The Long One

[Starnger]

Hello everyone!
This is a special build for me, since i am rebuilding the very first cruiser bike i have got.
I am not so long in the scene but seems that long enough to go nuts about bikes and decide to connect my life with them
This is the reproduction of Dyno Coaster by Lowrider bikes, called Lowrider Limousine. I have bought it from The Chopperdome, Amsterdam, back in august 2013. That is how it looked back then:

That is how the bike looked in 2015, when i went by that bike from Amsterdam to Cambrai on north of France:

That is how the bike looked in 2016 when i left from Amsterdam to Poznan, Poland:

And that is how it looked this summer, before i have taken it apart:

It have been my daily rider since then, so it became quite dirty, rusty and was really asking for attention. I also wanted to change the color for a long time since i do not like black so much, there are so many black bikes around that i kind of need a good reason to make it black
So, this spring i got myself Electra Ghostrider, and while i am using that one as a daily rider i could make a renovation to this one.
Last month i have done powder coating to it, and have been gathering parts for this build starting from summer.
Here is the frame after the coating:

Got myself a nice BB-kit, beautiful wide cranks and sprocket with my logo made for me by Kahaki bikes
And then when i had to put a head-set i got quite surprised! I knew i am using 1' fork, so i got myself beautiful 1' headset with industrial bearings, but it just fell in my head tube! Only then i found out that those bikes use oversized 1', like 80s BMX had. Here in Europe it is literally impossible to buy a headset of that size, and delivery from US did not work out too. But then i found out that some people were converting their oldschool BMX from 1' to 1-1/8' by getting EC34 headset and turning it on a lathe to change the diameter from 34mm to 32,7mm (EC33). So, here we go:

Funny-wise, i have never thought when i bought that bike that at some point i would even have to customize headsets
Anyway, some passionate work with hammer and voila:

Now i would have to leave 1' triple tree fork i bought for it this summer in Netherlands aside. Luckily i have a shortened original Dyno Deuce fork that i will try to fit on that bike.

Many more fun things to come, i'll keep you all updated

 

[Starnger]

Today i have been working on a fork. The one i got is a modified fork from Dyno Deuce. I have bought it in Netherlands this summer, the guy who sold it to me have used it for his motorized cruiser but got rid of the bike and the fork had to go too. Fork legs were shortened like 5cm or so, but the steerer tube was extended. I have test-fitted the fork to the bike and realized that i would need to get rid of the extension. First i thought that he have just press-fitted the tube with the changing diameter inside the steerer, but i was very wrong. While taking it apart i found out that he have fitted the threaded stem inside! With a sly combination of stem insides and few star-nuts he have made it very hard to take apart. But in the end i did it and here is the result.

When he have shortened the fork he had to cut off the fender mount on the bottom of steerer tube, to fix the clearance of the wheel. It was cut like 2/3 of the length, and not extremely precised But since i am planning to use fenders on that bike i need even more clearance, so i had to grind it off completely.

After fixing few spots where i have slightly touched the crown with a grinder with some paint i have tested the clearance with the front wheel from Rat Fink. I am planning to use the wheel set from Electra Ghostrider on that build, so they are same size.

Looks good! Now the tire seems to have enough clearance to put the fender there. And the bike still looks low! I love it how those triple tree forks look when they almost touch the tire.

Then it is time to see how the bike is going to look with a fender. I got myself a beautiful aluminium fender set from Basman at Christmas sale by Ruff Cycles. I have always loved their shape, and the fact that they are made of aluminium and weight nothing just adds value to them. Another good thing about them is that they are same fenders that were used at 2007 aluminium Kustom Kruiser Glide Deluxe, so they are kind of fit to idea of using original Dyno parts on that build.

Just beautiful! And they still clear the tires! Even though the distance is very little.

So as the last thing for today i have made some measurements on the fork legs. Tape to see how deep they come in the crown, dots are for holes that i am going to drill for threaded rivets, where the fender mounts will be attached to.

The plan is now to work on a rear end. Fit the fender, the chain guard, put a temporary wheel. Then figure out the saddle and put the rivets to the fork.

 

[léocwc]

 

[Starnger]

Today i was busy helping a friend of mine to build a bike for him (the picture if you are interested), so i almost had no energy left to work on my own bike. But still enough to pay it half an hour, drill the holes and mount the rear fender.

 

[Starnger]

Today i have put the chain guard on the bike.

I have mocked the bike up with Electra Straight 8 wheel on the back. Unfortunately it does not clear the guard. I hope it will not be the case when i put the wheelset from the Ghostrider on it, because the rear rim there is more narrow, but otherwise i'd have to slightly bend the guard.

