New to all this

[gapretzel]

Don't know much about using forums so bear with me. Been looking at the site for weeks. Ordered my plans last night and down loaded them. I plan on looking over them for a week or so then get started (after my current project is finished). I have a 20" BMX donor already. I am looking for one or two 26" bikes also. For the back wheels can I use the spokes that are on the 26 inch wheels with my homemade hubs or do I have to buy new spokes (or will they be too short?). I was going to make my hubs the same size as the ones that came off the wheel. Am I on the right track? Also has anyone used square aluminum tubing on this project? Thanks for ya'll's help.

[TheKid]

You'll need a spoke length calculator to figure the length of your spokes. Spoke lengths aren't all that critical, plus or minus 2mm is acceptable. If you're not sure, you can make your flanges wider to make up the difference for the wider spacing of the flanges on the DW. Here's a link for a spoke calculator:

http://www.bikeschool.com/spokes/

You'll also need an inch to metric conversion chart:

http://www.initium.demon.co.uk/converts/metimp.htm

[gbbwolf]

I Ended up having to use the spoke length calculator.
My old hubs were 2 1/4" around My new ones I made were 3".
Worked perfect for me.
As for aluminum tube If you can weld it I guess you could use it.
I think it would be lighter.
Might have to add some more reinforcements.

But then BRAD is god around here.
He will answer I bet...

Nelson

[TheKid]

If you search the forum, you'll find someone, I don't remember who, made a DW from aluminum. There are different grades of aluminum, and most require a post heat treatment after welding. For the cost involved, and the small amount of weight saved, it's better to use steel. Steel is easier to weld, and what you save on the cost difference, you could buy a cheap or used welder. It doesn't take long to learn how to weld, but it takes a while to learn to weld well. Many of us never welded before starting our first AZ projects, but we manged to get them done, with help from the guys who post here, as well as other forums that are dedicated to welding. I will appropriate the Nike motto: Just Do It!
Once you learn how to weld steel, and get used to these projects, you can go on to learn how to weld aluminum, cromoly, etc.
If you prefer using gas, look up Papa's threads. He uses gas almost exclusively, and may have better insight as to welding aluminum.

[Richie Rich]

For the back wheels can I use the spokes that are on the 26 inch wheels with my homemade hubs or do I have to buy new spokes (or will they be too short?). I was going to make my hubs the same size as the ones that came off the wheel. Am I on the right track?Welcome the the AZ Krew, 'gapretzel'.

Yes, you can use your old spokes with your homemade hubs. Since the spacing between the flanges on the new hubs will be wider than the ones which came with the rim, the old spokes may not be long enough. Instead of buying all new spokes, the trick is to make your new hub flanges fit your old spokes.

Here's a link to a posting which should help....

http://forum.atomiczombie.com/showpost.php?p=2573&postcount=24

Best of luck and remember to take LOTS of pictures along the way..!!

...Richie Rich >>
.

[gbbwolf]

I had No camera to take pics but hey I got a few pics in here b4 it got finished lol.

Nelson

[n9viw]

To those of us who are too poor (or cheap!) to own a digital camera, a lot of places that process film also provide a service to scan the shots and burn them to a CD for you. Upload them here from your CD-ROM, and you're all set!

[trikeman]

To those of us who are too poor (or cheap!) to own a digital camera, a lot of places that process film also provide a service to scan the shots and burn them to a CD for you. Upload them here from your CD-ROM, and you're all set!

No one is too poor to own a digital camera, unless they are not currently using a regular camera. The cost of developing a roll of film is about the same as buying a $15 digital camera at Walmart (not the best but it will take pictures). After that, its all gravy.

[SirJoey]

Aah, the old days of film cameras, I remember 'em well...

I love digital, but the bummer, for guys like me anyway, is that I was an amateur shutter bug quite a few years ago. Even took a course in photography. I spent a good chunk o' change on a pretty decent, 35mm, regular film SLR back then, along with extra lenses & other accessories. Now, all that stuff is not only obsolete, but totally worthless.

I recently tried to sell the whole kit & kaboodle at a flea market, for 50 bucks, & couldn't even get THAT! Not surprising, though. Nobody wants film anymore, myself included. Heck, that's why I was trying to "give it away"!

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

[gbbwolf]

What walmart do you shop at cheapest digital camera at my walmart is over 100 bucks.

[trikeman]

What walmart do you shop at cheapest digital camera at my walmart is over 100 bucks.


You are not looking in the right place. At my Walmart beside the display where the $100+ cameras are there is a wall of cheesy accessories etc. There, they have some "keychain" electronic cameras and various small cameras designed basically for kids. They are mostly poor quality, but will take pictures sort of like this example on eBay

http://cgi.ebay.com/MINI-DIGITAL-CAMERA-KEYCHAIN-WEB-PC-CAM_W0QQitemZ360063183935QQihZ023QQcategoryZ31388Q QssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

For the DIY crowd, a couple of years ago hacking this disposable camera from CVS was all the rage. I got one of the video and still ones and did the hacks. They worked great (but with a poor quality picture). I can't remember what I paid for them, but it was pretty cheap.

http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2005/08/how_to_cvs_vide_1.html

[AtomicZombie]

6.1 Megapixel for 60 bucks....

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3438009&sku=K23-4152

I paid $2000 for the same specs 5 years ago!

