New Brakes

Hmmm..... After riding my completed bike for a while, I realize my brakes really stink. The rear bake is totally ineffective, and the front brake just melts, giving me about 3 or 4 good rides before I need to peel the rubber off the rim.

I found some V-brakes in the parts box, and I'm in the process of installing those. I welded the bosses on tonight. I'm missing the noodle and the screw that holds the lever onto the boss, so that's on tomorrow's list. It should be a huge improvement. If not, I need to look for a disc brake to put on the back. I hit 43 mph on a down hill the other day, and was quite lucky to have a green light at the bottom of the hill.

Other changes due to learning as I go - the head light set up I had was too flimsy and worked loose. I'll need to build a sturdier mount for that. I removed the chain ring disc - it was rubbing the derailleur. My front derailleur is a bit flimsy making downshifting under a load difficult, so maybe this winter I'll build it up, also extend the cage a bit.

I've started building a tadpole trike for my son. I bought 2" tubing for the frame, and 1" tubing for the seat. The seat tubing seems like overkill, but I want it to add strength and stiffness, as it will be suspended, structurally speaking, between the rear triangle and the front legs that go out to the front wheels. Right now the bike is in a jig, and partially welded. The rear triangle needs to go on, as well as the cross arms and turning tubes. I'll toss up a picture when I get some good visual progress.

Jack