The other problem i came across is that i just realized that the braces i got with those fenders only have a small hole for attaching it to the frame, not the big one for the axle. Pity i have not thought of it before painting them. Now i'd have to drill the bigger holes and hope the length will work fine, otherwise use other braces. Anyway, that's how the bike looks right now:

I'm happy it's finally takes shape and looks almost rideable for the first time in a while

 

[Starnger]

Hey hey! Did not post anything here for a while, but actually i have done a lot of things on that bike. Mostly minor but necessary things and details.
I have spent about an hour cleaning my re-stretched white Electra XL saddle. Started with white-spirit and finished with some fine abrasive soap for ceramic cleaning with bleach in it! It is almost as white as when i have stretched it few years ago! Then i have been reassembling the saddle to put a nice fresh black springs to it:

Original GT Piston stem is taking its place. I am a big found of that iconic design. The original bolts caught some rust, so they are replaced with the black ones.

Did not forget about original Dyno stem cap too!

The chain-guard is slightly bent to allow the clearance for the fender, fender stay is installed, fender itself is slightly bent for a better curvature (i'm glad it is aluminium and it was easy to do). Then bent seat post and the saddle is installed. Also put the extra size moon bar by Kahaki bikes for the test. If the length is fine i will use that one, but chances are it would be too short for me, than i'd have to make my own handlebars for that bike, since that one is longest available for purchase

The position of the saddle is surprisingly very different to what i had before, probably because of the different fender curvature, so i had to cut down the tip of the seat post. On this picture you can see that the tip touches the fender too soon, so the seating position is too high.

The tail light is installed in the tip of the seat post. Nice little detail. Looking at 346 Basman bikes i was always curious why did not they use those lights in stock, i think it is quite an elegant solution for that shape of the post.

I have bought 2 Primo BMX halflink chains, very nice dark blue color, almost black but has a beautiful blue gloss on it. Probably the most expensive chain i have ever got. When i came to the garage i found out two surprises: first is two chains were not enough for my bike Those BMX chains are very short! So i had to go and buy the third one. Second surprise is that my chain retraction tool did not work with that chain - it is remarkably thicker then all the half-links i previously had. So i had to order a new tool too But i have noticed the chain had no clearance with the fender, so i have changed my 17t sprocket on the back to 10mm dished 18t, now the chain clears fine.

Then i have disassembled, stripped and polished my Project 346 suicide shifter. I have changed the inner ball (honestly not on purpose but because i have lost the original one while disassembly ) so now it shifts even better, with a stronger feeling of gears. And i also have painted some spots that caught the most rust, like pins in the handle, and re-painted the spring because it was painted originally.

This is it for now. The next step is fitting the chain, putting the shifter and having a test-ride. The wheels, as i said, are temporary and will be changed with Ghostrider wheel set when the replacement for my other bike is done. The saddle is also a question, i like the one i have, but i am also restoring the banana saddle i had here before. Only re-wrapping is left, since the pan is restored, reinforced and painted. Some other details like grips and tires are also temporary just for the mock-up. When this is done i am left with is arranging the threaded rivets for the fork and working on the details. That is still a lot of work of course, but at least drive gear of the bike will be more or less fixed.

 

[Starnger]

So, guys, i think no i have faced a real problem. The chain does not clear the chain guard stay on the frame. Despite of what i have done with the wheel or the sprocket, the distance is not enough, and it is also very close to the fender, that is happen not to have a bend for the chain on it. It seems for me that the only way to fix that would be to take it apart, cut off the mount and weld it again. The sad part is that probably that means part of the paint will be ruined. I used powder coating on that bike, and it does shrink of high temperature, like welding produces. So i wanted to ask, has anyone had this kind of experience? Could i cover the spot with normal paint over later? Would it lie well? A friend of mine suggested to cut it and instead of welding use a bolt connection, but i am not sure if it would be strong enough to hold the chain guard, since it has quite some tension in that spot. What do you guys think?
Here are the pics of the elements causing the problem:

And here is the picture of how the saddle sits in after i have cut the seat post. I am satisfied with it, looks strong enough and the position is comfortable.

 

[SuperNiac]

That's an amazing build. May I ask how much was the custom chainring?

 

[Starnger]

Thank you a lot It is getting better and better day by day!
Guys from Kahaki Bikes made it for me for 50 bucks shipped. Not as cheap as making it at home, but hey, supporting your local custom builder is what helps the community growing and getting strong!

 

[Starnger]

I have not write to this thread for a while, but there are news and updates.
First of all, i have solved the clearance issue. I tried bolt-on solution since i did not want to destroy the paint with the welding but i still had not enough space, so i made a new mount for a chain guard and welded it on its place.

And i have fixed up the paint with some nail polish Does not look as good any more, but not too bad as well.

I have added a washer outside of front sprocket and flipped the rear one inside. Now the chain clears the mount, but it is still not enough space for a chain guard. It is a pity i have to give it up, since it looks great and it was difficult to find an original Dyno one

But at least the bike is now rideable! I have also made holes in the fork and inserted threaded rivets, so now i got the front fender mounted, but without a bracket yet. Those 346 Basman fenders are beautiful!

