This is a modified version of the formula for making a Tour Easy Clone, long wheel base recumbent bike. I have been making these regularly (OK, an excessive hobby) since the first one in 2000, based on readily available research done on the internet (Warren Beauchamp's WISIL site, for example). There are two great things about the Easy Clone. One, it tickles me to take two older, unloved 10-speed road bikes out of Grandad's garage and make a new and useful bike from them - recycling at it's finest. Two, this design is highly accessible for a beginning home builder - almost anyone with the imagination to think they could build a bike can tackle this design, and come up with a fun, working bike at the end of the day (week, month - whatever time you have for the project. I have been playing with this design since my first bike, discussing and trying variations on it's geometry. As a rider I have learned a lot from a succession of bikes made, each one informing choices made on the next one. More than one experiment never made it out of the driveway. Many of my Easy Clones and Mach 2's have made it to the streets, some built on commission for others, some 'adopted' by the great fun of EBay 'adoptions'. My peculiar process for frame building is open and available to others on my website -that has been up for three years now, and I get a lot of pleasure out of correspondence from the site. That's the background. This bike is my ride. My challenge, in the Winter of 2005, was to make the best possible version of my Mach 2 design bike - the best choices made in frame building, the best geometry, right down to the nuances of how to rake that fork out for jusssssst the right handling. I spent time as well selecting components - I am a scrounge (as in unlikely to pay full retail at my LBS). The wheels were from Jim in Ohio, who was upgrading off of his factory Tour Easy. The brakes and shifters and such were all EBay bargains - moderate equipment at lucky prices. I learned on this bike to braze studs on a bike frame - prior models all used bridge mounted caliper set brakes. Of course the brazing and finishing were the best I could do with a few years of hobby practicing now. On the masthead of the above noted website is a picture of my EZ Clone - it was and is a wonderful bike, made in 2001, and I had maybe 3,000 miles a year on that one through the 2004 riding season. The challenge of THIS Mach 2 was to make a bike that would make ME want to change from my faithful friend. I did it. The Mach 2 pictured here talked me into it with only about 300 miles of experience. The handling is smoother, the frame is (a skosh) lighter, the riding position is a little lower and laid back - all things appreciated by an experienced rider. I have been on this bike as a main ride since the Spring of 2005.and done some 6 and 9 day supported tours with it, seems like at least one long ride every weekend (long to me is over 50 miles in a day). After the 2005 and 2006 seasons, the rattle can paint job was in pretty bad shape- last Winter (because the bike deserved it) I found a local industrial powder coater who would paint my bikes for $50 a throw - I am told this is "DeWalt" yellow. |
Andrew Carson: Recycled Recumbent |
This is a modified version of the formula for making a Tour Easy Clone, long wheel base recumbent bike. I have been making these regularly (OK, an excessive hobby) since the first one in 2000, based on readily available research done on the internet (Warren Beauchamp's WISIL site, for example). There are two great things about the Easy Clone. One, it tickles me to take two older, unloved 10-speed road bikes out of Grandad's garage and make a new and useful bike from them - recycling at it's finest. Two, this design is highly accessible for a beginning home builder - almost anyone with the imagination to think they could build a bike can tackle this design, and come up with a fun, working bike at the end of the day (week, month - whatever time you have for the project. I have been playing with this design since my first bike, discussing and trying variations on it's geometry. As a rider I have learned a lot from a succession of bikes made, each one informing choices made on the next one. More than one experiment never made it out of the driveway. Many of my Easy Clones and Mach 2's have made it to the streets, some built on commission for others, some 'adopted' by the great fun of EBay 'adoptions'. My peculiar process for frame building is open and available to others on my website -that has been up for three years now, and I get a lot of pleasure out of correspondence from the site. That's the background. This bike is my ride. My challenge, in the Winter of 2005, was to make the best possible version of my Mach 2 design bike - the best choices made in frame building, the best geometry, right down to the nuances of how to rake that fork out for jusssssst the right handling. I spent time as well selecting components - I am a scrounge (as in unlikely to pay full retail at my LBS). The wheels were from Jim in Ohio, who was upgrading off of his factory Tour Easy. The brakes and shifters and such were all EBay bargains - moderate equipment at lucky prices. I learned on this bike to braze studs on a bike frame - prior models all used bridge mounted caliper set brakes. Of course the brazing and finishing were the best I could do with a few years of hobby practicing now. On the masthead of the above noted website is a picture of my EZ Clone - it was and is a wonderful bike, made in 2001, and I had maybe 3,000 miles a year on that one through the 2004 riding season. The challenge of THIS Mach 2 was to make a bike that would make ME want to change from my faithful friend. I did it. The Mach 2 pictured here talked me into it with only about 300 miles of experience. The handling is smoother, the frame is (a skosh) lighter, the riding position is a little lower and laid back - all things appreciated by an experienced rider. I have been on this bike as a main ride since the Spring of 2005.and done some 6 and 9 day supported tours with it, seems like at least one long ride every weekend (long to me is over 50 miles in a day). After the 2005 and 2006 seasons, the rattle can paint job was in pretty bad shape- last Winter (because the bike deserved it) I found a local industrial powder coater who would paint my bikes for $50 a throw - I am told this is "DeWalt" yellow. |
