We’re delighted to welcome Cyclorama’s latest exhibitor to the pages of our guide to specialist, interesting, innovative and groovy bikes.
SN Design are a two bloke team who have expended a lot of effort designing, developing and pedaling their Rattlebone Sidehack, a sidecar outfit which bolts to the side of a regular BMX bike, converting it to a two man trike and multiplying the fun factor.
Rattlebone sidehacks are individually made in Bristol and have been extensively tested at local BMX tracks by local riders. It crossed my mind that this concept throws up lots of potential for pedal powered activities away from the track too.
I met up with Steve and Nick recently to pose a few questions – it seems they’re way ahead of me in thinking about the potential for their bolt-on platform.
Me: Do you use the bike’s original gear ratio or do you recommend lowering it for use with a sidecar?
Nick: Bike gear ratio is a matter of preference along with crank stroke and seat height etc….. Most people have no trouble using their standard ratios for sidehack racing. The deciding factor is what kind of passenger you have. If you have someone who just sits there (as you might with jousting) or are carrying cargo, then a lower ratio might be beneficial, but if you have someone who scoots and pushes to help, then standard ratios will be fine. If you wanted a recommendation then 39T 17T seems to be a popular choice (for racing purposes) when combined with a 20″ wheel.
Me: Can hub and/or derailleur gears be used with your sidecars?
Steve: Yes and yes. You can fit hub or derailleur gears. The sidehack is on the left, so having a derailleur on the right is no problem. Hub gears are also a possibility. For BMX racing which is essentially a sprint event this is not needed, but again going back to carrying cargo or passive passengers then it would help. The original hack I made to take my son to school had five speeds on a derailleur. The only downside is that both these solutions usually involve using a wheel with 36 spokes rather than the stronger 48 spoke type, which is what we normally recommend for the side loadings involved with sidecars.
Me: Can you make larger versions for non-BMX bikes?
Nick: Yes. We are currently part way through developing a mountain bike version. The main difference is that the mountain bike frame geometries are much more varied than BMX, especially if you include suspension versions. The frames are also generally weaker because the are larger and lighter, so the design has to be careful not to damage the frame at the attachment points. Our current prototype is out on test at the moment, but it is interesting to note that we stayed with a 20″ BMX wheel for the sidecar despite the bike having 26″ wheels, because the BMX wheels are much stronger. You might imagine that this looks odd but actually it looks OK.
Me: Could you make one which would accept a wheelchair…..? With a ramp?
Steve: Yes I’m sure we could, we could certainly look into it. One-off customer builds are our favourite thing because they require the most inventiveness and the testing of a new product is the most fun. The design would probably have to be wider than our current offering and the ramp would need to be carefully designed so that it was not too steep when folded out, but not to big when folded up. Safety is a more important consideration too when you are not making racing hacks. There is a big difference between a young athletic teenager riding on the sidehack verses a young child or a less able bodied person. You would not, for example, want it to roll away down a hill while you are loading it up!
Me: Thanks, guys, welcome to Cyclorama!
Nick: Where are the donuts?
SN Design’s Rattlebone Sidehack in Cyclorama
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