Here i still have a chain guard on a mock up. Also put here on of the cruisers we use in my school to move around the building since the colors are matching Anyway, those wheels are not on this bike for long! I took it out for a ride to my garage, and found out. That with my cranks that long and fork cut that short i do rarely touch the front fender with my shoe. Might need to run shorter cranks because of that, but i would only know for sure after i install the bracket and ride it for some time.

So, when i came back to the garage i have cleaned up and polished the front wheel from my ghostrider, and put old fatti-o with white walls on them. I have tried to make them look lighter by silicone spray and even some bleach, but i guess they will never be like new any more. Honestly one of the tires is quite worn, so i am looking to buy one more of those beautiful tires now. Pity they don't produce them any more. But anyway, after cleanup the wheel looks so good on that bike! Tomorrow i am going to clean up the rear one too, and hopefully have time to put on a shifter and some details like mirrors and stuff.

 

[Starnger]

Spent some time yesterday polishing up and cleaning the rear wheel. Also i had to re-assemble the shifter like 10 times. I do not know what is the problem, but it is getting stuck. The ball inside that is supposed to bend the spring on the rear wall and stick to holes does go in between of the layers of the shifter instead. Despite of what i do. I gave up after few hours of trying to fix it and ordered a new one from Ruff cycles. Hopefully i will figure out what to do with this one some time in future. Anyway, the bike looks great now.

I have also mounted the beautiful aluminium grips on it. But there are still a lot of issues to solve, and pedals touching the front fender is the biggest issue i guess. I have tried to put the normal fender mounts today, but they won't fit behind the fork. Without the rear mount it does not hold the position perfectly, but works. I mean if i push it closest to the tire the rubbing does not appear, but as soon as i start riding, the fender slips back and stays in that position. I really do not want to use shorter cranks, so i guess i'd have to figure out some alternative solution. For example to use forks with more offset. But i am not sure when would i be able to do that, since i have just moved to a new garage, and it would take time to arrange everything there. Also the other handlebar is still to be done. I am thinking of extending the 346 Indian Moon bars a little.

 

[Starnger]

Hello, everyone!
Here are some nice pictures of my bike i have taken during my bikes exhibition last thursday.

What is done:
New Project 346 shifter is installed instead of the old one. Newer ones appear to be somewhat different from the old ones. Their spring is painted and it is a good thing, meaning they should serve a longer life and i hope look fresh longer. But the bad thing is that they have another adjusting bolt with a plastic cap, that looks cheaper and less shiny then the old one. Luckily i had the old one to put instead.
Front fender is tightened and a bracket is mounted. I did not want to do that, but after a ride on a really bumpy road i found out it is necessary, two point fixation on the fork is not sturdy enough to prevent it from shaking and as a result from getting looser.
The mirror and the bell are installed.

What still have to be done:
New handlebars. I got to extend the Project 346 Indian Moon bars. They have already arrived from Germany to replace the worn ones on my Electra Delivery, and the ones from Delivery are going to be extended and then painted. Or chromed, if i find someone who may do it cheap.
Pedals still do touch the front fender. So, unless i find a set of Phat forks with this beautiful offset, i got to run shorter crank arms. I have also already got them from Ruff Cycles, so i will experiment in my garage some day soon.
The chain still touches the chain stay. The clearance is too low, so on bigger bumps it does touch it. I have ordered a chain tensioner, but in future i might want to run more then 44t sprocket on the front and more then 16 on the back. I need to check if there is someone out there to cut me a custom chain ring.
The saddle still touches the rear fender on the bumps too. Must glue some furniture protection rubber pieces on the spots of contact.
I want to make some custom shifter knob and covering nuts for factory holes on the rear fender. And maybe a custom seatpost clamp.
A big motorbike-style headlight is yet to be painted, assembled and installed.

So, bike is ride-able and nice already, and that means i can start using it as a daily rider. And take apart my Ghostrider for a further modification.

 

[Starnger]

 

[Starnger]

Because of the extended by about 10cm 346 Indian Moon handlebar the seating position is just awesome now!
With this set of 3g forks crowns and original Dyno forks legs for even more offset, it now does not only look like a cruising ship but actually steers like one! So stable and smooth! And now it reminds me even more of that famous Mobster ltd build.
The headlight is rebuilt and brought back, now with 1w led inside and two 18650 batteries. One like that on my other bike runs on one charge for almost 5 month.
46 teeth front sprocket instead of 44. The ing-yang now is a sticker, not paint, so it seems to hold better and be resistant against dirt. The chain sound is gone because of some hot glue pad on the chain stay, but i am not sure how long this solution would last. Two month now it is silent, if it stays this way i might just leave it.
175mm cranks are back, now it is officially radical low pedal scraper
As the result it rides soo pleasantly now, that i am not planning any further changes except for some cosmetic ones, like new gear shift knob and some shiny bolts and nuts here and there.

 

[LukeTheJoker]

Very nice!