Power Kite Forum

Front Wheel Brakes

volock - 19-7-2015 at 08:26 PM

Note: I know kite buggies don't need brakes, and that brakes while kiting could be dangerous. This question has nothing to do with using it while kiting or as a substitute for skill.

A love/want of a drift trike (see our thread http://www.powerkiteforum.com/viewthread.php?tid=24726 for them) has gotten me thinking. Why not use a kite buggy as one for the no wind a summer months? Could be a ton of fun with/without drift wheels. Plenty of mountain areas or places I could ride one gravity wise around here... but there's a large safety issue, no brakes/great way to slow down. I'm thinking rides down drift trike areas or some mountain roads closed to everyone but cyclists/ATVs. So high speed may well be attainable, at a much more stable point than an adult drift trike/comfier ride.

I've figured out the two main tire mounting options for drift trike tires and it won't be an issue for the rears, and I was just going to leave the front tire/wheel as is. So its just coming down to brakes. I've only seen a couple ancient posts on them, and lots discouraging them, nothing on how the few existed were activated.

Anyone ever rigged a front wheel brake or have any ideas on how to? And/or rear brakes (jointly actuated/non independent controls) for that matter? I'm thinking front may be easier/safer and provide better stopping power. I'm thinking actuating it with a handle like the MBS brakes for mountainboards work / using bike levers for brakes. I'm looking for ideas, my main one currently would be adapting hydraulic disc brakes from mountain biking as the best/easiest optionoption, two levers joined together for one hand for back brakes and one for front, if rigging all three and not just a front).

Our low/no wind summers and my awesome new buggy headed my way, which I'll be desperate for any time in have me thinking of this. I know I could just buy/make a drift trike, but this seems more fun, and less extra storage space needed. Anyone ever done any gravity buggying (sans kite)?

ssayre - 19-7-2015 at 09:55 PM

I've been wanting to convert mine to a drift trike as well but I would like a gas powered version. One idea that pops in my head is to remove the front wheel/fork/downtube all together and mount a women's or girls bike front end with hand brake. You would have to add foot pegs but that would be easy. You could cut the frame of the bike somewhere after the seat post than bolt or clamp the downtube of the bike to the side rails. In theory, it should be quite doable but having not tried it, I'm not sure.

bigkid - 19-7-2015 at 11:46 PM

Ok, truth be told. I built a big-wheel for my grandson a few years back out of a pl buggy. Ok- fine, I'm old enough to most of you to be your grandpa.
Ssayre had the right idea as far as my idea went. I welded an extra tube to the frame of the girls bike and cut it so it slid into the space the down tube of the pl buggy came out of. Very simple. The big 20" wheel had a hand brake on it already. The bike used was the old style stingray with ape hanger bars.
Be sure to add wide flat profile tires such as pl midi's or some smooth barrows, it makes it slide much easier. One last note, drop the seat as much as possible to lower the COG as side flips becom much more available do to side shoring. Haha that's a east coast term.
Be sure to post pics of your ideas.

RedSky - 19-7-2015 at 11:56 PM

I messed around with the idea some years ago but could never get it to work. I like your idea and would also like to fit brakes to my buggy for the same reasons. Some off and on road action would be great.

I got as far as buying this drum brake wheel from cadkat without giving it much thought. I couldn't get the hub to attach to the forks firmly enough. :embarrased:

http://www.cadkat.com/Air_wheel_410x140mm_161x55in-grooved_-...




...and just to show you how serious I was about no wind buggying, I filmed myself performing some on and off road gravity assist rides, both of these remain unfinished test videos. The second one is only 27 secs long.

I'd like to know how you get on with this idea. Sean' idea is a good one. I've not thought of that before.







indigo_wolf - 20-7-2015 at 04:00 AM

Perhaps motorcycle rims that are already tapped for brake rotors.



See original thread for buggy details:
http://www.powerkiteforum.com/viewthread.php?tid=4833

ATB,
Sam

Randy - 20-7-2015 at 04:46 AM

Another solution - add a mast and sail to it and make it into a blo-kart. The sail can be used as a brake or to contol speed by pushing it out. The apparent wind generated by going down hill also produces some lift and you can use it to power jibes, etc when you get to the bottom of the hill. I used to do that with my landboard with windsurf sail attached on windless days in sloped parking lots. Works pretty well and is safe.

flyguy0101 - 20-7-2015 at 05:23 AM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?


