New to the newsgroup, but not to recumbents, riding a P-38 for some time.
Rather some years ago, while living in the wilds of Alaska and having become tired of falling over
on two wheels and the ice, I contacted Mike Burrows in the UK and purchased one of his last
Windcheetah kits - - you know, the kit which Richard Ballentine says you have to be very dedicated
to build to completion? ;-)
Anyway, I got as far as having the tubing cut and bent and the "bottom" (actually, quite "front"😉
bracket fitting machined before I was moved to a sunny spot in the lower 48. The kit has been packed
in a box ever since.
Basically, the kit is a set of aluminum castings for Windcheetah, a pair of the Sachs brake/hubs and
the red fiberglass seat base. Over a few weeks of talking with Mike, he sent over additional parts
hard to locate here, so most of the bearings and rubber mounts are included as well. The tubing I'd
rounded up stayed in AK. There's also a full set of mechanical drawings for having the castings
machined, and a laminated exploded view of the complete Windcheetah.
To complete the kit into a full Windcheetah would require: Machining all the remaining fittings -
maybe eight in all. Too, the brake/hubs require some odd adaption to the steering fittings, all
covered in the drawings, etc. Building up front (Moulton) and rear (700) wheels. All the normal bike
bits (derailleurs, crank, brake levers, etc.). Putting the lot together.
This is not a simple kit, but Mike's drawings and notes are very clear. I'd hoped to get around to
finishing the kit some day, but I realize that won't be any time soon, and I honestly feel a bit bad
about all the lovely parts sitting in a box for almost ten years.
If memory serves, I sent Mike about $700 for the kit, $150 machining for the "bottom" bracket, maybe
another $100 for bearings and bits added to the kit. If you're interested in putting together your
own Windcheetah, do email me with your offer for the lot. Shipping would probably be around $35-40
in the US, mainly because the seat would need to be packaged in a large padded box to protect it. Of
course, any questions are welcome as well.
Best, Len Frazier
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