August Newsletter 2004
Vol. 2 No. 5 August 2004 Issue Copyright © 2004 Alan W. Jarrett Please feel free to pass this newsletter along to your friends. However, I do ask you keep it intact and forward it in it's entirety.
---------------------- August has come and gone here in Florida, leaving us scampering for cover from two hurricanes back to back. It’s good to be able to say that here in the metropolis of Plant City we have been free of the destruction suffered by so many others to the south and east of us. As a veteran of Viet Nam I can tell you first hand what a war zone looks like, and some of the areas hit hardest look worse if that’s possible. Fortunately, the one thing that is missing are the human fatalities. But getting on with things, we have another who has stepped up for Home Builder of the Month Club. Mark Eckert will have his efforts featured this month. Who will be next? I know from the emails that there are many of you out there working on projects. Don’t be bashful and let us see your latest creation.
Speaking of emails, last month I sent out requests to see how many were actually getting AND reading the Newz Wheels newsletter. The response was tremendous, with many of you sending along your notes of encouragement. You cannot possibly know how uplifting all those “Got it!” replies are! Thanks.
There are a few who are starting to realize that this is sort of a semi-open forum for your articles, ride reports, building experiences and what have you. If you write it, I will edit it and include it in one of the future issues. As long as it’s on topic and something readers want to see included you can send it in. I would love nothing better than to see more of you sending in pieces to include in the newsletter. After all, this is supposed to be about those things you can’t wait to read about. And what could be more fun than seeing your own words in print. And don’t forget, this newsletter gets published in a lot of other ezines around the world, so there are thousands of readers who get to enjoy your articles and comments.
Hey folks, this little website gets over 6000 unique visitors every month and growing. The newsletter is circulated to who knows how many other websites, but it’s safe to say hundreds of thousands of readers see this newsletter. Recumbent Newz Wheelz ranks #1 on every major search engine. So, if you’re looking for some exposure or just like the idea that a whole bunch of people will read what your wrote, send it along.
World Human Powered Speed Challenge 2004 starts Monday, September 13, so by the time you read this it will be under way in Battle Mountain, Nevada. Look for the link for updates in the Off To The Racez section.
------------------------------------ If you missed the last newsletter and the updated photos of Gabe DeVaults new design for a multi-use streamliner pad, check it out at http://www.easyracers.com/pod/web/.
I have a huge rear flashing light I have finally managed to mount on the USS. I’ll be testing this over the next several weeks to report on this in the next newsletter. Also, I have found the ultimate seat bag. I’ll be making a purchase within the next few days and hopefully have a report by the next issue as well.
I plan to check with those of you who told me you’re working on projects. Not to harass you, but to encourage you to finish so we can all see what new ideas are out there. Keep it up.
Got some plans you want to share with others? Got some pics you would like for others to see without having to sign up for a website somewhere? If you send any pics, try to keep them under 100 KB.
Be sure to include all the necessary info like name, what you made and from what, and a little history on how you made it. Got any homebuilder (bike) questions? Send them to me at the email address listed below.
There are some great photos of the TE Clone. Plans are also available at This is the section where you want to look for homebuilder forums or discussion lists that will be a huge help if you are building your own bike. Need parts or supplies? Post a question to mailto:Alan@recumbent-bikes-truth-for-you.com
Almost 300 “Got It!” Comments and feedback were great! Anyone who asked a question should have gotten an answer, so if I missed you please don’t hesitate to send it again. I suppose a time will come when I can’t personally answer every question, but for now it’s manageable.
The general comment is that you sometimes read this without opening the newsletter, so it doesn’t always show as having been read. Guess I’ll concern myself with the number that have been successfully sent.
So look for Recumbent Newz Wheelz in the subject line from now on. That was the overwhelming reply as a way to know it isn’t spam in your in-box!
There is a great deal of consideration to setting up a message board for RBTFY. Let’s hear some feedback on that one. Also, let your desires be known if you would like to see a review on a particular product. Some of the best bent reviews are still on www.bentrideronline.com. There are also some product reviews, and BROL is always a great resource of information.
mailto:Alan@recumbent-bikes-truth-for-you.com
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Mark Eckert was one of those homebuilders lurking around out there in the shadows who finally took up the challenge to be the next Homebuilder of the Month. Mark sent me a couple pics of his Markolounger, and I knew he had to tell me more. There are some more of you out there so don’t be bashful. An “Ugliest Bent Ever!” category is not currently being considered, so the only things that really matters are does it roll in a straight line, is it comfortable, and does it survive bumps and lumps.
