I write these notes for who wanted to be a dreamer like me. 

Who really is interested to my “ADY” will be able to contact to me for designs, photos, advices and in order to avoid to do again my errors.    It is rather heavy, remember that is not a “racing bicycle” but a “tourism coach”.


First don’t trust cyclist stores, some could better be a representative of sewing-machine, but if you found one that listen to you and is skilful MARRY him!     To find parts, Internet and the sales online are a blessing.    I also have found many in the “Decathlon” store.
Bottoming drill to column, mini power drill, oxygen-bottle for brazing, tube-bender, a disc cutter, vice and clips and
cyclist wrench are indispensable and “a kind” friend with lathe, favourable.   The larger problem are the smaller parts because nobody sells them.   The posterior part is recovered from a mountain bike in steel from a boy bike 24”, used or new.  If it's new the important is the chassis and its welding.  From a bad one, price 50 € in super-offer from supermarket, the chassis is recovered above all, from a more expensive, also shifter, brakes etc can be used and often the detached parts cost more.  For the pedals support, from a scrap iron, it's better to save the bottom bracket and the relative tube. The chassis is in rectangular tubes and the seat in round.   The seat type deckchair has the merit to be adaptable and not to make sweat.
Tubes and blacksmith can be found in the “make yourself” 
stores except discovering that in order to find measure and thickness you will have to visit some of them.   
The normal tube-bender that are sold are for copper tubes and, if you do not want to construct a “Bent” of copper, you must by force modify them, mine, reinforced like in the photo, works for 16x1,5 tubes.  
The more complex parts are the supports for the front wheels (stub axle), and they must be precise!     They must support the brake, the spherical joints, the arm of the steering and the wheel axis.     Eventually ask someone to make them in workshop, you will avoid buying drill and males outside measure, with problems in order to find a bottoming drill of the apt measure.  The axle of the front wheels, since is supported from a single part and not by a fork, must be special because otherwise it will fold, therefore there are three possibilities: to modify the steel axle of the hub with a more large one, minimal 12 millimeter, maintaining the spheres in the hub, to mount a fixed axle but with bearing in the support, to use a special hub from “down hill” with 20 millimeter hole so a 20 mm axle can be used.  I have thought that the last solution was the best one, it costs a little ( I have found them on the Internet at 60 € each) but they eliminate turning problems and allow to have the right angles of the steering.
For welding if you are already able is better, otherwise do like me and learn from the easy things (eventually at the beginning ask help), DO NOT BURN YOU!     You can find bottles to lose of gas and oxygen (100/200 bars) and relative tube, for the bottles to reload the price increases.  Follow your country rules about oxygen.   The problem is that you use “some” bottles.  On the Internet there are always optimal advices but to have good brazed pieces they must be tight.    Cleanliness, deoxidizer, good bars and high flame, are indispensable.
For the steering I used a single hand, with a joystick command that does everything, but can be easy modified with a double joystick or a double lever.
I have inserted an ulterior shifter, which is an innovation; also if in order to use it you must pedal in the opposite direction.  The normal shifter is a little limited, being from a boy bike with 24" wheels.    I thought that it was an expedient but indeed it's a comfort, when stopped half of a climb, the possibility to shift down and then restart.     Because we can not rise on the pedals the gear change is used a lot.
I have realized a design in AutoCAD, but I am not a professional designer, however photos, material list, designs and explanations are available and would have to be sufficient for the men of good will.
I have dismounted the 20” front wheels , throwing hubs, have shortened by 1,5 millimeter half of the spokes and I have threaded them 2 millimeter, therefore using down hill hubs, I have mounted them again for discs using a micrometer, the problem has been to give the just traction at spokes.    Thanks to Internet I have found the procedure and the dimensions of the spokes.     It is a bad job
An advice, before begin, make your sum, the tools cost and verify also the capability to find parts, seems impossible but you can be lost searching for the spokes or a piece of tube!     However consider to use between the 1000 and 1500 €, less if are used also recovered parts.
In Italy there are some importers of recumbent bicycles but the high costs is because are quality products.
Pay attention to confront turn capability and dimensions since you drive in road or in the cycle tracks and not in superhighway.
 
                                                                                                                                    Luciano  De Lorenzi
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