Tim
From Black Mountain, North Carolina
January 17th, 2007
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This is a Triclops recumbent trike that I
got a couple of years ago from Organic Engines
in Tallahassee, FL. It's a fantastic machine,
but I'd never really biked before, and soon
found that one of my knees bothered me whenever
I rode. That's when I discovered Golden Eagle.
Unfortunately, you guys don't make a drive
ring for my 20-inch wheels.
Well, I'm pretty mechanically
inclined and
not easily discouraged,
so I bought the 35
CC Robin Subaru kit anyway
and figured I'd
make it work one way or
another. I was planning
on custom making sprockets
and using a chain
drive, but I lucked up
and spotted another
option first. I made my
own drive ring out
of the top couple of inches
of a plastic
5-gallon bucket, and attached
it to the spokes
with pieces of wire I cut
from a coat hanger.
Seriously!
It worked out perfectly,
because the diameter
was as large as it could
possibly be - within
a quarter inch of rubbing
the rear brakes!
The wire from the coat
hanger also became
the "teeth" for
the belt to grip.
The smaller drive ring
was offset by the
smaller wheel, so I still
have a top speed
of just under 30 MPH on
level ground (the
legal limit for a "moped"
in NC).
Because of the smaller
ring, the belt was
too long. It turns out
that the next shorter
length for that belt is
only 10 inches, so
I cut the engine bracket
and extended it
with some threaded rod,
which made it highly
adjustable. At first, I
attached the bracket
at a 45 degree angle instead
of vertically,
because I didn't want the
engine right behind
my head. I quickly found
that having the
weight of the engine that
high increased
the trike's tendency to
tip over in tight
curves, so I added some
extra braces and
mounted it horizontally
behind the wheel.
It works great now.
The single speed drive
isn't as much of a
disadvantage as I thought
it might be. Changing
gears on hills would be
nice, since I live
in the mountains, but then
I would be required
to get tags, insurance,
etc., so it's really
not worth it.
I haven't actually checked
the fuel mileage
yet, but judging from how
far I can go on
a tank of gas, it seems
comparable to what
might be expected with
a standard bike.
Anyway, thanks for a great
product!
Tim
Black Mountain NC
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