November 2008 - Part 2         Blog ● Stuff ● Coming Soon

 

November 19 Winter bites, the year in review, Hammerhead Winter Bike, kudos Yes, the snow arrived two days ago, not much. Just a light dusting, but some pretty high windchill and cold temperatures, already -14 C (6.8 F). I was hoping for another three weeks before the ground froze, but so much for hope. Once again I can't believe we're almost done 2008. It's been the busiest bike building season for us yet. We made a commitment to stay organized and on track, and are satisfied with how much we accomplished in mere months. First, the Atomic Zombie forum was completely redone, although the glitches drove us nearly insane and we had to archive the old forum which didn't sit well with everyone. We tried to import the old forum and members list, but the two software programs just didn't get along. We'll keep the archived one online for awhile yet. Then, we completely changed the Atomic Zombie store and more headaches arose that delayed things for a few months. Finally got that sorted out and before we knew it, we had to make a book deadline for Bike, Scooters and Chopper Projects for the Evil Genius before the end of May. That brought us into late spring and the pressure was on to get as many homebuilt bike projects done right away. This year was definitely focused on recumbents, as you will see by the list below. We plan on expanding more into electric bikes, trailers, scooters, and vehicles next year for sure. I was typing out the list and was impressed with how many bike builds there were this short season: Marauder Reloaded DeltaRunner Trike LodeRunner Cargo Trike HighRoller SWB Recumbent Racer CycleBully Electric Cargo Trailer TourMaster LWB Recumbent Vigilante Chopper Tradewinds Tandem It's amazing what someone can do in his spare time! Just imagine if we could do this stuff full-time! And, of course, eight new videos were filmed and edited, too. Brad does all of the editing and music himself. If there's enough time this year, the Hammerhead Winter Bike will be done, too. But that all depends on how the weather holds up. Even the kerosene heater in the garage can't keep up when we reach the -20 C to -40 C range. No kidding! If Brad has his way, though, he'll be in the garage every day trying to get it built before Christmas. Who knows, miracles can happen. So, as you can tell, we've been very busy trying to get things rolling this year, and have many more plans in 2009. There will be more features added to the Builders Forum, and the Builders Gallery will be getting a complete make-over, too. I'm working on more gallery updates, and we hope to have a cool gallery software program installed early next year so it won't take so long to update it. That's the goal. Just not enough hours in the day to get everything done, but the gallery is important to us and our fellow garage hackers, so we are determined to find away to improve it and keep it updated. Thanks to the folks at Bent Rider Online who showcased our HighRoller SWB Recumbent Racer on their site earlier this month, and said some nice things about the Atomic Zombie Krew. Also, thanks again to The Best of Instructables Volume I: Do-It-Yourself Projects from the World's Biggest Show & Tell for profiling our ChopWork Orange chopper in their book. We have some exciting new projects slated for 2009, so stay tuned to the forum for updates. Cheers, friends.

 

CycleBully Electric Trailer

The CycleBully Electric Trailer is a robust multipurpose cargo trailer that can easily adapt to any bike, trike or quadcycle. The CycleBully is aptly named because its main job is to “push you around.” Even loaded with 200 pounds of groceries, the CycleBully will happily propel you and your cycle up to speeds close to city traffic, or blast you up a hill so steep you would normally have to walk your bike up.The CycleBully will also perform all of these chores silently without emitting pollution, and at only pennies per charge. The CycleBully is an easy project to complete, requiring only basic bicycle parts, and any electric hubmotor kit of your choice. Because hubmotor kits are “plug and play”, there is no need to be an electrician or electronics wizard to install all of the components. The frame is very simple, and includes a suspension system as well as a detachable hitch that can adapt to anything on wheels in seconds. As for tools and skills, you will only require a basic welder, angle grinder and a few small lengths of steel tubing. Even a beginner can put together the CycleBully in a weekend or two. Instant download only $ 16.95!

 

DeltaRunner Recumbent Trike

The DeltaRunner Recumbent Trike is a comfortable and rugged all-purpose human powered trike designed to combat the ever increasing price of gasoline, while at the same time giving its pilot a great low impact workout. Because the seat is at a height similar to that of an automobile, the DeltaRunner is easy to get into and puts you at eye level with many motorized vehicles on streets and roads. The DeltaRunner is light, fast, and handles like a dream due to the long wheelbase configuration, 26 inch wheels, and front suspension. The DeltaRunner includes a full range of speeds and a rear disc brake for optimal stopping power. The steering system is comfortable and natural, with nothing to obstruct your legs or you view so you can pedal the DeltaRunner just like you would pedal a regular bicycle. Instant download only $ 16.95!