| REG RODARO of Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, races his homebuilt streamliner. The main frame tube is 1-3/4 inch, which is intended to flex to provide limited suspension. Wheelbase is 62 inches. The rear wheel is 20 in. (406 mm); the front is 16 in. (349 mm). Gearing is via a Sachs 7 speed hub and a double chainring. Reg said the Sachs added 2 pounds over a conventional deraileur system, but gave him a wide enough gear range that he didn't have to shift to his smaller chainring to get up the big hill. The front fairing uses part of his fiberglass velomobile mold. The sides are stretch fabric. Reg built the bike more than seven years ago. |
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| RICK WIANECKI of Okemos shows his latest bike, raced at Waterford by Andrea Funk of Olivet. The main frame tube is 1-3/4 inch, .035 inch wall chromoly. The seat frame is made from 5/8-inch chromoly. The bike weighs 24 pounds. There's a single chainring and a 9-speed cassette. The top chain pulley is a 3-inch V-belt pulley; the bottom one was machined from Delrin and is mounted on a elastomer to provide some flex as the chain moves back and forth. Both wheels are 20-inch and both use a disk brake. The rear end detaches, so Rick can attach framework holding two wheels, both with disk brakes. As a tricycle, it leans in cornering. Rick also has built two-wheels-in-front leaning tricycles. |
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JEFF AND JANE HUNN of North Manchester, Ind., raced their new tandem, built for them by Thom Ollinger (Nirvana Bicycles). The Tandemonium uses Primo Comet 20x2.1 tires and disk brakes front and rear, has 17-inch seat heights and a 102.5 inch wheelbase. Jeff in front does all the shifting (triple chainring and 8-speed cassette). The suspension front fork was custom made by ActionTech, which normally makes such things for mountain bikes.
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| PETER MEYERINK of Berrien Springs built this recumbent, his first, from Bentech plans (www.bentechbikes.com). The main frame tube is 1-3/4 inch, .049 inch wall chromoly. The boom is 1-5/8 inch. The plans call for bending the main tube and rear stays. Peter instead cut straight pieces at angles to make the "bends." He cut the rear dropouts from 1/4-inch steel plate using an electric saw and finished them with a file. The rear wheel is 26-inch; the front, 20-inch. There's triple chainrings in front; a 9-speed cassette in the rear. He tried two homemade mesh seats before fitting an M5 seat he bought. The bike weighs about 30 pounds. |
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| RICK GRITTERS drove from Pella, Iowa, (1,200 miles round trip) with two bikes, the low racer he raced last year (with some modifications), and his new streamliner, with which he won first in class. The frame is made of 2-inch chromoly, .035-inch wall thickness. It has a 45-inch wheelbase, is rear-wheel-drive, and has 20/26-inch wheels (front/rear). He made the fairing stringers from 1/2-inch and 5/16-inch, .028 tubing, which he welded to the main frame. The covering is heat shrink Dacron usually used for covering airplanes. There's Coroplast along the sides inside for protection, and stretch fabric around the front wheel opening, so he can put his feet through for stopping/starting. The carbon fiber seat and bubble canopy came from Garrie Hill. He also has an open canopy. The chainrings are 68 and 52 teeth, with seven speeds in the rear. Rick bent the cranks in slightly to narrow the "pedal box." The front wheel uses a Pantour suspension hub. Weight, including fairing, is 47 pounds. He said on the flats, he can reach 47 mph, about 10 mph faster than on his "regular" home built low racers. "It's a lot faster," he said. "It's also a lot nastier in the wind." Rick said he designed his streamliner "by eyeball mostly." It's similar to the first low racer he built. "I played with the boom (bottom bracket) height to get it as low as I could get." He started construction last December and had the bike finished in April. To see what the bike looks "naked," go to www.recumbents.com/wisil/gritters/rick_gritters.htm |
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| DAVID BALFOUR of Marietta, Ill., raced an older model Wishbone with dual 20-inch wheels, fitted with a homemade tail fairing of fiberglass over foam. He tied for first place in the super stock class. |
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| WARREN BEAUCHAMP of Big Rock, Ill., leads John Simon of Portland in the one-hour time trial. John finished third in the one-hour (29.45 miles) and second overall in the streamliner class. Warren was second in the one hour (31.84 miles) and third overall. |
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| BRUCE GORDON of Centralia, Ill., won the super street class in his Popcycle, which consists of a no-longer-in-production Sunset low racer with his homemade fairing. He pedaled 24.83 miles during the one-hour and 33.31 mph in the sprint. |
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| Streamliner, superstreet and multi-rider vehicles and riders get ready for the start of the first one-hour time trial. |
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