formative experience

On Sat, 10 Jul 2004 21:37:23 +0000 (UTC), Ian Smith
<[email hidden]> wrote in message
<[email hidden]>:

Quoted message said:

Well, I've just spent the evening in teh garage cursing
hieroglyphic assembly instructions in order to put together
my daughter's first birthday-present tricycle.

KMX Kart? ;-)

Guy
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Quoted post said:

Originally posted by Ian Smith
Well, I've just spent the evening in teh garage cursing
hieroglyphic assembly instructions in order to put together
my daughter's first birthday-present tricycle.

Now I know I must be a father.

regards, Ian SMith
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Ian,
Hope your daughter enjoys the trike. Hope you enjoy helping her learn how to ride it. Hope she goes on to love cycling.

Here's the patronising bit (sorry): bikes, especially children's bikes are often sold as DIY items. The fact is, they need to be properly assembled before ridden. Assembly instructions are generally inadequate; you need to be confident (I'm not suggesting that you are not) that the bike is assembled correctly.
Unless you are really sure I would always recommend seeking the assistance of a bike mechanic.

Ian

you know? said:

On Sat, 10 Jul 2004 21:37:23 +0000 (UTC), Ian Smith
<[email hidden]> wrote in message
<[email hidden]>:

Quoted message said:

Well, I've just spent the evening in teh garage cursing
hieroglyphic assembly instructions in order to put
together my daughter's first birthday-present tricycle.

KMX Kart? ;-)

Sadly not - I shortlisted it, but management over-ruled it.
I also found a delta that was even lower than teh trice and
was steered with two levers swinging the whole back axle
around a central pivot. That was over-ruled as well.

Of course, since she'll only be two, neither would see much
use for the first five years of their life. No, we have a
Kettler Happy Plus (something like that) from Toys-R-Us
sitting proudly next to teh Trice in teh garage.

I will hurry to get my defence in first - it was after some
weeks of trying to find what we wanted in every local bike
shop ("well, we've got some in boxes out the back, but we're
too busy to get them out at the moment"😉. We even tried a
couple of branches of Halfords before sinking so low.

regards, Ian SMith
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In message <[email hidden]>,
wheelsgoround <[email hidden]> writes

Quoted message said:

Ian Smith said:

Well, I've just spent the evening in teh garage cursing
hieroglyphic assembly instructions in order to put
together my daughter's first birthday- present
tricycle.

Quoted message said:

Ian, Hope your daughter enjoys the trike. Hope you enjoy
helping her learn how to ride it.

do you need hlp to learn how to ride a kiddies trike, my
daughter seemed to 'just do it' :-)

Quoted message said:

Hope she goes on to love cycling.

She did at least a mile on her's round the local park- which
is a very cheap plastic trike, she was given at about 1 year
old. when presented with a fairly steep 'off road' section,
or a more gradual pathway, she of course went for the steep
rough bit - I have high hopes for her :-)

Quoted message said:

Here's the patronising bit (sorry): bikes, especially
children's bikes are often sold as DIY items. The fact is,
they need to be properly assembled before ridden.

Indeed they do, though for a kiddies trike like this you'd
have to be going some to mess it up - no brakes, no
transmission etc.

We are supposed to be getting her a bike soon though

--
Chris French, Leeds

On Sat, 10 Jul 2004, wheelsgoround <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

Ian Smith wrote:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Well, I've just spent the evening in teh garage
cursing hieroglyphic assembly instructions in order to
put together my daughter's first birthday- present
tricycle.

Here's the patronising bit (sorry): bikes, especially
children's bikes are often sold as DIY items. The fact
is, they need to be properly assembled before ridden.

You can come and check over any of teh bikes I've built,
if you like.

Quoted message said:

Unless you are really sure I would always recommend
seeking the assistance of a bike mechanic.

