Quick Question concerning Cycle Trucks

[reddogrides]

Hi all,

With my Son's Birthday rapidly approaching I have abandoned a trike build and have set my sights on building him a cycle truck. :shock: I have looked and looked and finally picked up a few candidates to cut up for the build and I will show build photos of the progress as it goes along. 8) The question that I need to get me going on this is the difference between the front and rear wheels.
The two bikes that I have are 26" bikes. I have never actually seen a cycle truck in real life can anyone out there help me in just telling me the rear and front wheels sizes?
For instance is a 26" a standard rear wheel size if so would it be a 24" front? or a 20" front? any and all help in this would be great.
The quicker the better so I can get started on this build.
Thank you.

 

[Chainsaw]

I believe most are 26"back and 20" front. If you're building one from scratch, what difference does it make?

 

[TheFlyingDingo]

Usually i see them with a 26" Rear, 20" Front.

 

[rick74304]

Cycle trucks are typically 26 rear and 20 front for 2 main reasons, 1 is to keep the center of gravity as low as possible when carrying a load, and 2, to keep the load down low so the rider can see over what they are carrying.
If you're building it from scratch, remember to keep it strong and light, see if your local scrap yard will let you salvage different types of aluminum (angle or L channel, flat stock, sheet panels) if not, any decent metal supplier can supply what you need.
If at all possible, try and steer clear (pun intended lol) of using wood. Although easy to work with and cheap, the weight to strength ratio makes for a heavier than needed load.
Hope that helps,
Rick

 

[reddogrides]

Awesome,

Thanks so much for the replies. I am very thankful for all the advice. Although this will be a scratch built bike I did want it to resemble the Cycle Trucks of past. I do appreciate all the help. and even the last description as to why the wheels sizes are what they are.
Thanks again for all your help.
I gotta get out to the Garage and get this thing going..... :shock:
Thanks again.