HPV Construction Projects

By Frank Bokhorst

Click on the pictures to see full-size images.

I get to work daily on a bicycle, but everybody who spends time in the bicycle saddle begins to think if there might be a way to improve upon the old steed: make it more comfortable, safer to ride in traffic, more efficient, etc. Below are some alternatives I have dreamed up and tried to turn into reality.

NEW:

Project to Build a Motorized Electric Scooter

More details

Recumbent Cycles

At the age of about 50, I discovered an alternative to the conventional bicycle - the recumbent! But high costs prompted me to try building one myself. This led to a series of homebuilt vehicles of various shapes and sizes, all of them recumbent. My old road bike became a museum piece.

1. Front-wheel drive (FWD) bike

The first project was a bike. This bike was used for daily transport to and from work, doing 100 km per week over almost five years, totalling more than 20000 km.

In some places it seems the wind always blows... Recumbent cycles can easily be fitted with a streamlined fairing that offers potential advantages, but also disadvantages, in strong winds.

FWD and construction details here

2. Pedelec: The 2x2 Recumbent

Not getting any younger, it became apparent that electric pedal assist (pedelec) would greatly prolong my use of bikes for transport. At the age of 57 I built this: