Sorry I took so long to reply. I wasn't ignoring your question, I was thinking (and if you got an email about a reply earlier, that was me, late at night, with loads of late-at-night thoughts).
Originally Posted by
squirtdad
I still don't get the 4 wheel insistence.... if you do something like a recumbent trike I can't see anything that would tip that that wouldn't tip a 4 wheeler (note the upright 3 wheelers which are driven on one side only are a whole different story) [. . .] I am still of the opinion that doing a recumbent trike and trailer set up would be a better way to go..... you could focus on building the fairings/weather protections to meet you needs (check out the fabric/urethane)
https://youtu.be/xg1Wzsz00dM
I've tried those recumbent trikes (there's a place called Bentley Cycle west of Red Deer, Alberta, Canada). Yes, they're nice and light and a blast to ride but I find them quite difficult to get out of afterwards (whether this is due to actual leg strength or it's something psychological I don't know, but I really do have a time getting out from a seat that low).. My hope is to build something that rides as high as my office chair or thereabouts, so stability is a bit more of an issue.
I also want something with a floor. Puddles are a serious problem in spring, and I don't want to be splashed from below--especially not in near-freezing weather. (I'm Albrrrta--er,
Albertan. It's a bit chillier up here than it is in California).
Also--it's been planned as a quad since the beginning (joke thread about a decacycle notwithstanding; if I built one of those, it would be a parade piece). I did consider a trike, but... I just don't like three-wheelers with bodies for some reason. Something just looks... off about them.
Originally Posted by
squirtdad
I do think you complicate things ie. suspension, having a steering wheel in ways that add weight
I know. >_< I complicate EVERYTHING, it's one of my biggest hangups. (If you think I'm making
this complicated; you should see the way I do my website.)
The reason for the suspension is (like I said) roads get kind of ugly up here. I live in a rural area, so roads are sometimes not plowed or even properly maintained. (Heaven help you if local chuckleheads in lifted trucks have had some fun with a gravel or dirt road recently).
And I thought of having underseat steering, but I won't have the room with the body (only 32" on the inside, 34" outside, and this limitation is based on my rear axle.)
Originally Posted by
squirtdad
Plywood riveted is going to add up in weight really fast. Coroplast maybe or even fabric that is then sealed with polyurethane (used for skins on skin on frame kayaks)
Can Coroplast stand up to a downpour? Can it stand up to about a foot of snow? A foot of
wet snow? Can it to pea-sized hail? How brittle does it get when it's so cold Celsius and Fahrenheit snuggle up for warmth (-40)? Basically, what I'm asking is... can Coroplast stand up to Canadian weather--which can get downright stereotypical or worse?
Originally Posted by
squirtdad
Problems finding suppliers is going to make things cost more fast.
Which is why I'm designing with what I CAN find (I have been able to find 16-gauge 1"x1" angle iron, for example. Industrial Metal Supply has them). And I'm going to talk to some welding shops about what's available.
Originally Posted by
squirtdad
Do you have budget? what is more important to you doing the build and solving solutions and challenges or getting a functional solution faster/cheaper? not a right or wrong but what you want
Haven't worked out a budget yet, sadly. I do have a number of the bike parts I want, though--Samaga rear end differential and hubs, for example.
And what's important to me? Partially being able to say "Well, it's mine, warts and all", partially having something that I can cycle for about 5-15 miles in a stretch (Work is about 6 miles, my busking spot is about 10), and partially having something that won't fritter away gas, and partially something I don't need to beg/pray for/curse at/pop the hood and fiddle around to start when I need to get to work.
I'm not building a long-distance tourer--I'm not in good enough shape to even warrant one. I'm not building a racing bike--I'm no athlete. I'm just trying to build something to get me from Point A to Point B, basically. And have some cargo space (but I will look into the cart idea. If I go that route, I'll base the size of that around my sousaphone case).
UPDATE: @
squirtdad, I took one of your implied suggestions, removed the cargo space and based the length on what I, personally, would take up.
...
CycleVan Design (Short Bodied)
...
I'm
sorry! The mental image I'm getting from something this... this...
stumpy is just ridiculous! I'd feel like I'm taking the short bus every time I drove it! Maybe it's just me, but this thing looks so ludicrous!
--------------------------
Update No. 2 : Redid the smaller design concept based on what I could theoretically fit into.
CycleVan Design (Short Bodied Take 2) It looks almost too small to get my fat rear end in and out of, but that's probably my overbuilding mind talking.