The TomaHawk, one of many recumbent designs for which plans are available from AtomicZombieBy Mike Eliasohn
There are various reasons to build your own recumbent cycle. Presumably one reason is because you like to "make stuff." Another is: why pedal something that looks like what other people ride, be it a recumbent or upright bike, when you can ride something unusual and attract attention?
Although most designs shown or discussed in this article are made of metal tubing welded together, if you don’t know how to weld (or have no place to weld), or don’t have a shop where you can do cutting and drilling, there are alternatives. Find a friendly (presumably small) welding and machine shop (or one of each) who can do that work for you, hopefully at a reasonable price. (Suggestion: If you're not in a rush to get something done, so can wait until the shop doesn't have much else to do, you might get a better price.)
Or if you have work space, but don't know how to weld, there are designs out there made from wood, aluminum,carbon fiber, or even cut-up conventional bicycles, with the pieces bolted together (though some small pieces may need welding).
I do have a special motive for writing this. As HPV old-timers like me know, there aren't as many builders out there as there used to be. Not only is attendance at HPV racing events declining, more of those who do participate bought what they ride. Building, riding and racing recumbent cycles would seem idea for high school students studying welding, machining and other trades. So if anyone reading this knows any such students, you might suggest, "Have you ever thought of building ..?" and use this article as a starting point.
Lastly, this article won't cover all the options for plans and designs that are out there. Do an online search of "how to build recumbent bicycles," "recumbent bicycle (or tricycle) plans," etc. and you will find more. Also look on YouTube. If you know something I missed that's worth including, please email me at mikethebike2325@comcast.net
Atomic Zombie
If you're looking for ideas, a good place to start is atomiczombie.com. Brad Graham and Kathy McGowan offer 36 plans, for low racers, high racers, long wheelbase, short wheelbase, two-wheels-in-the-rear and two-wheels-in-front tricycles and a quad. There are also plans or tutorials for choppers, tall bikes and an upright two-wheels-in-front tricycle.
Atomic Zombie Warrior
Atomic Zombie charges for its plans, currently $16.95 for one set, four for $19 or six for $36. The plans, actually step-by-step instructions, 60-220 pages with lots of photos, come as PDF downloads.In 2004, Graham and McGowan published Atomic Zombie's Bicycle Builder's Bonanza (388 pages), with chapters on how to build various designs and general information about tools, welding, design, sources of materials, etc. Interesting reading, even if you don't build an AZ design. Copies, new or used, can be obtained from Amazon, alibris.com and likely other sellers.
Recycled Recumbents
A Recycled Recumbent Mach 2
If you like a traditional long wheelbase design, A.D. Carson (recycledrecumbent.com) has three plans available online for free. And if you like his designs, but don't want to build one, he builds and sells complete bikes (but not during the winter months.
Much of the steel tubing for his designs come from cut-up diamond frames. The Mach 1 (EZ Clone) and Mach 2 designs are similar – 26 inch rear wheel and 20-inch front, though the Mach 1 also can use a 16-inch. The Mach 3 uses 26-inch wheels at both ends. (700c wheels might fit in place of 26 inch.)
Wood
In 1997-98, Steve Schmeck, who lives in/near Cooks in the Upper Peninsula, built two (mostly) wood frame recumbents, Woody (shown here) and then Treebike.
For construction details, go to www.manytracks.com, then click on "homestead," "recumbents," and then in the top of the text, "Woody and Treebike." (or click here) In addition to information about Steve's two designs, you will see photos and information about various other homebuilt recumbents sent in by Many Tracks readers. Some of the designs are wood.
And if you think a website that also has information about chickens and other homesteading topics seems unusual as a recumbent bike building source, try www.littleloveliesbyallison.com. In addition to such topics as home decorating ideas and home improvement projects, scroll down (toward the bottom) to "DIY vehicle projects" then "bicycle projects" and finally "15 DIY recumbent bike projects you can build easily" (or click here). Included are two (mostly) wood frame recumbents and one two-wheels-in-front tricycle, plus some other interesting designs (some from Atomic Zombie).