no drifting but a little no wind playing start around :40 seconds and some sound

Have a great day
S

WELDNGOD - 20-7-2015 at 08:56 AM

http://sfdindustries.com/products/Big-Wheels/ :)

markite - 20-7-2015 at 09:28 AM

a buddy has a buggy for sale (bigfoot) where he mounted a front disk brake.
he's actually selling three buggies, spare parts, several fixed bridle foils and 3 arcs plus roof top carrier and bike racks all as a a package price 2,500. CDN
reasonable price for all included but i've been emailing him on/off about this for a year t see if he'll split anything off and he's been too busy to come up with any prices - anyway, here is a link with photos to his ad to see the brake:
http://www.kijiji.ca/v-sport-other/city-of-toronto/kites-kit...

volock - 20-7-2015 at 12:52 PM

Thanks everyone, wasn't expecting such an awesome response. I'm trying to keep the buggy as close to "stock" as possible, to avoid the extra parts lieing around (my garage is packed as it is), or I'd just weld a drift trike up, but I love the ideas, and it may work well for others.

Quote: Originally posted by indigo_wolf  
Perhaps motorcycle rims that are already tapped for brake rotors.


See original thread for buggy details:
http://www.powerkiteforum.com/viewthread.php?tid=4833


This is close to what I had been thinking about when I couldn't sleep last night. I figured out I can get a Dirt Bike Wheel built up with a brake caliper that'll fit a hydraulic mountain bike brake width wise on the caliper. Then I'd just have to figure out mounting the brake on the fork, and would have one. I'm thinking it's the cheapest/most straightforward option.

I can get the wheel (chinese brand) in town with brake for about $100 new, with a tire mounted. The wheel is 1.60 x 21" and the tire I'm looking at is a 2.5", should make a great front wheel in general I'm thinking... Otherwise I was looking at just building a MTB wheel in the 20mm hub standard for front wheels, so it's literally be as plug and play as possible, not sure which route I want to take yet, leaning toward Dirt bike wheel as it should handle the stresses of buggy better, and can fit in my fork as is, where a 26/29er bike wheel won't.

Rear wheels I'm going to skip brakes for the first test run/idea. You can do DIY/"Ghetto" Drift Trike wheels by fitting a piece of large diameter PVC pipe around small tire and wheel not inflated (hand truck/go kart/etc), then inflating the wheel.

Enough downhills around here I want to play with this idea and just running on gravity. Maybe see if my brake works well, regardless of the drifting, taking it up into the mountains for a run instead of my mountainboard.

RedSky - 20-7-2015 at 12:59 PM

I used my boots as brakes. You can feel the heat penetrate the soles. WalS-P-A-M-L-I-N-K-of'shame rope to steer.

volock - 20-7-2015 at 01:25 PM

Quote: Originally posted by flyguy0101  
https://www.youtube.com/watch?


no drifting but a little no wind playing start around :40 seconds and some sound

Have a great day
S


This was awesome, and definitely worth trying. I don't know anywhere quite that primo around me, especially the shoulder being grass to scrub speed on. I'm thinking a brake will only add to that fun, even if I don't drift. https://goo.gl/maps/U5aj2 would be a map of one of the runs I'd love to make. It's closed to vehicles 4 months of the year (with many mountain roads around here), but we get enough heat/snow that they are often dry and perfect. That one is steep and short. The other one I'm thinking of is https://goo.gl/maps/hVixw, roughly 8 miles of downhill, closed to vehicles 6 months a year, and nice dirt, with minimal uphill/rolling sections. I've mountain biked it a bunch of times, but would love to try it out on a buggy. Scared of too fast without a brake for either.

Quote: Originally posted by RedSky  
I used my boots as brakes. You can feel the heat penetrate the soles. WalS-P-A-M-L-I-N-K-of'shame rope to steer.

My wife won't let me get away with that. I was told I wasn't allowed to without brakes... I'm accident prone enough to agree with her on this one. Awesome that you managed that.

volock - 20-7-2015 at 01:28 PM

Quote: Originally posted by markite  
a buddy has a buggy for sale (bigfoot) where he mounted a front disk brake.
he's actually selling three buggies, spare parts, several fixed bridle foils and 3 arcs plus roof top carrier and bike racks all as a a package price 2,500. CDN
reasonable price for all included but i've been emailing him on/off about this for a year t see if he'll split anything off and he's been too busy to come up with any prices - anyway, here is a link with photos to his ad to see the brake:
http://www.kijiji.ca/v-sport-other/city-of-toronto/kites-kit...


Thanks for the picture. I'm curious what brake it is, and that's an amazing kite deal, I'd be tempted to buy it and part it out, but shipping to where I am in the US would kill me. Why's he leaving the sport?

bigkid - 20-7-2015 at 01:31 PM

Quote: Originally posted by WELDNGOD  
http://sfdindustries.com/products/Big-Wheels/ :)

4 grand for a big wheel? Just what we need, another toy to add to the pile in the living room:o
It would be cool to make a run to the store for some groceries with it. :lol: