A Bicycle for Brother Steven - Plan B (4 of ?)

The first model of the bicycle that I built works very well in the sense that I was able to pedal the machine using only the power of my legs. One significant problem with the first design is that the issues were bolted directly to the pedals. Aside from the fact that in the early designs issues tended to slip, the major issue is that it required me to get my feet into the shoes while they were bolted to a set of pedals which could move. Another issue is that the pedals are relatively far down and difficult to reach.

I decided that a proper solution would be to first put on a pair of shoes and that somehow attach the shoes to the pedals. My first thought was that by cycles had clip on shoes that would clip on a special set of pedals. I went to a bicycle store and asked to see these clip ons. What I soon discovered is that it took a huge amount of force to get the shoe onto the pedal. It was very clear that it would take an even greater amount of force to get the shoe off. As I sat in the bicycle store waiting for someone to help me with shoes I was suddenly struck with the fact that I was looking at the wrong solution to my problem. The forces that I can generate with my legs are very weak. Bicyclists are interested in a strong attachment for a strong leg that will keep the leg attached firmly even when strong forces are applied. It suddenly occurred to me that the correct solution was a weak attachment which was easy to make and easy to break.

Two solutions came immediately to mind: Velcro and magnets. Both solutions are way cheaper that whatever I could get at the bicycle store. I laid my hands on some industrial Velcro and a couple of large magnets. For either solution I needed a flat plate on the bottom of the shoe. I grabbed a tube of Shoe Goo and glued a metal plate on the sole of a new pair of shoes. Again the shoes were chosen to Velcro closed making it easy to get them on and off of my feet.

I took the pedals that came with the child's bicycle crank and bolted a fairly thick metal plate to the top with other plates making up the bottom. The idea was that if Velcro work properly it would simply be necessary to glue Velcro onto the plate and attached the shoes in that manner. If Velcro proved unsatisfactory, the plate would provide an excellent service with a magnet to stick to.

It turns out that the Velcro is a good strength for holding my feet onto the pedals. The only real problem is that it is still difficult to place my feet properly on a bicycle where the pedals can move – especially when the device that I have built to keep my leg from flopping to the side tends to cause the pedal to flip over. The next picture shows my current solution with the pedals being held up right and somewhat stationary using a couple of bungee cords. With this arrangement I can with some difficulty get on and off the bicycle without requesting any able-bodied help.