It’s gonna be really difficult, they were only sold in Europe and in very low quantities
most of them had threaded steerers too
[quote=JUGE FREDD]
TRUCKIN by blasdelf, on Flickr[/quote]
This is one of the best goddamned things ever. How’s the ride?
It was a bit of a deathtrap on the first descent, rack got megaloose from the bolts bedding into the powdercoat when presented with a shitload of new torque
It calmed down dramatically after being tightened down and the trailing cranks stopped autorotating, but still the rack and seatstays can flex
It doesn’t respond well AT ALL to standing or sprinting, but just pedaling consistent circles it got up on plane and I was motoring along maintaining 20+ no problem. Smooth residential speedbumps are no problem, but square edged stuff makes the trailer bounce, and adding a spring to the system would probably just make it want to jackknife.
It would probably be a lot easier to ride (especially getting started) if the tractor bike was turdly stiff and high trail, but then it wouldn’t be as fun or fast
Looks awesome but I’m having a hard time imagining a practical application for such a set up.
In this case I ended up with too many bikes at a friend’s house
intended stealth use is ferrying people’s bikes when they get fucked up and poured into a taxi
Toe strap crankarm to chainstay, and maybe one of those springs people attach from fork crown hole > downtube on cargo bikes? Sounds like its “good enough” as is for occasional use.
you can’t immobilize the crankarm, it has to move in reverse
Dq: what does the crank autorotation have to do with tow stability?
Would be interested in this as a mtb tow vehicle to get to the trail head. Though its probably still easier/faster to just ride the mtb
Immobilizing the cranks means it wouldn’t be able to roll backwards. Awkward for walking around or trackstanding or many places, I imagine. Which is why you’d ideally use a large rubber band instead of a toe strap perhaps.
Fred is there anything to be gained in future designs by locating the fork attachment somewhere lower down? I suppose the time fork is quite narrow and won’t slide too far down over the fatty fender of the elephant.
after the rack loosened up it was shaking back and forth: http://instagram.com/p/r3jTfnh_qj
when the trailer bounces or its tire scrubs, the freehub was catching and making the cranks rotate
tho after 20 miles of constant coasting, the i9 hub was broken in a lot better
after the rack loosened up it was shaking back and forth, see me descending with a knee on the top tube: Andrew Squirel on Instagram: "The essence of Fred distilled"
when the trailer bounces or its tire scrubs, the freehub was catching and making the cranks rotate
tho after 20 miles of constant coasting the i9 hub was broken in, and not really a problem
That’s pretty neat fred. I’ve been meaning to bolt one of those truck bed false QRs onto my rear rack for a while. Even if it doesn’t ride that great, it would at least be far more convenient than bike on trailer / strap to backpack / one hand each.
Indeed, would cut out the bouncing
Colin just put a heavy-duty version of the hitch on the tail end of his xtraviewpoint contraption at normal axle height:
It’ll be interesting to see if it’s possible to pedal the trailed bike on it
Mine originally used one of those 9mm QRs, it works but isn’t a good idea — it will articulate by sliding against the inside face of the dropouts. You need a spacer/axle to keep the compression from the QR from clamping the fork to the rack rigidly.
The best shadetree method is to use a pair of u-bolts to attach a front hub to your rack
Ohhhh ok. I already have the mount, maybe I’ll machine it down and throw some thrust bearings in there. Thanks for the tip.
Totally saw a dude with that shade tree option at my work yesterday. Thought of you, Fred.
[quote=JUGE FREDD]
It’ll be interesting to see if it’s possible to pedal the trailed bike on it[/quote]
This would be interesting. And then have another trailed bike, attached to another, attached to another… until you get a bike train / centipede
Mine originally used one of those 9mm QRs, it works but isn’t a good idea — it will articulate by sliding against the inside face of the dropouts. You need a spacer/axle to keep the compression from the QR from clamping the fork to the rack rigidly.
The best shadetree method is to use a pair of u-bolts to attach a front hub to your rack[/quote]
Got a pic of the spacer deal? Delrin or some such?
I can’t decide if I like this more than the qr rack on the front of your folder. Both ideas really sing to me.