Admiral:
Old age gets to even the most youthful of people. My maternal grandfather, 89 years old, is having trouble bicycling uphill because his balance has worsened. Ever the tinkerer, he cannibalized his stored bicycles, welded and built a double front wheel bike (last year it was a simpler attempt at just fastening a spare bike wheel on the side of the back wheel, which sent him toppling into the trench). Note the upward-shooting little rods that prevent the wheels suddenly twisting about 360 degrees if one was to turn too sharply.
Apparently, having two front wheels is much different to riding a normal bike. You cannot turn as sharply, and any bumps in the road jerks about the bike more forcefully. The most obvious difference is that the instinct to turn your body over to one side to prevent the bike going where you don’t want it to go, is null and void for a double front wheel assemblage. Instead, trust in steering alone to take you in the right direction. On first tries, the bike will tend to move toward the trench forcing you to stop and jump off, but handling the double front-wheeler correctly is quickly learnt.
This is Mark II. Mark I was a red bike, and welded fast steel-to-steel. Grandpa switched to the purple bike for its more numerous gears, yet was surprised to find that the purple bike was made all out of aluminium, which do now weld with steel. This was a hurdle for swearing, but not an overly large problem to overcome for an old farmer who knows his trusty workshop (the anvil is a short piece of railway rail).
There isn’t much stopping some people:
Dînadan:
I take it using stabilisers wasn�?Tt an option?
Random thought, but would adding two wheels to the back (one either side of the back wheel) instead of one to the front work? I imagine thatd be more stable and wouldn�?Tt have the steering issues.
Admiral:
Good question. Perhaps it was weight reduction that was sought with the double front wheel solution?
No idea on stabilizers. The full-size bike wheel stabilizer he mounted last year didn’t work well. Perhaps petty stabilizers are eschewed for the same reason that Chaos Dwarfs never would wear a tiny hat?
Enjoysrandom:
There isn’t much stopping your family! Talented hands seem to be a family trait of yours Admiral! Looks great too, would have thought it was something commercially made for him!
cornixt:
There’s a good reason why tricycles have the two wheels at the back.
Regardless, excellent engineering work there.
Abecedar:
That is an awesome Granddad.
Jackswift:
The ability to have a concept in your head and then set it down and build it directly is an amazing skill. Looks like it runs in the family. This is rather unique and a well executed custom edit to the standard bicycle. Thanks for sharing!
Fuggit Khan:
That’s awesome, and obviously the Daemonsmith gene runs in your family :hat off
I’ve seen similar conversions here in Thailand, even converted scooters with dual front wheels. Such conversions are popular with the elderly Thai, although I’ve been told that they are difficult to steer, requiring some strength
Admiral:
Thanks! One reason for two front wheels rather than back wheels might be that it is easier to keep them upon the asphalt if it gets difficult to turn your head around to check how the back wheels align? Another is obviously that it’s far easier to modify for two front wheels than two back wheels: He explained what mechanism needed to be put in place.
Scooters with dual front wheels? Cool! :cheers
Admiral:
Some days ago, grandpa turned 90… twice. Does that make him 180 years old? When his family fled from Finland during the second world war, the Swedish authorities misregistered him, and the error has stuck. Apparently when he turned 50, he and grandma travelled away so as to not be attended with a big party on his actual birthday, but the problem was that they still were home and unprepared when guests began turning up at his second birthday date.
During his actual 90 years day he joked about setting up three long planks against the oak tree out front, to see which of the guests dared ride the homemade tricycle up highest. (Yes the craziness runs in the family.)
This got to be his birthday present from me:
Abecedar:
Who Won?
This message was automatically appended because it was too short.