Racycle Boardtracker, Done! For Now...

[deven_science]

And now comes the difficult portion of the build. I am going to attempt to make a set of replica Kelly Adjustable Bars. Near the bottom of the first page of this post, viewtopic.php?f=1&t=34641 , I highjacked the thread to discuss the possibility, but I will discuss the process here. I have a plan. So, here we go.

It will be adjustable. It will look similar, or at least in the same ball park. It WON'T have the same action as the originals. It'll have one extra step to adjust the bars. I don't mind this, as it's mostly to imitate the look.

I'm going to build them based on a tip by 2spdDawg, using hex stock (I'll be using a 1/2" coupler) and two end wrenches (11/16" fits it). I'll be cutting a set of bars in half, and welding it all together. You'll be able to unbolt the wrenches, and move them into any position you want (for 12 positions, anyway). It may be hard to visualize based on my horrible description, but I have a plan.

First, I had no stems that had the right angle I wanted, so I cut two, and used them together.

Cut this one:



Had this other one already cut up from another project:



Fitted them together, only I flipped the top piece upside down to get the forward angle I wanted (instead of pointing upward).



Welded them:



Next will be to weld in the hex coupler, and get a hold of two identical box wrenches to use.

[jackdaw]

Sweet, I'm glad you figured a good way to do the bars, those are going to be cool.

[deven_science]

Made further progress into my imitation Kelly handlebars. I welded the coupler into a drilled out washer, and then welded the washer to the stem. I also picked up two 11/16" wrenches from the flea market to sacrifice, and tightened them on. All that's left is to pick a pair of bars to give to the cause, and weld them to the wrench heads, followed by some general clean up. It's going very well, I think!

[deven_science]

This evening, I snuck back out to my garage, and finished up the fabrication on the Kelly bars. I've still got some general cleaning and/or painting to do, but the welding is done.

Positioned them:



Welded them up, put them together, and put them on the bike. Pictures aren't all that great, as it was dark when I finished them.





I think they look great, though they didn't seem like they were that strong. Welding on those wrenches took the heat treatment away from them, so they might want to bend, same as any other solid bar that thin would. Maybe I should have thought of some other way to attach the bars to the wrenches? I'll be trying them out once I get the rest of the bike complete, so I'm not writing them off yet, but I'm now worried. Maybe I should try again, with much beefier wrenches? At least I'm only $2.45 and one set of handlebars into these things, so if it doesn't work out, I'm not out too much. Plus, they would always work for looks.

We'll see when I actually ride the thing.

[Kreep]

s.

[deven_science]

Finished the Kelly-type bars, put my new cream tires on, and took her out for a test ride. She's a beauty. I did have some grinding noise, that turned out to be the skip tooth chain. It seems that it has been stretched over the years, as the chain didn't quite line up with the chainring teeth. Held it up to another chain that I've got, and it was much longer. So, I swapped out the chain, and now it's pretty smooth.

I'm calling her done, for now. As I mentioned, as (or if) I get more original parts over the years, I'll swap it out, but for now, she looks great.








And I even put the bars up, and rode it like that for a while, just to prove that they really are adjustable.

[sensor]

looks great
are you going to re-temper the wrenches?(assuming you havent already)

[deven_science]

looks great
are you going to re-temper the wrenches?(assuming you havent already)

That might be one possible solution. I'm also thinking of making another set with larger wrenches, so that they're more flush with the stem, and they'll be stronger, tempered or not.

They're not bad now, though, unless I really put my weight on them.

[sensor]

looks great
are you going to re-temper the wrenches?(assuming you havent already)

That might be one possible solution. I'm also thinking of making another set with larger wrenches, so that they're more flush with the stem, and they'll be stronger, tempered or not.

They're not bad now, though, unless I really put my weight on them.

good to know but i figured since you already have a torch and probably have some access to oil it wouldnt be hard to do
either way...love it