The Design Process.

Let's work through the design process. (Without emotional disassociation!)

Situation or Need (and customer profile).
Tadpole recumbent, upright delta and tadpole tricycles are manufactured commercially and available to purchase. There are far fewer uprights than recumbent tricycles. There are kits available to convert bicycles to tricycles, and I can't say that I like any that are available.
To cut through the bush - I can't buy the one I want, so there must be a need for one, so I need to make one. I need to make more than one as there must be other people like me out there who want to feel like Miss Marple's great aunt.

Design Brief
Design and make an upright tadpole tricycle.

You really do have to feel sorry for Design and Technology teachers - and their coursework moderators.

1. State the obvious.
2. State the bloody obvious.
3. Repeat.
4. .............


Evaluate Existing Products.

The Monarch and Harding. I don't own the copyright on any images, so can't post photos - but Google them!

The earlier models look a little like hack bikes. Old bicycles cut up and welded together to make a tricycle. Most notably the double forks. I like the way they look - flat ended. I can visualise making a trike like this. Maybe the front end looking like a bedstead with little brass knobs, or just flat. Flat boys not fat boys. Not very aerodynamic, though.

The later tadpole uprights have single axles for the front wheels. They do look more - designed, but a bit naked.

They all have Ackerman steering. The old vending trikes have no steering rack and are not designed for high speed. They are almost ornamental.

I have seen a couple of trikes with rear wheel steer and front wheel drive, and a recumbent tadpole with front wheel steer and drive. Pretty cool engineering!

Now, purists may point out that I've missed out the analysis and synthesis, planning, etc - but most Design and Technology teachers will admit (possibly) that not all design projects are documented chronologically! These are rattling around in my head and on scraps of paper/notebooks along with everything else, and might appear if I can type them out. It's doubtful to be honest - after dealing with students' design folders year in and year out - I'll save you the pain...

I will put some of the specification down in my next post