Big Box Trike Steering

http://www.velocipedesalon.com/forum/f10/need-advice-cargo-bike-steering-geometry-21637.html



The front axil should follow the pivot point by about 2 inches to help it ride in straight line with out turning on it's own.



Utility Bikes project

I want to start a movement! I believe there should be at least one person in every town building cargo bikes from recycled bicycles. I believe there are some major changes coming soon for human civilization; a world without oil and gas is inevitable. The sooner we start changing our life styles the less devastating it will be. I see a need for short cycle trucks made from recycled mountain bikes even now.  I want to give them to people that cannot afford to buy one.

 https://www.facebook.com/utilitybikeproject

I need to raise money for these tools:

Brazing torch kit and brazing rods. $800 and shipping

Head tubes, steer tubes and a disc brake tab jig .$400 plus shipping

Head tube 1 3/8th x 1.185"id x .095" wall
Steer tube 1" x .87"id x .065" wall

BMX forks. best price is $30@ plus shipping

Old MTB frames from the P.T. Recyclery.

Flat bar for the front rack etc. local $

shed roof and walls. 300?

And a space heater?

Frame Alignment Gauge...Frame and Fork End Alignment Gauge Set $90 and $47 plus shipping.

protractor square $30

                    Construction of Utility bike (the prototype)

tubing sizes?

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php/923818-Off-the-shelf-head-tubing-sizes?p=16283871#post16283871

simple jig to hold the drop-outs. should be mounted on plate steel.

http://www.leevalley.com/US/wood/page.aspx?p=32580&cat=1,43513,51657
a protractor square is essentieal for determining the head tube angle

This is a frame alignment guage
http://www.parktool.com/product/frame-alignment-gauge-fag-2

http://www.parktool.com/product/frame-and-fork-end-alignment-gauge-set-ffg-2
fork alignment tools

http://www.medfordtools.com/mb3.html

http://www.ebay.com/itm/GT-Dyno-Freestyle-Flatland-BMX-Fork-Black-1-1-8-/380763398069?pt=US_Forks&hash=item58a7445fb5#ht_6290wt_1212

BMX fork with brake tabs!

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php/924043-How-to-grind-tube-miter-joints?p=16301156&highlight=#post16301156



Tail Lights

http://www.superbrightleds.com/moreinfo/truck-oval-lamps/pt-series-oval-stoptailturn-led-truck-lamp/557/

At 40 mph a car will travel 1760ft in 30 seconds! On dark days drivers need to see you at least that far in advance because they are half asleep from darkness, cold, and fog.

Small tail lights are not visible at that distance, except at night. And even then  it is hard to judge the distance to you.

This is a 12 volt truck tail light with 56 large L.E.D.s

Just look at truck tail lights (with the brake light on) when they are 2000 feet ahead of you. The other way to be seen on dark day is to wear a 'day-glow' shirt.

15 seconds at 50mph is 1100ft, think about it.




http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007RQW5WG/ref=oh_details_o01_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1  

more tail light info  http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php/924323-Tail-light-for-daylight-use!?p=16294544&highlight=#post16294544

http://www.superbrightleds.com/cat/bar-strip-accessories/

Short cargo bike

This is the kind of crank you need with internal hub gears, but make sure they are going to fit the frame that you have. Never buy anything until you know what you need.
http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php/908712-Bottom-braket-sizes?p=15992023&highlight=#post15992023


This is the best thing for utility cycles, a two speed crank! With a Nuvinci infinite gear hub.
http://www.joe-bike.com/2012/03/11/review-fsa-metropolis-patterson-two-speed-crankset/

         

        

http://donkybike.com/about-donky-bike/

http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-build-a-cargo-truck-bicycle/

with out very low gears this will be a bugger to ride.

http://commutercycling.blogspot.com/2009/12/i-need-10-gear-inches-with-390lbs-on-16.html

It is passable to build one of these from a folding bike.

Flat bar 1/8th inch by two inch can hold more weight than than the wheels can.

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php/902972-Short-cargo-bike-from-folder-PHOTOS?p=15876395#post15876395

Disc Brakes

I had to adjust the pads of my new Avid BB7s in cold dark weather.


When I took the pads out to examine them, the outside piston came out and would not go back in. I had to remove the other piston to get the thing back in, but not until I had to remove the lock ring wire from the post of the outside piston. Then I discovered that the pistons are not magnetized so I had to put the spring back on the pads replacing them both at the same time.

Well I got it all back together and it worked fine, but on the way to town I lost the inside piston adjustment red plastic knob! It cost me $10 to replace them!!!!

The owner’s manual that did not come with the brakes, so I did not know that I should press the knob back on until it clicked.

