My life with Python trikes Mk1 , Mk1.5 , Mk2 ?

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:D;):D;):D
Yay! well done Paul.
That's the way to do it!
Well done. Wheel "creaking" that follows the wheel itself is usually uneven spoke tensions I think.
Do you remember the "tick-tick-tick" on the RH wheel of the Wonky-Donkey that followed us all round the place?
Was a "looser-than-the-others" spoke. "Creaks" are often when spokes are "woven" in the build and uneven tension allows them to move and to "rub".
However, I have also noticed a creak when I pedal hard, its the seat frame flexing in the cup(s) it sits in. A bit of tape/rubber lining and it stops.
 
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....I'm impressed Paul, three mini grinders out on the lawn, and another couple lurking in the storage box. I'll have to get a couple more myself now just to catch up.......:D
..and in true Zombie fashion I burnt one out 😁

All the oranges one's are B&D and seem to be lasting the course...
 
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I've done a recount, and I've got four grinders - yippee!

Three B&D's - many years of loyal service now, and the new kid on the block is a Von Haus. The VH has yet to be used in anger, but for me its main feature is speed control - useful for wire brushes and polishing pads.

One thing to be aware of is mini grinders come in two sizes. Over this way 4.5" is the most common. The VH is 5", which I think is more common in UK. The arbor size is also different, so not sure if the wheels are interchangeable?

I also acquired a VH corded hand drill on my last trip back there, again main feature being speed control - ideal for screwing decking and such. I avoid cordless stuff now, as an occasional user I don't get anywhere near enough usage, and then the batteries just die. The climate over here is particularly harsh on batteries.

So, now I only need one more grinder to catch you up..................phew
 
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I only use 110V grinders these days as the 240V brands are often made of best cheese. Either that or I'm insufficiently sympathetic to their suffering which is more than possible.
 
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Ok another 19 miles done ans still cr*p performance from the right hand brake.

It no longer locks on and makes the hub warm to the touch , however the lever is extremely hard to operate compared with the left hand one.

Only difference I can see is that the right hand one has a metal ferrule at the adjuster end and the left hand one has a plastic ferrule.

I can swap the cables over at the rear to see if it follows the lever/cable or it is the drum...

Will these brakes EVER actually work properly ?

I can see Holland Ferry on the end of the calendar now , so time is running out for them :(:mad:
 
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Ok another 19 miles done ans still cr*p performance from the right hand brake.

It no longer locks on and makes the hub warm to the touch , however the lever is extremely hard to operate compared with the left hand one.

Only difference I can see is that the right hand one has a metal ferrule at the adjuster end and the left hand one has a plastic ferrule.

I can swap the cables over at the rear to see if it follows the lever/cable or it is the drum...

Will these brakes EVER actually work properly ?

I can see Holland Ferry on the end of the calendar now , so time is running out for them :(:mad:
Eeek! Sorry to hear there are still some issues.
Swapping cables may give you a clue indeed.
Are all the cable outer's and ferrules brand-new or "recycled"?
I will confess to pulling the inner wires back through on mine now & then and squirting some GT85 or similar into the outer.

I hope you can resolve this soon.
 
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Swapping cables may give you a clue indeed.
probably swap levers as well , SA standard ones are poorly designed

Are all the cable outer's and ferrules brand-new
Yep

I will confess to pulling the inner wires back through on mine now & then and squirting some GT85 or similar into the outer.
Heard of it , but don't know what it is for ? suggested used on chains instead of oil ?

I hope you can resolve this soon.
You me both 😢
 
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probably swap levers as well , SA standard ones are poorly designed



Yep



Heard of it , but don't know what it is for ? suggested used on chains instead of oil ?



You me both 😢
Is just a spray oil with some teflon I think.
I'm no fan of the SA levers either. But the one's I have include the parking-brake function (which I like).
They seem to have 2 places that the lever end of the cable could be attached to (a low-travel but higher leverage position, or the opposite).

Good Luck!
 
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Ok bearing in mind I have rolled off the drive at least 3 times in the last fortnight believing I had fixed this problem ?

I swapped the cables and the problem stayed with the right hand lever/cable

Changed the brake lever and problem still the same , getting there :)

Symptom was hard to pull lever and a grating feeling with the lever being slow to return ?

After swapping lever I noticed that the cable was no longer free , on the Mk1 the cables travel forward to the brakes.

When brakes are on the rear wheels the cables loop around the bars to be tied to the frame , every time I tried to fix this the cable was free when the handlebars were moved a few times [ like riding it ! ] the cable was looping behind the bulb horn and getting caught on the trumpet making it a tight 90' turn when bars were straight .

First problem found and solved.

Once I removed the horn the brakes were a bit better.

However I was now left with the grating feeling , I noticed that the good side had plastic ferrules and the bad side had metal ferrules.
So I cut up a new cable outer/inner to length and added plastic ferrules ...

Unbelievable it now feels even easier that the left side that I though was quite good :LOL:

So rolled off the drive and found I had a completely different trike , in the wet I can now lockup either rear wheel if I want to , however the brakes are sensitive enough to stop rapidly with little drama.

