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This is one of the coolest looking trikes I've seen and as Ed says below, it can be replicated!
"A little over 3 years in the making, taking
2 1/2 years to develop design and build the molds (yes it can be replicated).
This was one of the most challenging and interesting things I have done. I
learned a lot and especially came to appreciate the marvelous characteristics of
carbon fiber composite construction. Along the way I came to understand the
intricacies of steering geometries i.e. toe in toe out, camber, rake,
Ackerman effect etc. The trike is equipped with hydraulic disc brakes, and a 27
speed derailleur setup."
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I asked Ed to elaborate on this project for us and here is his reply...
"Front wheels are 20" and rear is
26". The ride is extremely comfortable as the seat is fully padded as can
be seen in the pics and the carbon bucket is suspended on 2 carbon leaf springs.
The handling is exactly to my liking and was partly due to luck. For the
steering I mocked every thing up in stiff cardboard for testing and it just
seemed right so I proceeded with making the molds. The linkage has absolutely no
slop and it appears that the Ackerman compensation is good. I can do a
reasonably brisk "U" turn in the width of a residential street but
have not actually measured turning radius and will do so this weekend. The
ratios for steering would be considered to be quick as it takes only a small
pressure rather than push to miss a pothole etc.
"My only problem and it is solvable is weight. A little background is in
order. I live in the Philippines and cannot buy carbon fiber locally though
epoxy is readily available. I had to order the fabric over the Internet and have
it sent in via UPS. I had never worked with carbon fiber before and had
difficulty in determining how many ply would be necessary to achieve sufficient
strength. I didn't want any part failures that might cause an accident and would
force me to remake a part and waste the fabric so everything was overbuilt. NOW
I know how strong it is even with a layup yielding only 1/16" thickness. I
have a serious interest in seeing whether the design would attract a commercial
following (using low Philippine labor costs) and so now I am going to start
remaking parts but with less carbon fiber and hence less weight. An example of
this is the "Cross Frame". Take note of the picture that illustrates
how the front axle cones tie into the main frame tube with an "X". The
top and bottom of these parts are 1/4" and could have been 1/8".
"Another area for improvement is the main tube. It is currently made of 6
parts i.e 3 parts X 2 for left half and right halves ( I wasn't real sure about
how long the wheelbase should be) so I gave myself the flexibility of one
adjustable angled tube for crankset plus one main tube which is then captured in
the rear triangular frame for the rear wheel. It is now clear that the main tube
and the rear triangular frame should be one piece eliminating the clamping parts
and the thru bolts. You can't see them in the pics but they are under the seat
and constitute unnecessary weight. The wall thickness of the triangular frame
(which is hollow) is about right but it is clear that the main tube could have
been thinner and I'll adjust this as well for the next one. Surprisingly the
Kingpin/Steering knuckles though cast in aluminum are quite heavy. These parts
were made outside by a local foundry using my plugs for the casting mold . The
ONLY work not done by myself! I am convinced these can be made in carbon fiber
as well which will be a substantial weight reduction. I am working on molds for
them now. I am not willing, at least for my trike, to reduce the foam in the
seats as at age 66 I want the comfort as well as the speed.
"I believe once I have made all of the changes the weight will be
approximately 32 lbs. This is not as light as some on the market but includes
pedals, front and rear lights, safety flag (installed after pics) and a seat
that is not only great looking but gives a very secure "captured"
feeling as compared to web strap seats. I envision my trike as something that
might attract interest because of its "elegance" rather than just
performance based on minimized weight...
"I would be very happy to have my e-mail included on your website as it
would be fun to share ideas with others and the Internet is my only venue for
that. I am certain that I own the only recumbent trike in the whole
country....and boy does it get attention while I whiz along!"
10/2009 Update - Ed wrote to follow up on this great trike. Here's the latest...
"Through your website I have received a lot of enquiries as well as compliments about my homebuilt Carbon Fiber Trike. In that original posting (Jan 2007) I referred to a lot of changes I thought could be made. Well 2 ++ years has gone by and I have incorporated all of the changes I felt were needed, including replacing aluminum steering kingpins with molded carbon fiber. I thought you and your readers might enjoy seeing what it looks like now.
Aside from rebuilding rear frame with fewer parts
I have added a front fairing and rear fairing which also functions as a tool
box. On the "dashboard" is a switch for the four LED light assemblies
as well as a receptacle for my cellphone. The cellphone allows me to "Bluetooth"
music to headphones and as well serves as a speedometer and GPS track generator
using "GPS CycleComputer" a free software that works with my Windows
Mobile Cellphone.(Sony Ericsson X1)"
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You can e-mail Ed at: eaposte@mozcom.com