Recent posts

#51

C5 Support / Possible replacement chasis/ma...

Last post by Paul Langton-Rogers - 24, April, 2016 - 14:31:58

I discovered these American recumbent tricycles selling on eBay (£276 new in Germany + £8 delivery!)

The size (length and width) looks nearly ideal for the C5 and its adjustable with rear suspension I think. Maybe this could be a replacement chassis and since it has better rear wheel assembly, it might make for an interesting upgrade mod if someone wanted to do a rear hub drive C5 and have a better seat?

Not sure about the steering though!!

MOBO Triton Recumbent Tricycle








eBay Seller page:

http://tinyurl.com/zjmzeld

#52

C5 Support / Re: I seperated body shell... ...

Last post by Paul Langton-Rogers - 24, April, 2016 - 14:02:54

I had that feeling half way through that I was doing something bad, but I had already committed so I finished.  Not sure what to do here.    Currently I have larger problems with the C5 that need attention first.  Finding another body shell state-side would be difficult, and I don't want to see one ruined.  I will update this when I try something later.

This is an old thread/question, but there is presently (or at least was until last week) a C5 shell for sale on eBay in UK going for £59.99. You could buy that but the shipping to US would be terribly expensive I imagine.

Re-sealing the two parts of the body shell together should not be difficult really and there's probably many ways you could do this, from very strong specialist plastic adhesives, to perhaps taking a rivet or screw bolt approach?

#53

C5 Support / Handlebar question

Last post by Paul Langton-Rogers - 24, April, 2016 - 13:59:15

Is it possible to either move the C5's handlebar further forward, or replace it entirely with something more resembling a conventional bicycle steering column and handlebar? Looking at the chassis and the front fork, it looks in theory possible, but I'm not sure whether this would work in practice?

I have yet to ride a C5, but it seems to me a terrible design decision to put the handlebar where it is beneath the knees, it's fine for youths and people short in height, but for adults and tall men particularly, it looks like a very cramped riding position with your legs permanently bent and knees sticking up! I imagine it's ok for riding short distances, but I wouldn't want to ride 6 miles let alone 20 miles with my knees bent up in that position!

Any comments on this? Maybe it's just my perception and it's not so bad?

#54

C5 Support / Front wheel question

Last post by Paul Langton-Rogers - 24, April, 2016 - 13:55:12

Is it possible to fit a 16" wheel to the front instead of 12" or would this cause problems with the balance and steering of the C5?

#55

Wanted - Sinclair C5 Parts & Accessories / Front wheel wanted

Last post by Paul Langton-Rogers - 24, April, 2016 - 13:53:55

My C5 has a flat front tyre and the wheel and tyre condition might not be great and probably needs replacing.

Can anyone recommend a source for 12" wheels+tyres?

I'm not fussed on whether it's original C5 or something entirely different.

Is it possible to fit a 16" wheel to the front instead of 12" or would this cause problems with the balance and steering of the C5?

#56

C5 Support / Wing mirrors

Last post by Paul Langton-Rogers - 24, April, 2016 - 13:51:22

I'm after a pair of wing mirrors, but the original ones seem to sell for crazy prices (there's a pair on eBay now for £180!).

I'm not too keen on the 3D printed ones being sold, as these look rather expensive too and the finish quality is not quite to my liking.

A quick search on eBay for "electric indicator wing mirrors", reveals tons of cheap wing mirror pairs (some new for bicycles, some used pulled off cars) which might be a cheaper alternative as they generally sell for £15-£50 a pair...however I need to figure out a secure and tidy way to attach them onto the C5 body.

So does anyone have any advice, suggestions or ideas on attaching non-standard wing mirrors?

Ideally I'd like to use smaller car-type with indicators on.

#57

Wanted - Sinclair C5 Parts & Accessories / Front wheel covers wanted

Last post by Paul Langton-Rogers - 24, April, 2016 - 13:44:32

If anyone has a set of front wheel covers they'd like to sell, I'd be interested!

They don't have to be original either.

How much do these normally cost?

#58

For Sale - Sinclair C5 Parts & Accessories / C5 possibly available, offers?

Last post by Paul Langton-Rogers - 24, April, 2016 - 13:42:14

Hi all,

Here is the C5 itself...















I purchased the C5 off the original owner from new, who is now an elderly gentleman. The C5 has been in dry-storage for over a decade but as you can see, is in need of some TLC and restoration to tidy it up and get it back running again. There's no battery included, however the motor and electrics I have been told should be in good working order still.

I'm still in two minds about whether to restore this myself as I don't think I will be using it or keeping it after restoring, so not sure it's worth the time and hassle.

How much is a C5 worth in this condition as a restoration project, or if anyone is interested in acquiring it for parts maybe, how much would you think it's worth?


