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| By bavetta
 3 ratings
A scooter that is propelled by jumping up and down. |
The Summer of 04 I read a description of an old-fashioned bicycle whose main mode of power transmission was not by chain, but by an off center (eccentric) wheel. To make the bicycle go, the user would simply jump up and down powering the bicycle similarly to how a locomotive is powered by pistons which move back and forth. I decided to modify a scooter that I had found in a dumpster a few days earlier and a 24 inch kids bicycle wheel to make a "no push" scooter.
In order to make the spokes different lengths, I needed to find a die to cut new spoke threads. I asked the local bicycle store if they had heard of such a thing. They told me indeed they had, and they had one in their toolbox which they never used and would be willing to sell to me for about $20. Although it seems pretty steep, it turns out to be quite a tool and retails for more than $100 - so I bought it.
In order to make the wheel off-center, I needed to make some spokes shorter and some spokes from a larger 26" wheel. After many hours of work (MANY), the wheel was complete, and was only a matter of a few bolts to attach it to the scooter.
It worked fairly well, although next time I would make the wheel even more eccentric than I had, maybe 4 or five inches of travel would be good. Also, since you would stand fairly far away from the rear wheel in this scooter design, the effects of the wheel were less than if you were standing closer or directly on top of the wheel. The wheel size, 24", seemed to be about right and it was possible to ride for as long as your legs could take before putting your foot down again - very fun.
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