Outlander 11 (MMR
Prototype 1)
Click on any of the images, to see a
larger version.
After the apperance of the BikeE on the market with it's
lower price point, I was convinced that recumbents were at the stage mountain bikes were
at in the early 1980's. When mountain bikes were introduced they were expensive and not
many people bought them. But after several companies started to produce them the price
came down which made them more accessible to the masses. Upon which the mountain bike
quickly dominated the market. Based upon my knowledge of selling bikes in a bike shop, I
knew the most popular price point was in the $500 to $600 range. So number 11 was my
attempt at making a Mass Market Recumbent (MMR). The frame was as simple as possible, it
required very few tubes, a few cuts, a minimum of tube mitering, and a simple seat
attachment. The main tube consisted of 5' of 2" diameter 0.065 mild steel, the stays
were 3/4" 0.065 mild steel. The dropouts were the most labour intensive part to make
second only to the seat, they were cut from 1/8" plate steel. The BB shell and head
tube were chro-moly. The fork was hi-tensile and an off the shelf item. The stem was built
from 1" 0.065 tubing and scrap bike tubes.
The bike had (to say the least) very bad tiller effect,
because I used a head angle of 70 degrees. Both wheels were the same size, which was done
because I had no source for 16 x 1.75" alloy rims at the time. But I also felt that
people would find it more attractive that way. The 2" diameter main tube would flex
when it was ridden over bumps. The seat was held on by muffler clamps, which would slide
along the frame for adjustment. The prototype had only 7 gears. After researching the cost
of parts to build a production bike I found that it was cheaper to build the bike as a 21
speed than a 7 speed. I started the prototype 2 frame but never finished it. Prototype 1
frame was modified to take a 16" front wheel with a change in the head angle, that
was also shelved since I was unable to find or make a 16" fork with a long enough
steering tube.
The seat height was 26" with a BB height of 23".
The bike with 7 speeds weighed 30 pounds, not bad for a bike that was mostly mild steel.
It weighed less than the Linear LWB I owned at the time. The seat back angle was 60
degrees with a head angle of 70 degrees. There was provision to carry panniers on the side
of the bike where the stays were. This feature was copied by Doppler's Beamer. On the bike
when I had it on display at the Toronto Bike Show there was a generator light set
installed. I mounted the head and tail light in the ends of the main tube, and ran the
wiring inside the frame. The current status of the frame is: rusting away in my garage.
This year (1999) I bought a Rans Tailwind which in many
respects embodies what I was trying to achieve with this design, but with alot more
manageable tiller effect.