So here is Mark’s account of the Markolounger! Take it away Mark.
Mark: Alright, you asked for it!! (feel free to edit if you wish) I over-simplified things to encourage others to try their luck at building their own "cheap" recumbent. I have, since I built this a couple months ago, taken a part-time job at Streits' Cyclery here in Gainesville, Florida, and have purchased from them a SUN EZ-SpeedsterSX and a SUN EZ-3 USX under-seat steer trike for my wife. Now we can ride together!!! But, here is how I got hooked on homebuilding and the fun of riding "Bent"!!!! O.K. folks, this is a story about two things: 1. What happens when you decide that riding a "road" bike is good training for BMX racing, but can't stand the thought of setting your rear on something that was never intended for a human rear, and 2. Too much time watching discovery channels' "American Chopper!" I am Mark Eckert, an old-school BMX (Bicycle Moto-cross) racer from the 80's. I have joined a ton of other "old schoolers" in returning to racing, and need to lose a "few" pounds. For this, the thought of a recumbent bike excited me, until I saw the price tags. Ouch!
So, like every other middle-aged male does, I decided I could make something as good as the big names but for a lot less! One small problem though, I can't weld, braze, or join anything unless it involves super-glue, and I don't have access to the tools for building a frame. But lo and behold! Harbor Freight Tools has a 90 amp MIG welder on sale for $119! I'll teach myself!
So, armed with reruns of "theme bike building" from TV, and my new toy, I rummaged around and found an old-school Sears BMX bike in the attic I had picked up at a flea market for $20, and an abandoned mountain bike the neighbors had set out with the trash. That's it! I would build a "BMX" theme bike!
Here's how it works. Use the front end of the BMX frame and fork and wheel, and add the MTB rear triangle to ease construction. I'll simply connect the two halves using some 1" EMT conduit from Home Depot (Roughly $1/ft.).
After looking at plans for the TE clone I had downloaded from the net, I knew how to make the front end I needed. But I wanted to allow the cranks to clear the front wheel during turns, so I measured the cut up BMX frame on the garage floor with the cranks in place, and decided the downtube for the bottom bracket needed to be 14" from the head tube. This also, I later discovered, would allow the perfect trail dimension to make it ridable hands-free! Bonus! The first pictures show how I modified the TE clone plans to use my old front end and only need to add two sections of 1" tube to prepare it to attach to the rear triangle, which I would simply tilt forward to allow the chain to clear the chainstays.
Now the fun part. I had to attach all this tubing! I had the front end (cut apart using a hacksaw), and the 10' stick of conduit. But the welder still sat quietly in the corner, my fathers' day gift from my wife, awaiting my input. I searched the net and found Miller Welders' website and behold! An on-line welding course! All I needed to do now was, practice! So after a couple hours and a spool of wire, I had made tubing joints that wouldn't break when I tried everything I knew to break them, and trust me, I am good at breaking things! (My wife will attest to this!!) So here we go.
Here's the "secret formula" for building what I call the "Markolounger" LWB BMX theme recumbent. Follow along with the pictures and don’t forget to wear your safety gear when you cut or weld anything! (The bike was not 100% finished at the time of pics, I was too anxious to ride it!)
Follow the TE plans to get the basic dimensions you want. Be sure to measure your "X" seam twice as I had to add to the length to make it long enough. So in the spirit of overkill, I added 10" to the top and bottom tubes. Note the seat will slide enough to allow riders from 5' to about 8' to ride it! (Oooops! Too long!) But it gives it character! The final wheelbase measures 78" from axle to axle!
