floor board

[sunshine apathy]

as the title reads im looking for ideas/comments/experience with putting in a kind of floorboard type deal ...

 

[SimpleSimon]

Got some pics of your bike?

 

[sunshine apathy]

well ... i dont know how to hot link a thread ... but its in the picture forum... ill see what i can do.

 

[DougC]

If you put a floorboard in, how will you ever turn the pedals?....
~

 

[SimpleSimon]

Yeah. I don't see any way to realistically accomplish your goal on that frame. A crank forward cruiser frame with a wide crank could be made to work, probably, but that frame mount engine is an issue as well. There's a reason that mopeds typically have horizontal bore engines and small wheels, and at least in part accomodating a footrest floorboard is why.

 

[sunshine apathy]

you dont think it would work it if i did a wooden kinda oblong oval coming down on the down tube with a hole fit for the exhaust ... and kinda tapering or indenting at the pedals then extending back out on the chain stay...


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really im just lookin for ways to improve the bike cosmetically so if anyone has ideas just lemme know... is a sidecar feasible.

 

[bluegoatwoods]

The floor board would have the advantage of protecting you from road splash. but after indenting from pedals, which would seem to be necessary, you'd lose a lot of that.

And it would be pretty heavy, I suppose. but I imagine it could be done.
If you want it at all, then I'd give it a try. You might come up with something neat.

And a side-car is possible. There's someone in this forum who made one. I'm afraid I don't remember who, but you ought to be able to find him by searching.

 

[sunshine apathy]

yeah ... theres a few of them .. pretty impressive ...
about the weight ... if i was to try it ... what do you think would be the best way to keep weight down ...

maybe a cedar?

 

[SimpleSimon]

Aluminum skin torsion box put together with a good epoxy. Done right, its as stiff as a board of the same thickness but weighs about 1/4 as much, or less.. If you don't go with an extra-wide crankset, or bend your crank arms outward, the maximum useful width will be the distance between the crank arms at the bottom bracket.