An easy build
Keith Moss from Florida came up with this simple design for a long-wheelbase, made from cut-up steel bicycle frames, except possibly for the bottom tube.
For more information and photos, type "Keith Moss quick cheap easy LWB" in your search engine, and you should be able to find it.
F'lowroller
When I first saw images of Robert Horn's F'lowroller about 20 years ago, my reaction was "Wow!" It was truly a unique design.
In an article in online
BikeRodnKustom, he described it as a cruiser / recumbent / lowrider and mentioned he quickly put 300 miles on it. It used a 3-speed coaster brake hub.
Bob later designed a second version, shown above, and then created "The F'lowroller Cookbook" (copyright 2005), with building instructions and photos.
He sent a pdf to anyone interested in building one.
I (Mike E.) have the "Cookbook" pdf, and with Bob's permission, can email it to anyone who asks. A printout can be made from the pdf.
Front-wheel-drive
Python is a European low racer design, with front wheel drive and center-pivot steering, that is, the head tube is right behind the front wheel. "Standard" is two 26 inch wheels, but there are variations with smaller wheels and tricycles with two wheels in the rear.
Photo is from the website, www.python-lowracer.de, where there is lots of information for would-be builders.
If you’re familiar with the Cruzbike, but don't want to spend $2,650 (and that's for the cheapest model), or want to make sure you can ride a moving bottom bracket FWD before spending lots of money, go to www.instructables.com, then type in "recumbent bicycles." You will see several DIY recumbent designs (none sophisticated), so you may something else of interest. But here's what we are talking about:
The MBB bike shown on instructables.com is rather crude, so here's a more sophisticated, but still simple version. (I don't remember the source.)
Other stuff
Here's an interesting design from the Netherlands, with how-to-build instructions:
This is from the website, wind-water.nl, and the link is presented here with permission from Hanno Smits, the designer and webmaster. Also, go to the website, click on "Bicycles, bicycles" and you will see other interesting recumbents and ideas.
I (Mike E.) have an idea how to build a no-weld or minimal-weld recumbent from aluminum tubing and bars, but could not find any such design on the internet, other than this 2001 photo from Many Tracks, builder Bill Meacham.
If anyone knows of any such designs, preferably with some instructions, let me know.
Paul Elkins' website (elkinsdiy.com) has lots of interesting projects, including this simple recumbent made from one cut-up 20-inch wheel frame, plus additional tubing. Go to "projects," then "transportation," "human powered" and then "DIY recumbent bicycle."
There's also a video: On Youtube, type in "diy recumbent bicycle" and you will find it.
This is obviously a stretch cruiser, made from two frames, not a recumbent, but it's interesting because it's entirely bolted together, no welding, As I recall, the rear triangle came from a mixte (step-through upright bike) frame. The bike was built by the operator of a website that I think is now defunct, which was mostly devoted to fixing/repairing bikes. Unfortunately, I don't have the website address in writing, so can't give proper credit.
Lastly, I have paper copies of several plans that I am willing to part with free, though I would like to be reimbursed for postage:
- Alternative Bikestyles: Construction of a Recumbent Bicycle (1985) – Similar to an Easy Racer Tour Easy long wheelbase, Ed Roeters describes his design as "simple, practical and rugged as possible."
- Tom Traylor front wheel drive moving bottom bracket two-wheeler, 1982. (One of the early MBB designs.)
- LaBent by Ladue two-wheels-in-rear tricycle.
- LaBent by Ladue long-wheelbase two wheeler.
- PVC Projects (1993) - 20 projects made from PVC pipe, normally used for plumbing. Some have wheels, but none are pedal-powered.But even if not using PVC for an HPV, it conceivably could be used for a cycle-towed trailer, a cycle repair stand or ?
So email me at the address listed in the first section of this article. First come, first served, though if more than one person wants the same plans at the same time, conceivably I can make copies.
Some information in this article comes from an article in the Autumn 2020 issue of Laidback Cyclist, the magazine of the British Human Power Club.
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