Pushbike
Built by Ralph Laughton in June 2014 for the Le Tour De France Secretary’s Challenge
This has to be one of the smallest models I have built for a while. Simple in construction and made from few parts, it makes a change from our usual enormous models that take an age to build and set up at meetings and exhibitions.
The model may be small but there are several interesting parts included. The 1½” pulley wheel is unusual as it has a round hole. By far the majority of these wheels have tri-axle bores and will not fit a standard (round) axle rod. The seat is make from a narrow obtuse angle bracket and the handlebars are a 3-hole, 1” narrow strip.
Surprisingly the hardest part of the build was bending the narrow strip to a smooth arc with no kinks. This was achieved by supporting the strip in a flexible plates as it was being bent.
The rear wheel is secured by driving a bolt into the tri-axle bore of a ½” plastic pulley. Interestingly, this does not destroy the function of the part within the tri-axle system.