Has anyone made a trike out of a Sears Flightliner/Spaceliner bike?
- Thread starter Bike from the Dead
- Start date
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These old rear triangles are a lot stronger than people give them credit for trust me
Took some additional photos of the trike today, so I'd have some better reference material for my redesign. I also managed to temporarily fix the part that broke yesterday with a few zip ties, pictured below. It's not perfect, but it's just enough to keep the right rear tire from rubbing the frame while riding.
After fixing that problem, I took the trike for a ride around the neighborhood. While my neighborhood roads are much smoother (thanks to a recent and ongoing asphalt overlay) than the roads where I bought the trike, I still had my work cut out for me riding this freak show! If I try to make a wide turn at anything faster than a gentle walk, I feel like I'm about to fall off this thing! It's like driving my Comet before I had the suspension fixed! You don't lean into the turns like you would with a bike; the turns try to throw you off the trike! It's an absolute experience to ride this contraption!
Yes, that's actual glitter you see on top of the paint.
I took the wood box off the back because I wanted to get a better look at the trike conversion piece. The rear part actually has some cool details that I can't say I've seen on other trike conversion kits. For starters, this one is designed to use a regular set of unmodified 24" bicycle wheels. The left wheel (the red one on this trike) is both the driving and braking wheel that would normally just be the single rear wheel on a bike, and the right (silver) wheel is just your regular front wheel. It's honestly pretty clever, since it doesn't require any special hubs in order to work. Another fun detail is that the rod/tubing/whatever you call it that makes up the trike rear is the same width as the top bars and seat stays on the bike frame. This could be a useful feature when I redesign this trike...
I've got a bunch of ideas brewing in my head for this trike, but nothing concrete yet. What I can say for certain though, is that the frame I'm going to use for this project will be far from stock. There will be no "backwards compatibility" like what I strive for with my other builds. This is going to be its own thing. The big question right now is whether I'll start working on this trike as soon as I've got a plan in mind, or if I'm not going to do anymore to this trike until the next Build Off. I want to at least draw up some designs while the ideas are fresh, but would that mean I'd be breaking the "don't start until May 1st" rule of the Build Off if I go that route?
After fixing that problem, I took the trike for a ride around the neighborhood. While my neighborhood roads are much smoother (thanks to a recent and ongoing asphalt overlay) than the roads where I bought the trike, I still had my work cut out for me riding this freak show! If I try to make a wide turn at anything faster than a gentle walk, I feel like I'm about to fall off this thing! It's like driving my Comet before I had the suspension fixed! You don't lean into the turns like you would with a bike; the turns try to throw you off the trike! It's an absolute experience to ride this contraption!
Yes, that's actual glitter you see on top of the paint.
I took the wood box off the back because I wanted to get a better look at the trike conversion piece. The rear part actually has some cool details that I can't say I've seen on other trike conversion kits. For starters, this one is designed to use a regular set of unmodified 24" bicycle wheels. The left wheel (the red one on this trike) is both the driving and braking wheel that would normally just be the single rear wheel on a bike, and the right (silver) wheel is just your regular front wheel. It's honestly pretty clever, since it doesn't require any special hubs in order to work. Another fun detail is that the rod/tubing/whatever you call it that makes up the trike rear is the same width as the top bars and seat stays on the bike frame. This could be a useful feature when I redesign this trike...
I've got a bunch of ideas brewing in my head for this trike, but nothing concrete yet. What I can say for certain though, is that the frame I'm going to use for this project will be far from stock. There will be no "backwards compatibility" like what I strive for with my other builds. This is going to be its own thing. The big question right now is whether I'll start working on this trike as soon as I've got a plan in mind, or if I'm not going to do anymore to this trike until the next Build Off. I want to at least draw up some designs while the ideas are fresh, but would that mean I'd be breaking the "don't start until May 1st" rule of the Build Off if I go that route?
Fv2
Don't know what I'm doing, gonna do it anyway.
Every trike I've ridden, with exception of the one I posted a pic of tends to pull to the left. That's why it feels like you're going to fall off in turns.
I don't know why they do that, but that's my experience.
The trike kit I have is similar to yours.
The one side uses bolts in between the sprocket teeth of the rear wheel for a drive/brake side.
A bit flimsy, but they work.
I don't know why they do that, but that's my experience.
The trike kit I have is similar to yours.
The one side uses bolts in between the sprocket teeth of the rear wheel for a drive/brake side.
A bit flimsy, but they work.
MattiThundrrr
Rattus All Terrainus
That seat is a work of art! I love the mounting springs, the upholstery... A lot of ingenuity there. The whole trike is the definition of a rat. "Making it work" makes it cool
It's so Sanford & Son. I love it
Next time I ride it, I'll pay close attention to which way it pulls. I have noted that, since my neighborhood roads lean down toward the center of the road, the trike tends to lean down with the road.
I'll take a closer look at mine to see if it's set up the same as yours.
It definitely has its own personality, that's for sure. I won't lie though, I'm not comfortable with the seat or its placement, and I'm more than likely going to take a lot of the "rat" out of this rat rod when I get around to it.
I seriously need to watch that show if for no other reason than for the truck. That old Ford is cool.
