Oct 6
Success! I made it twice around the block today before the chain fell off. And before I wrenched my back out. (only 6 days before Kelowna marathon!).
But what a thrill! This bike is FUN, FUN, FUN! A bit twitchy to control and difficult to turn sharp, but I'm starting to get the feel for it. Thank goodness there wasn't any traffic.
I still need to add more chain guides to stop the chain from going where it wants to, and figure out a way to get easier gears for starting - possibly exchange the chain wheel for a smaller one. At least until I can figure out if this front wheel/steering configuration is going to work. At this point I would say it's probably NOT good enough. The problem is the front wheel turns into my legs as I'm peddling - well, that plus the cranks hit the wheel because I failed to account for that in the design stage. But hey - that's what the prototype is for right?
To do:
1. Move bottom bracket higher to allow more room for wheel to turn under my legs
2. Move the wheel back a few inches to allow the wheel to turn past the cranks
3. Stop the chain from derailing by adding chain stops
4. Swap out the front chain ring for a smaller one.
5. Get the derailer working.
6. Rotate the entire front assembly forward to completely elliminate trail (should make it a bit easier to control)