Sweet! I'm gonna take some pics of my side of the lake...Stay tuned... :wink:sprucemoose said:
My Corvette
- Thread starter sprucemoose
- Start date
Help Support Rat Rod Bikes Bicycle Forum:
Cool. Yep, the lake kruise is nice.
For kicks I just weighed the bike--because I decided to rebuild it from the ape hanger/multi basket setup which weighed 55+ lbs. Well, now it weighs and even 40. not too bad.
Since my ride down the hill, I've been trying to jump off things and reclaim some of my bmx glory. At the moment I am just left with incredibly tweaked wrists. i think it's safe to say a lighter bike is required for such activity. maybe I'll find a DX or a Heavy Duti in an alley and build an off-road klunkin machine... :mrgreen:
For kicks I just weighed the bike--because I decided to rebuild it from the ape hanger/multi basket setup which weighed 55+ lbs. Well, now it weighs and even 40. not too bad.
Since my ride down the hill, I've been trying to jump off things and reclaim some of my bmx glory. At the moment I am just left with incredibly tweaked wrists. i think it's safe to say a lighter bike is required for such activity. maybe I'll find a DX or a Heavy Duti in an alley and build an off-road klunkin machine... :mrgreen:
Maybe you'll luck out like I did:
F.O.R.D....Dude said "Take 'em!" :shock: So I did!
:mrgreen: :mrgreen:
F.O.R.D....Dude said "Take 'em!" :shock: So I did!
:mrgreen: :mrgreen:
Re: My Corvette--Spruce Moose's Handlebar Fiasco!
I'm really trying to get this bike as fast and as comfortable as I can. I'm thinking of going to a larger crankset. I'm also thinking of switching the bars (yes, again). My wrists are killing me. I ditched the moto bars several years ago because I thought they were uncomfortable. So now I'm trying to decide what to do next. Oddly the narrowest, bottommost bars were the most comfortable. But I think wider might be better? I'm trying to decide if I should go with giant cruiser bars: http://www.bikeworldusa.com/product.../2319?osCsid=e121c4a9b2fd9de91f408609d4fb126c or maybe some wide mountain style bars. What do you guy think?
I'm really trying to get this bike as fast and as comfortable as I can. I'm thinking of going to a larger crankset. I'm also thinking of switching the bars (yes, again). My wrists are killing me. I ditched the moto bars several years ago because I thought they were uncomfortable. So now I'm trying to decide what to do next. Oddly the narrowest, bottommost bars were the most comfortable. But I think wider might be better? I'm trying to decide if I should go with giant cruiser bars: http://www.bikeworldusa.com/product.../2319?osCsid=e121c4a9b2fd9de91f408609d4fb126c or maybe some wide mountain style bars. What do you guy think?
I've had to deal with that question on almost any bike I've ridden for more than a couple of miles. :? For me, bmx/mtb type bars make for more control during almost any kind of hard riding, while typical beach/cruiser type bars seem to reduce stress on the wrist, at the cost of less precise control and pedal leverage. The bars on my beater, viewtopic.php?f=6&t=18006 are a pretty good compromise, more towards comfort, but I'm not sure exactly where they came from. Too bad, if I was sure, I might have them on my other bikes as well! It may be a little hard to tell in the photos, but they are angled at about 45 degrees, less pullback than typical beach bars, but more than performance oriented types. I don't know of anything you can do, other than trying out any bar/stem combinations you can lay your hands on 'til you find your personal best fit. (big help THAT was. :roll: ) Good luck, and happy cycling!
I think you were on to something by mentioning the stem. I really like these flat bars that Nitto makes, but I'll still have my hands even or slightly lower than my butt, which means more pressure on the hands and wrists. So, right now I have a stem that angles down and I think I need to switch it for one that angles up or at least parallel to the ground. Ahhh the tedium.
Been making some changes this week. Mainly in the direction of comfort. I think I've got a real solid flatland klunker here.
Newfangled seat. I really do like the Brooks saddle, but it was staining all my pants--brown stains on the butt=bad. This seat is super light and very quiet (no springs).
Trigger shifter! super cool.
Fixed up an old stem that rises up. This combined with new wider bars takes a lot of pressure off my wrists/hands. Went for my longest ride in maybe ever today and feel good.
So who knows. Probably the chaingaurd will go back on, but I'm really digging this setup. It's very quiet and solid feeling.
bikeriderx said:
That licenseplate has the looks of an infamous pedofile...
:shock: :shock: :shock:
:mrgreen:
Hey!! I can assure you that I'm ONLY interested in full grown women!! (The fuller the better... :wink: ) :lol:herr_rudolf said:bikeriderx said:
That licenseplate has the looks of an infamous pedofile...
:shock: :shock: :shock:
:mrgreen:
Something you may know, but I just learned: all shifters are not created equal. The trigger shifter is really nice, but the ratio between shifts is not the same as the Nexus hub requires. I've been riding around thinking that the hub just hasn't been the same since the rebuild when I thought I would look into shifters more closely. If you don't want to use the grip shift which comes with the hub, you'll have to use a special Shimano St-7S20 Nexus RapidFire shifter. (That's for the Nexus 7). I'm not wild about grip shifts, so I will go with this RapidFire thumb trigger once I get some extra doe... 