1. To attach all the front tubing, I chose 1" EMT as it simply slid over the BMX frame tubing snugly and simply needed to be welded tight. 2. Leave the rear triangle intact. Just tilt it forward to set the old seat post perpendicular to floor. It makes a great seat back support. (And a handy place to drop in a flag to let others see you!!) 3. "Squish" the EMT in a vice (Or with a hammer) to the same width as the tubing the rear triangle uses for the seat tube before attaching it to the rear triangle to give more vertical welding area. This makes for a strong weld joint with little notching of the EMT needed. Use string to align everything and clamp it tight before welding. Gotta keep it fairly straight! 4. The seat is simply an extra bar stool seat we had in the garage for bench-racing. I would (sniff-sniff) cannibalize it to use the seat part as it IS comfortable, and the price is right! I welded two pieces of 1" square tubing to the top tube at the rear of it to make a platform for the seat to ride on. By bolting the seat over the top tube now using two short pieces of angle iron (read-old bed frame) it is "sandwiched" to the bike and can be slid fore and aft by simply loosening the 4 bolts that hold it on. These seats can be found at school surplus sales and office furniture stores for as little as $20. The fiberglass seat I have allows me to push off the pedals like a leg press and climb hills like a goat! 5. Here's where the real problem comes in. You actually have to buy something expensive to make the bike work. The item: a MTB chain idler from any local bike shop. The cost: a wallet-breaking $25! It bolts to the frame using a small bracket welded on the bottom tube. The high-tech handlebars are made from welding a piece of left-over conduit to the old BMX stem, turned around backwards. I added MTB bars to the top of the mess to steer it. It does have a tiller effect, but it was cheap! I added a cup holder and a bell for the "complete" look.
So here's the stuff you need to make your own "Markolounger" or whatever you wanna call yours. 1 Old BMX bike (check garage sales, maybe $20 like mine) 1 Old MTB complete (again, garage sale special will work fine) 10 feet EMT electrical conduit (Be sure you weld it outdoors as the fumes emitted from the welding of conduit are toxic!! Actually not much worse than my mother-in-laws' cooking!!) 105" brake cable for rear brake and rear derailleur ($3 each) A bar stool of comparable seat A MTB chain idler ($25) 2-1/2 chains ($10) A buddy with a MIG welder or the guts to learn yourself!! Oh, and a couple bucks for the rattle-can "high-tech" patriotic paint scheme!
My total cost on this bike was under $75 easy as the welder has paid for itself already doing fix-its for the neighbors! This bike rides smoothly, with little flex and good manners. It climbs well and carves high-speed corners with very little input. AND I CAN RIDE IT HANDS-FREE!
A special thank-you to my patient wife, Teri, for watching me learn the ropes of MIG welding and not making too much fun of me!! Have I improved upon the time-tested TE design? I'm not so sure about all that, but I do know that I have made it a little easier to construct. I believe this bike can be built in a few hours on a Saturday and a few more on Sunday and be ready to enjoy for years to come! Plus it's a custom design by me! My BMX buddies are jealous now as I tell them on race day that I rode 50 miles this week and nothing hurts! (As they whine about their diamond-frame woes like sore you-know-what’s!) This bike is fun to ride and turns heads everywhere. And if I can make it, you can too!!! Feel free to use my ideas to make your own "Markolounger, or email me atbmx4fitness@yahoo.com and I'll see about making you one!
RNW: Now there’s an offer he may regret later on. Mark may have to give up his part-time spot at the bike shop!
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“Gentle workouts are highly effective. Just walking does wonders. The key is to do it regularly. Too much, too strenuous, or too lengthy a workout can be counter-productive. The extra stress on your body creates more free radicals and cortisol, which undermine your immune system and ultimately are likely to shorten your life. It follows that the kind of fitness program that builds Olympic champions is not the kind that's best for a long, healthy life. You might be super-fit, but you might also be more prone to colds and infection, and age faster than you should. In fact, frequent colds are common among endurance athletes.”
These are just some of the comments from a new website where you can find some really good, common sense ways to stay healthy without overdoing it. Check it out at www.zone-diet-fan.com.
