bicycle sidehack

[cwah]

Hey guys,

I've just discovered this type of bike:

Please see the video to see how that rides:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=6jeDhP1Hz2w

Available on ebay for decent price:
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=151249790239


It has several advantage:
- Structure would allow me to hide electric parts in an easier way
- Much more stability due to 3 wheel structure with a passenger


2 major issue:
- Is probably too big to pass through my flat door....
- Maybe not road legal?


What do you think of this bike?

 

[Kramer]

Ridiculous?

 

[Clockwise]

I doubt they would let you race.

youtube.com/watch?v=cCLzkAkXJBc

 

[patpatbut]

Hi cwah

There is a foldable version so you can consider that

Search xtracycle

Pat

 

[flecc]

E-trikes like this are road legal and classed as an e-tricycle if the total weight is under 60 kilos in the UK. Over that and it has to be registered and type approved as a motor tricycle.

It in fact has a sidecar and those should be on the left of the bike in the UK of course, though being on the right wouldn't ban it here.

 

[cwah]

Yes there is also the xtracycle sidecar:

I'm however not sure it's going to work really well.. And doesn't look very safe either!


Flecc, why is it illegal to have someone standing on a small scooter, and legal to have someone standing on a tricycle?

 

[Deleted member 4366]

Right hand sidecars are illegal on motorcycles in the uk, but not in France. I don't know if that rule applies to bicycles and electric bikes.

One thing, though. They're not more stable than a bicycle. They topple when you steer towards the sidecar if you're not experienced. Also, you have to turn the handlebars the opposite way to turn compared with a normal bike, which makes you crash at the first corner if you don't know about it.

 

[flecc]

Yes there is also the xtracycle sidecar:

I'm however not sure it's going to work really well.. And doesn't look very safe either!

Flecc, why is it illegal to have someone standing on a small scooter, and legal to have someone standing on a tricycle?

Banking bicycle sidecars work quite well in fact, and are arguably easier to ride with than rigidly fixed ones, which suffer the handling disadvantages that d8veh has described above.

Here is a design for one with all build details on this link as well.

As far as I know it's not legal to have someone standing on a tricycle either.

 

[cwah]

Thanks Flecc, you're my official lawyer of the forum here. D8veh gets the mechanical award

I've seen these guys:
http://www.bmxsidehack.co.uk/Pricing/pricing.html

They quote £285 for a custom sidehack. Good price isn't it? I'm asking them if they can help with that

 

[Alan Quay]

.... Also, you have to turn the handlebars the opposite way to turn compared with a normal bike, which makes you crash at the first corner if you don't know about it.

Don't understand why this would be?

 

[Kramer]

Don't understand why this would be?

Me neither. d8veh, are you being serious?

 

[Deleted member 4366]

It's all to do with gyroscopics,where motion happens at right-angles to the direction of the force. Ride your bike in a straight line with one thumb behind each handlebar, Then push forward with one, and see which way you turn. Surprise, surprise!

When you have a tricycle, the third wheel stops the precession due to the gyroscopic force, so your bike will turn in the direction that you push the bars.

There's something about it here, although it's est to try what I suggest above to understand what happens and how you steer a bicycle.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Countersteering

 

[Alan Quay]

Ok, I will give it a try and report back.....

 

[Alan Quay]

Right, I gave it a try.

Its quite fortunate for me that my neighbours already consider me a little eccentiric, because otherwise they would have questioned my actions.

Had I been asked, I would have answered truthfully 'I'm just checking which way around the steering works on my bike'.

Anyway, I can confirm that the 'steer right to go left' thing is true, however most of it is controlled by your backside. I was unable to prevent my own sizable posterior from taking over each time I put an input into the steering.

I guess thats the point: On a three wheeler your arse has no control over balance.

I have only ridden a three wheeler once, one of those Honda trikes that preceeded quad bikes. I crashed it quite badly. So badly in fact that it also ran me over. Twice.

 

[jackhandy]

Right, I gave it a try.

Its quite fortunate for me that my neighbours already consider me a little eccentiric, because otherwise they would have questioned my actions.



I have only ridden a three wheeler once, one of those Honda trikes that preceeded quad bikes. I crashed it quite badly. So badly in fact that it also ran me over. Twice.

What can one say?... Twice!

You're obviously a man of some substance, Mike:
Only the rich are regarded as eccentric - the rest of the Hoy-Poloy are merely a bunch of Nutters

 

[bigroy]

[quote="d8veh, post: 209895,

One thing, though. They're not more stable than a bicycle. They topple when you steer towards the sidecar if you're not experienced. Also, you have to turn the handlebars the opposite way to turn compared with a normal bike, which makes you crash at the first corner if you don't know about it.[/quote]

or drive straight through a roundabout like my mate did on my Triumph combo.

 

[jackhandy]

or drive straight through a roundabout like my mate did on my Triumph combo.

Cor - That reminded me of when my dopey brother-in-law jumped on a Triumph Trophy combo...
And leant gently toward the sidecar to turn the first corner

 

[OldBob1]

That happened with me on my brothers outfit on Broad st in Birmingham
I learnt from that