Always wanted to try this so when the opportunity to pick up a Euromesh seat at a reasonable price I was all over it.  Pick up a like new seat on e-bay and with a bit of tinkering it fit perfectly.

I removed the original seat and then unscrewed the Radloc from the seat base.  Unfortunately the holes in the Euromesh did not line up with the mounting holes in the Radloc so let’s break out Mr Dewalt and a 8mm drill.

Radloc lined up on Euromesh support bracket

I lined up the Radloc and clamped it down, center punched the new hole positions and drilled away.

The braces matched up perfectly so all I had to do there was unbolt them from the original seat and bolt them onto the new one.  I had to learn the hard way that it is always best to use some sort of locking nut and or threadloc compound on anything you do not want to break free at an inopportune moment.

Ready to clamp on to V2

In that same spitit I used 3/4″ flat head screws on the seat bottom mount with nyloc nuts.  One other hard lesson was if the original engineer designed something for 4 screws, use 4 screws, even if it looks like 2 would do, use the 4. Someone went to engineering school for a reason.

Seat struts line up well.

Euromesh with pad ready to ride

The final product turned out pretty good and so far the 100+ miles I have put on it are very comfortable ones with an added bonus of a slight pick up in speed.  It did take a few miles to get used to the more reclined position but I may be ready to sell the original Rans seat.

Before I rode my first Rans I was one of those who thought the seat looked just stupid.  It was just an overgrown cruiser seat made especially for an overly large American backside.  Once I tried it…..like the commercial said, “You’ll like it!”  And they were right.

Old seat cover. Notice the arrow pointing to the hole.

Well due to a premature release of a radloc on a fun ride my seat cover got eaten by my rear wheel.  This was purely asthetic and the base of the seat was not damaged but in preparation for an upcoming ride I really wanted a new seat cover.

I checked out the Rans site and found their original covers are only $44 plus shipping but I really wanted something more.  I have a background in sewing machine and fabric application so with that in mind I was off to the fabric store.  The fabric had to be stretchy in multiple directions and should wear well.  I found a heavy spandex in a ton of designs,  Everything from leopard to candy stripes and I could not control myself.  I bought 2 different patterns to experiment with.  My favorites were the star spangled banner print and the tie-dyed peace signs.

Making A Pattern

Remember, 28 inches.

The first step was to remove the old seat cover and make a pattern.  The cover just slips off over the top of the seat bottom.  It is held in place with an elastic cord that is tied at the back of the seat.  Untie the cord and pull it out of the sleeve it is in.  It’s length is 28 inches so remember this point or write it down if you must.

Gently, gently, cut it away.

The next step is to gently cut the non-flexible sleeve from the seat cover fabric.  You will make a few holes but just do not make too many.  The fabric will be wrinkled so to flatten it to make an accurate pattern get your wife’s iron, set it on med-high and apply heat to the fabric with extreme caution.

Cool iron, not too hot or it will all melt.

Use a sheet of paper between the iron and the fabric or you will end up with molten fabric dripping from the iron and no pattern.

Once it is fairly flat the middle of the fabric will be puckered up but as long as the edges are good you will be able to make an accurate pattern for the future.  You can use cardboard but I had a yoga mat that was not getting much use so with a sharp pair of scissors a pattern was born.

For Sale, used yoga mat. Odd hole in the middle but otherwise in great shape.

Hippy days are here again.....

Making The Seat Cover

Seal the ends of all nylon with a hot knife.

With pattern in hand, I cut a few pieces of my very cool fabric and now the real work began.  I am pretty familiar with my wife’s machine and it did not require any special set-up so it was a matter of gathering my materials and sewing away.  The casing I needed for the cord had to be non-stretchy so I found 1 1/2″ ribbon at WallyWorld and bought a roll of it for each fabric.  I cut it with a hot knife to a length of 65″.  This was based on the old one I had removed from the original.

I added a bit of fabric to the casing to allow for the stretch of the spandex.

Make sure you use a hot knife or something to seal the ends of any nylon you cut.

Begin at the back of the seat at the midline and work slowly around the cut fabric.  The stretchy fabric should be on top to keep the lower feet from pulling it and distorting the final product.  Here is a point where my wife and I differ.  I put the cord in the casing while I stitched it.  I have a really small presser foot so even though the cord is a pain and in the way, it works for me.  She prefers to stitch the project and then feed the cord through.  This takes time and if you stitch the casing a bit small you will have trouble passing the cord.

Great pattern for the upcoming Veterans Day ride.

Either way it works, but I think my way is easier with this fairly large cord.  When you get to the point where the casing meets its self make sure you overlap then 1/4 – 1/2″  This will ensure consistency when you tie the cord.  I further added a reinforcing piece of casing over the joined area but it is probably not required.

Fun fabric. A very cool seat for any occasion.

Next tie the cord in a square knot and then seal the knot with a few drops of super glue to keep it together.  Now work the fabric around the cord as evenly as possible and slip it on the seat pad.  You are now the proud owner of a freshly covered seat in very snazzy colors and patterns.  From a 1/2 yd of fabric you will get 3 covers easily.  Later on I found some ribbon for casing that complimented some of the fabrics very well so I see many more covers in my future.  The total cost of the cover is about $5 and most of that was the ribbon used for casing.  The elastic cord (3/16 – 1/4″)is available from a good fabric store for pennys.

