trike conversion kits

Scott.D.Lang

Scott.D.Lang

Member
I know that Piston bikes has a kit for motorized trike conversions but that is the only one I can find that the hub is set up to be able to run a chain from the motor to the trike rear set up.

Are there any others that anyone know of? Im not so worried about price as I am wanting to see what options there are out there. even if I can just find different hubs the non-motorized conversions are nicely priced so if I could find different hubs I might go that route.

might even consider a side car set up in some ways a side car would be nicer because my daughter will not let me put a motor on her bike so with that the whole family could go on some nice rides next summer
.trk
 
Looks like they use a hub sprocket adapter to hold the extra sprocket which could be done with most trike kits.
 
I'd like to see that without all of the gears and with a differential. Also some details on how the wheels are attached to the axle. Pretty neat though!
SB
 
This trike axle design is intended to use the Atomic Zombie website's method of building the spoked wheels onto the axle ends themselves. This is done by welding the flange discs that carry the spokes directly to the axle shafts. It's a method you either like or you don't, but it certainly solves the problem of attaching the rear wheels so they won't come loose or strip a keyway & etc.

Of course other methods of mounting the wheels can be used too with this design by cutting a keyway on the axle ends or drilling for a retaining bolt.
 
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Intrepid Wheelwoman said:
This trike axle design is intended to use the Atomic Zombie website's method of building the spoked wheels onto the axle ends themselves. This is done by welding the flange discs that carry the spokes directly to the axle shafts. It's a method you either like or you don't, but it certainly solves the problem of attaching the rear wheels so they won't come loose or strip a keyway & etc.

Of course other methods of mounting the wheels can be used too with this design by cutting a keyway on the axle ends or drilling for a retaining bolt.
Click to expand...

I guess I'll worry about that part when I'm actually building a trike if I ever live long enough to do all of these projects. The Atomic Zombie approach sounds fairly drastic, but they are just wheels and if it works...
I don't have the means to cut keyways, but I can drill holes like nobody's business. Have you seen an example of that? Is there a picture?
SB
 
silverbear said:
I guess I'll worry about that part when I'm actually building a trike if I ever live long enough to do all of these projects. The Atomic Zombie approach sounds fairly drastic, but they are just wheels and if it works...
I don't have the means to cut keyways, but I can drill holes like nobody's business. Have you seen an example of that? Is there a picture?
SB
Click to expand...

Try this SB :)
 

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SB, I have a few sets of AZ plans the hubs are basically large fender washers with spoke holes drilled and either a 5/8 or 7/8 hole in the middle for the axel. The axel is actually welded to the hubs here is the tutorial. http://www.atomiczombie.com/Tutorial - No Lathe Trike Hubs - Page 1.aspx the axle is split to allow each wheel to move independently, they ride on billow block bearings and gearing is attached with a freewheel adapter. Hope it helps.
 
The Atomic Zombie hub plans are very clear. I need to think it through for a different kind of rear axle setup than they have in mind as I want to use a differential axle Curtis fox gave me that came off of a lawn tractor. It is 3/4" in diameter. I just pulled it out of my storage trailer for a good long stare and am wondering how you would true up the wheels once they were laced up... can't remove them from the axle. I guess you would save truing until the bike was together, block up the rear end and spin the wheel as you true it already mounted up. That should work.

Just talked to Curtis Fox about our doing a thread this winter on making one up. Then we could get input from all of you including Mr. Fasteddy once he is out of the hospital, which will be soon, I hope.

Curt and I both noticed that Atomic Zombie sells the hub discs already drilled and ready to weld to the axles. Minus shipping it's around $16.00 for four which is very reasonable I think. One thing I like about the idea is that you could lace up heavy duty 2.125 rims with 11 gauge spokes for a truly stout wheel. There is a lot of lateral pressure on a wheel that does not lean into corners... I learned that with my sidecar.

The trike conversion kits I looked at on ebay look pretty light duty and I see that they are suggesting 1.75 tires. I was thinking 2.4 for a nice footprint and a cushy ride. Also I'm not interested in pedaling as a partial cripple. My trike will have a china girl motor and an electric pancake motor up front, moped fork and 63 ladies Schwinn American Deluxe to carry it all... just need the rear end.
SB
 
A lightly made axle like the ones on ebay aren't worth the worry and on-going maintenance requirements needed just to keep them together and working SB. I learned that with my Hercules when I was still as green as grass over converting a bicycle into a tricycle. For the time being I'm going to persist with the custom lowrider axle, but its days are essentially numbered.

The Atomic Zombie method of building tricycle axles is very strong and once you get past the notion of having a wheel that can't be removed from its axle it's actually a very good idea. Now that Atomic Zombie are making their hub discs available for international order I'm strongly considering getting a set myself for 'research' purposes.
You have it in one SB, you true up the wheel once it's mounted, but by using the method AZ's plans outline the wheel will be very close to true anyway.

Yes the whole peddling thing when one has a disability (sigh). Even though I have a fatigue illness one of the important self care routines I follow is to maintain a level of exercise. Riding a bicycle around locally is great for getting this very necessary amount of exercise and when it comes to hauling a load the Hercules takes most of the weight on the electric hub motor leaving me with just enough push on the pedals for me to get my workout.
 
A local supplier of China Girl engines & etc from whom I've had good service in the past has a section on their website with pictures of some of their customers' bikes. most are the usual kind of thing, but there's a tricycle that has some interesting mods.
I apologise for the quality of the pictures, they weren't particularly good quality to start with and I've done my best with them to try to make them a little more clear.
Note the reversed cylinder barrel for a start.
 

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hey guys ! my dad is getting a trike kit for me as a x mass gift so i can ride in the snow.

he wants me to pic out a good one and direct him where to buy it. IDK what one i want yet but i am thinking of getting the one from custom motored bikes .com and modding the axle to to be 2 wheel drive by cutting it shorter and welding flanges on it and mounting the wheels using intrepid wheel womans rag joint method only with hub adapters instead of rag joints. i want to runn 26in rear tires and a 44t drive sprocket.

the kit from custommotoredbikes.com only has a small solid mount rear sprocket so i will need to add on a break disk rotor for breaking. also the hub that comes with it has no mount for a motor drive sprocket so i will probably have to drill holes in the sprocket on the left side and mount the 44t onto the left sprocket then make a 1in thick disk hub adapter and mount it in the middle of the hub then add a sprocket the same size as the one on the axle to keep my gear ratio equal, then use that to transfer power to the axle. the rear axle sprocket will have to be ground off and moved over for alignment with the hub adapter. this way the bike is set up just as it would be if i were running a single rear tire only i use a middle mounted hub adapter to transfer power to the rear axle. keeping bolth hub and axle sprockets the same size maintains the same gear ratio as stock.
for the winter i will run a 44t drive sprocket and 26 or 24 in rear tires for extra torque .

once its set up and running i plan on working on making my own differential block using 2 freewheel bmx sprockets and a drive sprocket locked in beween. and wile rideing with the current single speed hub, i will also be working on making a 7 speed casett hub and derailer system to be mounted in the futer with the differential.
 
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