P38 Seat Alteration?

In article <[email hidden]>, [email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

One of the problems I've had with my Lightning P38 over the years is the closed seat position. If
I try to adjust the seat backward at more of an angle, the seat hits the rear wheel. Has anyone
changed or altered their P38 to somehow give a more reclining or open seat position?

Even if you overcome the limitation on the seat angle of 50° to 65°, you still have the rear wheel
to deal with. I have a P-38 with a 26"(559) rear wheel. I have more clearance behind the seat than
those with a 700C(622). I have my seat at the mimimum angle permitted by the seat post bolts. It
hardly qualifies as 50° (more like 60° in my eye). I have a design in mind that overcomes this
problem but requires a 'doaner' Lightning seat. So far, I have not been willing to cut up my seat to
test my model theory.

--

Cletus D. Lee Bacchetta Giro Lightning Voyager clee.orgclee.orgOpen ↗
- Bellaire, TX USA -

"Cletus Lee" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

In article <[email hidden]>,

[email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

Even if you overcome the limitation on the seat angle of 50° to 65°, you

still have the rear

Quoted message said:

wheel to deal with. I have a P-38 with a 26"(559) rear wheel. I have

more clearance behind

Quoted message said:

the seat than those with a 700C(622). I have my seat at the mimimum angle

permitted by the seat

Quoted message said:

post bolts. It hardly qualifies as 50° (more like 60° in my eye). I have

a design in mind that

Quoted message said:

overcomes this problem but requires a 'doaner' Lightning seat. So far, I

have not been willing

Quoted message said:

to cut up my seat to test my model theory.

I was just lookin' and thinkin'. What about a 20" wheel in the back? You could use a disk brake.
Cutting down the seat stays would allow the seat to go way back and you could cold bend the sides to
make the seat flatter. How does that sound?

Chuck Davis

In article <[email hidden]>, [email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

"Cletus Lee" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

In article <[email hidden]>,

[email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

Even if you overcome the limitation on the seat angle of 50° to 65°, you

still have the rear

Quoted message said:

wheel to deal with. I have a P-38 with a 26"(559) rear wheel. I have

more clearance behind

Quoted message said:

the seat than those with a 700C(622). I have my seat at the mimimum angle

permitted by the seat

Quoted message said:

post bolts. It hardly qualifies as 50° (more like 60° in my eye). I have

a design in mind that

Quoted message said:

overcomes this problem but requires a 'doaner' Lightning seat. So far, I

have not been willing

Quoted message said:

to cut up my seat to test my model theory.

I was just lookin' and thinkin'. What about a 20" wheel in the back? You could use a disk brake.
Cutting down the seat stays would allow the seat to go way back and you could cold bend the sides
to make the seat flatter. How does that sound?

Just looking at my 26" wheel and a carpenters protractor, I am currently at about 60° as I guessed.
By cutting the seat stays I could get the seatback to about a 40° angle. Again there is the problem
with the bottom seat bolts. New holes for the bolts would be required. Angletech made some RANS seat
hinges that fit inside the Rans tubulars. Something similar could be cobbled for the Lightning seat.
Maybe an M-5 seat could be mated to a P-38.

--
Cletus D. Lee Bacchetta Giro Lightning Voyager clee.orgclee.orgOpen ↗
- Bellaire, TX USA -

Chuck Davis said:

I was just lookin' and thinkin'. What about a 20" wheel in the back? You could use a disk brake.
Cutting down the seat stays would allow the seat to go way back and you could cold bend the sides
to make the seat flatter. How does that sound?

Ask Ed Gin. < home.earthlink.netshockster.htmlOpen ↗ >.

Tom Sherman - Various HPV's Quad Cities USA (Illinois side)

"Cletus D. Lee" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Just looking at my 26" wheel and a carpenters protractor, I am currently at about 60° as I
guessed. By cutting the seat stays I could get the seatback to about a 40° angle. Again there is
the problem with the bottom seat bolts. New holes for the bolts would be required. Angletech made
some RANS seat hinges that fit inside the Rans tubulars. Something similar could be cobbled for
the Lightning seat. Maybe an M-5 seat could be mated to a P-38.

If you cut the seat stays, you should be able to cut a 3/4" slot in the top of each and use a hose
clamp instead of the current bolts. All you want is for the seat brackets to be held in the position
they were adjusted to.

Chuck Davis

Cletus Lee <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...
I have a design in mind that

Quoted message said:

overcomes this problem but requires a 'doaner' Lightning seat. So far, I have not been willing to
cut up my seat to test my model theory.

Want a Lightning seat frame? I have an XL steel seat frame that fractured at the lower
frame/crossbar joint. I'm willing to give it up for the cost of shipping. It's a UPS oversize
package, which works out to $45 for shipping alone.

Jeff

In article <[email hidden]>, [email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

Cletus Lee <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:<[email hidden]>... I have a design in mind that

Quoted message said:

overcomes this problem but requires a 'doaner' Lightning seat. So far, I have not been willing
to cut up my seat to test my model theory.

Want a Lightning seat frame? I have an XL steel seat frame that fractured at the lower
frame/crossbar joint. I'm willing to give it up for the cost of shipping. It's a UPS oversize
package, which works out to $45 for shipping alone.

It is the integrety of this lower frame/crossbar that I am most interested in. I thnk the $45
shipping is more than I want to shell out for a 'broken' seat. Thanks for the offer though.

--

Cletus D. Lee Bacchetta Giro Lightning Voyager clee.orgclee.orgOpen ↗
- Bellaire, TX USA -

I have a 20/406 rear Comp Pool on my P-38 and a modified mainframe/seat frame which allows a 40
degree lumbar angle.

The cross support under the thighs are now U shaped to allow clearance. Also the rear stays have
adjusters allowing a 5 inch adjustable range. Supports were added to re-inforce the rear triangle
with the Shockster rear suspension.

This version is certainly the quickest due to the superior aerodynamic window of the body in
addition to raising the "pedal box" higher.

I like this set-up and it is only a couple of mph slower than a stock Festina lowracer.

Ed Gin

Tom Sherman <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Chuck Davis said:

I was just lookin' and thinkin'. What about a 20" wheel in the back? You could use a disk brake.
Cutting down the seat stays would allow the seat to go way back and you could cold bend the
sides to make the seat flatter. How does that sound?

Ask Ed Gin. < home.earthlink.netshockster.htmlOpen ↗ >.

Tom Sherman - Various HPV's Quad Cities USA (Illinois side)

Ed,

I assume that the web site posted earlier home.earthlink.netshockster.htmlOpen ↗ is yours.
The first picture seems to be missing.

Chuck Davis

"Ed Gin" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I have a 20/406 rear Comp Pool on my P-38 and a modified mainframe/seat frame which allows a 40
degree lumbar angle.

The cross support under the thighs are now U shaped to allow clearance. Also the rear stays have
adjusters allowing a 5 inch adjustable range. Supports were added to re-inforce the rear triangle
with the Shockster rear suspension.

This version is certainly the quickest due to the superior aerodynamic window of the body in
addition to raising the "pedal box" higher.

I like this set-up and it is only a couple of mph slower than a stock Festina lowracer.

Ed Gin

Tom Sherman <[email hidden]> wrote in message

news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Chuck Davis said:

I was just lookin' and thinkin'. What about a 20" wheel in the back?

You

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

could use a disk brake. Cutting down the seat stays would allow the

seat to

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

go way back and you could cold bend the sides to make the seat

flatter. How

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

does that sound?

Ask Ed Gin. < home.earthlink.netshockster.htmlOpen ↗ >.

Tom Sherman - Various HPV's Quad Cities USA (Illinois side)