Bill Patterson's Chocolate-dipped Deluxe Overnight No-Bake Power Bar Recipe
Toast the sesame seeds in a frying pan for about 7 minutes, until golden, Ellen's note- then grind coarsely. Toast the oats in a 300 degree oven in a 10 inch by 15 inch baking pan for 25 minutes, stirring to prevent scorching. Mix the seeds, apricots, raisins, coconut, almonds, dry milk, and wheat germ; mix well. Mix hot oats into dried fruit mixture. Butter the hot baking pan; set aside. In the frying pan, combine corn syrup or honey and sugar; bring to a rolling boil over medium high heat and quickly stir in the peanut butter, orange extract, and orange peel. At once, pour over the oatmeal mixture and mix well. Quickly spread in buttered pan and press into an even layer. Then cover and chill until firm, at least 4 hours or overnight. DIPPING FOR CHOCOLATE COATING Cut into bars about 1 1/4 by 2 1/2 inches. Combine chocolate chips and paraffin in to top of a double boiler. Place over simmering water until melted; stir often. Turn heat to low. Using tongs, dip 1 bar at a time into chocolate, hold over pan until it stops dripping , then place on wire racks set above waxed paper. With paraffin, the coating firms very quickly, bars with butter in the chocolate coating may need to be chilled. When firm and cool, serve bars, or wrap individually in foil. Store in the refrigerator up to 4 weeks; freeze to store longer. Makes about 4 dozen bars, about 1 ounce each. Per piece: 188 cal.; 4.4 g protein; 29 g carbs ; 9.8 g fat; 0.6 mg chol. ; 40 mg sodium. Alan's note: This is a good recipe. Toasting the oats, the sesame seeds really make a great bar. The key is the syrup and sugar mixture. Be sure to get that right.
Recipes that you can make will be included in each issue of RNW. Send me your favorite if you have one and we’ll add it. mailto:Alan@recumbent-bikes-truth-for-you.com
No need to reinvent the wheel, or in this case a list of FAQ’s! Check out www.bentrideronline.com/FAQ/index.html This is a temporary page until BROL decides what they want to do with their FAQ page. Any question you have that is not answered there, send it to me at: mail to:Alan@recumbent-bikes-truth-for-you.com
Recumbents are here to stay. Because recumbents seem so new to many, who are not familiar with the 100 years history of recumbents, there might be some doubt as to how long of a future they might have. After seeing the fallout from companies like BikeE, Vision, and Long Bikes that was taken over by Bicycle Man (also known as Peter Stull), many would have good reason to wonder. But then we have had the emergence of BigHa, HellBent, Bacchetta, to name a few who have found their niche’ in the recumbent scene. And there are the manufactures of accessories making tailboxes, front fairings, special hydration packs and recumbent wear, carbon fiber frames for low racers, high racers, and all sorts of high end items that did not exist prior to the emergence of recumbents. Recumbents are here to make a statement. They have done so for about 20 years by holding the world land speed record for an unaided human powered vehicle. Other than a fairing, which is the shell around the bike and rider, all the rest is human power. No matter what you might say about the advantage the fairing my offer aerodynamically, it still takes the human wattage to make it go. But it doesn’t stop there. Enter recumbent trikes and tandems! Not just tandem recumbent bikes but tandem recumbent trikes too! What’s so great about a recumbent trike, much less a recumbent tandem trike? Glad you asked. Trikes rule!!! Plain and simple. Just as you can find a bike for just about everyone’s taste, you can find a trike to do the same. There will be a trike that may be entered at the World Human Powered Speed Challenge this year, as trikes have entered the scene in a big way. With Aluminum and Carbon Fiber frames that make for some super light weights, the possibilities for more speed from a platform that is so much more stable are interesting to say the least. The Vector ruled for several years before being beaten by the current two wheeled flyers. Now because of stability issues at high speeds there is renewed interest in the more stable trike frame. However, it has yet to be proven that the trike platform will be more stable at the higher speeds. To my knowledge, no one has seriously tried it since the Vector. But there is yet another emerging use for the trike platform called a Velomobile. In the search for cheaper transportation that is environmentally friendly, as well as giving our overweight population an enjoyable way to get to work as they get some valuable exercise in the process, the Velomobile fills the bill. As of this writing, there is one pioneer effort in Texas underway to begin fabrication of two models licensed from a Dutch manufacture. While there may be as many as 50 Velomobiles in private hands in the U.S., they are costly and have some problems with import definitions and the D.O.T. They are slowly but surely gaining in popularity in Europe, but have not even made a dent in the U.S. It’s interesting to note that the recumbent trike was not well known just a few short years ago. The Windcheetah and ICE trikes from England, and the Greenspeed from Australia were among the best known. Today you have the Catrike, WizWheelz, SteinTrike, Hotmover, EZ-3, and several others. All are new within the last five years and going strong. The trike market is a tough market due to the almost custom made quality due to low production numbers. The prices reflect this, so those trikes that can come in under $2000 tend to get the order. It’s not much different than the days of the Bike E, when they were the lowest priced recumbent in the market by almost half at $799. Then came the E-Z1 at $499 and we see where BikeE ended. That same end does not appear to be the case with Catrike and WizWheelz. And then rumor has it that Sun Bikes is coming out with a tadpole version of the EZ-3 that may retail for around $1100. I have not gotten anyone to verify that, so it is strictly a possibility. Let me say it one more time it has not been verified by anyone. This is not a fact at this time. It is nothing more than a rumbling in the industry. Let’s see what rolls out at Interbike, as that would be the ideal time to unveil a new product. So what makes a recumbent trike such a great big deal! Let me say from personal experience, you haven’t been on one if you ask the question. Artie Johnson is just about the only one I know of that could fall over on a trike! Most of you who are normal would have a hard time doing that. So for starters you don’t have to worry about balance at stops or starting off. There is a fair amount of energy used just in keeping a bike balanced. You don’t notice it because after a while, it just comes naturally. A lower profile than a recumbent bike which means they are more aerodynamic, more stable, can have lightweight frames, direct steering, great at going uphill, relaxing, what’s not to like about a trike? They are used for touring, commuting, cargo, racing, recreational riding, and as the chassis for the Velomobile.
