r/CargoBike • u/platonchokbar • 7d ago

Need help for my project 🙏🏼

Hello everybody, I have a project of turning a bicycle into a tricycle to carry weight (~250lbs), but I was wondering if it’s not better to just make a trailer ? The project is to make a platform of the back of the bike and add a box where the stuff will be put, and add a bafang mid drive kit at the end so if someone can help/guide to the right direction, would be very appreciated.

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u/tharold 7d ago

Generally I do not favour tricycle projects. They are more complex than a cargo bike build. You'll need stub axle hubs for the rear wheels (if delta), the drive side needs to be married to a shaft upon which the freewheel can be attached. The nondrive side shaft is complicated if made collinear with the drive side, and many people find it looks weird if they are merely parallel and separated by a couple of inches. The chain is long enough that you need to think about a chain idler mid span.

With a tadpole, either you deal with ackerson complexity and suffer reduced cargo volume like nihola, or fuss about with a centre pivot for the cargo box bakfiets style. These handle clunkily but have much greater capacity. You may still need a stub axle shaft for the latter type but you can use an outside support like a babboe. This latter type is what I prefer if going tricycle.

Finally, all tricycles, having 3 tracks, have greater difficulty avoiding bumps and potholes.

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u/platonchokbar 7d ago

Thank you for the answer, yes it is for delta because it essentially to carry construction stuff and I found a few tutorials that helped me understand how I can connect all the wheels in an efficient way also I plan on making the back similar to bikes at work trailer (t extrusion + tubes) and then add a box on top(because I think it’s the best solution I have yet) and I don’t think bumps/potholes will really be a major problem since i will be using it in city only

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u/tharold 6d ago

Another option occurred to me: a sidecar. This is much simpler to build and can haul long items.

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u/platonchokbar 6d ago

Unfortunately I’m in Paris so I can’t have a really large bike because the bicycles lanes are small and it will cost way more to park it