Hauler Steering Mod Pics

[TheKid]

I started the steering mod for the hauler. I moved the head tube 6" back on the front tube. I'll have to make the handlebars 2" longer, or find longer bars. I may even convert to a chopper style front end in the future. Here's what I did so far:
I used a 1 3/8" hole saw to cut the new head tube location. It's a little large, but I wanted a little room for tweaking if I needed it.

http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z66/edpol_photos/hauling%20platform/000_0289Small.jpg

I inserted the tube and the fork to check for clearance, and trail. I made a mock-up of the steering as well. As it turned out, I didn't have to remove the BB and chain I installed for a test run. I removed them in case I had to remove and reset the front tube, and change the seat height.

http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z66/edpol_photos/hauling%20platform/000_0287Small.jpg

http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z66/edpol_photos/hauling%20platform/000_0288Small.jpg

You can see where the underseat steering tube is located. The front of the seat will be about 4" above that and just behind it. The gooseneck will be fabricated and welded to the stem. All I did here was slide a piece of 1" square tube over the stem to determine the length of the gooseneck. I later installed the headset to check for trail. There's about 1/2" of trail, as there was before I moved the head tube back. On a test run, handling was superb, even with the square handlebars I made for testing. There's no wheel flop or bump steer whatsoever. I did however, wear out the soles of my sneakers because there were no brakes. I had it in low gear so I could get up the hill to get back to my house. I could have stayed on level ground, but I wanted to test the handling at a fairly good clip, so I went around the block to the top of a hill. I just didn't think I'd build up enough speed to wear out my shoes! I installed the drum brake wheel for the next test. I'll save installing the disc brakes in the rear for final assembly, as well as the rear derailler.

[Richie Rich]

It's nice to see the old frame being reincarnated and coming back to life again.

Now, where are you mounting the seat belt and air bag..?? :eek:

Drive carefully, bud...!!

.....Richie >>

[TheKid]

Seat belt? Air bag? Isn't one brake that doesn't work yet enough safety equipment?
BTW, that's actually a new frame. I just haven't been able to work much lately. I did manage to get a test ride with the USS a few weeks ago. That's when I found it had wheel flop and bump steer. Other than that, it was a sweet ride, mainly because I hooked up the front V-brake. I forgot to check the trail when I installed the suspension fork, being more concerned about matching as close as possible the angle of the head tubes. With these latest mods, the overall length without the flatbed went from 9' to 87 1/2". The turning radius is also much smaller (naturally) with the 20" wheel.

[Richie Rich]

Isn't one brake that doesn't work yet enough safety equipment?I guess it's just a matter of which costs more.....disk pads, sneakers or a trip to the ER. :)

I also use a hub brake on my DW. There are those who say that they put too much stress on the spokes in a hard stop, but I haven't noticed any problems so far. If I see a problem developing, I can always switch to the heavier gauge spokes.

As for the braking system in your hauler, if you combine your hub brake with one or two disc brakes in the rear, you'll have plenty of stopping power.

...RR >>

[TheKid]

It's set up for two disk brakes in the rear. The front wheel will have a hub motor, so I'll have do some research to see what kind of brakes are available for those. I heard that some come set up for disk brakes, which would be my preference. I'll use the drum brake until I get the hub motor. The two rear discs are probably sufficient, but I'd prefer to have the option of brakes on all wheels. On the Streetfox, I don't need the rear brake to be able to come to a skid on dry pavement, as required by NY law, but it's nice to know it's there if I need it. I mostly use it as a parking brake, which will be one of the purposes of a front brake on the hauler.