Greetings. Now that I have completed and tested my alternate version of the MoskitOS I would like to share it with the group. First I would like to thank everyone who has contributed their time and and knowledge to support this OS design. I built a similar trike over twenty years ago but it was plagued with handling problems so I abandoned it. Once I retired I became interested in recumbents again and came across the Mosquito trike and eventually the MoskitOS and decided to try and build one. Although I a very comfortable with wood construction having built several boats, I don’t have ready access to CNC milling. I have put together a small metal shop so I decided to go with aluminum instead. It also became an opportunity to practice welding aluminum. I was careful to maintain all the critical measurements and geometry when adjusting for different material dimensions. All pivots are stainless steel rods running through Delrin bushings. I did make a few changes primarily to simplify construction.
1- The arm assemblies are rectangular
2- The change in geometry made by inverting one of the Chassis 02 pieces was achieved by instead changing the angle and location of the Fourche.
3-The bases of the Fourche D and F were extended so they could be welded to the inner surface of the Fourche making fabrication much easier and perhaps stronger. Spacers were added to the main chassis and the 135mm hub width was maintained.
4- The chassis pivot point of the steering cross is supported above and below in double sheer rather than single sheer. I think this distributes the forces on this point better and it could also be adapted to the standard wood chassis.
The weight as pictured is 24kg using mostly 3mm equivalent aluminum. I have ridden less than 50km but my impressions of the ride and handling are positive. I am learning how body leaning affects steering. Current gearing consists of an Alfine 8 with 46/20 sprockets. I am considering a Toseven DM02 mid-drive motor in the future to help me deal with the hills. Thanks to everyone again for sharing their designs and managing the ongoing refinements.
Cheers
JT
