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  • Matthew Dockreyattoparsec@clacks.link
    Jun 29, 2026, 7:37 AM

    This weekend I finally cut down the cargo trike's rear axle so I could add the differential. Luckily each side was already supported by 2 bearings, so no other serious modifications were needed. This also meant adding a pressfit sleeve to what used to be the undriven wheel, to add enough thickness for a keyway to firmly couple it to the axle. I'm a bit nervous if that will hold under real torque, but that will just need to be answered empirically. It's not quite ready for that yet, but at least I was able to get it back on 3 wheels for the first time in about a month!

    The center of the rear axle of a very large cargo trike. A short section of chain from a geared bike huh mounted in the frame runs to a stout cylinder on the axle, anodized black.
    The full cargo trike. The brake cables are hanging loose, but otherwise it looks mostly assembled. The frame is now a creamy white, instead of the terrible mint green it used to be.
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  • Matthew Dockreyattoparsec@clacks.link
    Jul 4, 2026, 2:14 AM

    Got the drive train reinstalled and all the cables tidied away, and took the cargo trike out for a ride around the block. It is SO MUCH BETTER with the differential, wow! Even better than I had hoped! It no longer constantly pulls to the right, and turning left isn't a struggle. And the new shifting cable and housing for the rear hub means I can actually shift. It's still huge and heavy and slow, but it's now entirely ridable.

    This will probably go on hold now until after Open Sauce, leaving me about a month for the actual project now that the chassis is ready: bike RV.

    A very large and long cargo trike, freshly painted in a light cream color. It sits in a cluttered, unfinished shop space.
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  • Matthew Dockreyattoparsec@clacks.link
    Jun 29, 2026, 8:55 AM

    @GustavinoBevilacqua Interesting! I'm pretty sure this was made for use in large warehouses or airstrips, some place very flat. A bike made for institutional buyers who don't know anything about bikes, or care how miserable they are to ride because they won't be the ones riding it.

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  • Matthew Dockreyattoparsec@clacks.link
    Jun 29, 2026, 8:58 AM

    @Primavera It is, from a company that does trike conversion kits. Small volume, but pretty nicely made. It's actually based around two freewheels, but one has to be mounted backwards hence the large body.

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  • dr_adr_a@mastodon.social
    Jul 4, 2026, 2:20 AM

    @attoparsec just started reading A Psalm for the Wild-Built and now wonder if you’re going to carry tea or meet a robot.

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