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12-30-2008, 02:47 AM
Greetings from Oz,
Soon as a saw this bike I wanted to build my own I was taken by its smooth lines. Here is the finished bike. I had never welded or built a bike before so unlike Brad`s professional looking welds mine are strong but not stylish.
Plans were very easy to follow and bike went up fairly smoothly. I did destroy 2 bb before I managed to get the third welded square. I would recommend leaving cups in until welding is finished as one small bit of spatter can ruin a thread (ask me how I know:( ) also try to get a bb that is welded and not brazed as the brazed ones have much larger holes to fill and aren`t as strong; these are usually on the older style racers.
I made a few changes to the plans. Firstly, I made the drive side pulley adjustable to aid chain length adjustability when fitting different sized riders. This now works really well. I first made the pulley brace from one length of 3mm steel and welded to bike but when going up a particularly steep hill I bent it serverly almost 90 degrees to my amazement, so now I have welded another piece of flatbar to reinforce the brace and it is rock solid now.
I also had a lot of trouble finding a pulley that could take the force of the chain on the power side. I tried an aluminum one and broke it then bought some reinforced nylon ones and broke all three of them and finally I bought a replacement wheel for a kid`s push scooter then I hooked it up to the drill press and reemed out the middle of the wheel with a sharpened screw driver that happen to be about the width of the chain. This has worked really well! Very quiet and super tough.
I also did not weld the rear derailer metal holders, I just used the forks as is, with the rear derailer and this system has worked fine, I may have just got lucky with these forks so check clearances before welding the frame.
My steering is different too. I like the mountain bike style of steering so decided to use it. this has worked really well and I like it though it does have one major draw back if you do slip or have a minor fall the bars lock you in and it is very difficult and embarrassing when trying to get back up. Luckily, I think I am just about past that stage hopefully!
Finally, I made a really comfy seat using premium quality 3" foam and plywood this is a great seat when cycling but it is a little too wide making stopping and starting a bit tricky at times. Basically, 15 inches
is too wide although fantastic to ride in. I think Brad has it right being 10". I measured the width of my rear and thats why the seat is 15" :o.
I really liked the way Brad explained what he did and why he did it in plain english that is very understandable for the absolute novice builder, well done mate!
The ride is very forgiving and I can go over gutters without a problem. High speed manners are a little quick for my liking and can lead to heart failure but I think it is a case of me getting use to the bike. Were I to build it again I would probably take a few degrees off the rake of the steering.
The last thing I have to say is don`t rebuild it before the paint is 100 percent dry that means 24 to 48 hours!!! I couldn`t wait (despite repeated warnings from Brad) and really regret it now as in certain places the finish quality has been greatly reduced. I may even repaint it. It is possible to get a very nice finish with spray can paints, just make sure you prime and sand with 400 -800 sandpaper beforehand. Hope this helps any would be builders.
Soon as a saw this bike I wanted to build my own I was taken by its smooth lines. Here is the finished bike. I had never welded or built a bike before so unlike Brad`s professional looking welds mine are strong but not stylish.
Plans were very easy to follow and bike went up fairly smoothly. I did destroy 2 bb before I managed to get the third welded square. I would recommend leaving cups in until welding is finished as one small bit of spatter can ruin a thread (ask me how I know:( ) also try to get a bb that is welded and not brazed as the brazed ones have much larger holes to fill and aren`t as strong; these are usually on the older style racers.
I made a few changes to the plans. Firstly, I made the drive side pulley adjustable to aid chain length adjustability when fitting different sized riders. This now works really well. I first made the pulley brace from one length of 3mm steel and welded to bike but when going up a particularly steep hill I bent it serverly almost 90 degrees to my amazement, so now I have welded another piece of flatbar to reinforce the brace and it is rock solid now.
I also had a lot of trouble finding a pulley that could take the force of the chain on the power side. I tried an aluminum one and broke it then bought some reinforced nylon ones and broke all three of them and finally I bought a replacement wheel for a kid`s push scooter then I hooked it up to the drill press and reemed out the middle of the wheel with a sharpened screw driver that happen to be about the width of the chain. This has worked really well! Very quiet and super tough.
I also did not weld the rear derailer metal holders, I just used the forks as is, with the rear derailer and this system has worked fine, I may have just got lucky with these forks so check clearances before welding the frame.
My steering is different too. I like the mountain bike style of steering so decided to use it. this has worked really well and I like it though it does have one major draw back if you do slip or have a minor fall the bars lock you in and it is very difficult and embarrassing when trying to get back up. Luckily, I think I am just about past that stage hopefully!
Finally, I made a really comfy seat using premium quality 3" foam and plywood this is a great seat when cycling but it is a little too wide making stopping and starting a bit tricky at times. Basically, 15 inches
is too wide although fantastic to ride in. I think Brad has it right being 10". I measured the width of my rear and thats why the seat is 15" :o.
I really liked the way Brad explained what he did and why he did it in plain english that is very understandable for the absolute novice builder, well done mate!
The ride is very forgiving and I can go over gutters without a problem. High speed manners are a little quick for my liking and can lead to heart failure but I think it is a case of me getting use to the bike. Were I to build it again I would probably take a few degrees off the rake of the steering.
The last thing I have to say is don`t rebuild it before the paint is 100 percent dry that means 24 to 48 hours!!! I couldn`t wait (despite repeated warnings from Brad) and really regret it now as in certain places the finish quality has been greatly reduced. I may even repaint it. It is possible to get a very nice finish with spray can paints, just make sure you prime and sand with 400 -800 sandpaper beforehand. Hope this helps any would be builders.