Manual for
N55 SPACEFRAME VEHICLES
SPACEFRAME VEHICLES, recumbent trike type, 2011
Introduction:
SPACEFRAME VEHICLES enables persons to build their own vehicles for transporting persons or goods. SPACEFRAME VEHICLES is based on a low cost, light weight, highly durable construction requiring only simple hand-held, non specialized tools to produce
Construction:
The SPACEFRAME VEHICLES are developed as a collaboration between N55 and Till Wolfer. SPACEFRAME VEHICLES are based on a frame of weather resistant, lightweight, standard aluminum tubes. Unlike the singular load-bearing tube seen in traditional bike structures, the main structure is an orthogonal spaceframe of standard aluminum tubes. A series of tubes of varying lengths are produced, holes are drilled and the frame is assembled using stainless steel bolts, washers and nuts. The assembling requires no welding process. Exposed ends of the tubes are capped with a standard PE plug to avoid sharp ends and to prevent dirt from accumulating inside the tubing. The construction makes it possible to place gear wheels and chains within the frame, away from the users. Instead of using ball bearings for steering parts, (like the Ackermann steering for the recumbent trike type) self-greasing plastic washers are used. All other mechanical parts, bicycle wheels etc. are standard parts that can be acquired all over the world.
Upright versus recumbent:
Traditional human-powered vehicles such as the typical upright bike have several disadvantages: The person rests uncomfortably on a saddle with most of the body weight. For men this can lead to problems like impotence. When accidents occur, a person fall from high altitude and risks severe head injuries. Regarding the amount of energy used for moving the bike forwards, wind resistance is one of the most significant factors. These problems are either non-existing (uncomfortable position of the body) or minimized (wind resistance) in the recumbent vehicle. However, trikes are per definition always a least one wheel heavier than two-wheel vehicles. Moving uphill on a recumbent vehicle for a long time requires more energy and is more exhausting than on a traditional bike. Most existing recumbent bike designs places the legs and pedals up in the air. This is a bad solution, since it leeds to temporary numb legs. This is not the case in the SPACEFRAME VEHICLE recumbent type. The designs of SPACEFRAME VEHICLES is Open Source. Existing N55 designs and new designs will be available in the format of construction drawings. Please download the drawings for the single recumbent type here. N55 encourage persons developing new SPACEFRAME VEHICLES to mail it to n55@n55.dk for publishing.
Background:
Public spaces in our cities are dominated by dangerously fast, heavy, noisy and polluting cars. The majority of cars are used for transporting one or two persons. The constantly increasing number of cars cause traffic jams and make them inefficient and slow as a means of getting from one point to another in the city. Most cars are using fossil fuels, hereby destroying the environment on our planet with co2 emissions. Our children and we move around in the city constantly risking our lives. The car industry, a large concentration of power with close connections to politicians and decision makers, are now trying to convince us that electrically powered standard cars are the answer to the traffic problems in the world. But the pollution is just moved elsewhere and electrical cars are just as dangerous to persons as traditional cars. Moving 100 or 200 kg’s of body weight using a machine that weighs 1000 kg or more is just plain stupid and must be unacceptable from any sane societal point of view. Cars make sense for long distance transport and in rural districts. But in the cities, they are a leftover from less democratic and more brutal times. Before the cars invaded our public space, things and people where transported not only using horsepower, but also a variety of push- carts and large cargo bicycles. Its possible to do that again. Especially combined with intelligent public transportation. Persons could get their daily exercise in a productive way instead of mindless training in time and power consuming fitness centers. N55 proposes that persons reclaim the streets and use them for non polluting, safe, light-weight transport and pedestrians. This would free up large quantities of public space which could be used for cultural purposes, growing food, micro businesses etc. Wide bicycle-lanes should be established to allow for a great diversity in human or small semi-electrical powered vehicles to emerge. There is a tendency that the industry and hereby large concentrations of power prevent us from producing things ourselves. They attempt to gain a monopoly over the delivery of things needed for our everyday lives. There is already an enormous difference in the prices the industry pays for raw materials compared to what an individual person must pay. Because they have an interest in selling as much as possible, the industry provides low quality products that breaks down fast and are being disposed of. Its necessary that persons takes back the control of production of anything from housing to vehicles, make themselves able to repair and produce things by understanding and mastering everyday life technologies. SPACEFRAME VEHICLES can be seen as an attempt to encourage such behavior.
SPACEFRAME VEHICLES two seater, 250 watt brushless hubmotor, Lithium battery.
Environmental impact:
Substituting cars with human powered vehicles would obviously have a vast impact on the worlds co2 pollution. To produce aluminum requires large amounts of energy and it’s production is therefore often situated in close to renewable energy sources, such as hydro-power. However, because of it’s low melting point, recycling and remelting aluminum requires much less energy than recycling most other metals. Aluminum is the third most common mineral on Earth and roughly three times as strong as steel. Because of its unique ability to oxidize fast, it protects its own surface with aluminum oxide and is therefore highly weather-resistant. If the correct alloy is used, no surface treatment involving poisonous compounds is needed.
SPACEFRAME VEHICLES two seater, 250 watt brushless hubmotor, Lithium battery.
Maintenaince:
Spare parts are cheap and easy to produce. This eases the repair and maintenance of the SPACEFRAME VEHICLES. Moving parts must be kept clean and grease applied on a regular basis.
SPACEFRAME VEHICLES two seater, 250 watt brushless hubmotor, Lithium battery.
SPACEFRAME VEHICLES two seater, 250 watt brushless hubmotor, Lithium battery.
Extensions:
A cover or a body to improve the wind resistance and protect from weather condition can be applied.
Standard electrical hub motors can be applied. This makes sense in particular when used on long distances, two seaters or for Cargo versions. Caravan trailers can be developed to allow mobile living.
Cargo versions with kitchens etc could be developed for micro businesses. Small SPACEFRAME VEHICLE factories could be established in local communities to encourage the use of non fossil fueled vehicles.
Trailer
Technical specifications:
Single person trike type dimensions:
Frame length: 1.5 m
Frame weight: 8 kg
(See 3d drawing for further details)
Component list:
Aluminum tubing
Polycarbonate plate
Stainless steel washers, bolts and nuts
Pedals and crank-box
Chains etc
Wheels
Brakes
Watch the N55 SPACEFRAME VEHICLES in action here
N55 SPACEFRAME VEHICLES SITUATIONS:
SPACEFRAME VEHICLES at Z-out, Belgium, 2011
Two- seater with trailer, ONE CITY CAMPAIGN, Copenhagen Denmark, 2011.
Alt_CPH11, Copenhagen, Denmark, 2011
Till Wolfers Cargo version,Hamburg, Germany, 2011.
By N55 in collaboration with Till Wolfer
Thanks to:
Architect and Inventor Erling Sørvin for support and inspiring discussions, Anne Romme, for our necessary ungoing dialouges about urban planning and politics, and the guys at Christiania Bikes for their patience and willingness to share their knowledge. Also thanks to Thom for the DIY drawings And Lene Slot Hansen and Jacob Coln for their kind assistance in the realization process.
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