The perfect seat for the Veterans Day ride

Overall it was an easy project with some very cool results.  I am not sure how long the printed designs will stay on the fabric but I have several hundred miles on it and no wear so far.  I will keep you posted if wear becomes an issue.

NOTE 2/2011: After several months and loads of miles the stars (silk screened on) are wearing off a bit but the over-all performance of the seat cover has been very nice.  I still get comments about the seat and may be looking towards a star tailsok for this summer’s project.

When I first began riding recumbents it was on a trike that I still own and love but just do not get to riding as often as I would like.  I then made the decision to try a two wheeled version of the recumbent.  I purchased a SWB Jetstream and had a great time learning to ride it.  The one issue I had with it was that there was really no way to attach a good headrest to it.  After about 40 miles my melon got a bit heavy and by the time I got to 60 I had to keep one hand on my neck just to get a bit of relief.

As I moved along to my next SWB, an AB Tango, I knew I had to have a headrest.  The one that came along with it just did not fit with my helmet.  A custom job was needed desperately.  Here is the progression of making, adjusting, starting over, and finally coming up with what I needed.

In the beginning... there were parts.

I began with a piece of aluminum plate and a seat post from a deceased DF bike.

I measured, cut, and drilled the plate until I got the holes I needed plus a few for possible adjustments and then had a friend weld the post to the plate.

The yellow tape is just holding the pad in place until the contact cement dries.

My task then turned to finding the correct material for padding and since it is summer in the south the availability of “pool noodles” made the choice for me.  I selected a 4″ one in blue to match the bike and cut a piect to fit the ex-seatpost.

A quick slice down the middle and I had a headrest that looked very cool.  All I had to do was mount it and I was ready for the 2 day 120 mile ride across the sandhills of NC.

Attempt 1 attached view from the side.

Unfortunately,  the headrest was too big, too hard, too high, held my water bottles in place a bit too tight, and altogether just uncomfortable.  I attacked it with a knife and little by little whittled it down until it was acceptable for comfort and access to my water but looked like crap.  I could not just remove the foam since I had used the very best contact cement I could find and it was virtually welded in place. (as were a few items on my garage floor where I spilled about 1/2 quart of the cement).

Well it was round once!!!!

Once home I broke out the grinder with a stripped pad in place and destroyed the remnants of the old noodle.  I drilled two more holes so I could lower the mount, and found a much smaller noodle for the pad.  I now have a very comfortable headrest and have scraped up most of the contact cement spilled on the garage floor.

The new mount holes are about 1 1/4 inch higher than the previous ones.

Notched the padding for the seat pad. Sharp knives are my friend.

On my first recumbent trike (AB Apoyo) I found that I really did not care for the bar end shifters. They worked fine but just personal preference led me to explore options. I lengthened the USS handlebars 4″ and purchased a pair of combination brake levers and trigger shifters. I realized that for all of this to work like I wanted I would have to mount them upside down. To make the triggers fit my hand I also had to mount them on the opposite sides from normal.

No this is not my hand so don't get any ideas.

It really only took a few minutes to get used to it and the shifts are now crisp and accurate. The extensions are not a necessity but I like them.

Shifting to a bigger gear is with the thumb pushing forward and down to smaller gears is a simple flick of the index finger. Only confusing if you switch between two or more bikes often and then only just for a minute or so, or until you miss a gear.

Thanks to Sara and Greg for snapping this picture at the REI in Huntersville, NC

Solar power!!!! Check out this ride. A friend of mine found it parked at the REI Store at Northlake Mall near Charlotte, NC. This should settle the argument over recharging your batteries with a solar array. It can be done it is just way bigger than most of us would want. This little ride could double as a shelter for a small family during one of our afternoon thundershowers. I would love to see this up close. The drive system for the side by side recumbent is interesting enough without the solar extras.

The TerraCycle "over and under" idler. A quality idler and worth every penny of it.

Two idlers needed to make this conversion work.

Tom Clancy would be proud. If I was a submarine not even that cool sonar guy would be able to track me. I can now pedal my AB Tango along a quiet country road and not scare off the wildlife. The original chain line was a contortion of tubes with twists and turns that I knew were robbing me of some power and making that annoying clatter tubes meeting chains make. I cleaned it up a bit and added some nice idlers and I now have a chain line I could use to sneak up on the wraskally DF bikers. TerraCycle supplied the “over and under” idler as well as the 60mm clamps. I recycled (hat tip to ADC from BROL) the original AB Idler with some modifications. The clamps would accommodate 8mm bolts while the bearing on the AB idler required a 12mm shaft. Problem solved after I found a bronze bushing with a 12mm o.d. and an 8mm i.d.. Put it all together with a home-made chain keeper and some more hardware bits and pieces and there you have it. But don’t wait for me because you will not hear me coming, well except for the occasional gasp for air from my engine intake. I did notice an increase in speed (about 1mph) but I am sure some of it came from the “Look at my shiney new thingy” effect.