So yeah I like cycling, we have some good very long trails to follow that are away from the traffic and I’ve never been a fan of jogging or running as it makes my knee’s sore. Problem was ordinary bikes give me other sore bits… and after a few hours I can hardly walk

In the past I’ve seen a very few number of recumbent bikes with their laid back seating position but after looking up the price of them WTF! There was no way I was going to spend that on a bike, even second hand the price (for me) is nuts. So that idea was out the window. But then I came across the Atomic Zombie website, loads of different and some very weird bikes you can build from PDF plans.

So I bought for £14 (at the time) the plans for their StreetFox Tadpole Trike having never built anything like that before and having only a basic understanding of bike mechanic. However I was up for the challenge. Right away I had my 100 page full colour manual and it was obviously very clear and well written. Hmm maybe this will not be as hard as I first thought…

First was to gather parts which was three £20 mountain bikes off Gumtree, a couple of new BMX wheels & forks and online ordered 6m of steel tube and set to work. Within two weeks I’d knocked up the basic frame, another week I’d sorted out the front headtubes and axles and another couple of weeks (evenings only) was rolling down the drive doing test runs. I did splurge out on a nice fancy seat (love it) and a special chain pulley I got from Dutchbikebits (worth it) but in total I think I must have spent about £450 on the whole machine.

So what’s it like? Well I love it, really I do. The handling is stunning, high speed screaming down hills - totally steady OMG this is fast!!! Round corners blows my mind it’s so grippy and stable. Hills, well a bit slow… but easy enough. Sore bits? NONE in fact I have fallen asleep on it resting in the sun, no joke! How it looks?? I think it turned out rather nice



So if you fancy something different and a bit lighter on the wallet and just as much fun as a car but healthier to use, maybe also give it a go?

Cheers.

I too am a keen cyclist, MTB and a bit of road. Like you I've looked at recumbant bikes before and been put off by the seemingly high price of them. Bicycles already seem expensive to me anyway.

What you show in your picture looks comfortable and rideable. I'd certainly get on and have a go on it

Wow! That looks awesome.

I love the idea of recumbent bikes but was always a bit worried about the lack of visibility given how low they are, plus greater hill climbing difficulty compared to a two wheeler (I like hills).

Would be great to see a video.

[Edited on 27/4/20 by SJ]

[Edited on 27/4/20 by SJ]

Brilliant, thanks for posting, having written off the Roadster might just have a go at one of these. How did you do the seat? It looks very professional and much better than the one shown on the web site.

cheers it did turn out better than I hoped.

With that version you are low and I sometimes (but not often) go on the road with it but mostly on cycle paths, disused railway lines and dual use pavements which we are fortunate to have a lot of here. I have other MB's, BMX's & road bikes and just like those it has it's strengths and weaknesses, I would say this is not a replacement for any of them but more an option to use if the route suits it better than the others.

This one is more suited to hard or softish paths with minor inclines. It doesn't actually feel like any bike I've been on before or even a bike, maybe more a go kart of sorts. Here's some of my thoughts -

Pros -

Very comfy to ride for very long distances, even after hours I get up and am not even slightly sore
Virtually eliminates wind resistance which is why it goes so fast down hill
Faster round turns due to it being so low and wide
Much better to look around and see things
Can go stupid slow without falling over lol, great for riding next to walking people
Tail slides are hilarious fun

Cons -

Hard to get going on soft mud
Low for road use
With 3 wheels it can be difficult to avoid potholes etc
Can't climb up a curb, I have to use the access ramps or driveways.
Steep hills can be tough or not possible (electric boost would be great here, looking into that presently)
If you stop in the wrong too high a gear, you need to get off and sort it before you can move again
Does not fit a bike carrier for the car and quite heavy to lift onto a roof rack by yourself

Seat I bought online, was 100% worth the money



[Edited on 27/4/20 by Mr Whippy]

That’s brilliant, looks great fun, well done!

Looks good! That's an interesting site, although some of the desgins look like they'd be a bit weighty!

That looks great!
Well done!

Cock on that!

I didn't know you could get twin cable brake levers.

quote:

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Originally posted by jelly head


I didn't know you could get twin cable brake levers.

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