Photos album link:

http://imgur.com/a/d5dmL

#59

C5 Support / C5 restoration - general advic...

Last post by Paul Langton-Rogers - 24, April, 2016 - 13:32:29

Hi all,

I have just recently acquired a Sinclair C5 with a view to restoring it. It's not in the best condition and has a few things missing, but I have seen worse, so I think it's possibly viable as a restoration project but wanted some opinions...

Here is the C5 itself...







Now for the bad parts!









I purchased the C5 off the original owner from new, who is now an elderly gentleman. The C5 has been in dry-storage for over a decade but as you can see, has considerable rust to the chassis which is my main concern.  I haven't taken delivery yet so cannot fully determine the extent to how deep or bad the rust is, and whether the chassis is structurally safe now. 

What do you guys think looking at the photos? How would you normally go about dealing with rust like this, assuming it is just superficial and the chassis is structurally sound? I assume a complete strip-down and sanding off the rust and re-spraying the chassis with protective metal paints?

The owner says the original battery is dead and long since gone, but assures me the electrics are fine and it ran ok before it was put into storage.

My restoration options I'm considering are:

1) Restore it as originally was, keeping the original motor and just sourcing a suitable 12V battery (or two maybe). This is not my preferred option, but if members think it's better than my other options, I may well consider doing this.

2) Do the above (retaining original motor+12V battery), but also fit a front-hub 250W motor wheel to give it more hill climbing power (to keep it road legal, the rear motor and front motors would only be engaged at same time when climbing steep hills a single motor couldn't manage).

3) Strip it down and remove the motor and all the old 1985 electrics, change or adapt the rear axle assembly to allow for 2 rear hub motors and switch to a large Lithium-Ion battery and a modern controller.  Looks looks to be a challenge, as the rear axle rotates, and it doesn't have drop-outs like a bicycle, so I'm not sure fitting rear hub motor wheels is practically possible or safe. What do you guys think?

I don't want to spend a lot of money on restoring this really if I can help it, as I'm not even sure I will keep it or use it much. I'm doing the restoration more as a hobby project and challenge!

Some general questions...

Battery: In the e-bike community lead-acid batteries are no longer used to power e-bikes (they were in the earlier days) and now Lithium-Ion and other battery technologies are preferred as they have lower-weight and longer-life profile compared to lead acid batteries. However bicycles are much lighter than C5, and for heavier electric vehicles, generally lead-acid batteries are used due to their being cheap, and able to withstand deep discharge cycles. Would you say lead acid is still better for a C5, or would Lithium-Ion (36V/38Ah) be a good alternative that might last longer and be lighter?

Gearing: I know the C5 doesn't have any proper switchable gearing but does have a gearing system for added torque on the motor. If I modernised the C5 and took the rear-drive hub motors approach, how would this affect the gearing and ability to ride the C5 unpowered? I know some people have fit hub-gears like the sturmey archer 3-speed hub-gears used on the old Raleigh Chopper bicycles. Could this be the way to go? Or would gearing not really be an issue or necessary, providing my modernised C5 has sufficient redundancy built-in (backup controller units and extra battery power onboard)? Shouldn't ever need to pedal.

Bodywork: Looking at the condition of my C5 you can see it's pretty poor and dirty. Generally speaking, how easy is the C5's bodywork to clean? I'd ideally like to spray-paint mine (metallic silver I think) as others have done. Are there any reasons why I shouldn't do this, and would it significantly lessen its value to enthusiasts if I did spray painted it?

Handlebar: I really don't like where the handlebar is positioned beneath the knees. Has anyone ever attempted to move the handlebar further forwards (or adopt a completely new method of steering that comes off the front fork directly? Is changing the steering handlebar even practically possible, given the riding position and seat location?

Photos album link:

http://imgur.com/a/d5dmL

#60

For Sale - Complete Sinclair C5 / Two tidy Sinclair C5's closing...

Last post by Paul Langton-Rogers - 24, April, 2016 - 12:54:33

This one looks in very good condition with all the extras, wing mirrors, seat and booster, indicators, looks, fully restored, a little over an hour to go guys, if anyone interested will have to be quick, but it has no maiden bids (starting price look too high at £1,250..



The second C5 is a non-runner but looks tidy and a good restoration product for someone, has a lot of bids though, and around 3-4 hours to go..

[url]http://tinyurl.com/z5fz7eg]http://tinyurl.com/he55y3g[url]

The second C5 is a non-runner but looks tidy and a good restoration product for someone, has a lot of bids though, and around 3-4 hours to go..

[url]http://tinyurl.com/z5fz7eg

Btw, I own neither of those C5's nor have any connection with the sellers. I'm just posting in case they're of interest to anyone.