The only bicycle maintenance/assembly task I don't do is
frame work (I do not have a brazing or welding torch, and if
I did lay my hands on either would be rather out of
practice) and facing for headset races (because I don't have
teh appropriate tool, and I'd rather not bodge
it). In my experience, I make a better job of assembly than
any of teh local bike shops.

However, bicycle assembly abilities have little relevance to
a childs trike, on which the only standard parts are some of
teh bolts - it would have been easy were it a conventional
bike. Furthermore, as I said in my post (though not so
explicitly, I admit) the local bike shops declined to take
my money on teh grounds that they were too busy to bother
with 'toy' trikes.

regards, Ian SMith
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chris French said:

Indeed they do, though for a kiddies trike like this
you'd have to be going some to mess it up - no brakes, no
transmission etc.

Actually, there's a very interesting transmission in teh one
we've got. The front wheel free-wheels if you don't pedal
and are just pushed along, but then if you pedal they drive
teh wheel. Fair enough
- that's what a free-wheel does. However, if you don't pedal
but roll backwards, it also freewheels, and if you pedal
backwards it also drives teh wheels backwards.

So, there's a mechanism in there that will free-wheel
and drive in both directions. The annoying thing is,
it's a sealed pre-assembled unit and I can't get in to
see how it works!

regards, Ian SMith
--
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Ian Smith said:

So, there's a mechanism in there that will free-wheel and
drive in both directions. The annoying thing is, it's a
sealed pre-assembled unit and I can't get in to see how
it works!

If I were designing one, I may consider something like the
lawnmower clutch, which has plates that spring out to make
contact when the shaft is driven. It would need some
adapting to take the low spin speeds on a child's bike
though, and not be upset by jolting. Some form of
centrifugally engaged clutch may do it though.

- Richard

--
_/_/_/ _/_/_/ _/_/_/ Richard dot Corfield at ntlworld dot
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On Sun, 11 Jul 2004 08:09:47 +0000 (UTC), in
<[email hidden]>, Ian Smith

Quoted message said:

So, there's a mechanism in there that will free-wheel and
drive in both directions. The annoying thing is, it's a
sealed pre-assembled unit and I can't get in to see how
it works!

The management demand that you take a hammer to it (gently)

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desire, form a legal and binding contract.

Richard Bates said:

On Sun, 11 Jul 2004 08:09:47 +0000 (UTC), in
<[email hidden]>, Ian Smith

Quoted message said:

So, there's a mechanism in there that will free-wheel and
drive in both directions. The annoying thing is, it's a
sealed pre-assembled unit and I can't get in to see how
it works!

The management demand that you take a hammer to it
(gently)

I think I shall wait 'till after her birthday...

regards, Ian SMith
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|o o|
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On Sun, 11 Jul, Richard Corfield
<[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

Ian Smith said:

So, there's a mechanism in there that will free-wheel
and drive in both directions. The annoying thing is,
it's a sealed pre-assembled unit and I can't get in to
see how it works!

If I were designing one, I may consider something like
the lawnmower clutch, which has plates that spring out to
make contact when the shaft is driven.

Radio control helicopters do the same. I suspect most engine-
driven radio control things that need a clutch do likewise.

Quoted message said:

Some form of centrifugally engaged clutch may do it
though.

Anyway, I don't think that's what's in this one - really
incredibly slow turning of teh pedals engages it, and
there's no feel of anything gearing up or spinning inside.
There is something engaging and releasing - when you change
from freewheel to driven, the pedals turn slightly
(something like 10 to 20 degrees) apparently freely before
whatever engages.

My opportunities for experimental investigation are hampered
by the fact that it's still top secret under cover at the
moment. I haven't yet tried freewhweeling while
simultaneously pedaling at a speed slower than teh
freewheel. The other thing to try is what if it's
freewheeling forwards, and you start pedalling backwards -
what does it try to do then?

regards, Ian SMith
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Ian Smith said:

My opportunities for experimental investigation are
hampered by the fact that it's still top secret under
cover at the moment. I haven't yet tried freewhweeling
while simultaneously pedaling at a speed slower than teh
freewheel.

