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This is a question Amazing Projects

We here at B3ta love it when a plan comes together. Tell us about incredible projects and stuff you've built by your own hand. Go on, gloat away.

Thanks to A Vagabond for the suggestion

(, Thu 17 Nov 2011, 13:12)
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Recumbent bikes
I have been a mountain biker since I was sixteen, I loved the freedom of it and the technology that has been improving since day one. I started on a fifteen gear Falcon, moved up to an 18 gear MBK before buying an Orange Clockwork and then a fabulous Kona. Sadly Being a skint Student I was forced to sell the Kona which left me bikeless. But I hatched a plan and with a friend we designed and built a frame out of Collumbus Max and Max OR tubes, that cost us a fair whack. Finally built the bike up with full XT groupset and Rockshox Judy XCs. It was beautiful and I clocked up 6000 enjoyable miles in a year.
That was more of a touring bike than a hard core off road racer, so I bought a real Mountain Bike, a wicked Giant factory team replica and kept both bikes running. Then I had fuck loads of surgery which made riding conventional bikes pretty hard.
Loving cycling as much as I do, I designed a Recumbent bike, one third BMX, one third Mountain bike and with seat covers made from off cuts acquired from a friendly furry who made their own suit! A close friend welded up the frame and I went for a test ride. It was absolutely fucking awful, the head angle was too steep and turning resulted in crashes. So with the trusty hacksaw, I cut and shut this abomination and sorted out the freaky steering. Sadly the story ends there. It remains an almost finished project, languishing in the back of the shed. you see the big problem was discovering that I like to go really fucking fast on my motorbike and to do that, you need a drag strip or race track. So my motorbike has been slowly and lovingly adapted with the aim of trying this sport next summer. I can't help but tinker with machines, the problem is that I am running out of room to keep them all. Anyone want to buy a Mountain bike?
(, Sun 20 Nov 2011, 0:57, 7 replies)
How much?
And where from?
(, Sun 20 Nov 2011, 9:38, closed)
Somerset
and £500.
Doubt I will get any takers to be honest, not in these hard up times.
(, Mon 21 Nov 2011, 19:14, closed)
Bit of a distance from me.
Looking at getting something through work.
(, Mon 21 Nov 2011, 21:21, closed)

Pics of the homemade bikes? I've always thought that would be a fun project.
(, Sun 20 Nov 2011, 10:06, closed)
Not really sure how to post a pic
But will try



This was the first test, just to see if the steering worked. It didn't. So I relaxed the head angle and it was fine. As a junk yard dog, it was an interesting project.

The other custom frame was a little more lovely, but now hangs on my wall as art and a teddy bear rack.


(, Mon 21 Nov 2011, 19:25, closed)
I built my own bike
For the cost of the crankset, headset and brakes I could have had a good bike.
(, Mon 21 Nov 2011, 1:06, closed)
As a "born-again" 'bent rider,
I'll put in an exhortation to keep at it and get it road worthy. As I enjoy seeing where I'm riding, I love the way recumbents can become rolling easy chairs, with your reclined position making it easy to see the world around you, as opposed to the traditional head-down position most racing diamond frames with rams horn handlebars force you into.
(, Thu 24 Nov 2011, 4:31, closed)

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