Truing Meridian Trike Drive Wheel

[Kevin B]

A neighbor gave me a Schwinn Meridian trike. It had a badly tacoed drive wheel. The drive wheel has no bearings, it turns with the D shaped drive side axle using D shaped holes.

Axle detail found on internet

Wheel with drive hole.

You can't spin it in a wheel truer. To get around this I laced the hub and spokes to a good rim. Then I used a flat blade screwdriver to turn the spoke nipples until the spoke top was flush with bottom of the nipple slot. Next I mounted the assembled wheel and rotated it on the trike. The wheel was very near true. Using a ziptie on the frame for reference I adjusted the spokes that could use tightening. The results were great and she's a rider

 

[Kevin B]

I think you could flat side a wooden dowel and have a bushing on each side and possibly true it on a truing stand. This was faster and worked.

 

[RustySprockets]

For my personal bikes, I usually forego the truing stand and do it on the bike, as you described. Like the Bike Farmer says, "It's good enuff for who it's for!" I would, however, suggest that you invest in an actual spoke wrench. I've had an Avenir like this one for many years and find it every bit as good as the Park Tool variety--and one tool does all the sizes.

 

[Kevin B]

I only used the screwdriver blade to get the spokes uniformly deep in the rear slots. I used one of my spoke wrenches for final tensioning. Thanks for bringing the need for clarification to my attention.

 

[rickpaulos]

I replace the rim on a Meridan last week. I left the hub on the bike and turned the bike upside down. Unspoked the bent rim, left the spokes in the hub, spoked in a good rim. Trued it by sight using a spare spoke taped to the basket as a pointer. I had to replace 3 spokes in the other wheel and true that. And trued the front wheel.

IMO, the Meridan aluminum alloy rims are very weak. They won't take any abuse. They are 26" with 36 holes so there are countless donor bsos to get rims from.

 

[Kevin B]

It is hilarious to ride. You can't lean, have to corner slow. I'm not sure what I will do with it. If it had straight frame tubes I'd make them faux bamboo.

 

[Kevin B]

I replace the rim on a Meridan last week. I left the hub on the bike and turned the bike upside down. Unspoked the bent rim, left the spokes in the hub, spoked in a good rim. Trued it by sight using a spare spoke taped to the basket as a pointer. I had to replace 3 spokes in the other wheel and true that. And trued the front wheel.

IMO, the Meridan aluminum alloy rims are very weak. They won't take any abuse. They are 26" with 36 holes so there are countless donor bsos to get rims from.

Don't you think the hub butted up to that little ridge on the inside is a weak point? That isn't much contact compared to a drop out or fork.

 

[GeePig]

It is hilarious to ride. You can't lean, have to corner slow. I'm not sure what I will do with it. If it had straight frame tubes I'd make them faux bamboo.

When I was about 4 years old I used to corner my trike on two wheels. No one told me how to corner fast, not one told me about any damage I might be doing to my secondhand trike, I just used to lean in and let the outer wheel come up. I couldn't ride a two-wheeled bike, because I did not have one yet, I just leaned into those corners...

 

[rickpaulos]

The weakest point is the drive axle to drive wheel connection. I've seen two that were stripped out. The D-shape axle is okay but the amount of material in the hub is, well, just a couple of D cutout washers tack welded in. Most other brands that use a similar interface, have the d-shape or keyways running the entire width of the hub.

Cornering on 2 wheels on the Meridian is how the wheels get ruined. They are weak aluminum 26" rims with rather narrow hub flanges. Most trikes use 24" steel rims which are far stronger. The 60's era department store trikes used some pretty slender steel rims that still get bent out of shape. Worksman rims are very sturdy. They even make a 20" folder trike.

For decoration, I wrapped one of my bikes with twine, hot glued at the ends and coated with shellac to give that old western cowboy look. Odd shape tubes won't be a problem for that.

My wife decorated one of her bikes with feathers. I did the fenders for that bike using bark from a tree.

Years ago I saw a road bike wrapped with many colors of Benotto vinyl handlebar tape that I thought was cool looking.

My local coop got a bike that was completely covered with flame pattern duct tape, including the tires.

I was in NYC one time and most of the delivery bikes were wrapped in black electrical tape. For paint protection? To make the bikes so ugly no on would steal them? Or to hide the fact it was a stolen bike?

 

[rickpaulos]

Hah, that first photo you found on the internet is mine!

You can see how messed up it was due to those lame washers in the hub.