kg / 22 lbs.
I hand soldered DI2 wires and thus was able to use an existing mounting hole as cable exit (DI2 plugs don't fit through). DI2 battery is in the tube above the bottom bracket.
Looks nicer now to my eye, less cables visible.
Next step: replace brake hose for the rear with a longer one, tidy up its routing.

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