The Recumbent Cycle from Aalok on Vimeo.
A lovely montage featuring the recumbent cycle shot by Aalok.
Friday, October 9, 2009
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Coastal kayaking
I'd bought a SeaEagle SE 330 kayak about 3 years ago, because I had some fledgling interest in water sport at that time. But what I really enjoyed doing was kayaking in some of the rivers of coastal Karnataka.
At first, I was quite apprehensive as to how it would be. I neither had experience doing long stretches, nor had any idea if there were rapids or bridges or such on the way. But there had to be a first time and I 'bit the bullet' so to speak, on the Sita Nadi.
Sita nadi is one of the few rivers in the south where one can find some good rapids. I have whitewater rafted the stretch many times in the past. However, I wanted something simpler and less demanding this time.
When my friend N made travel plans to Brahmavara which is very close to the river, I decided to join him and club it with an exploratory trip. My approach was to find a bridge upstream, where we could start and paddle till the we reached the mouth of the river. Looking up Google Maps we found such a place in Kokkarne and formed our plan.
We reached the starting bridge around 11 in the morning and got into the water. A farmer nearby warned us that there was a small dam in the way, and said 'Neevu HaarBahudu' (literally that you could jump off the top, apparently a height difference of 6 feet). We were looking around for this 'drop', but it turned out that the tides were in our favour and we had actually navigated across at the same level. After a lot of easy paddling, we reached the coastal Mabukola bridge in about 4 hours and got off.
View Larger Map
That was the first trip, and since then I've navigated a few more rivers.
The Sharavathi river is also quite interesting to explore. Since its a dam-controlled river ( the dam is at Gerusoppa) there is not much flow, but the banks are very picturesque. One must watch out as there is some commercial traffic in the form of sailboats. Incidentally, before roads were built, people used to travel upstream from Honnavar on an all-night sailboat journey to reach Gerusoppa. There is a lot of birdwatching possibilities for bird lovers at the mouth of the river where it meets the sea. The bridge which crosses the river at Honnavar is one of the longest in the state, and its a heady feeling to move out from the relatively narrow river to a two kilometre wide stretch at the bridge. There are also some small uninhabited islands ideal for lunch picnic.
Reaching the starting point at Gerusoppa is an hour's ride from Honnavar by road.
My paddling partner V made a video of the kayak trip.
The Zuari river in Goa was the location for the next paddle trip. My partner and I started from Ponda town intent on reaching the sea, but we stopped well short of our goal because of bad headwinds. However, most rivers in Goa are badly polluted since barge traffic carries ore from the river bank to ships in the port. A substantial part of the ore unfortunately ends up in the river, giving it a muddy brown shade. However, as one paddles, one gets a good chance to see the less-touristy side of Goa, as well as the tidal mangroves that line the shores.
The Nethravati river near Mangalore also has some good stretches to paddle. One of the objective hazards is a small dam on the way that one needs to get across.
View Larger Map
One could catch up with other kayakers on the dreamroutes forum.
At first, I was quite apprehensive as to how it would be. I neither had experience doing long stretches, nor had any idea if there were rapids or bridges or such on the way. But there had to be a first time and I 'bit the bullet' so to speak, on the Sita Nadi.
Sita nadi is one of the few rivers in the south where one can find some good rapids. I have whitewater rafted the stretch many times in the past. However, I wanted something simpler and less demanding this time.
When my friend N made travel plans to Brahmavara which is very close to the river, I decided to join him and club it with an exploratory trip. My approach was to find a bridge upstream, where we could start and paddle till the we reached the mouth of the river. Looking up Google Maps we found such a place in Kokkarne and formed our plan.
We reached the starting bridge around 11 in the morning and got into the water. A farmer nearby warned us that there was a small dam in the way, and said 'Neevu HaarBahudu' (literally that you could jump off the top, apparently a height difference of 6 feet). We were looking around for this 'drop', but it turned out that the tides were in our favour and we had actually navigated across at the same level. After a lot of easy paddling, we reached the coastal Mabukola bridge in about 4 hours and got off.
View Larger Map
That was the first trip, and since then I've navigated a few more rivers.