Do not trust what mechanics tell you, they are concerned only with job security when they tell you that this is a "good" brake. some even tell me that it is the best of the cable pull brakes. Just changing the pads in the summer, I had the spring that holds the pads apart, fly out and get lost!
Their web site has no way for the users to contact them.

Well the next brakes I buy will not have nice red plastic, and will not need to be worked on in the winter, if ever!

http://www.hayesdiscbrake.com/

Endurance Training

The best work out I had in a long time is on my new used stair master. I need a fan to blow away the sweat!

Aerobic Exercise

Regular aerobic exercise can help you live longer and healthier. After all, aerobic exercise reduces health risks, keeps excess pounds at bay, strengthens your heart and boosts your mood. Healthy adults should aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity — or 75 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity — a day.

For many people, walking is a great choice for aerobic exercise. In fact, walking is one of the most natural forms of exercise.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compartment_syndrome

You get bigger by overworking your muscles, then resting them with adequate protein intake. Nothing to do with fascia. Stretching before or during a workout is not recommended. Stretch after if you must. Stretching certainly will not make you bigger. If I'm lifting correctly, I get plenty of stretch during the exercises. When I ride long distances, I might stretch every 3 hours or so while I'm eating, or I might not. Depends on how I'm feeling.

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php/901228-Stretching-muscle-Fascia-for-growth

Stretching doesn't increase flexibility in a muscle. Innervating a muscle adds flexibility to a muscle. It's best to do correct weight lifting movements if you want to gain more flexibility in a muscle. The only power to be gained is to be able to utilize more muscle tissue. There is a reflex associated with stretching that some try to utilize while lifting to maximize the contraction, but the point of that is that the body has a natural stop with that reflex response. Too many people think they can get a benefit from no work, and just try to over-extend their joints or tear muscles and tendons and ligaments. It's all unnecessary and doesn't provide real results in a way that makes sense or achieves progressive results on an ongoing basis.



water and muscle pain:  http://commutercycling.blogspot.com/2010/05/water.html

 Running bike? http://www.evolvebikes.com/elliptigo-elliptical-bicycle/
There are a lot of Rowing bikes http://rowingbike.com/site/EN/    http://rowingbike.free.fr/

But what you really need is a heavy duty work out at home. A fluid trainer is the only one that gives enough resistance. I do not know which brand is better than another, just make sure it's like riding up a hill with cargo.      

Bicycle Chains



http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php/922733-Chain-with-bushing-for-non-derailleur-system?p=16260084&posted=1#post16260084

As you can see by this article the bicycle industry will never give you the bad news.

http://www.competitivecyclist.com/review-chains/unchained-sram-vs--shimano-vs--wippermann_160.html

Does good oil make a cheap chain last as long as an expensive one? Chain-L is the one one worth trying, it is a long chain molecule man made oil, it stays in the chain much longer than any thing else I have tried (should be about 1000 miles). Most chain oil is nothing more than sewing machine oil and last only one week with out chain noise.  http://chain-l.com/ I have used Dumontech light oil, but it lasts only two weeks.

Cleaning a chain:
 If using a Bio-degreaser to clean your chain, scrub it in a bowl till it comes out clean.

Then sling out as much water as possible and use pure alcohol or Acetone to displace the last of the water and residue from the water. Chain-L oil is affected by minerals left by water. My own poor attempts to clean my chain made the chain-L lube last less than 300 miles.

Or use Naptha or mineral spirits to clean the factory oil off the chain The chain should rattle when it is clean and dry. Then heat the chain so that the thick oil will penetrate deeply.

Old chains lasted longer than the new narrow chains because they had more to wear away and because the amount of sprockets were less. Chain rings lasted longer also!

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/brandt/chain-care.html


Old chains with bushings (that made them last longer) were too heavy and did not shift as well as the new ones because they were tighter, so why not make them looser? 

And the industry will not make a wide cassette with enough low gears like 34-30-26 sprockets, available only one 9 and 10 speed cassettes. (Racer jockeys need to fast gears, and chains are not made for commuters)…. Thinner sprockets are part of this trend towards ‘planned obsolescence’ at the expense of commuters.

The friction savings would be minimal either way, since friction relates to the materials, and lubrication and not to surface area. Since the material is steel both ways, any difference would be tiny. But the bearing grade bushing provided for longer wear life.

 You wouldn't want a bushing chain these days (even if you found one) because your derailleur system wants more side flexibility than is possible with this design. Also, it would be difficult to produce a bushing chain narrow enough for today's requirements.

When it comes down to it, buy a decent (mid-qulaity) chain, keep it reasonable clean and lubricated, and replace it as necessary. With decent choices, drivetrain maintenance costs will not be a major factor either way.