Modifying Tacx Vortex for 20" wheel...
Recently picked up a Terratrike Sport, and a new Tacx Vortex Smart trainer just showed up yesterday from Chain Reaction. I knew going into this that I would have to modify the trainer for the 20" wheels on the TT, but I was willing to take that on for a smart trainer that showed up for $180 shipped to my door.
I had seen listings for a Tacx small wheel adapter (part number T1466)for their trainers online before buying the Vortex, and figured it would be easy enough to fabricate a few flat plates similar to them, as that adapter kit had been discontinued. When the trainer showed up, I quickly realized why they were discontinued - the mount is COMPLETELY different....oops, lol. A few flat plates isn't going to pull this off now...
Being that I've been building 4x4 trucks for over 20 years now, modifying this trainer to accommodate a 20" wheel is well within my capabilities. But I also have a nasty tendency to WAY over think things sometimes, spend a full day chopping and welding a solution, and then have a dozen people tell me how I could have solved this in 5 minutes and $2 worth of parts, lol.
My current plan is to chop out the existing tube that the drive unit attaches to, leaving a couple inches of tube on either side. Weld a flange to either end, and weld mating tubes to the trainer feet tubes a few inches up where they would need to be to mate with the smaller 20" wheel on the trike. This way I can move the whole mount back down to the original factory position if I ever want to put a 26/27/29 inch wheel bike on the stand later.
Figured I'd check to see if anyone else has done this, potentially in an easier way, before I void the warranty on my brand new trainer, lol.
I had seen listings for a Tacx small wheel adapter (part number T1466)for their trainers online before buying the Vortex, and figured it would be easy enough to fabricate a few flat plates similar to them, as that adapter kit had been discontinued. When the trainer showed up, I quickly realized why they were discontinued - the mount is COMPLETELY different....oops, lol. A few flat plates isn't going to pull this off now...
Being that I've been building 4x4 trucks for over 20 years now, modifying this trainer to accommodate a 20" wheel is well within my capabilities. But I also have a nasty tendency to WAY over think things sometimes, spend a full day chopping and welding a solution, and then have a dozen people tell me how I could have solved this in 5 minutes and $2 worth of parts, lol.
My current plan is to chop out the existing tube that the drive unit attaches to, leaving a couple inches of tube on either side. Weld a flange to either end, and weld mating tubes to the trainer feet tubes a few inches up where they would need to be to mate with the smaller 20" wheel on the trike. This way I can move the whole mount back down to the original factory position if I ever want to put a 26/27/29 inch wheel bike on the stand later.
Figured I'd check to see if anyone else has done this, potentially in an easier way, before I void the warranty on my brand new trainer, lol.