Wanted Head tube

[Reynaldo866]

Hi i need two head tubes off of a 26" bike for my new project i dont want to buy to bikes for it and have to cut them up just for the tubes. need both of them to be both the same size.

E-mail me at.
theninthwonder1@gmail.com

because i check my e-mail more often then the the mail on here
thanks Reynaldo

[Odd Man Out]

Do a websearch yourself and you will find them...
Try Nova cycles for one
Or Gearlan
Or...

[savarin]

Or,take a measurement of the various tubes you do have and find one that fits your head bearings.
There are often the same dia tubes on a huge range of bikes. Just cut to size once found

[TheKid]

You don't have to buy bikes, just go out on trash nights in various neighborhoods. There are usually bikes to be found at the curb. If all you want are the head tubes, take an allen key and a 13mm wrench to remove the bars, stem and fork, (Some stems bolt on with a key, some with a wrench), and a hacksaw with a good blade to cut the head tube free.
Thrift shops are a good source for cheap bikes, as low as 5 bucks. I recently found a listing on craigslist, 6 bikes for $40. I got them for $30.
You don't say if you already have the fork and/or steering tube, but most 26" bikes use a head tube that's 4 3/4" long. Some forks bought separately from shops require a longer tube, spacers, or shortening. I bought one online, and it arrived with an extra long steering tube. Luckily, it was threaded quite far, so I just had to cut it and file the threads so the nuts went on easy.

[Reynaldo866]

Do you guys think i could go to home depot and get pieces there
if so what size diameter is it

[TheKid]

If you use forks with 1 1/8" steer tubes, 1 1/4" EMT conduit will work. If you use forks with 1" steerer tubes, you have to match the fork with either of the two sizes of 1" headsets. (The two sizes of 1" headsets require two different size head tubes.) The difference is the ID of the lower bearing race.
It's a heck of a lot easier and cheaper to find used donor bikes. You might even get lucky and find one or two with high quality components.
For instance, let's say you're building a LWB with 26" wheels, and pilot steering with a tie rod. A cheap new fork is about $20. Two cheap headsets cost about $12. Another $3-$10 for a piece of pipe for the head tubes, cheap brakes another $20-$25 per wheel, assuming you have no levers. Then there's the deraillers, shifters, freewheel, crankset, BB and pedals.
If you look around, you could probably find a kids bike for the pilot steering for $0-$10. A decent quality used bike can be had for $0-$50. About all you'll have to buy besides those items, are the frame materials, tie rod ends and tie rod, and seat materials, plus misc. pieces of flat bar for the BB bracket and seat mounts. Also cables and casings, and chain.
It would help if you told us more about your project and the materials you already have.

[kevinp]

Also don't think it can only be adults bikes you need there are lots of kids bikes that can supply the headstock's and BB, most of the rest will be just but just cut out what you need and junk the rest.

Although if you're like me the junk never quite makes it into the scrap bin, there's always a chance it will come in handy :)

[TheKid]

Also don't think it can only be adults bikes

That's true. There are plenty of 20" bikes that use 3 pc. BB's and the same cranksets as larger bikes. In addition, all the head tubes I have from 20" bikes are 4 3/4" long. I have several from 16" bikes, most of them are an inch shorter.
Unless you're worried about weight, there's nothing wrong with using single pc. BB's. On the plus side, if you need shorter cranks, the single cranks from 16" and smaller bikes may be just what you need. One of those worked really well for me on the DR. I switched to a 3 pc. BB to get a smaller ring for lower gearing, but went back to the single after adding the motor.

[Reynaldo866]

That's true. There are plenty of 20" bikes that use 3 pc. BB's and the same cranksets as larger bikes. In addition, all the head tubes I have from 20" bikes are 4 3/4" long. I have several from 16" bikes, most of them are an inch shorter.
Unless you're worried about weight, there's nothing wrong with using single pc. BB's. On the plus side, if you need shorter cranks, the single cranks from 16" and smaller bikes may be just what you need. One of those worked really well for me on the DR. I switched to a 3 pc. BB to get a smaller ring for lower gearing, but went back to the single after adding the motor.

yeah wight is my most concern is going to be on Richie Rich's Double Vision Trike http://dubblevision.blogspot.com/

[TheKid]

Ah. One of these:

http://atomiczombie.com/gallery/bradgraham/hammerhead.htm

I doubt the extra 1-1.5 lbs will make a difference. But if you start with a bike that already has the lighter BB and crankset, all you need to do is find another 26" bike with the same fork, (Not difficult. Many brands of bikes use the same types of forks) and another donor to get the extra head tube. The third donor doesn't have to be a 26" bike. Even if you can't find another 26" bike with the same fork, two bikes of any size will provide the head tubes and head set, and you could buy a fork to match the base bike.
Hit the streets, thrift shops, garage sales, Craigslist etc. to find the donors. Discarded EMT, fence posts, exercise machines, or anything else with tubing or pipe will supply the connecting tubes for the front end.
With a little time and patience, all you'll need to buy new are the tie rods and ends.

[chainmaker]

Depending on how you are going to use them, I think these might be ok for uss ??? http://www.westcoastminichoppers.com/FrameBuildingKits.html at the bottom of the page.

[Reynaldo866]

alright thanks everybody that help
you all really helped alot