Rick Paulos' PPV
Cedar
Rapids, IA November 11, 2002
See his excellent pictures at: http://sports.groups.yahoo.com/group/PeoplePoweredVehicle/
The front wheel is a regular bicycle wheel. I'm thinking 16" x 2" from memory. Very much like a Schwinn Sting Ray Krate front wheel. Be aware that Krate front wheels are very expensive now. I've see the front drum brake hubs sell for over $200. Tires & tubes are pretty common for that size. The rear wheels are 20" from memory and maybe not a standard bicycle type. Much heavier duty. Maybe from horse racing carts or industrial bikes/trikes. Bicycle tubes should work.
Since you said it's was running before the flat, I would assume all the parts are there so you won't need to search for the impossible. Rust. It will make a big difference on how it was sitting. Upright or upside down or on a side. Upright position will mean most of the drive train would have been under the body and won't be in too bad of shape. The only part of the drive train that would be a big rust problem would be the chain(s). And those are pretty much standard industrial types. A good soaking should help them out. All the other drive train parts are PPV specific but should be cleanable or repairable if needed. Wire brushing takes the rust of regular steel. Navel jelly is supposed to remove rust from plain steel too. I recently tried in that on metal with moderate results. Not for any plated steel. Removes the rust but turns the rust areas black. Most are hidden out of site so the visual appearence won't matter.
The visable metal parts. The rims are chrome plated and will clean up some what. The chrome handle bars and other hardware on top will be the worst for sitting out for years. The best product by far for cleaning chrome is Quick-Glo Chrome Cleaner. Highly abrasive paste that does wonders on chrome surfaces. Available via the internet or some local bike shops. All automotive chrome cleaners aren't meant for rust removal, mostly just polishing new chrome. <http://www.rrbicycle.com/store>://www.rrbicycle.com/ store <http://www.rrbicycle.com/store> is where I got my latest supply only to find it at a local bike shop a month later. My first can lasted 20 years. You can use it in combination with steel wool for maximum effect. I've read that using steel wool is bad as it leaves tiny flecks in the chrome that will rust in no time. Brass wool is recommended but i've yet to find any. A good scrubbing is needed to remove the steel wool bits followed by multiple car waxings to seal the pits. I use a rag instead of the steel wool except for the worst rust. Navel Jelly is not to be used with chrome surfaces.
The body is all plastic like tupperware. Any mild household cleaner and water will do. The windshield on mine was replaced by the previous owner with plain plastic storm window material and cut to shape. Nothing too special. The seat covers are fused vinal. I suppect any auto reupholstry place could do new ones if needed. My butt gets really sore riding in just a few miles sitting in these bucket seats. Just sitting on the muscles in the wrong places. Maybe that's just me. Extra padding in the seats could help. I did see a couple of guys riding a PPV on RAGBRAI quite a few years ago. I was highly impressed by them that they could take it for so many miles. Most of the body screws are chome and will clean up okay with the chrome cleaner. There is a automotive type trim piece pressed on around the exposed edges of the body. Again, I think that could be gotten from an autobody place. My ppv has/had 2 decals. One by the shift lever and a little ppv on the hood. Both long unreadable. The rear reflectors were stick on and fell off some time ago. I replaced the bicycle safety flag with a new one. I think there are some stores that still sell those 1970s items.
Biggest risk of damage is in 3 places. Where the cranks attach to the outer body. Not a very good design in my opinion. I've never seen one break there but as plastic ages, it gets brittle. I always worry about pedaling too hard and putting too much strain on the body there. Second place is the T frame. We had a bike shop customer in the late 1970s that used one in lieu of a car. He rode his everywhere in all weather. Broke the frame where the two parts are welded together. Okay I know of another where the fork broke. Highly abused by kids. That kid, now 44, told me he used to ride in right in to the river as it would float! Maybe for a few minutes with lightweight kids on board. There are drain holes in mine. But the fork is a pretty standard bike design. The fork on my ppv is bent so it pulls hard to one side. I'm not messing with it until it does break or nears breaking. Annual inspections are done. I figure a local frame builder could fix it when needed.
Last spring I did a bunch of cleaning of the drive train on mine. Got lots of crepe paper caught up in the gears. Crepe paper from decorating it for parades. Get the ppv and consider a total cleaning and rust removal from top to bottom a long term hobby project. Who knows what the current owner will do to "clean it up" And store it indoors! I keep mine in a big shed with the lawn mower. In the summer time, one car sits out and the ppv gets the garage space for easy access. Brakes. Atom drum brake front bicycle hub with a regular bicycle brake lever modified to add a parking feature and standard brake cable. Can't say I've ever heard of anyone wearing out a drum brake hub brake shoe. But I would think you could get a replacement for that. Cable no problem. Lever. Humm, I supose the plastic parking feature could break. There is no differential on the ppv. It's really 1 wheel drive. You will notice the difference when turning and pedaling at the same time. The transmission looks very complicated. all exposed and relies on steel coil springs to hold everything together.