I'm a fan of internal gear hubs, but they have certain limitations. Besides the experiences posted in this thread, (brake arm disconnected, or anti-rotation washers misplaced, wrong shifter body), they also don't react well to submersion or dust clouds, and improper shifting or stand-driving can do them in as well. Old Bendix 2-speeds and Sturmey freewheel types are the strongest, but they too are subject to sudden death. If you plan to do any truly off-road stuff w/the 'vette, I would recommend a second single-speed drive wheel or derailleur setup to swap in for that purpose. You can get the whole setup for way less than the hub you're using now. A cheap coaster wheel for 30-40 bucks new or even a freebie rust ring would work just fine. It's kind of a shame that you didn't hang on to the rocker.
Tell me about--I really wish I didn't junk that original hub! Although I always found the kick back shifting a little awkward.
My plans for the Corvette are shifting again. I've done all this work to make the bike faster, but I think it's done nothing but make a simple machine complicated. I've read so much on how to bike and how to optimize bike performance that I've made this a hard bike to ride. For one, I put smaller (165mm) cranks on it because I read about leg to crank proportion. Well I think that was a bad move. These heavy old bike need big cranks, so I will probably replace the 165 for 175. I'm aces with everything about the setup except the cranks right now. And of course I'll have to fix the shifting and maybe I should keep it simple and just put the old grip shift back on and save 40 bones! :idea:
I guess it's all guess work for me. Try stuff out see what works. It can get a bit pricey though. I think now that I'm building the HardSnot I can make the Corvette a little more utilitarian. I will say that moving to wide mtb bars was a good thing--way more control. A good thing for riding in traffic!
My plans for the Corvette are shifting again. I've done all this work to make the bike faster, but I think it's done nothing but make a simple machine complicated. I've read so much on how to bike and how to optimize bike performance that I've made this a hard bike to ride. For one, I put smaller (165mm) cranks on it because I read about leg to crank proportion. Well I think that was a bad move. These heavy old bike need big cranks, so I will probably replace the 165 for 175. I'm aces with everything about the setup except the cranks right now. And of course I'll have to fix the shifting and maybe I should keep it simple and just put the old grip shift back on and save 40 bones! :idea:
I guess it's all guess work for me. Try stuff out see what works. It can get a bit pricey though. I think now that I'm building the HardSnot I can make the Corvette a little more utilitarian. I will say that moving to wide mtb bars was a good thing--way more control. A good thing for riding in traffic!
I don't get short cranks, unless you're really small, like a child. First you lose leverage due to smaller levers, then you raise your seat to keep appropriate leg spacing, and usually end up transferring your weight off the pedals and on to your bars, thereby losing even more power advantage. I guess it makes sense if you're already crouching over maes bend and spinning the crank like a sewing machine, not for me, thank you. Personally, I like the looks of your current setup in that regard. I'll bet when you get man-sized cranks back on it, and the shifting sorted out, you're going to be a lot happier w/the results. It looks better than ever to me, but I'm curious as to whether there was a problem with the leather seat. :? Maybe you mentioned it and I forgot.
What the FRT!?
Well I had the setup just about perfect. These bars were just over 27" wide and today they bent on me. So, I guess I'll be going back to my old bars. Probably put the grip shift back on too, so I can shift properly again.
I took off the Brooks saddle because it was staining my pants. Although it was more comfortable on longer rides on account of the springs. Since I use the bike as transportation most of the time I can't have it ruining my clothes. I will most likely put the Brooks up on ebay in the next couple weeks.
Well I had the setup just about perfect. These bars were just over 27" wide and today they bent on me. So, I guess I'll be going back to my old bars. Probably put the grip shift back on too, so I can shift properly again.
I took off the Brooks saddle because it was staining my pants. Although it was more comfortable on longer rides on account of the springs. Since I use the bike as transportation most of the time I can't have it ruining my clothes. I will most likely put the Brooks up on ebay in the next couple weeks.
Dude!! :shock: Wha' happened??
It's not too exciting. i wasn't jumping off ledges, no car knocked me down--I was just layin' into to it from a stand still to get crankin and the bar bent. $8 bars aren't a good deal, they're just cheap.
I would really like some wider bars though. It felt right for the bike. But for now I'm back to the old bars and just finished resetting the shifter cable and the nexus compatible grip shifter. I would really like the 7-speed Nexus thumb trigger, but it looks like they stopped making it. :?
I would really like some wider bars though. It felt right for the bike. But for now I'm back to the old bars and just finished resetting the shifter cable and the nexus compatible grip shifter. I would really like the 7-speed Nexus thumb trigger, but it looks like they stopped making it. :?
Re: My Corvette: crank it up
It's odd--a 175 crank versus a 165 crank doesn't seem like it should do much. It's a subtle difference. First, starting from a stand still is way easier. With one crank you're movin'! That's very cool. Once you get up to speed it seems like the cranks work with you--they help propel your legs. With 165 cranks its all you (at least on a 40lb bike). Also wheelies! way easier. It's easier to balance the bike with the added leverage. So small changes--10mm--can make a huge difference!
It's odd--a 175 crank versus a 165 crank doesn't seem like it should do much. It's a subtle difference. First, starting from a stand still is way easier. With one crank you're movin'! That's very cool. Once you get up to speed it seems like the cranks work with you--they help propel your legs. With 165 cranks its all you (at least on a 40lb bike). Also wheelies! way easier. It's easier to balance the bike with the added leverage. So small changes--10mm--can make a huge difference!