So NOW I can start adding some miles , I still have the SA levers and now the parking brake on the right lever also works for the first time :)

I may still use the old V brake as a parking brake with a friction gear lever as backup [ cos that's what I am like :ROFLMAO: ]

regards Paul big grin Python Pilot
 
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Ok bearing in mind I have rolled off the drive at least 3 times in the last fortnight believing I had fixed this problem ?

I swapped the cables and the problem stayed with the right hand lever/cable

Changed the brake lever and problem still the same , getting there :)

Symptom was hard to pull lever and a grating feeling with the lever being slow to return ?

After swapping lever I noticed that the cable was no longer free , on the Mk1 the cables travel forward to the brakes.

When brakes are on the rear wheels the cables loop around the bars to be tied to the frame , every time I tried to fix this the cable was free when the handlebars were moved a few times [ like riding it ! ] the cable was looping behind the bulb horn and getting caught on the trumpet making it a tight 90' turn when bars were straight .

First problem found and solved.

Once I removed the horn the brakes were a bit better.

However I was now left with the grating feeling , I noticed that the good side had plastic ferrules and the bad side had metal ferrules.
So I cut up a new cable outer/inner to length and added plastic ferrules ...

Unbelievable it now feels even easier that the left side that I though was quite good :LOL:

So rolled off the drive and found I had a completely different trike , in the wet I can now lockup either rear wheel if I want to , however the brakes are sensitive enough to stop rapidly with little drama.

So NOW I can start adding some miles , I still have the SA levers and now the parking brake on the right lever also works for the first time :)

I may still use the old V brake as a parking brake with a friction gear lever as backup [ cos that's what I am like :ROFLMAO: ]

regards Paul big grin Python Pilot
Yahooooooooo!!!!!!
So very, very pleased for you Paul.
Now we're cooking on GAS and the new back-end braking system is somewhat vindicated and miles can go on to bed those brakes in (they may get even better).
Congrats!
 
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It is funny how the pleasure derived from overcoming a problem seems to far outweigh the discomfort and annoyance that the problem caused - even if it was only a squeak or a rattle.
Hard to say really been fighting these rear wheels since Feb 7th hence some of the despondence in the posts.

However the latest 'solved' problem only on/off since June 1st so that could be seen as a small victory...

Off to garage to get it cleaned up and parking brake added.
 
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wasting my time ?

this wooden velomobile weighs 24kg !!

wooden beauty ?





2/3rds the weight of my Python
 
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That is a nice looking velomobile. It must have an aluminium helium-filled cylinder inside it somewhere as well as all cavities filled with the stuff. I started fiddling with a ply velo body and eventually ditched it due to it not being large enough to accommodate the required pedalling team.
 
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It may weigh only 24Kg. But is he happy? ;)
First crash and it will crack like an eggshell probably.
 
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It may weigh only 24Kg. But is he happy? ;)
First crash and it will crack like an eggshell probably.
Well to be honest all the current flock of velomobiles [ except the rotovelo ] would also not survive much of a crash ?

What I was alluding to is that it is a tadpole trike and a body and all I have is a heavier trike ?

Paul
 
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Ok another ride to mothers ...

Both brakes working as I rolled off the drive and 15.01 miles later as I ran up the drive ? they were both still working , a miracle I hear you shout ?

Well not quite but good enough to work with ?

I swapped the brake levers , as the poor design of the SA levers meant they had to be removed from the bars to remove/change the cable.
To dismantle the trike into 2 halves I want to disconnect the brake cable at the hub [ no tools needed ] then pull the slack to the lever and disconnect it there [ no tools needed ] leaving the cables still fastened to the rear half.

Unfortunately the levers were of the type used for cantilever brakes [ wide enough for 5 fingers ] and I had only V brake levers [ I thought ] which pull more cable.

The upshot of this is that the brakes are very sharp and need treating with great respect , a strange quirk of Python trike + rear brakes is brake steer [ not really steering more a drift ] however the steering drift is away from the braked wheel.
Dannyc suggested that the braked wheel causes the rear half to turn towards the sided being braked this causes the pivot to also move this in turn causes the front end to move in the opposite direction.

I think it is only a matter of getting more experience of them and they could be tempered a bit when the trike is fully loaded ?

I need more miles on both dry and wet roads and loose surfaces , although it is very easy to lock a wheel NOW it is not the only wheel being braked and it is not the steering wheel so should be safer to ride ?

regards Paul
 
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I need more miles on both dry and wet roads and loose surfaces , although it is very easy to lock a wheel NOW it is not the only wheel being braked and it is not the steering wheel so should be safer to ride ?
I am delighted for you that you are enjoying a little consistency in the performance. Learning the impacts and foibles of rear-end braking on a trike that hinges in the middle can only be a "time/miles-served" thing I agree.
You seem to be on your way at last.
What's the next problem?
 
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You seem to be on your way at last.
What's the next problem?
Well 😁

I did find some dual levers so could swap them again and try to canti's to see if they tame the brakes a little ?

I need the courage to disconnect the disc brake and remove the hardware ? spookily when I looked closely the original levers had 2 positions labeled C & V for the cable DOH

Get the new/old speedo mounted the last one 5years + has given up the ghost so to speak.

try with a full load ..trepidation abounds

Paul
 
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