The Sharavathi river is also quite interesting to explore. Since its a dam-controlled river ( the dam is at Gerusoppa) there is not much flow, but the banks are very picturesque. One must watch out as there is some commercial traffic in the form of sailboats. Incidentally, before roads were built, people used to travel upstream from Honnavar on an all-night sailboat journey to reach Gerusoppa. There is a lot of birdwatching possibilities for bird lovers at the mouth of the river where it meets the sea. The bridge which crosses the river at Honnavar is one of the longest in the state, and its a heady feeling to move out from the relatively narrow river to a two kilometre wide stretch at the bridge. There are also some small uninhabited islands ideal for lunch picnic.
Reaching the starting point at Gerusoppa is an hour's ride from Honnavar by road.
My paddling partner V made a video of the kayak trip.
The Zuari river in Goa was the location for the next paddle trip. My partner and I started from Ponda town intent on reaching the sea, but we stopped well short of our goal because of bad headwinds. However, most rivers in Goa are badly polluted since barge traffic carries ore from the river bank to ships in the port. A substantial part of the ore unfortunately ends up in the river, giving it a muddy brown shade. However, as one paddles, one gets a good chance to see the less-touristy side of Goa, as well as the tidal mangroves that line the shores.
The Nethravati river near Mangalore also has some good stretches to paddle. One of the objective hazards is a small dam on the way that one needs to get across.
View Larger Map
One could catch up with other kayakers on the dreamroutes forum.
Saturday, August 23, 2008
First cruzbike ride
First experience.
I woke up early one Tuesday morning and pushed the bike to a nearby parking lot to try and ride.I had taken the toolkit along as well, to fix any last minute issues.
Finally, sitting on the bike was a great feeling. It had taken almost 7 months to get to the final form after bike frame changes, seat changes and lots of other redesigns. However, try as I could , I could not pedal even one revolution. I kept falling over, and I found it quite difficult to push the ground from that position to gain any momentum. Finally, the top tube just popped out from the force of my feet on the pedals and the retaining nut broke. I was gutted, and felt it not worth the effort of all these months. So I pushed the bike back home and thought about what to do next.
Turns out the problems were not so serious. A little welding and fixing later,I was back at the parking lot early on Wednesday morning . Having set up the gears this time to make it easy, I got my wife to hold the bike so I didn't fall .I set off and after a few tries, sure enough, I was off. It took me a while to figure out how to ride it, considering the hands need to balance out the power from the feet.
Since then , I've since learned to ride on roads as well. The hardest part is all the attention that the bike draws. I have gotten better at riding with a straight face as if its just another day at the office. As usual its kids that are most excited, however adults of all shapes and sizes give a goofy grin when they see it. This on the small bylanes, I wonder how its going to be on the main roads with traffic .
I wouldn't have gotten this far without help from lots of people. Balu for the seat fabrication, Muneer for the cycle alignment, Vijay who fabricated a whole new bottom bracket from scratch and of course my wife for the support and encouragement ,given that I turned the living room literally into a cycle workshop for the past few months.
I woke up early one Tuesday morning and pushed the bike to a nearby parking lot to try and ride.I had taken the toolkit along as well, to fix any last minute issues.
Finally, sitting on the bike was a great feeling. It had taken almost 7 months to get to the final form after bike frame changes, seat changes and lots of other redesigns. However, try as I could , I could not pedal even one revolution. I kept falling over, and I found it quite difficult to push the ground from that position to gain any momentum. Finally, the top tube just popped out from the force of my feet on the pedals and the retaining nut broke. I was gutted, and felt it not worth the effort of all these months. So I pushed the bike back home and thought about what to do next.
Turns out the problems were not so serious. A little welding and fixing later,I was back at the parking lot early on Wednesday morning . Having set up the gears this time to make it easy, I got my wife to hold the bike so I didn't fall .I set off and after a few tries, sure enough, I was off. It took me a while to figure out how to ride it, considering the hands need to balance out the power from the feet.
Since then , I've since learned to ride on roads as well. The hardest part is all the attention that the bike draws. I have gotten better at riding with a straight face as if its just another day at the office. As usual its kids that are most excited, however adults of all shapes and sizes give a goofy grin when they see it. This on the small bylanes, I wonder how its going to be on the main roads with traffic .
