WHEELS for velocars, velomobiles and other multi-wheelers

Scott @ Silver State has some nice 21" DOT wheels with brakes in stock, I picked up a pair for a project:





Mounted a set of Avon Speedmaster 3.00 x 21 tires. Should have a nice ride.

Would make a good wheel on a velocar with an 80/90-21 tire mounted. Good sized brake, 9 gauge spokes, aluminum rim.

.

moto-klasika said:

[FONT=Comic Sans MS, cursive]Hello Curt,[/FONT]
[FONT=Comic Sans MS, cursive]I will try to find some photos of that modification - sound quite good idea... For any reconstruction or DIY building of wheel for velocar, good starting point is to make, or to buy - proper hubs, with good axle and adequate bearings...[/FONT]
[FONT=Comic Sans MS, cursive]
I still think about using my MTB 26” wheels with some modifications if necessary: to make them stronger and more resistant to side forces (anti-twisting reinforcements). Maybe to make additional flanges that will add new support to rims (by spokes)? Maybe to add new rim, that could be used for belt-transmission (or outside belt-brake) – with reinforcements to regular rim and connection to original or additional and bigger flanges... Maybe to install plywood-disk, as one Russian guy did... Still, just winter-thinking...[/FONT]
[FONT=Comic Sans MS, cursive]Ciao, Zoran[/FONT]

Click to expand...

Yes Zoran i think the second rim like that would add strength.The first 2 pictures ..........Curt

FFV8 Yes they are nice and would make a good wheel for volocar.

Also was looking at west coast chopper wheels today and they have a really wide hub that would make a good hub for the taller wheels...............Curt

FFV8 said:

Scott @ Silver State has some nice 21" DOT wheels with brakes in stock, I picked up a pair for a project:

Mounted a set of Avon Speedmaster 3.00 x 21 tires. Should have a nice ride.

Would make a good wheel on a velocar with an 80/90-21 tire mounted. Good sized brake, 9 gauge spokes, aluminum rim.



.

Click to expand...

Those look like really nice wheels... and 9 gauge spokes... wow!
SB

The Tomos wheels have bearings, what about removing the one that goes on the inside face of the wheel and replacing with one that has a bigger internal diameter? The axle then only needs to be a stepped design, not a taper.

Rollers, perhaps tapered rollers. We had to open out a wheel once at a race meeting, the only bearing we could find to replace one that collapsed was a bigger o.d. So we took a drill with a grinding bit in it, put the wheel on a spindle taped to a chair, and kept turning the wheel and grinding it out until the bearing fitted. It was a long night.

FFV8 said:

Scott @ Silver State has some nice 21" DOT wheels with brakes in stock, I picked up a pair for a project:

Mounted a set of Avon Speedmaster 3.00 x 21 tires. Should have a nice ride.

Would make a good wheel on a velocar with an 80/90-21 tire mounted. Good sized brake, 9 gauge spokes, aluminum rim.

.

Click to expand...

It's too bad that their website doesn't list too much, or have much info on what they do have listed.

Chainmaker

He sells some parts that are not on the website. The bicycle wheels I have mentioned before, and these motorcycle wheels are parts he uses to make his own product. Probably never going to be a website item.

He charged me $150 each for these wheels, and if you want some, you should call him. He told me he is still selling the heavy duty bicycle wheels for $100 / set shipped.

Do you know any specialist builders of old bicycles? Doug Pinkerton is handling the cycle side of my build, and he's the sort of individual who knows everyone in the vintage/veteran/unique bicycle line.

Doug doesn't have a website, you have to know about him by word of mouth, but this bloke can do the same sort of things:

http://colwoodwheelworks.co.uk/

Hello Zoran

My 50 cents

Front wheels:
The trike front wheels I'm recently using on my Velocar have a 12mm Axles of high grade steel. (12.9).
Never had problems with sideward stability, even with 24" wheels.
The strength of the wheel/kingpin connection depends also on the outer diameter of the washers, which are stacked between the backing plate of the drum and the kingpin mount.
If the axle bolt is properly tightened, the bolt itself is only stressed with tension, no bending forces at all.
The backing plate, the washer and the kingpin mount are forming a virtual tube around the bolt and taking up the pressure.


Rear wheels:
I would use BMX wheels, but mostly no disc mount on these wheels, so I have a brake problem.
I'm toying with the idea of using Tuff Wheels, maybe a version with disc mount is now available.
A follower of Paul Elkins used such wheels.
Klick for a YT-video of his car

Cassette wheels are a bad choice, because of the asymmetrical spokes and the spoke flanges very close together
Although I used such wheels on my Velocar for two years without problems (always cornered very carefully) I won't recommend such wheels.

On the other hand, look at all these old Mochets, with seemingly normal wheels, sometimes 26".
Seems to be rigid enough.

Another solution would be self constructed hubs.
With 3D-CAD you can design your own hubs.
A lot of businesses around here with CNC milling machines, who are able to produce such things from a data file.
You even don't have to leave the house for this.
Send the file via E-mail and wait until the mail man delivers the parcel is all you have to do.
OK, I don't talk about the money issue

Kai

Northern Tool wheels do work but i think the spokes are fixed and non ajustable. I have also seen were a guy took and made his own spokes out of tubing sorta like model T Ford wheels. They seem to be holding up good.............Curt