That old wheel

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SSG

SSG

Joined
Oct 6, 2008
Messages
1,628
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Location
Eastern NC
This is going to be some low budget scrap pile picking welded together nonsense. I had all the parts saved for another bike, but it's an easy build (Boring). I'm building this specifically for the build-off, ideally with no budget and no parts purchased. So far I've got a free spirit frame and some 26" mtb wheels that don't fit.
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I pulled the fork I planned to use, but the steer tube is as crooked as a snake. I'll have to find something else. In the meantime I figured the frame could use more head tube. The frame is straight gauge "Gas pipe" tubing, the head tube isn't machined for headset cups so you can add on or cut off as much as you want and the headset cup goes right in.
 
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Sounds like a good plan to me.
 
I've got a frame to start building on now. I had to extend the head tube 3-1/4 inches before adding the new top bar, otherwise I would have lost that much off the seat tube. I didn't want a short frame with a mile long seat post to get it comfortable to ride (or I would have started with a cantilever frame).
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I cut the threads off the old fork (-1.5 inches), and added 4.75 inches to the end (3.25 for the head tube plus the 1.5 from the threads) which brings the head tube to a whopping 10 inches total. The two pieces press fit together, get welded, and then pinned. Forgot to take any more photos though.
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I swapped the knobbies out for some schwalbe big apples, they fit a little better although I don't really like the reflective sidewalls. They're the only spare set of tires I have, so I can't be too picky. I have enough room at the crown to drop the fork about an inch, but that's for another day.
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Progress on the fork has been slow. I don't know anything about designing a springer, let alone building it from junk that's just laying around. The fork needs something to help compliment the beefy looking frame. I don't want to throw off the geometry too much in the process so the axle is only moved about an inch forward.
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SSG said:
Progress on the fork has been slow. I don't know anything about designing a springer, let alone building it from junk that's just laying around. The fork needs something to help compliment the beefy looking frame. I don't want to throw off the geometry too much in the process so the axle is only moved about an inch forward.
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Cool project and great work so far!

some kind of leaf spring truss could fit well for the sprigner on this frame , simple clean and efective :)
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I guess if I'm going to to finish this thing I need to get busy. I painted the frame and fork two weeks ago and that sort of got me interested again. I seem to have lost most of the fork pictures, so what you see is how it looks today. I only painted the parts I welded on and tried to match them with the rest. I'vel kept true to my no budget. This has limited the fork design since I ran out of small tubing, and I had to use paint colors I had on hand.

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