Last welds and a test ride

Tonight I got a bit of time in the metal shop and did the final welds to attach a split tube to the rear seat support, making a bracket that can attach to the seat with hose clamps. Here's how it looks:

From Recumbent Bike Project

From Recumbent Bike Project

So after I attached the seat securely I installed a shiny new (low-end) Shimano V-brake in the rear and then installed the tandem-length brake cable.

Oh wait. Almost forgot. I got my ape-hanger hi-rise handlebars yesterday only to find they were the wrong diameter for my stem. Couldn't tighten it at all. Solution was to cut the flared 1" section of another pair of handlebars and split it in half to make a shim. This hack worked o.k. I don't know if I want to keep these handlebars on it though. They're really big. I'm considering an underseat steering system. At any rate, I got a brake installed and took it for my first test ride. I only could use one gear because I still don't have the shifter cable installed, but it was good enough to ride around a bit and get this video. Fun!



The recumbent position will take some getting used to. I've never ridden one of these things before. It's pretty comfortable but has a very different feel, for sure. Next step is to get the shifters working and decide what to do about painting.