Home

BUILD YOUR OWN!    PARTS FOR SALE! (Frames...Kits)  

                        THE SHOWROOM!! (for complete bikes)

The Public Record:   

- NPR ran a story on Recycled Recumbent on Nov. 17, 2013.   This is the link - NPR Story by Jon Kalish 

- LAIDBACK BIKE REPORT did an interview with me Jan. 3, 2016, find it in his archives here - Laidback Bike Report

- Sept. 1, 2016 - Local press on Recycled Recumbent - Journal Sentinal on Sept. 1, 2016

I highly recommend BENTRIDER - for online reviews and articles, and it's message board.

For what it's worth I post on Bentrider a lot as ADC1

(if you really want to read a Coast 2 Coast journal - here 'tis - 2014 TransAm Tour Journal - on my Mach 2!)

                 ******************************************************

The free plans on this site show you how to build the Mach 1 and Mach 2  long bikes like the green one pictured above!

**********************************************************************

Complete bikes for sale are in the Showroom!!   

***************************************************************************************************************

Use the Index on the left side of the screen, select the tab for ADC's Bikes for a gallery of bikes I have built.  

Select the tab for Bikes by Others for bikes made from these plans.

The website 'Flagship' - MY Mach 2 yellowbike2                                 2018 - Seth assembled this bike on an RR frame for his 

                                                                                                                                                 daughter.   Beautiful rider, great bike!

This is the author at play - from the newspaper article -                          Nina Paley at work - her wonderful image of 

                                                                                                                                              a Recycled Recumbent with Velocipie Cycladia aboard!

*******************************************************************************************

WANT TO BUILD YOUR OWN BIKE?    READ ON!!!!!

*******************************************************************************************

I hope to persuade to you to build your own custom recumbent - please read on! At worst you will know how *I* make these bikes.   At best you may discover that you CAN do it!   All the various parts of the project are in the Navigation panel on the left!  The plans and instructions are all free and complete here, nothing to send off for.

*******************************************************************************************

         HOW TO BUILD YOUR OWN BEAUTIFUL BIKE - 

Author's bike (including author)                                                                                                                          More bikes!

2014 - This bike and I made the Trans-American journey,

finishing April 28, 2014.  Read my journal for the trip here!  

                                     A COMPLETE PLAN SET!  

RECYCLED RECUMBENTS -

 Most of  this site leads you through my experience for creating a really comfortable LWB (long wheel base) recumbent bike.   I use ‘donor’ bikes, usually old and unloved 10-speeds.  I strip them down, cut, braze, combine, and augment these frames into a great style of recumbent bike.   It tickles me that I am 'recycling' older and unloved bikes into something you or I might ride with passion, comfort, and greater frequency.  The methods described here are a hobby or ‘sweat equity’ means of acquiring the best of pedal powered transportation and recreation.   This site is one of several I know of that relay the experience of building your own recumbent bike.    I am glad you stopped in – my purpose is to persuade you to try this project.   You may already be a convert to the idea of riding a recumbent – for anyone who wants to ride a long way, the torture of sitting on a diamond bike saddle is the challenge.   Recumbents for me remove that pain, and enhance my joy as a rider.

In your local bike shop, you may also you may be dismayed by the commercial cost of recumbent bikes.   It doesn't have to be like that.

The Recycled Recumbent takes some time, ingenuity, and modest resources to build.    It doesn't take a lot of cash.  It costs you your time and thought - your first bike may take 2-3 weeks to build.   The materials are easy – I find donor bikes at rummages and police auctions – the tools take a little doing.    This is a brazed or welded assembly, and you need access to that equipment and those skills.    I have suggested to some folks - "Buy a $100 class in gas brazing at the local Community College - you get some great skills and access to all the equipment you need to make your own frame this way!"

Objective

The objective of a Recycled Recumbent is a great bike at a modest cost in materials, built with accessible tools and simple technology.    It is ALWAYS possible to make a better bike.  You can use better tubing.   Build completely from scratch.   Have me build your frame.  Use better and more expensive components.   Employ sophisticated machine tools for jigging and alignment.  This frame is possible to build well without micrometers and specialty jigs.   I make choices for the Mach 1 and Mach 2 that trade costly hardware for home made fabrications.   The choices are deliberate, to keep both the costs down and the process accessible. 

This modest bike is ‘upgradeable’.   Set it up as a 10-speed using components from your donor bikes.   If you like what you are riding, buy 'presents' for it.   After you ride 500 miles, get it a crank with a granny gear - reward yourself and your bike.   Get a really nice rear wheel and tire, maybe with a 7 or 8 speed cassette.   Perhaps install a fairing, your second season out.   Your riding experience will teach you what your priorities for upgrades are.   If you look at my yellowbikes in the pictures, you will see lots of presents...  There have been lots of miles to teach me what I wanted, as well.  

“(I wish you) Miles of smiles", say some friends of mine.    Recumbent riders smile more, because it hurts less.

It must be said -

I am sharing an experience - not recommending one to you.   This process has worked for me and as built by me - I can't control and do not warrant your skills or your resulting bike and frame, the materials you put into it, nor your riding experience and skills.