Recumbents are here to stay. What’s your flavor?
mailto:Alan@recumbent-bikes-truth-for-you.com.
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Hey, I like a good deal when I find one. Here’s one Ill pass on to those of you who might be interested.
I use a Camelbak bag for my rides. It’s not in the original pak, but in one I have adapted for my homebuilt. It really works well for me on long or short rides. But who wants to spend $30-40 on a pak that you can’t use real well on a recumbent? Enter Naglene! Check out their web page on their “Big Bore” hydration bag. The best feature about this bag is the quick-connect hose, which is not offered by most hydration paks, and makes it soooo much easier to clean!
Hey…did you notice that Catrike is being offered through Amazon.com now? If you don’t have a dealer near you, now it’s as close as going to this link with your mouse! Been to the Recumbent Trike page yet? Better check it out!
Closeouts at Nashbar.com
For any who bother to read all I have written about SBI!, you may notice that the Alexa ranking has changed to 164,953. Perhaps that doesn’t seem all that big of a deal, unless you consider there are over 16,000,000 websites on the Internet today. I've talked about anyone who has the slightest interest in building a web site, and how SBI!.com has the best deal goin'. You might just be asking yourself why I'm putting this in a newsletter about recumbent bikes. Simple. Money is an International language, one we all understand. It takes money to buy a recumbent and anything else of value. Still don't see the connection? OK. You're reading this newsletter because you first found this site on the Internet. As an added benefit, hundreds of you decided to subscribe to this newsletter. Some of you, like me, might have ideas of building a web site for future income, as a hobby, or whatever. Are there f.ree ones out there? Sure, just like everything else, and you get what you pay for. I don't know about you, but I have yet to pay cheaply for anything that wasn't “cheap!” SBI! may be that exception. The success of recumbent-bikes-truth-for-you.com is due in large part to what goes on behind the scenes. I do the writing and choose the layout for the pages from their templates. But, the search engine submissions, page optimization, tracking, and so much more is all done by SBI!.
Even if you have a business, small or large, local, regional or national, and do not have a website these days, you’re automatically sending business to your competitor if they do. SBI! has the solution for small business. Do the quick tour and take a look for yourself. If you think this is things where you get all your family members, neighbors and friends, or some other kind of easy money deal, and that I would waste my time writing about “pie in the sky,” denial at this point would seem, well....pointless! It's taken me over a year to get to this place. Not exactly what you might call GRQ! If you're in it for the long term, this might be for you. Check it out at SiteSell.com
Comments? mailto:Alan@recumbent-bikes-truth-for-you.com.
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Today starts the Big One! WHPSC marks the 5th consecutive year, and this year promises to be interesting. Fast Freddy Markham will be piloting a speedbike sponsored by BROL (bentrideronline.com). Get daily updates by going to WHPSC 2004.
So far for Battle Mountain 2004 the following teams look good to show up.
Matt Weaver will hopefully get to run his steering assist streamliner this year. But you never know what surprise Matt will show up with. He’s usually well under the radar, so there’s not a lot of advance notice as to what Matt is bringing.
This should be an interesting year as some new blood will be hunting that 70 MPH barrier, while Sam and a few others launch after the 82 MPH prize. Maybe we’ll get to see Rob Wood who’s one of the better racers out there. Maybe Gabe DeVault will finish his streamliner prototype in time for BM. The updated photos look excellent.
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