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My DIY 50 Â¢ent Solutions

MISSISSAUGA, ON — Several months of riding combined with on-line research and serious obsessing have resulted in some modifications designed to enhance the recreational and touring capabilities of “Mia Bella” — my Bacchetta “Bella” ATT LWB recumbent.

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The Bacchetta “Bella” ATT is a fantastic piece of engineering giving much riding pleasure! But off the showroom floor, some modifications were in order before this recumbent was tricked out for safety and touring.

As a relatively rare species of the two-wheeled HPV family, it turns out that specialized recumbent accessories are not readily available at the local bike shop and the on-line marketplace is often saddled with shipping, duty and taxes which can make the simplest items rather pricey.

As an alternative to breaking the bank, I opted for simple solutions — my “DIY 50 Â¢ent solutions”, figuratively speaking.

The Parameters:

When possible, use accessories from Diamond Frame Bikes
(e.g. racks, panniers, lights)
Wherever possible, use lightweight off-the-shelf materials
(e.g. aluminium angles for mounting brackets)

Materials,Tools & Aptitude:

Tape measure, marker, right angle
Vise, hacksaw, file and drill (a drill-press is ideal)
Extruded, tempered, aluminium angle (1x1x1/8-inch, 1/2×1/2×1/16-inch, 1/2×7/8-inch)
Assortment of bolts with nuts, washers, lock washers and the appropriate drivers and wrenches
Some mechanical/technical handiness

Recumbent Accessories Purchased:

Fairing
Rear Rack
Solar charger
Wireless Cyclometer
Smartphone holster

DFB Accessories On Hand (from my 1984 vintage touring and MTB):

Front and Lo-Rider Racks
Front and Rear Panniers

After installing the obligatory larger-diameter touring tires front and rear (for increased riding comfort), fenders, water bottle holders, cyclometer and rear rack, other accessories required DIY 50 Â¢ent solutions to get the job done without breaking the bank.

MOD 1: Front Rack Vertical Extension Struts

Front racks are rare on LWB recumbents with the smaller front wheels and it is a challenge to find a suitable rack for 20-inch wheels at the local bike shop.

Yet, some additional weight on the front wheel of a loaded LWB recumbent is desirable to improve traction and steering and to reduce the weight on the rear wheel.

My DIY 50 Â¢ent solution was to install a standard Front Rack by means of two 1/2×1/2×1/16-inch aluminium angle Vertical Extension Struts and fixing the Front Rack Extension Bracket out at its full length.

MOD 2: Front Light & Fairing Bracket

With the Front Rack installed, the Fairing Fork Mounts become unuseable and the Handle Bar Light has to be repositioned outside the fairing to avoid reflections from inside the fairing.

My DIY 50 Â¢ent solution is a 1x1x1/8-inch aluminium angle Fairing Bracket clamped to the leading edge of the Front Rack by means of a 1×1/8-inch aluminium Flat Bar.

The Front Light is attached via its Handle Bar Mount clamped to a 1-inch PVC Tube with End Caps which is clamped between two 1/2×1/2×1/16-inch aluminium angle Vertical Struts bolted to the Fairing Bracket.

MOD 3: Lo-Rider Racks For Under-Seat Panniers

Inspiration for this mod are the ready-made eyelets on the bottom of the Mesh Seat frame.

However, the eyelets are too close to the seat frame, preventing direct attachment of the Lo-Rider Racks. The eyelet spacing is also different from the spacing of the Lo-Rider mounting slots, preventing direct attachment of the Lo-Rider racks to the seat frame.

My DIY 50 Â¢ent solution is two 1×1/8-inch aluminium flatbar Extension Brackets bolted to the seat frame eyelets, which permit mounting the Lo-Rider Rack 1-2 inches lower to accept the mid-ship pannier hooks, as well as lining up better with the Lo-Rider mounting holes and slots.

A 3/16-inch diameter steel rod with threaded ends binds the left and right Lo-Rider Rack through their fork attachment eyelets.

To prevent side-to-side swaying of the loaded panniers and stress fracturing the Extension Brackets, steel strapping binds the racks to the frame’s chain-stays for rock-solid bracing.

MOD 4: Smartphone Handle Bar Mount

Except for tour guides and as back-up, hard-copy maps have been supplanted by the ubiquitous GPS applications for route-mapping and navigation. Today’s smartphones, in turn, make separate GPS devices redundant.

Despite the plethora of bicycle and motorcycle handle bar mounts available on-line for virtually every make and design of smartphone, it is difficult to determine the best-suited. Too many seem to have sketchy ball-and-socket tilt mechanisms and there are not infrequent reviews of failure resulting in costly repairs/replacements of expensive smartphones.

My DIY 50 Â¢ent solution is a Smartphone Handle Bar Bracket with a simple Belt Strap to accept the Belt Clip of a Smartphone Holster. Some smartphone holsters come with additional protection in the form of a smartphone case which is an added bonus.

The Smartphone Handle Bar Bracket permits fore-aft tilting while the Holster Belt Clip permits rotation, which for the centered smartphone offers convenient viewing.

While there are reviews pointing out weakness in some smartphone belt clips, this configuration results in a relatively loose connection between the Closed-cell Foam Pad and the Belt Strap, so that any hard stress on the Holster Belt Clip is minimal when riding gets bumpy.

MOD 5: Rear-View Mirror Mount

The Mirrycle (normally) mounted on the handle bar end is an excellent design but, depending on the position of the handle bar and location of the bar-end, it may force the rider to glance down and to the side, thereby taking eyes off the road ahead when checking the road behind.

To minimize the degree to which eyes need to be diverted, avoid a potential safety issue and make checking the road behind more comfortable on “Mia Bella”, my DIY 50 Â¢ent solution is a 1x2x1/8-inch aluminium angle Fairing Mount Extension Bracket which supports the Mirrycle mirror with its end arm and is fastened to the bar-end of the Fairing Mount.

Left and right Mirrycles provide excellent rear-viewing with virtually no head turning/tilting and minimal averting of the eyes from the road ahead.

MOD 6: Additional Tweaks

Solar Charger

For off-the-grid riding with smartphone and lights, a portable solar charger provides back-up power. Depending on the sun’s position, the Front Rack and Panniers provide a convenient platform for mounting the solar panels.
Handle Bar Bag

A shoulder/belt pouch serves well for storing items like the Solar Charger’s Battery Pack to power the smartphone.
Seat Satchel

A briefcase or computer bag functions as a handy seat bag to carry tools, extra clothing, a lunch, etc. when riding without panniers.
Frame-mounted Pump

A Velcro Strap suffices to mount a pump on one of the chain-stays. A small section of inner-tube pulled over the pump where the handle meets the body serves as a seal to keep moisture, mud and debris out of the pump.
Wireless Cyclometer

Re-positioning the Wireless Cyclometer from the handle bar to the top tube of the frame avoids electronic interference by the smartphone. The Cyclometer is still close enough to pick up pulse signals from a heart monitor strapped to the rider’s chest and the LCD remains clearly visible. For safety, however, changing the display may necessitate stopping.
Spike Pedals

With most footwear, spike pedals maintain foot position better on recumbents than the factory-issued pedals, although they are not as efficient as clipless shoe/pedal systems.