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Strong
controllable braking independent of hand position/signalling/cargo
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Ideal for the rear stirrup brake of traditional
English/Indian/Chinese bikes
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Also very simple
for cable braking and rear derailleur gearing
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2 or 3 moving parts very
simple to make
FARTHING PENNY Bouquet Cargo Bicycle
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Carries a 20L bucket of
cargo with multi- pocket organiser
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Small bike handling and
manoeuvrability with big bike power
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Silent, powerful and
jam-free backpedal braking with derailleur gearing
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Sit up & Beg
handlebars provide elbow rests for Praying extension
This design arose
from use of standard bucket and bucket organiser to transport cargo (mainly
groceries) in living without a car. Panniers require extensive frames and
support points to keep them out of the spokes, complicating removal. In the
front their weight and volume capacity is limited by turning with the
wheel. Rear panniers or racks do not allow monitoring the contents when
riding and add extra spoke-breaking load to the rear wheel which already
bears 110 lbs of a 175 lb rider.
Backpacks have a particularly high center of gravity again too far
back and exacerbate the differential cooling problem that leads to a wet
and clammy back yet a frozen front. A cheaper system is to take advantage
of the ubiquitous 5 gallon bucket and the cheap pail organisers that are
mass produced for the building trades. These hang over the bucket rim with
numerous pockets on the inside and outside. Instead of adding wind
resistance, a front mounting provides a bit of a round entry fairing to the
body behind. The maximum 45 lbs
of 5 gal bucket full of liquid then
evens the weight on each wheels at 100lbs
for a 175 lb adult.
At first a bucket
was suspended inside the “praying” handlebars of a standard 10 speed but a
full load then affected the steering a bit severely. So it was clamped in
front of the steering tube to the frame with a quick release lever whilst
straight handlebars on a simple gooseneck gave sufficient steering movement
behind it. In fact the movement was
often annoyingly more restricted by the near interference of the toe in
front of the pedal hitting the back of the front wheel. This begs for a
smaller front wheel which would also lower the weight of the cargo and the
top of the bucket below the arc of the handlebars. The grocery delivery and
Paschley Post Office bikes in the UK have slightly smaller front wheels
under their trays attached to the frame
The stability and control of a bicycle are largely governed by the
steering front wheel, and folding bicycles have shown that a small front
wheel has very good balance as well as high manoeuvrability.
But the standard
rear frame is a lighter way to stiffly support the seat and a fullsize rear
wheel allows light yet high derailleur gearing. So the idea was to just
change the frame ahead of the seat-tube to allow a small front wheel but to
keep it and the handlebars stiff.
Since the steering tube is parallel to the seat tube, the front end
can be lowered by parallel cutting the front and top tubes through their
lugs at the seat tube. Then the interchanged lug cuts fit well and weld
easily even with rods. Then another steering tube can be welded on top more
or less in the original location. Since these are the largest diameter
tubes in a standard frame this is far stiffer than a long gooseneck. A section of straight steel handlebar can
be welded in a cut in the fork tube to extend it inside the longer steering
tube. A bracket to hold the bottom lip of the bucket is welded to the
bottom of the steering tube just above the tire, and a semicircular bracket
welded from its middle from which straps encircle the bucket.
The prototype also
has backpedal braking with a silent ratchet on the chainwheel and a small
chain pulley on the same ratchet brake lever which causes top side slack
with the backpedalling (to allow forward pedalling and so brake release.)
The handlebars are an inverted “sit up and beg” so that there is a hollow
for the elbows to locate in when the forearms are resting on a delta “praying
tuck” extension.
ReCYCLE
Cargo Trailer
An old bike frame with the seatstays
cut off makes a lightweight trailer bed with an offset arm for loose
vertical bolting to your bicycle for short loads. To carry long lengths
such as lumber, tie their middle to the trailer and suspend the heavier end
from your bicycle's seat tube. The
trailer axle can be a 1" EMT (electrical conduit) which just fits the
head tube of the lugless frame. To fit old 10-speed rear wheels, replace
the axles with ˝" pedal axles. To mount the cone on the small end of
the pedal axle, cut the 10-speed axle generously around a cone and drill it
out (or ask me to send you 2 such sleeves) DIY: Punch the center of the axle end and chuck the axle segement in a drill press and
use a stationary center drill and then H&J letter drills clamped in the
table vice. Set those upright by lightly chucking the wrong ends. . Cut the bike crank threaded end off to
weld it flush to the end of the 1" crosstube. Make sure you mount the
wheels freewheel-side in, as they are dished, and mount the lefthanded
crank thread on the lefthand side.
The trailer doesn't take much
room at all to store, as the pedal axles are easily unscrewed to remove the
wheels. Make the box and axle wide enough to store the wheels inside.
Whilst the frame would normally remain bolted to the box it can be stored
inside a long enough box, especially at an angle so the axle can be a bit
wider than the inside of the box; then with thin box sidewalls (say 3/8“
ply) , the mounted wheels will still clear the outside of the box enough.
Or visit me and buy a prototype cheap. Or try www.CarryFreedom.com
Tow-a-Bike
to a Friend
This is an easy way to tow an empty
bicycle behind your bike, for instance to public transport to provide your visitor
with a bike. Basically the idea is to remove the front wheel of the bike to
be towed and carry it bolted on one side of your front fork. And then mount
the front fork of the rear bike over the ends of your rear axle either
directly or with some flat bar with holes for the axle and hose clamps for
the forks. The connection must be strong but allow the fork to pivot to
conform to bumps in the road. The empty rear bike will then tow obediantly
behind you with very little drag. The connection is not strong or
stiff enough to make this a tandem. Please don’t try
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