- Joined
- Feb 20, 2013
- Messages
- 869
- Location
- Axedale, Victoria, Australia
- Website
- axerail.coffeecup.com
There have been a few posts recently regarding wooden trikes and velomobiles. Having followed them, and viewed a few video links here and there, an idea came to me. This is always a dangerous thing as it inevitably leads to thoughts of another project. Anyway, here follows what might be a whole new idea.
Trikes are usually built with two main aims that are speed (light), or utility (as light or as heavy as it ends up).DIY velomobiles are usually built as trikes with a body later attached. Bodies generally consist of coreflute (coroplast by another name) for lightness, fibreglass or carbon fibre for strength, or even wood. Each of these provides different levels of difficulty for DIY.
What about this approach for utility purposes? First, construct a strong wooden body, from plywood or whatever, internally braced where necessary to accommodate forces, and attach the wheel, steering, pedalling modules, etc. These could be minimal, individual modules bolted to the body wherever required, saving a little in steel weight – and welding. This would at least save the steel mass of the front wheels cross bar, the central boom, and maybe the rear triangle. Such mounting things could be part of the internal body bracing.
There’s the idea and the floodgates have been opened for comments.
Trikes are usually built with two main aims that are speed (light), or utility (as light or as heavy as it ends up).DIY velomobiles are usually built as trikes with a body later attached. Bodies generally consist of coreflute (coroplast by another name) for lightness, fibreglass or carbon fibre for strength, or even wood. Each of these provides different levels of difficulty for DIY.
What about this approach for utility purposes? First, construct a strong wooden body, from plywood or whatever, internally braced where necessary to accommodate forces, and attach the wheel, steering, pedalling modules, etc. These could be minimal, individual modules bolted to the body wherever required, saving a little in steel weight – and welding. This would at least save the steel mass of the front wheels cross bar, the central boom, and maybe the rear triangle. Such mounting things could be part of the internal body bracing.
There’s the idea and the floodgates have been opened for comments.