I wouldn't have gotten this far without help from lots of people. Balu for the seat fabrication, Muneer for the cycle alignment, Vijay who fabricated a whole new bottom bracket from scratch and of course my wife for the support and encouragement ,given that I turned the living room literally into a cycle workshop for the past few months.
Monday, August 18, 2008
Cruzbike almost there.
Its been a while since I've started this and thought I would post some pics of the bike with some notes on the construction.
My first attempt was using a standard bottom bracket shell ,but the fabricator who I worked with seemed to think it was too complicated, hence I got it fabricated from scratch. Note that the cruzbike needs a pivot joint (and not a fixed chainstay ) .
The next step was to cut a small triangle so that the wider rear hub can fit the front fork. It might make sense to try and widen the front fork as well. The shape was cut from steel plate and took many iterations to fit it right.
The triangle was welded to the front fork, which was turned backwards so that the trail is positive.
A bent rod was used where the seat post sits, to allow the seat to recline as required. For starters, a reasonably upright position would be a good bet as it allows the rider to put his feet down quickly.
The seat
It was constructed out of bent lightweight tube, and sits on the top tube of the donor bike. The seat itself is plywood with foam, and the backrest is breathable nylon fabric.
The tube attaching to the stem to the bottom bracket is telescoping just like a normal seat post. It allows adjustment for riders with different height.
The rear derailleur is attached the same way in the front. However, I still need to learn a bit more to fix the shifter for the chain rings.
Pictures of the completed bike:
My first attempt was using a standard bottom bracket shell ,but the fabricator who I worked with seemed to think it was too complicated, hence I got it fabricated from scratch. Note that the cruzbike needs a pivot joint (and not a fixed chainstay ) .
The next step was to cut a small triangle so that the wider rear hub can fit the front fork. It might make sense to try and widen the front fork as well. The shape was cut from steel plate and took many iterations to fit it right.
 |
| From cruzbike near... |
The triangle was welded to the front fork, which was turned backwards so that the trail is positive.
 |
| From cruzbike near... |
A bent rod was used where the seat post sits, to allow the seat to recline as required. For starters, a reasonably upright position would be a good bet as it allows the rider to put his feet down quickly.
 |
| From cruzbike near... |
The seat
It was constructed out of bent lightweight tube, and sits on the top tube of the donor bike. The seat itself is plywood with foam, and the backrest is breathable nylon fabric.
 |
| From cruzbike near... |
The tube attaching to the stem to the bottom bracket is telescoping just like a normal seat post. It allows adjustment for riders with different height.
 |
| From cruzbike near... |
The rear derailleur is attached the same way in the front. However, I still need to learn a bit more to fix the shifter for the chain rings.
 |
| From cruzbike near... |
Pictures of the completed bike:
 |
| From cruzbike near... |
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Cruzbike construction continued..
Apart from the seat, the new bottom bracket (on top of the front wheel) and the front fork dropouts are the new artifacts to be fabricated.
The new dropout is pictured on the left ( courtesy the cruzbike yahoo group ) .
The reason these dropouts are used is that the width of front(~100mm) and rear(~130mm) hubs are different. If you notice the picture carefully, the arm that attaches to the front fork is at a different level than the rest of the dropout, about 15mm inside. This allows using a 130mm hub along with an ordinary front fork of 100mm.
These can be machined out of 4-6mm steel (or aluminium) plate.
The bottom bracket.
The bottom bracket for a cruzbike sits on top of the front wheel. My initial design used a bottom bracket cut out of an old Hero jet cycle ( the ones used by doodhwallas ). However, apart from the weight, there is another big flaw .
Since the bottom bracket 'triangle' changes every time the length of the top tube is changed ( when a person of different height is riding ) , or when a front fork with a shock absorber changes height, one of the angles of the triangle has to be variable. (see the attached picture, courtesy )
The design I used is similar to the one in the cruzbike kit . It uses a standard BB with a telescoping boom , but an additional pivot allows the angle to change. Got this done on the second attempt.
Another advantage of this (somewhat expensive) procedure is that it makes the front triangle strong. Without a strong pivot joint, the whole assembly will flex with the torque generated by the pedals, and that torque will cause the tube to twist and the chain might slip off.
Forthcoming..
The seat, and putting it all together.