Brad

[gbbwolf]

Will look again at wally world.
If I get one expect many many pics in future lol.

Nelson

[trikeman]

6.1 Megapixel for 60 bucks....

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3438009&sku=K23-4152

I paid $2000 for the same specs 5 years ago!

Brad

Even better. My wife paid about $1200 for my first digital camera (a Sony Mavica) that could only store the pictures on floppies. It had a great 12 power optical zoom lens, but the maximum resolution was about 800x600. We sure have come a long way in a few short years on electronic photography.

Do they still make cell phones without cameras built in?

[gbbwolf]

I have a Sony 1.3 megapixel camera has built in zoom will take 1024x768.
has adjustments for flash and chit.
Also ran on floppy's.
Then it quit working with floppys.
So I bought off ebay a floppy convertor.
It takes batterys goes into where the floppy used to.
But the day I started building my wolf It gave me format error again.
Sadly it is dead now I think.
It was a good camera in it's day.

Nelson

[trikeman]

Yeah GB - I loved my Sony. I think I had the version just before yours, because I could not do the floppy conversion. Mine was the MVC FD91.

http://www.amazon.com/Sony-MVC-FD91-Mavica-Digital-Optical/dp/B00001SIGS


It had one of the greatest zoom lenses I have owned on a camera. Stunning pictures. I took all my kids soccer and sports game pictures with it and got my $$ out, but those floppies were a real pain. You can add all the megapixels you want but without high quality optics you just get very high resolution fuzzy pictures.

I finally bought a Canon A520 (4 Mega Pixels) for $120 on clearance to replace it. Added a 1G card to hold the pics and it has served me well for a few years now.

[TheKid]

In 2003 I bought a Kodak 5 mp for $400 because I liked the way the pics came out. They didn't look digital at all, compared to the HP 2mp I bought for $300 a few months earlier, which always had a digital look no matter what software I used. I went to visit my brother two months after I bought the Kodak. My nephew shows up with a $29 wallyworld camera that took the same quality pics as the Kodak. It's a 4mp and it still works fine.

[SirJoey]

Even better. My wife paid about $1200 for my first digital camera (a Sony Mavica) that could only store the pictures on floppies. It had a great 12 power optical zoom lens, but the maximum resolution was about 800x600.

I bought the same one, TM. It was my first digital, as well. Paid $500 for mine. Really liked using floppies as "film". Loved the ease of transferring my pics to the PC, especially. Even with that limited resolution, they'll take pretty fair close-ups on the macro setting, but regular shots left much to be desired. Ended up giving it to my step-mom.

Currently using a 5mp Sony. Bought it a couple of years ago, for $300. What I REALLY want is a digital SLR. I really miss all of the versatility of my SLR, but not the film...

BTW, TigerDirect rules, Brad! I've bought stuff from them before, but it's been awhile & I'd forgotten about them. Thanx for the reminder!

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

[AtomicZombie]

Yep, had a floppy cam as well "back in the day"!

Until recently, I have been using consumer grade cams that have the retracting lens, and they last me about 6 months. When I do a plan, I take at least 2000 photos during the build (seriously). This means that the little motor has to push and pull the lens about 50-100 times per day.

Now I bit the bullet and use a Nikon D60 SLR body cam with no moving parts, and it is great. The cost of a "prosumer" SLR is about what the floppy cam was 5-6 years ago. The Nikon also keeps color balance perfectly, another real problem with department store cams.

After I complete a build, it usually takes a week to sort, crop, and color correct the 100-200 photos I keepout of the 1000-2000 I took. When using the cheapo cams, I also had to spend time using Photoshop to adjust hue, saturation, and contrast.

I guess like all tools, quality really counts.

I used to own a B.&D. hand drill, and it would heat up in 2 minutes. Now the DeWalt I own can run all day without a problem.

Brad

[TheKid]

That's so true. I just ordered a Makita 5" grinder because my old "good" grinder has seen better days, and the two Chicago's I bought for backups both failed recently. Right after I orderedthe Makita for $85, I got a flyer from a local tool supply company that sells only to contractors I used to deal with. They had two 5" DeWalt grinders for $100. I was going to refuse the Makita, but it turned out there was a mistake in the flyer, and the DeWalts are 4 1/2". I just bought a ton of 5" discs that I can't return just before the other grinders gave out, So I'll keep the Makita. The first Chicago lasted about ten years, using it only occasionally, the other one lasted less than a year.
For tools you use daily, it's always better to get the best quality you can afford. You'll save in the long run. Heck, even my cheapie 4" Ryobi has lasted much longer than the Chicago's. No more cheap power tools from HF for me.
I also am interested in the SLR digitals. From what I understand, they use the same lenses as the film SLR's, and I have a bunch of those sitting around doing nothing.
Hey Joey, with one of those digital SLR's, maybe you could use some of your old stuff.