Comments on: One of these trikes is not like the other

By: marcel

marcel — Thu, 21 Oct 2010 14:33:06 +0000

Wow, Baccura Airlite looks very beautiful. And simple in it’s construction. Does anybody know ore about the steering dynamics? Things like headtube angle and rake are very important in regular bike geometry. I wonder how this is dealt with on the Baccura. Anyone?

When on art-school, I did some experimenting with the steering by leaning concept but couldn’t work it out properly. Gr. marcel

By: Tim

Tim — Thu, 21 Oct 2010 03:24:36 +0000

I’m the owner of the baccura trike pictured in NZ.
http://www.baccura.com/Baccura_Archives/Photos_files/Media/bac%20%2835%29/bac%20%2835%29.jpg
The capital, Wellington is often effected by high velocity winds. Enough to pull car doors off the hinges at times! When I moved there I ended up giving up cycling because of the danger so I was looking for a trike that might be safer to ride. Of all the designs I found on the web the baccura was the one that made the most sense to me. Short chain, low seat and an elegant build that resembles the simplicity of a bike frame. Luckily Jamie was making a batch and I was able to contact him to ship one over to me. Mine is the all alloy version but you can use carbon tubes to save weight. The main tubes and lugs are glued together using a high tech epoxy and this allows for adjusting the wheel base and handling for maneuverability or speed. The ride is exhilarating and after my first downhill I had to beef up the brakes. I also attached saddle bags on either side of the seat to carry shopping etc. I never really ran into a problem with leg clearance but I’m sure you could attach a chain/wheel guard if needed. Because you are using the seat and handle bar for pedaling leverage it’s quite stable to sit in and as you can see on the straights you can ride hands free. One thing that took a bit of getting used to is countering the effect of gravity on the steering. When riding on banked roads I would have to apply pressure to the handle bars to correct the steering. I think the lightness and simplicity of the design more than makes up for this though. It’s great fun to ride!

By: James T

James T — Thu, 21 Oct 2010 02:06:04 +0000

Interesting…thanks for sharing. I liked the video that shows it on the road as well- http://youtu.be/opJyWmkrJ3Q

By: Binch Shin

Binch Shin — Wed, 20 Oct 2010 19:09:31 +0000

Here is a different style of lean-steer trike made by Chris Luxembourg. I bet everybody will shout, “WOW~”
>> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rkEtQ6E16nE

Chris is a wild guy who don’t care about sketches or graphics that I hope to receive from him to share with you all.. haha

ps Secret to Chris(frankly I think its steer would be unstable as running on bumpy roads..)

By: James T

James T — Wed, 20 Oct 2010 18:56:27 +0000

Good point about possible aerodynamic gains from lightweight wheel fairings on that trike.

…and I do always appreciate input from readers (solicited or not).

By: James T

James T — Wed, 20 Oct 2010 18:34:19 +0000

Thanks Ross! Your comment reminds me of an old post that I wrote after hearing from a reader who complained about a bike that I had previously featured. It was kind of fun to go back and read that old rant, but I think it still represents how I feel about this blog. I don’t expect everyone to like all of the bikes (and other things) that I share here, but I think variety is what keeps it interesting.

By: andy

andy — Wed, 20 Oct 2010 18:22:48 +0000

1. Agreed, it would be fun to try. I’d just hate to hit a bump and get tire burn on my thigh because of the design. A wheel fairing of sorts would add minimal weight, probably actually help aerodynamics, and easily remove the issue.

2. Ok, I guess the contrast sort of makes it work here. I’m just putting in my unsolicited vote. So long as human power is a factor, than I’d love to read about it. Otherwise, I just don’t care to see it here. Just my 2 cents; post them if you want.

By: Ross Nicholson

Ross Nicholson — Wed, 20 Oct 2010 18:00:50 +0000

Nonsense. Electric and motor assist in cool bike designs should be welcome, but then again, we don’t decide what gets in here, now do we? Bicycle design is a great whatever it is plus it is educational. Personally, I detest racing bikes and bike races as useless exhibitions for spandexian non-conformists, but I can tolerate the occasional disappointing write up as the cost of readership.

By: James T

James T — Wed, 20 Oct 2010 18:00:25 +0000

Andy, I know what you mean, but watching that video made me really want to try one of these trikes. It does look like the rider is close to the wheel at times, but I think that issue
could be easily addressed with guards as you mentioned. I suspect that is not the case because these are primarily designed as sport machines, but I could be wrong. I would love to hear a response from someone who rides an Airlite though. Tim, maybe?

Regarding your second point, in the years I have been writing this blog, I have deviated from the core topic from time to time. You don’t have to worry any change of direction though. In this case, I saw the two on the same day and thought it was an interesting contrast. Initially, I was a bit surprised based on Hadar’s previous bikes that this latest creation is purely an electric motorcycle. It is based on one of his pedal powered designs though, so the two designs are linked to a common starting point. I hope that no one considers the new electric powered version to be the logical evolution from a human powered trike though. That’s why I noted that it would be better with pedals.

By: andy

andy — Wed, 20 Oct 2010 17:35:14 +0000

1. The lean steer is an interesting concept, but it looks like the guy is nearly falling out of the seat to get around a corner, and his turns are wide and sweeping at that. I wonder if a (more) tiltable seat or more of a hammock as a seat would be helpful. The close up later in the video is what scares me though. The riders legs are only about 2 inches away from the chain on the right, and the spinning wheel on the left. I don’t think I would really want to be leaning over a spinning wheel. Maybe they could have a sort of “skirt-guard” over the wheel so that you can’t actually tough the wheel while it’s moving?

2. I really hope this site doesn’t go in this direction. Electric assist bicycles are one thing, but this is purely an electric motorcycle. I don’t care to read about motorcycles on a bicycle blog.