Unvieling, Project "X"--- the Camp Cruiser!!!

So back at our camping trip over Memorial Day weekend with other friends from church, we were sitting around the campfire watching the seasonal campers pass back and forth on their golf carts, mixed amongst the kids riding their bikes.  Got me thinking, wouldn't it be  ol to have a Surrey bike to ride at the campground?  Or maybe some other type of two person bike that we can each ride around to the main store and back or just for fun?

Got out my Nexus Tablet and started searching.  Nothing found within my price range, even a used Surrey can be $1400 bucks even if it is damaged and needs repair.  A few days later while surfing the web some more, I came across the American Speedster webpage.  Here is a guy that has got to have an engineering background and to much time on his hands, but I give him very much credit, as it is a cool project and he has put a lot of time and effort into the design.  (And, as I built it below, I became more impressed with the thought, planning, and execution of the design and parts.)  I went ahead and ordered the plan packet which arrived a few days later.

The Sidekick is a two person pedal bike made out of 1 1/4 Schedule 40 PVC pipe,.... Yes, PVC.  It is an engineers dream project.  So, after studying the plans a bit, I decided to build a topless model for easier storage and transport.  This way we don't have to take off the top and store in the van with all the other luggage.  So, enough quick background, lets show off the fun,.... Frustration,.... And creativeness we had!!

Frame, Glued and Assembled, being cleaned for Painting

Paint Complete!  Masking removed for Stripes!

Rally Stripes look

Almost done!  Needs final adjustment, Woodwork, and Lights!

After the first round of road tests, we had a problem.  The front sprocket and the pedal shaft would slip.  These are to be held tight using an allen key set screw into a dimple in the shaft, but under load, this was slipping out of the dimple and we would lose our drive power.  So, I had to Flintstone my way back to the house one night and come up with a solution.

Cleaned and Prep'd

I ended up removing the sprocket, and drilling out the dimple in the shaft to make it a deeper penetration into the peddle shaft.  While I had the sprocket removed I cleaned off the paint using my dremel tool and prepared it for welding.  Yes, no messing around now.

3/16" weld provides 2,400 lbs of shear force per inch, so we shouldn't lose our drive power now!  HAHA! 

Welded that sucker on!

We also have to adjust the brakes and shifting cables.  Since they are new, they will settle in and stretch a bit now that we have them installed and seated into the connections.  A few good pulls on the handles and a few zip ties to secure the lines to the frame so they don't move, and we'll be in better shape.  The shifter needed some adjustment on the upper and lower stop screws, as in first gear it sounded like it would want to skip off every once in a while.  The brakes and brake pads are always a pain to get aligned properly on a bike, and this one is being no different.  They needed to be aligned better for stronger braking action and better brake pad wear.

The final touches include the wood slats for the rear basket area and a wood bumper.  I chose red oak for all the wood on the bike because it is a nice durable hardwood that looks great with just a Urethane clear coat to bring out the natural color.  No staining needed.  Of course, a chrome 'Limited Edition' placard adds a nice touch.