Date: Mon, 25 Feb 2002
I actually built a 4-wheel bike last year. I used two old fendered bicycles
and a bed frame I bought from thrift stores (~$10 each). It worked great.
My girlfriend and I rode around town and received a lot of attention. I had
several offers to buy the rig. One young boy even remarked, "That's the
coolest bike I've ever seen in my whole life." Pretty high praise.
However, the rims on the old bikes were not built for the lateral stress
that two adults, 40 pounds of steel, the family dog, and a cooler full of
beer can exert when the bike leans hard to one side. The tire rims were
bending horribly on a regular basis. I gave the project a rest and some
thought.
Last weekend, I started my newest 4-wheel project. I'm began attaching two
brand-new Huffy mountain bikes ($60 each at K-Mart - on sale) in a
side-by-side configuration. I spaced the bikes 30" apart (6" more than my
first project). The extra width and sturdier rims should fix the problems I
was experiencing with the old contraption. The rig looks really cool and
seems much sturdier and tighter than my first try. The bikes are black so
I'm going for a Model-T motif complete with canopy (the Texas sun is hell in
the summer).
Spring time in Texas springs is a fabulous time to get on the trails. This
year, we've barely had a winter and the grass is already turning green.
While I won't be completely finished, I hope my rig is ridable by this
weekend.
I read about all the work you put into the bike you bought. You've just about done everything except build a new frame. You may want to ponder how you can create a new bike from scrap, water pipe, and conduit (all cheaper than new metal). I recommend that you consider buying a metal bender and welder as well. They are cheap and worth tinkering with (check around at a few pawn shops and Ebay.) I bought one of each last year at a pawn shop here in Fort Worth. Having those tools has opened up whole new possibilities for my bicycle creation.
Good luck.
MD
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This page was last updated on: June 12, 2005
