How to Make a Tricycle Conversion Kit

Making your own tricycle conversion kit for your two-wheel bicycle is possible, but is it worth it? If you have access to a welding shop and are familiar with metal cutting and welding, the answer will be yes. If you do not have these skills, then it's still possible to collect the necessary parts for your tricycle conversion kit without having to spend more than you would for a traditional, ready-made conversion kit. You'll just have to keep your eyes peeled for the parts you need at garage sales, junk yards or front lawns where people might be giving away items for free.

Things You'll Need

  • Two steel bicycle hub wheels
  • Rear axle
  • Axle key
  • Freewheel adapter
  • Trike unit housing
  • Hardware (washers, nuts and screws)
  • Tooth freewheel
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Instructions

    • 1

      Find two hub wheels of the same size that will fit your bicycle's current wheel size. Larger bike wheels for mountain biking and road riding typically range in size from 27 inches to 29 inches. Be sure to measure the hub of your bicycle's front wheel to make sure you know what you're setting off to purchase.

    • 2

      Acquire a rear axle and axle key. The rear axle can be made from metal piping if you wish, or you can try to find a junk tricycle and get the rear axle part from that. The rear axle will provide the base on which your wheel hubs will sit. The axle key is the small shaft on which the wheels revolve, and can be found in different sizes, such as 4 mm or 5/8 inch. The size you need depends on the size of the axle and the wheels.

    • 3

      Find a freewheel adapter. Freewheel adapters allow a bicycle to coast, and most, if not all, bikes have them. The freewheel adapter is a kind of sprocket that allows the power from your pedaling to move the wheels forward, then allows residual power to keep the wheels moving even if you're not pedaling.

    • 4

      Find or weld a tooth freewheel. The tooth freewheels are the wheels that look "spikey," because they keep the bike chain in place and help harness the power of your pedaling. If you only want one bike speed, you only need one tooth freewheel. Multiple speeds will require multiple-tooth freewheels of different sizes pieced together to create one tooth freewheel.

    • 5

      Find or create a trike unit housing. This is the structure that will give you a base for the new rear parts for your converted tricycle. This is the portion that holds the axle parts, freewheels and chain, and replaces the rear wheel of the bicycle. If you have some metal welding skill, you can fashion and solder the unit housing from pipes of the proper thickness. Otherwise, unit housings can be purchased for less than $100.