Categories: all aviation Building a Biplane bicycle gadgets misc motorcycle theater
Fri, 05 Sep 2008
I don't have the trailer built yet, but I needed to figure out a hitching system that would work without weakening the Xtracycle frame, or getting in the way of storing the bike on its tail (which I do to save space, with the front wheel in a hook on the wall).
Inspired by Val at the Cargo Bike Ride (which I now recall I haven't mentioned, but I took pictures, and they're here), I decided the best way was to slide a bar inside the rear cross piece of the Xtracycle frame. He suggested just putting the hitch on one side of the bar, saying that asymmetrical stress wouldn't cause a problem. However, my brain recoils from loading anything asymmetrically if there's any other way. So, I came up with this:
The round bar slides inside the cross piece, and the square bar bolts into that. It's not quite done yet, as I need to cut some relief into the back of the square bar so it either matches the curve of the cross piece, or at least bears on its upper and lower edges rather than on the center -- it's currently a flat face against the cross piece, and isn't very stable up-and-down.
But in the next week or so (hopefully before SketchFest eats my life, to be followed closely by Necronomicon at Open Circle), I'm hoping to get the trailer largely done. I have the major pieces I need, except for some plywood for the deck, and that'll be a piece of cake to pick up... once I have a cargo trailer, that is.
(For the complete gallery of trailer hitch pics, go here.)
Posted at 16:06 permanent link category: /bicycle
I thought some of my half-dozen readers might enjoy seeing the post-crash pictures of the leather riding suit I was wearing. This, my friends (to quote a certain geriatric contender-for-office) is exactly why you wear your riding gear each and every time you go out:
Note that if I weren't wearing this suit, I would now be sitting in a hospital awaiting skin grafts over 30-40% of my body. Riding gear good!
Posted at 10:11 permanent link category: /motorcycle
Categories: all aviation Building a Biplane bicycle gadgets misc motorcycle theater