Noob here...

[chopped58]

First post, been lurking for a while. Started a Meridian build last week, and actually rode it today. It still needs to be finished...derailer, brakes, seat upholstery, paint, but I was too excited not to try it. Wasn't sure about the angle of the seat, but found it to be comfortable. I made a few mistakes, (welded the steering bracket on the fork after the fork spun around backwards, and notched the BB tabs too much, and barely got the bolts through). Looking forward to finishing it, and putting some miles on it.

http://chopped58.smugmug.com/photos/541739582_CTkAG-L.jpg

Being a big guy, I may add some gussets, but so far the bike feels pretty solid.

Thanks Brad for the plans, they are making the build go pretty smoothly!

[MoeMac]

Sweet looking ride!

Congrats all around big guy! I love the way it looks and it has spun my desire to build one too!

Thanks for posting the picture!

Moe.

[TheKid]

Very nice. The Meridian was my favorite ride, until I fell and broke my leg. Now two wheelers are out of the question.

[Odd Man Out]

Chopped58

Welcome to the insanity. Great first post -- you cheated...:punk:

Definately no criticism but just an observation for you; the bottom of your seat looks like it may be too long and hit the bottoms of your thighs as you ride. For a short time it would be no biggy but over time it would be a p.i.t.a.

Again greeeeeaat job.

Welcome welcome welcome.

[chopped58]

Thanks for the comments, I will look into the seat before I finish it. I wanted to get everything together and working before the final welding, and painting. I did make the seat a bit longer than the plans, thats quite a good eye you've got Odd Man Out! The hard part will be setting up the derailer and brakes, running cables etc. Will keep ya posted!

[comreich]

Great job on your first build. Welcome to the insanity :)

[mkane53]

Nice work! You are going to love that Meridian, they ride like a dream. If you're anything like the rest of us, you'll have so much fun riding it that you'll have a hard time tearing it down to paint it. I know I did.

Welcome and great Job on the first of what will almost inevitably be a small herd of custom built rides that will somehow take up residence in your garage.

[Richie Rich]

Welcome to the AZ Krew......!!
The only requirement for membership is to take LOTS of pictures...!!

Great job on the Meridian. Now comes the painful part....having to take it all apart for paint....!!

Be sure to post pix of the finished project.

...Richie...
.

[KoolKat]

Welcome! Great to see that you're diving right in. That's the only way to go!

[Patrike]

Not very good -- I see lots of mistakes, you should have..... Kidding! If I build a 2wheeler, it's gonna be that! Great work -- paint is over rated, once a good layer of rust has built up it will look fine:jester:

[GregLWB]

Hey Chopped58 - welcome to the krew.:)

The ride looks good and I can't wait to see it in 'color'.:jester:

Many of us are big guys too so we can understand the need to 'overbuild'.:jester:

Greg

[John Lewis]

Fine looking bike there chopped. Should come up real nice with a coat of paint. It is hard though having to stop riding long enough to get it done.

Welcome to this mad Zombie mob.

John Lewis

[chopped58]

Thanks everybody, can't wait to finish it! Got some extra chain today, going to try to work out the derailer situation this weekend. On another note, is this thread more than one page? I can't seem to find some of the comments that were e-mailed to me....?? :confused:

[GregLWB]

Thanks everybody, can't wait to finish it! Got some extra chain today, going to try to work out the derailer situation this weekend. On another note, is this thread more than one page? I can't seem to find some of the comments that were e-mailed to me....?? :confused:

I'm only seeing one page. Could they possibly be private messages? If you have it set up that way you will get email notification on those as well.

Greg

[chopped58]

I changed the display to linear mode, and I can see them now...

[chopped58]

Well, it's pretty much finished except for a kickstand....

Took a little while, but am pretty happy so far...


http://chopped58.smugmug.com/photos/578388910_vXhKD-L.jpg

[TheKid]

Nice work.

[SirJoey]

Congrats, Chopped! WTG!
That's one fine lookin' machine!
Love the solid black rims! :punk:


http://img384.imageshack.us/img384/7131/sirjoeysigmedij1.gif

[Patrike]

Mucho fantastico! Now I can't paint mine red -- so thanks, now I have a reason to go buy that yellow!

