DIY Recumbent Trike Conversion

A recumbent trike is the product of re-imagining the traditional road bicycle. Manufacturers move key components like the pedals and steering linkage, and add a sling style padded nylon seat which supports the rider's back and back side. The result is a trike which places the rider's center of gravity much closer to the ground. The trike is much more stable, and possibly better suited for older riders.

Things You'll Need

  • A man's road bike, 26 inch, 10 to 14 speed
  • A woman's three-wheeled trike
  • 2 bicycle front wheels, 20 or 24 inch diameter
  • Hack saw
  • 5-inch disk grinder
  • Safety equipment, including leather gloves and safety glasses
  • Recumbent sling style seat and frame
  • Assorted hand tools, including wrenches, adjustable pliers and screwdrivers
  • Drill, with assorted drill and driver bits
  • Hammer
  • Pry bar
  • 6-inch-by-1-1/4-inch U-bolt
  • 5/16-by-1-1/2-inch self drilling sheet metal screws
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Instructions

    • 1

      Strip the 26 inch road bike of its front wheel, front fork, handlebars and neck. Remove the seat from the seat post, but leave the seat post in place. Remove the shifter cables and shift levers from the derailleurs, and set them aside for later. We will call this frame "#1" from now on.

    • 2

      Cut this bike frame with the hack saw and grind the joints smooth with a disk grinder. You will remove the upper and lower main tubes which are both attached to the front fork bearing guide. Cut these two bars loose from the frame immediately in front of the main seat post down tube. You are removing the front half of the bike, leaving the rear half of the bike intact.

    • 3

      Loosen the front wheel axle nuts on the trike, and remove the front wheel. Loosen the axle bolts on the rear wheel of frame #1. Spin the half-bike around and position it in front of the trike. Make sure the sprockets are on the right side of the bike frame. Spread the front forks of the trike and place the forks down over the axle of the back wheel of frame #1.

    • 4

      Tilt the half bike frame upward so that the seat tube is within three to four inches of the neck on the trike. Using the U-bolts, fasten the seat tube to the handlebar neck. When you're done, the neck and handlebars on the main trike frame must still turn freely. Finally, lock down the axle nuts that pass through the rear frame of bike #1 and the front fork of the trike.

    • 5

      Replace the back wheels on the trike frame with two 20 or 24 inch bicycle front wheels. This will tilt the entire bike frame backward and complete the recumbent styling.

    • 6

      Reinstall the shifter levers and the shifter cables that were removed from the #1 bike before it was cut down. Install these onto the handlebars or frame of the trike. Adjust the cables so that the derailleurs operate properly.

    • 7

      Remove the original seat and seat post from the trike, and attach a recumbent style bike seat to the point at which the cross tube intersects the seat post tube. You are working with a woman's style trike frame, so this intersection should be 8 to 12 inches lower to the ground than the original seat. The frame of the recumbent seat can be bolted to the bike frame with self-drilling sheet metal screws.