Nov 28, 2004

This just might work

I dismantled the fairing and tried to take a fresh, clean slate approach to the steering problem. So I thought of this and rigged up a study prototype to see how it would work.

And it seemed to work fairly well so I’ll now re-make it as a permanent thing – until I don’t like it again in which case I’ll rip it apart and start all over again….

The way it works is the aluminum steering column is now fixed in place and I moved the head tube up to the top of the steering column. The handle bars now turn in a full circle like a car with ZERO tiller which I really like. When the steering column turns, it pulls the cables from both sides of the tube. The advantage to this approach is I can ‘wrap’ the cable partially around the tube as I turn the bar allowing me WAY more leverage than before. Now, to go from a full left turn to a full right turn, I can turn the steering bar a full 180 degrees rather than 20 or 30 degrees with a pile of tiller like before. I’m not sure if the steering bar will hit the roof of the fairing though – need to check that, but if I design my canopy bubble right, the steering bar could turn within the bubble.

The other thing I need to change on this is to brace the steering column (shown with red lines), and extend the cable housing up the column further (as shown in black).

TCR2 (track) 2Do LIST:

1. Make a platform for the wind trainer (mini-rollers)
2. Add front caliper brake
3. Mount first fairing and all the work required with that
4. Make front wheel fairing
5. Make rear wheel discs
6. Make a new steering bar that rises up a bit higher – also takes up less room on the sides so fairing can be tighter
7. Adjustable seat height
8. Make fiberglass canopy top with acrylic bubble and tailbox
9. Paint this puppy!
10. Rear strut supports
11. lower and chop
12. Make sliders for the rear struts
13. Re-think steering. AGAIN!

TCR1 (cross country) 2Do LIST:

1 Add front derailleur
2 Run road, roll-over and watts tests for new suspension system
3 Worm gear steer prototype (Waiting for final design and parts list from Ben)

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