This recumbent trike was built using parts from three salvaged bikes and without welding. These bikes are a bit easier on the back and neck than the traditional riding position. This one also allows for a shorter pedal crank which was a concern for the creator, [Barry Millman]. Not only did he do a fantastic job of making the thing, but he shared the project in verbose detail.

It’s a good build. It won’t win a prize for light-weight design as it includes a big chunk of plywood. But it is worth the weight hit if welding is not an option. For your viewing pleasure you’ll find a short parking lot test-drive of the finished recumbent after the break.

Oh, and if you want a more dangerous cycling build, try this over-under tandem.

in 1983, [Steve Roberts] packed up a Tandy 100 laptop and a 5-watt solar panel, fleeing suburbia on his recumbent bicycle on what would become a 17,000 mile journey that forever cemented his place in the geek pantheon…not just as a technology hacker, but as one of the preeminent “life hackers,” pursuing his own dreams on his own terms and inspiring others to do the same.

In this 1989 video, recently unearthed by Hack a Day, [Roberts] reflects on the first 16,000 miles of his voyage, detailing some of the technology that went into his then-current ride, the Winnebiko II.

Next time you’re comfortably working from the local park with your laptop tethered to a 3G connection, raise your latte in toast to [Roberts], who was pioneering the “mobile professional lifestyle” more than two decades ago. There was no Google Maps, no mainstream consumer internet, no 3G wireless. It was all packet radio and acoustic couplers on pay phones. Where he casually speaks of “living in the computer networks,” he’s referring to CompuServe, GEnie and UUCPNET. And next time you’re trapped at a green light while the driver ahead of you is distracted by text messaging, you can curse thank [Steve] for that, too…with his handgrip-integrated keyboard, he may well have invented texting while driving.

[Roberts] is still blazing trails…tinkering, writing, and living the “technomad” lifestyle, now by sea instead of land. You can follow along with his adventures on two web sites: microship.com is now primarily a retrospective of the past quarter century…the Winnebiko/BEHEMOTH bike projects and subsequent Microship trimaran, along with archives of his writings. nomadness.com looks ahead to “open-ended global voyaging” on his new vessel, the Nomadness. The site contains articles and reviews, photos, and his blog with current status updates. There’s also the Nomadic Research Labs Store, where you’ll find [Roberts’] own books, project surplus, and boating and electronic parts.

The earliest bicycles were made from wood. Nearly two centuries later, some garage tinkerers still turn to this most traditional of materials for their own creations, since welding one requires experience and tools beyond the reach of many. Resembling Gilligan’s Island props, the resulting bikes are both artistic and great fun, but not very practical for real use; often heavy, ill-fitting or lacking durability.

[Boris Beaulant’s] birch laminate Zelo, on the other hand, has cleaner lines than anything you’d see in an IKEA showroom. Not content with an ordinary two-wheeler, he’s tackled a three-wheeled recumbent trike, which requires even finer tolerances. Two months and over 1,300 miles later, the trike is still rolling strong through the French countryside, proving its mettle as legitimate transportation and not just a garage novelty. [Beaulant’s] build log (Google translation here) offers some insights into the development of this masterpiece, starting with prior woodworking projects (furniture, rolling toys and a children’s bike) and finding clever solutions to problems such as creating a mold of his own back for a custom-contoured seat.

[Justin Lemire-Elmore] spent one month riding his electric bike across Canada last summer. He made the journey from Vancouver to Halifax in 30 days using a mere $10 worth of electricity to recharge his bike. He put together a rather bizarre looking semi-recumbent bicycle to hold all of his gear. The motor controller, charge controller, battery packs, and lighting system were all his own design. He has a captivating 2 hour presentation embedded below in which he describes all the problems he had with his equipment during the trip as well as all the great experiences the journey offered.

The first project we found is the E-cumbent by [Matt Shumaker] . [Shumaker]‘s ongoing project uses a power unit he constructed out of RC airplane electronics: the motor, the controller, a servo tester, and a battery eliminator circuit connected to 14 lithium polymer cells plus several CNC milled parts. The power drive connects to a sprocket mounted on the left side of the rear wheel. The bike is constructed with two reduction stages; the second stage has a freewheel that allows the rider to pedal while the motor idles, use the motor and pedal power combined, or use motor power alone. [Shumaker] also built a display console onto the handlebars, which shows trip information, MPH, and information on battery usage.

[Warren Beauchamp] designed a somewhat more simple electric recumbent he calls the Cuda-E. This design uses a 450 watt motor from a Mongoose pedal/electric motocross bike. It doesn’t just take the motor, though: it uses the entire rear subframe. The recumbent uses the motocross bike’s single pivot rear suspension, which attaches the rear and front subframes with a pivot and and a shock absorber. The motor is powered by a 24V lithium phosphate battery pack, but like the last project, [Beauchamp]‘s recumbent can use any combination of pedaling and motor power.

A third project we found is by [Dana Barlow], and it really whet our appetite for more detail. [Barlow] chose to use parts from the same kind of motocross bike [Beauchamp] did, but unlike him, [Barlow] did not leave the motor in its original place on the rear subframe. Instead, he moved it to just above the freewheel, freeing up the space for a larger wheel to be used. [Barlow]‘s bike is also distinct from the last two in that it uses remote steering: the handlebars and the suspension fork are on two different shafts. Unfortunately, very little information on the process was in the write-up.

All of these projects were found on Recumbents.com, which is a great one-stop resource for information on buying, building, riding, and racing recumbent bicycles.