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Got Rails? Build Your Own Rail Bike
Sears catalogs used to feature railroad bikes in the early 1900's. Custom-built rail bikes are still available for well over $1,000, but Richard Bentley offers plans for building your own. He has fine-tuned his design over nearly 50 years of rail riding.
"I've sold plans to people in North America, Asia, Australi
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Got Rails? Build Your Own Rail Bike AG WORLD 31-5-22 Sears catalogs used to feature railroad bikes in the early 1900's. Custom-built rail bikes are still available for well over $1,000, but Richard Bentley offers plans for building your own. He has fine-tuned his design over nearly 50 years of rail riding.
"I've sold plans to people in North America, Asia, Australia, Europe and Africa," he says. "Even throwing in the cost of a bike, you can build one for less than $100. All you need is some electrical conduit, hardwood blocks and scraps of steel. Hardware stores usually have everything you need."
Bentley suggests checking his website. It contains a parts list so you can be sure they are all available locally. The plans are simple and require no welding.
An engineer by training and trade, Bentley's plans are exact. They include six pages of text with a detailed construction sequence and parts list keyed to the drawing. They also include 10 sheets of drawings with most parts rendered full scale.
Unlike rail equipment with flange wheels, Bentley's bike rides on top of the rail. Skate wheels in a fixture attached to the front wheel run against each side of the rail, steering the bike and keeping it in place. Controlled by a hand lever, the guides can be raised when approaching a crossing or if driving off-rail.
The adjustable height outrigger, running on a third skate wheel or larger wheels on the second rail, provides stability to the bike. Bentley designed his for ground clearance to avoid most weeds growing on abandoned rail lines. It can be disconnected by pulling three pins to allow the bike to be used off-rail or for transport.
Bentley warns customers to only use rail bikes on abandoned rail lines. "The advantage to rail bikes over motorized rail equipment is there is no noise," says Bentley. "You can hear the wildlife, and going more slowly, you can enjoy the landscape."
He suggests using a ladies bike for rail biking. They are easier to get on and off. He notes that when the bike is on a rail, it is 7 in. above the ground.
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Richard Bentley, Mount Arab, P. O. Box 786, Tupper Lake, N.Y. 12986 (ph 518 359-9300; http://rrbike.freeservers.com; Bentley@northnet.org).
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