[comreich]

Great job Chopped. That's a great color -- of course, my LWB is also red :)

Just one word of advice. Get yourself a set of narrow slicks. You'll love the speed increase :jester: Then again, with the mega-range cog in back and those knobbies you should be able to climb a wall ;)

[trikeman]

Beautiful work Chopped.

[chopped58]

Thanks all, I rode it to work and it was a big hit. Everybody was riding it, and some want to build one. I told them to check out this site. Got the back rim with disc from a salvage place for 5 bucks. (it's brand new!) They gave me the donor frame for free. Front rim was 2 dollars from same place. A tire change is definately in order, as well as a kickstand, and some lights. Now....what to build next....hmmmm....

:)

[GregLWB]

Niiiiice! That is one sharp ride. Can't wait to see what else you come up with.:1eye:

Greg

[Radical Brad]

Two thumbs up bro!

Brad

[mkane53]

Dang, Chopped, outstanding build . You're going to love the way that Meridian rides!

[chopped58]

What kind of tires do you recommend? I believe I saw somewhere on the forums that a high pressure continental was a popular choice, but can't seem to find where I saw it. Any thoughts, maybe a model number I could check out? The knobbie has to go!

Thanks...

[mkane53]

A lot of folks use Schwalbe tires which are nice tires but they're pretty pricey. Schwalbe Marathon Tires (http://www.biketiresdirect.com/pscm26/schwalbe_marathon_26_tire/pp.htm)

Another popular tire is the Kenda Kwest - cheaper than Schwalbes and still pretty good tires Kenda Kwest (http://www.biketiresdirect.com/pkekwe/kenda_kwest/pp.htm)

With either of the above you can get a 26" and a matching 20" which matters to some folks. Note that the Schwalbes have a reflective sidewall which is a very nice feature.

Continental makes a lot of different tires Continental Tires (http://www.biketiresdirect.com/search_results.asp?kw2=continental+contact) but again they're a bit pricey. Although, I use a 20" Continental Contact on the front of my Meridian and 500 or so miles later it still looks brand new. Then again there's not a lot of weight on the front of a Meridian.

I've used Continental Top Contacts on my Cannondale Touring bike for several years and thousands of miles. They cost like the wages of sin but they're superb tires. They have a kevlar bead so they fold up nicely and are easy to carry if you're touring.

There are lots of tire out there to choose from. I've got these on the back of my Meridian and the front and back of my HighRoller - Forte Tires (http://www.performancebike.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product_10052_10551_1070099_-1_36000_20000_36004) because they're inexpensive, sold at my favorite local bike shop, have a kevlar belt for puncture protection, they wear like iron and they're very lively if you pump them up to 85 psi. But I normally buy them when they're on sale for something like $14.00/Tire.

Whatever brand of tire you choose, if you get a nice high-pressure, narrow, relatively smooth tread tire, it will make a HUGE difference in the feel and performance of your bike.

What kind of tires do you recommend? I believe I saw somewhere on the forums that a high pressure continental was a popular choice, but can't seem to find where I saw it. Any thoughts, maybe a model number I could check out? The knobbie has to go!

Thanks...

[GregLWB]

I run the Schwalbe Marathon Plus on my TourMaster (75 psi) and like them alot. I run them on this bike because it is my commuter and I don't want a flat on the way to work. I have a lot of miles on these at ~29 mph and they last forever and have great traction even in wet or slick conditions.

I also run the Kenda Quests in both 26x1.5" and 20x1.5" (100 psi) on my HighRoller and like them a lot too. These are a little faster mostly due to the smooth tread and higher pressure.

Both tires are (the Schwalbe's and the Kenda's) available with a reflective sidewall.

Greg

[comreich]

I have a Michelin XCross Road (26"x1.5) on the back of my LWB. It's totally slick and a good tire, but $40CAD. The front tire is a 20"x1 3/8 of some brand that I can't remember. This could be a bit of a risk, but I'm also running both tires with Presta tubes instead of Schraeders.

My HighRoller has Ritchey slicks (26"x1.4) which were really cheap at $17CAD per tire. They have a bit of a tread, but the tires are fast and smooth. They go up to 80psi and I can't recommend them enough :)

[chopped58]

Just a quick update, I went with the Kenda Quests front and rear and WOW what a difference compared to the knobbies! Much less rolling resistance, and is even nicer to ride now, thanks for all the suggestions! Still need a kickstand, and I'm going to try to put a rack on it. Will take better pics when it's all finished.