Flexi Buggy inexpensive mods. (pics)



The mods are as follows:

Side and Back support "rollcage": About $28 worth of 1 inch pipe and "T" connecters from ebay and the local hardware store, a $5 package of pipe insulation, all covered in shiny black and blue duct tape!! Cheap, but super effective!!

Axle mod: 4ft 1 inch pipe, a couple of reducers drilled out so that a 12mm bolt slides through. (a flange,washer and nut inside the axle hold the wheel on.) , some parts from a chain-link gate and some short 12mm bolts (total cost about $25) The axle is incredibly strong (The weakest point is actually the stock 12mm bolts on the tires. I've ordered 15mm bearings and can quite easily drill out the reducer to accomodate the larger bolts).

Big Fat Tires: $37 each at the local tire store (though it was difficult to get them on, I used the stock plastic flexi wheels) I run them at about 5psi so its no big deal.

O.K. now before everyone goes nuts saying I'm a "cheapskate" and I'm going to kill myself using crap parts; Let me say that I'm not an idiot. nor a cheapskate. I simply saw a way to improve a design, and everything added meets three criteria:

1: It doesn't decrease my safety in any way (most actually improve it)

2: Overbuilt so that it won't break, even in the event of a flip over (of course the 6 foot wide wheelbase virtually eliminates that possibility.)

3: Designed so that it doesn't add any additional stress to the buggy frame (The rear axle mod actually significantly reduces lateral stress to the frame by transfering that stress to the new axle)

Added bonuses are that:

1: All of these mods require only simple tools (i.e. pipe wrenches, a drill, hacksaw) to install.

2: All are completely removable (no cutting or drilling to the buggy frame itself)

3: If a piece wears out, a replacement piece can be obtained at any hardware store for very little $$ You can even buy several widths of axles that you can change out in about 3 min.

These inexpensive mods will make your buggy safer, more comfortable, faster, WAY more stable, and last longer!! You will be able to fly far more powered up than normal.

But don't just take my word for it, Several friends of mine who own Libre's, love the way this buggy rides. It feels balanced and very responsive, and the combination of a short light body and wide low pressure tires means this thing can go ANYWHERE.

I'll send more pics

Nice job Bucky...

well done those are some serious mods there..

Hey PTW:
All of the high tech mods. I could afford!!! (That should make clear just how incredibly poor I am.)

I just wish I had tools and ability that you have!! Your buggies kick ***

O.K. here's the latest mods and why.

As I stated before, my main concern was the 12mm bolts being too weak to handle the side stress from the larger tires and larger wheelbase. I had stated that I would get 15mm I.D. bearings, but actually stepped up to 20mm I.D. bearings (6804 2RS). This was because 15mm bolts were next to impossible to find, and because 20mm is only about 1/32" larger than 3/4" The 1/2 pipe reducers on each end readily accomodate the 3/4" bolts with little or no modification. This worked pretty good, and kept the wheel secure, provided I used a hardened nut inside the reducer to help secure the bolt. I also found some very thin pvc tubing that fit around the 3/4" bolt and filled in that 1/32" discrepancy.

One problem I noted however, was that this arrangement placed nearly all of the torque load on the 1" to 1/2" reducers on each end, not on the pipe itself! This was a problem since I had already determined that the reducers weren't sufficiently hard enough to screw the directly into without using an extra nut inside the pipe. What to do?!?

Well on to plan "B" I decided that since the reducers functioned well in aligning the axle bolts, but weren't torsionally strong, I would keep them, but use something stronger to handle the torque. Solution... I ditched the bolts altogether, and purchased a 6 ft. length of 8.8 grade allthread ($14.99) I ran it through one side, through the reducer, and out the otherside through the second reducer, essentially creating one big long axle bolt that's braced on each side by the pipe and reducers. I then placed a jam nut on each side to lock the allthread into place. After this, I slid on the PVC flanges and the tires. Finally, I placed 2 jam nuts on each side to lock the wheels in place and prevent accidental loosening. With this setup, everything is rock solid and bulletproof. Eureka!!!!!

I'm anxious to give it a rip..... I'll be lookin for ya

Glad you got it sorted Bucky, half the fun is solving the problem....well done

that sounds monster strong!! Good luck,

Sean

Hey Bucky Im buying a buggy in the next 2 weeks and leaning on the Flexifoil Wide, do you know of any dealer around the West Coast i can get a good deal from? Thanks.

The kite shop in town sells flexi's. However.....