Apart from the seat, the new bottom bracket (on top of the front wheel) and the front fork dropouts are the new artifacts to be fabricated.
The new dropout is pictured on the left ( courtesy the cruzbike yahoo group ) .
The reason these dropouts are used is that the width of front(~100mm) and rear(~130mm) hubs are different. If you notice the picture carefully, the arm that attaches to the front fork is at a different level than the rest of the dropout, about 15mm inside. This allows using a 130mm hub along with an ordinary front fork of 100mm.
These can be machined out of 4-6mm steel (or aluminium) plate.
The bottom bracket.
The bottom bracket for a cruzbike sits on top of the front wheel. My initial design used a bottom bracket cut out of an old Hero jet cycle ( the ones used by doodhwallas ). However, apart from the weight, there is another big flaw .
Since the bottom bracket 'triangle' changes every time the length of the top tube is changed ( when a person of different height is riding ) , or when a front fork with a shock absorber changes height, one of the angles of the triangle has to be variable. (see the attached picture, courtesy )
The design I used is similar to the one in the cruzbike kit . It uses a standard BB with a telescoping boom , but an additional pivot allows the angle to change. Got this done on the second attempt.Another advantage of this (somewhat expensive) procedure is that it makes the front triangle strong. Without a strong pivot joint, the whole assembly will flex with the torque generated by the pedals, and that torque will cause the tube to twist and the chain might slip off.
Forthcoming..
The seat, and putting it all together.
Choosing a donor bike for a cruzbike.
Currently, bike manufacturers (atleast in India) seem to believe in unusual bike frames. The traditional diamond frame seems to have given way to many versions of the y-frame . I believe the reason for that might be, kids (or even women ) can easily straddle the top tube of a y-frame bike, and they would not need to keep changing frames as they grow older. However most bikes are too heavy .
The cruzbike manufacturers have a recommendation page for the donor bike. There are also a few pages that talk about Tom Traylor's recommendations (Tom is the original designer and patent holder for moving bottom bracket front wheel drive bikes, from which the cruzbike has evolved) However, some of the things dont really translate well into indian conditions:
So to evaluate a potential donor bike, take a tape measure (to measure the top tube height, anything below 26 inches is great ) , protractor ( to measure the head angle, close to 60 degrees is optimal ) , and a weighing scale ( to measure the weight of the bike ). My Hercules Wow weighed about 16 kilos , I expect that the additional kit would be between 5-10 kilos, so its important to choose a donor bike that is as light as possible.
The cruzbike manufacturers have a recommendation page for the donor bike. There are also a few pages that talk about Tom Traylor's recommendations (Tom is the original designer and patent holder for moving bottom bracket front wheel drive bikes, from which the cruzbike has evolved) However, some of the things dont really translate well into indian conditions:
- Hardly any bikes are available in multiple frame sizes.
- Which means that one needs to choose a bike with as low a top tube as possible, regardless of frame size.
So to evaluate a potential donor bike, take a tape measure (to measure the top tube height, anything below 26 inches is great ) , protractor ( to measure the head angle, close to 60 degrees is optimal ) , and a weighing scale ( to measure the weight of the bike ). My Hercules Wow weighed about 16 kilos , I expect that the additional kit would be between 5-10 kilos, so its important to choose a donor bike that is as light as possible.
Cruzbike in Bangalore: work in progress
I've been toying with the idea of recumbents ever since the day long rides from Bangalore to Savandurga would leave me sore in all parts. Surfing the net led me to recumbents. And I have been dreaming ever since of owning one. Done everything from write to bicycle manufacturers about them (well, ye, its hard to contain a giggle hearing that, considering how good our indian bicycle manufacturers are at actually communicating, for the record, i've never got a reply from *any* manufacturer), to start building a Short wheelbase (SWB) recumbent. But the attendant problems (Find a good fabricator, chain management and many others), meant that the bike never saw light of day.
Until now.
Yep, in may I surfed across to cruzbike. Never mind all the features , but what struck me first was that this is probably the easiest recumbent to home build. Cruzbike actually sells a kit that can convert a y-frame bike into a cruzbike, but at 400$ plus shipping and customs, I wonder how much that will turn out to be. Hence the decision to build.
In the next few posts I'll try to lay out what it takes to build a cruzbike.
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