Flying Cross

Frame

     First attempt at a flying cross.  It's pretty easy to build a trike for a tall rider, but my previous trikes didn't work as well as I would have liked for shorter riders.  The flying cross was an attempt to both rectify this and simplify the building process.

     This was the original 3D rendering of what I wanted the trike to look like:

     The trike turned out pretty much as planned with the exception of two things.  First, the handlebars needed to be tilted forward so they give the rider more room and a more relaxed arm position.  Second, I had to add the triangulation to stiffen up the rear end as it had what I felt was an excessive amount of rear wheel twist.  The 3D software is an awesome method to very accurately mock up my trikes before I even lay a saw blade to the steel.

     The frame is made out of 1½" x 1/16" mild steel square tubing with the chain stays being made out of ½" x 2" x 1/16" mild steel.  The crossmember is 1" x 1/16" mild steel along with the brake/steering arms.  I've since discovered that with a slight modification to the way the chainstays meet the boom, it will stiffen the rear end enough that I can get rid of the triangulation.  The intended owner wanted it to be able to turn sharp, which it does, so I made it a little wider than I normally would have.

     The brakes are not mounted yet, but they will be standard side pulls.  The brake levers, shifters and derailleurs are all Deore and I had to add the small leg on the right rear drop out for the 10mm attaching bolt of the rear derailleur.

Seat

     The seat is a slightly modified version of the new, simpler style of seat pictured here.  The seat is about 14" wide and the covering is the mesh material used to cover the back of gravel trucks.  I made a new black seat cover for it and will add a picture once the new seat cover is mounted.  The boom is rigid again and I only made 6" of seat adjustment as the trike is not intended for a large range of adjustment like the others I've made.

Wheels

     The rear wheel is a 26" 5 spoke aluminum wheel with an 8 speed cassette.  It's pretty heavy and adds a fair bit of weight to the trike.  The front wheels are heavy duty 20" BMX wheels with 48 spokes and 14mm axles.

Misc Hardware

     The paint job is yellow powder coat.  The chain tube is ½" plastic irrigation pipe.  There's a mounting point for a speedo on the right front steering arm and there are lots of tabs for mounting fenders, racks, etc.

Specs:

Modifications:

• black seat cover was switched for original blue one.  Much nicer colour match, I think.
• dual headlights were mounted, on the kingpins, that track left and right with the front wheels
• flag, cycle computer, left side rear view mirror and a tail light were mounted
• rear fender added
• brake lever/trigger shifters were flipped upside down, and switched to opposite sides.  This was done so that the gears shifted a little better.  The big cable/housing loops on top with the original setup added a lot of drag and uncertain shifting.  The brakes have a much more crisp feel without the big loop in the cables too now.  The only thing is to remember that you use opposite hands for the shifting now :)
• lastly, added mountain bike bull-horns for cruising handrests

Next time . . .

• will try my hand at suspension