There's a guy I know named Eli Anderson, who's the Ozone rep around these parts. He recently also starting to sell the new Kitetrike Buggies by Rockville (check them out on Ebay) I got a chance to check one out, and they look like BIG step up from Peter Lynns or Flexi's. Really nice padded seat/#@%$#!pit (not webbing), Beefy welds, and a real quality look to them (i.e. fancy foot peg stops, etc...)

The reason I'm bringing this up, is that he claims he can sell these for far below the cost of either a comparable P.L. or Flexi. If I were in the market for a new freestyle buggy, I'd probably go with them. He's also told me that they come in standard, wide and bigfoot configs. with various axle widths.

He lives in town, so when I bump into him again, I'll get more info for you.

I just emailed Eli Anderson of www.madkiting.com about the Trikekite and waiting for his reply. I just wondered where this buggy is manufactured? If this buggy is really a big step up from the other 2 competitor i wouldn't mind paying $399.00 for it.

They still fall into the catagory of "freestyle" buggy (a.k.a. "not a libre") so the dimensions are similar to flexi's and P.L.'s Consequently, its gonna ride similar to The seat however, is much more "libre like" in that it is padded and completely covers the #@%$#!pit area on the bottom and sides. Plenty of adornments - some functional, some asthetic (such as the Orange County inspired foot peg stops) They appear very well built.

Now I'm not where they're made, but I know that Rockville is U.S. company based back east somewhere. You could probably get more detailed info from Eli though.

So Bucky do you know of any other distributor/dealer that sells this Trikekite? I didn't get any response from Eli on the kite so i guess i'll have to go to another source.

Hi Cubenis
It was me that give You card You have to contact Adam adam@madkiting.com he is the guy to talk to.I'm sure he will help You,tell him that Slawek give You his contact.

Hello Slawek,
Thanks for all the infos. I got hold of Adam but someone sent me a link to Ebay for the same buggy and i ended up winning a brand new Kitetrike auction today for a little less, saving me a few dollars which i'll use to buy me a helmet... :-)
I should have the buggy sometimes this week so lemme know when your next session is i'll be glad to tag along.

Noob needing guidance....

I have session every day if wind and tide is right.I will go to Pismo on friday for all weekend where me, few other buggy pilots and lots of kitesurfers will have a blast,so feel free to join us.It is this timw of Year when all kiters gather together in PIsmo for kite expo http://xtremebigair.com/
Cheers

Hey Cubensis:

I see you picked up one of those Kitetrikes. I'm pretty confident you'll be happy with it. I hope I steered you right. Nevertheless, let me know how it works for you. My opinion was based on observation and a quick test ride, not on long-term ownership, so I'd be interested to know it holds up. (By the way, the adjustable footpegs are also a nice touch!)

Yeah i'll let you know Bucky if i destroy this buggy in a few outings... then i can post on the forum and can blame you.... hehehehe. I actually read reviews on it on 3 different website and the consensus is so far not a bad buggy for its price. We'll see how it will hold up but i'm a noob so i dont see myself doing crazy stuff on it in the near future. I found out that the buggy has a 45 inches rear axle length (52 inches including wheels), 12 mm hardened carbon steel bolt, standard size 14 inch wheel, the frame and rim also accept any standard 16 inch tire. Hey what do you expect for a kite at that price right? The package also includes the tools needed to assemble it, extra bolts etc. Maybe you can give me tips to mod this kite sometimes... :-)

I would advice You to grind footpegs before You will take it out,It is not to safe,You can easly hurt yourself.I agree that You get what You pay for.It is good buggy to start with but I still prefer someting stronger.I'll see You on Ocean Beach.
Cheers

Received Kitetrike yesterday, came in with lots of extra bolts and all tools. Since this is my first buggy cant really tell quality from other buggies for comparison but it looked strong with adjustable(height/angle) footpegs, i guess it's possible to add(weld) additional bar to beef up rear axle which is bigger than side rails. All bolts are heavy and shiny, rear axle bolt(12 mm.) thread in to end of axle, beefy-looking front fork, rims fitted with 14 inch tires (3.50 X8)but will fit 4.80 X 8 tires also or 16 inch wheel barrow tires, the square-shaped mid section(where front of side rail is connected) is adjustable to 6 different settings and is 1.5 square inch in diameter and there are 8 total seat straps with the back rest very sturdy and effective once the 2 very long back strap is creatively strapped around the side rail. I'm only 165 lbs so i dont see myself thrashing this buggy anytime soon. Can't wait to try it this weekend but forecast is rain in the Bay Area... . Thanks Bucky for the recommendation, hey Zloty here's my email gimme your contact number so we can hook up sometimes... xxganymedexx@yahoo.com