Strandbeest Bike
- 2 minsSome friends and I built a strandbeest bike that’s part bike, part strandbeest. Here it is on an episode of Tosh.o.
FWIW, I did not get permission to put this video up on youtube but Tosh.o didn’t seek permission to put our video up on their TV show so…we are even.
Here is the bike on display at an exhibit at the Exploratorium in San Francisco for a strandbeest event.
Answers to common questions…
Q. Why not put legs on the front?
A. Putting legs on the front would probably prevent it from turning. Plus the idea is to make it half bike, half legs. It needs at least one wheel.
Q. Is it fast?
A. No
Q. Can it climb hills?
A. Probably not. it needs a level surface with as few curves as possible.
Inventory to get started
Materials
- 160′ of 1/2″ steel pipe
- 3′ of 5/8″ cold rolled steel rod
- 10’x1″ of 1/8″ steel plate
- 120 bushings (part# MYI-05-05 from igus.com)
Equipment
- Arc welder
- Drill press
- Pipe cutter
- Graduated drill bit for cutting 1/2 steel
Building the strandbeest bike
First step was to create a 3D model of what the bike.
Here’s the strandbeest mechanism. Just need 4 of these on the back of a bike.
Framing a test leg out of wood.
Lots of 1/2 inch steel to be used for building legs.
Creating leg parts out of steel.
Fabricating some sides of a leg.
Leg parts waiting to be assembled.
Curved bars were used to avoid getting in the way of the crankshaft.
Frame construction.
Creating the crankshaft.
Parts waiting for assembly.
Assembling the strandbeest bike
Sorting the parts
Building the legs (part 1 of 2)
Building the legs (part 2 of 2)
Attaching the legs and crankshaft to the frame
Attaching the frame to the bike.
Riding the strandbeest bike
