The Red Panther - Build photos Bicycle Caravan - Adjustments, adjustments and a little test ride
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The Red Panther

Build photos Bicycle Caravan - Adjustments, adjustments and a little test ride

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Only upright can I move this thing inside my house. It's too wide for the doors.
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Moving inside the building is easier.
Even down the stairs was a breeze.
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Finally down in the basement, but it's too high for the door.
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Remove the top/front (depending which way you look) to make it fit.
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First try out behind my bicycle. It was cumbersome to add and remove the drawbar, so that has to change. Besides I don't like the tubes sticking out at the bottom.
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I don't know if it works, but at least it's a nice picture with the black and bare metal tubes.
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Another view.
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The old plates that are currently in use, stored in front of the new plates. Since I had to cut and tape the old plates (as a test), I also wanted them to be easily storable. They can fold completely flat, so I can store them behind my couch.
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New plate next to the old plate.
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Since the bicycle caravan was slightly too big to easily fit in my basement and to easily move between my living room and the street, I had to saw three centimeter from each tube.
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I made this simple device from leftover wood to assist me with sawing all the tubes by hand. Still no machines, only hand tools.
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Immediately a piece broke off, but it was still usable. It saved me a sore wrist. It's almost stupid how one can be proud of three pieces of wood nailed together.
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Last time I used a hammer with nails was in 1996 or so.
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A lot of aluminum dust. Carefully cleaning it every time. I don't want small metal particles around me, especially in my living room. Note the support of the law in this project.
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A lot of the tube connectors. If I quit this project, these things will still come in handy. For furniture or whatever.
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Reassembling the now slightly smaller frame. Note to self: know the dimensions of your doors, to get an outdoor project - that's built inside your living room - actually outside.
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It was impossible to saw each tube completely straight, so now checking if my frame still comes close to being square. Using nothing but a good eye and the simple tools that I already have.
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Slowly building it up again. You probably can't see it, but I noticed the frame being smaller. Which is not that strange since I have been looking at this thing from up close for over a year now.
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I'm working on two things since the test drive: making it smaller so it becomes movable here, and getting a better drawbar. For the new drawbar construction, you can see I added a cross connector on the third laying tube from the right.
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Still not finished with making everything smaller. Now I have to cut the plates to the new size. Because of the wheel arches on both sides I had to cut three centimeters from the middle. Two cuts, in two plates... this sounds easier than it was.
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And taping the two halves together. I liked the tape for it's looks, but now it becomes too much. I thank the law for support in this case.
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Back side fits.
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Now make the front side fit the new size. Again two cuts, because of the centered logo on this plate, but this time on both sides instead of the middle.
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Front side done. The amount of tape is becoming too much. Luckily these are still the testing plates, and I will keep 'm around at least for a test ride.
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Without the floor plate underneath this gap would be a problem. Stuff to think about for when I use the new plates.
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Using the test tarp for practicing. I can easily make fold lines on this, and get a general feel for the dimensions. I do not only consider where the weight is and how the tarp will hang, but also how I will open and close the tarp when I quickly need to grab something, or how I should fold/cut to prevent rain from entering.
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The wider front part of the tarp needs to fully enclose the front part of the frame, to prevent rain from entering. The back part is narrower so I can attach it to the tubes with rope. On the back I have freedom of movement to pull tighter on the ropes.
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After careful consideration as to where to put the eyelets/grommets, I can now play and practice with these things. The thing next to the white square is used to punch holes in the tarp exactly the size of the eyelets. The two smaller things are used to smack the two parts of the eyelets together.
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The corner is not necessarily on the corner, and the tarp is not held flat by the ropes. Besides, I don't want the corners to be cut out anymore. Lessons are learned here.
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It's at least possible to get something looking boxy, as seen here on the front. I'm not happy with the direction of the ropes and the position of the eyelets.
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Also made this crossbar from plastic plate and some rope. It gives the cart more 'body', protects the goods inside, and lets rain fall off more easily.
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The piece of plate I used.
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I sort of got the tarp straight. Happy with the overall look, but I also learned a lot to take into consideration next time. Especially the ropes and the eyelets. They hold the frame and the tarp together. An intricate dance.
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Somewhere in between I also made this cut out for the drawbar. It doesn't look good, way too kinky for a bicycle caravan. Also, it makes the cart more susceptible to water. Although the plastic plate behind it will block water, I don't want that cut to be that high. Also because this tarp is not only a cover for the cart, but a roof for the tiny house as well.
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Caravan inside, bicycle outside.
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Making an adapter for the trailer hitch. I got rid of the old drawbar, came up with a new design, and decided that I had to replace the hitch from underneath my saddle to a lower position on the back.
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Using the same wooden leftovers as for my tube sawing device. Strong bolts and nuts to keep everything together.
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Need to make a little spare out for the hitch. First time using an electrical machine in this project.
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Now this part of the hitch can sit almost flat.
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The hitch adapter sits snugly on my luggage rack. It looks frail, but it's very strong, it won't move in any direction.
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Last wooden piece in place on the bottom, to secure it from all ends. This thing is going where the bicycle is going.
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Finally, my first test ride outside. The caravan kept straight behind my bicycle, it was not too heavy, corners were a breeze, no annoying noises, no problems with road bumps, etc. With max two kilometers in the area, I'm happy with this test ride.

More photos in Part Four of this series.

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