Hello MP and viewers, I have once again embarked on a cool project using 3/4" EMT conduit and MP connectors.

After building a few go karts using same materials a few years ago, and restoring a couple Yerf Dog go karts, I decided to give it a go at building a cycle kart from scratch, using a creative engineering approach.

Cycle karts, for the most part, are typically built using 1"x3" square steel tubing by welding a frame. While I am familiar with welding and have done some in my go karts for things like spindle brackets and axle supports for repurposed hover motors, the idea of welding a complete frame has not been something I have been prepared to do, just yet, especially after how easy it is constructing go karts from EMT conduit and tube connectors, a la erector set building.

So I have decided once again to share my project as inspiration and reference for others wanting to do similar, without the need for welding.

One of the things I learned from my previous go kart builds was the benefits as well as limits of 3/4" conduit strength and how to distribute weight so to arrive at a frame that has inherent flex without extreme bending beyond natural and repeatable flex back, so I am employing same weight distribution and support techniques in the present cycle kart build, in order to keep the frame structure simple and more importantly, lightweight. Most cycle kart builds have a target weight of around 250lb according to some cycle kart design guidelines, but my build will be lighter than this weight figure, hopefully, since I am not employing leaf springs or regular coil shock absorbers for suspension, hence relying on the structure geometry as mentioned above.

One of the critical and hardest to obtain, at least inexpensively, components in a cycle kart, is the wheel x4. Typically the cycle kart design guidelines calls for Honda MT90 type motorcycle wheels with tires typically between 3-4 inches wide . After looking at the cost for each such wheel, just the rims alone where around $100 a piece, I decided to look for more cost effective options.

I spend many months searching and trying to find cheaper options, and after much persistence I came across set of Mongoose 4" wide mountain bikes, near my area, that seemed to be the perfect fit, for a very attractive price which I could not pass the purchase, considering also how expensive these types of wheels are and it is rare to find inexpensive 4 tires of the same make size and color. I was looking for spoked fat tire wheels around 20", but the wheels that came with the bikes I purchased ended up being 27" front and 29" rear. While these will have to go through hub modification to take higher lateral torque forces so the spikes don't collapse under heavy side loads, they do add a lot of aesthetical character to the kart which has a frame base dimension of 8ft x 2ft, wheel to wheel at 66" appart at centerline.

As I typically like to have options, I ended purchasing also some 20" x2" wide Wheel Barrow wheels because these cone with sealed bearings (depends on seller) for direct install to 5/8" and 3/4" shafts or axles, so they can easily be adapted to front spindles and live rear axles with slight hub modification. While not as attractive as the much more robust and good looking Mongoose fat tire wheels, they are a nice option for a light cycle kart build, especially something that is built for personal fun drives around the block, park or back yard and not for racing, which is my desire.

I have already started a slew of videos uploaded to my You Tube channel, shorts as well as long, to document the project, steps, thought process, challenges and solutions but more so for personal reference and as a diary.

This project is meant to induce a creative engineering and thinking as this build is not your typical cycle kart build.

Hopefully this is of interest to others. I have uploaded the following random images of both the CAD model, 1:4 Scale study model and actual frame and wheel options.

I am almost done with the frame, the wheel hub mods will be next, I am not sure what I will run into when I disassemble the Mongoose wheel hub mechanics, but I have brain stormed some ideas in the accompanying videos at my you tube channel.

MIA