It sounds as much fun for adults as for children!

There are a few other ideas I could have, but more thought
would be needed to flesh them out.

Quoted message said:

The other thing to try is what if it's freewheeling
forwards, and you start pedalling backwards - what does it
try to do then?

Hopefuly try to slow down. I wonder also if it can be held
on a hill without moving.

Sounds an interesting mechanism - if practical on an adult
bike, it would mean reverse on the trike! 3 point turns
would become possible without having to pull on the wheels,
push on the floor, or unclip my feet.

- Richard

--
_/_/_/ _/_/_/ _/_/_/ Richard dot Corfield at ntlworld dot
com _/ _/ _/ _/ _/_/ _/ _/ Time is a one way street, _/
_/ _/_/ _/_/_/ Except in the Twilight Zone.

11 Jul Richard Corfield said:

Ian Smith said:

The other thing to try is what if it's freewheeling
forwards, and you start pedalling backwards - what does
it try to do then?

Hopefuly try to slow down. I wonder also if it can be
held on a hill without moving.

Well, seizing the afternoon nap as an opportunity for
experimentation
- it engages and teh pedals immediately try and drive teh
wheel backwards is teh answer. If you pedal in teh same
direction but slower than teh wheel is already turning,
nothing happens (ie, it stays disengaged). I didn't think
about trying its holding ability
- I guess I'll try what if you engage it (by pedalling up
a hill, then slow and stop pedalling) does it stay
engaged and hold.

Quoted message said:

Sounds an interesting mechanism - if practical on an
adult bike, it would mean reverse on the trike! 3 point
turns would become possible without having to pull on the
wheels, push on the floor, or unclip my feet.

It's got no gearing, just 1:1 to teh pedals, but I guess
it would be possible to build it into a hub in place of
a freewheel. However, to give teh trike reverse you'd
also need to get a deraileur running in reverse, which
they're not keen on. I have no idea how practical it
would be to combine it with a hub gear so you _did_ get
a working reverse.

Teh bonus is I didn't know it did all this when we bought it
- I thought it was just a plain direct-drive fixed wheel,
when it actually proves to have all this play value even
before my daughter gets to it!

regards, Ian SMith
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Ian Smith <[email hidden]> wrote in
:"]news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

So, there's a mechanism in there that will free-wheel and
drive in both directions.

Some time ago somebody explained to me (on a unicyling news
group I think) about modern BMX hubs which do something very
similar sounding to this. Maybe they share the same
workings? I suggest you take your daughter down to the
nearest half pipe and get her to try a few tricks :-)

Graeme

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

Quoted message said:

wheelsgoround usenet- said:

Ian Smith wrote:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Well, I've just spent the evening in teh garage
cursing hieroglyphic assembly instructions in order
to put together my daughter's first birthday-
present tricycle.

Here's the patronising bit (sorry): bikes, especially
children's bikes are often sold as DIY items. The fact
is, they need to be properly assembled before ridden.

You can come and check over any of teh bikes I've built,
if you like.

Quoted message said:

Unless you are really sure I would always recommend
seeking the assistance of a bike mechanic.

The only bicycle maintenance/assembly task I don't do is
frame work (I do not have a brazing or welding torch, and
if I did lay my hands on either would be rather out of
practice) and facing for headset races (because I don't
have teh appropriate tool, and I'd rather not bodge
it). In my experience, I make a better job of assembly
than any of teh local bike shops.

However, bicycle assembly abilities have little relevance
to a childs trike, on which the only standard parts are
some of teh bolts - it would have been easy were it a
conventional bike. Furthermore, as I said in my post
(though not so explicitly, I admit) the local bike shops
declined to take my money on teh grounds that they were
too busy to bother with 'toy' trikes.

regards, Ian SMith

I have to say I'm VERY impressed in the consistence of your
mispelling of the ;o)
--
.paul

If at first you don't succeed... Skydiving is probably not
the sport for you.