A Lengthy Insanity

[Ulu]

You are absolutely right, but the problem is that $500 will only be worth five dollars.

 

[Ulu]

32” wheel came today. Not sure if it can go on the Mongoose.

48 spokes and all black. Hmmmm….
Lotta paint must go to make it shine.

 

[GeePig]

Well, there is only one answer to that, attempt to fit it!

 

[Ulu]

Well, there is only one answer to that, attempt to fit it!

It will fit in the forks. I’m just not sure it will fit the right hole in my brain. The tire seems awfully broad.

But it might not seem so bad when I put it up against that 4 inch fat wheel.

Last night I disassembled the wheel and looked it over and put baby powder on the tube and put it all back together and pumped it up.

I put it in the Sting-Gray forks up on the bike stand to spin it. It seems very true. All the spokes seem a little loose compared to what I’m used to though. Maybe on this wheel they don’t require quite as much tension because there’s so many of them.

This does not have caged bearings. The hub has large loose balls. There wasn’t a lot of grease in the hub.

But worse than that, The cones were really cranked down tight.

The hub seems to be a three piece design where the flanges and cupped ends appear pressed or brazed onto the central tube.

The quality of the hoop appeared OK and the weld joint on it looked better than the one on my mongoose bike.

We had a big storm yesterday and I didn’t get a chance to go out and ride it, so we’ll find out today what happens.

 

[Ulu]

I finally did hook it up on the mongoose bike. It was over 100° outside afternoon so I didn’t ride it too far, but it was fun. I felt like it wanted larger handlebars.

Handling was actually improved as I picked up about an inch of positive trail.

Fortunately I have a set of bars that I thought were too large before. I may have to try them.

The thing I hate is the ugly black. I got to get this paint off or put my shiny wheel back on.



But if it fits OK, and it works OK, and I like the handling better than I thought I would.

That tire is so agricultural though . . .

Very square shouldered.

Yeah that big wheel makes the handlebars look small.

 

[Ulu]

Good Lord in heaven I cannot look at that ugly black sidewall any longer! I’m putting my shiny wheel back on tomorrow.

I am going to save this wheel for another project, which I have not yet discussed here.

As much as I like the idea of that large wheel, and as much as I like the handling with it on there so far, the looks are just a dealbreaker.

 

[GeePig]

Well, it was worth trying, but it needs an even fatter rear wheel and more distance between them, and the front wheel needs to be painted red, and some white on the wheel...

Change it!

 

[Ulu]

Well, it was worth trying, but it needs an even fatter rear wheel and more distance between them, and the front wheel needs to be painted red, and some white on the wheel...

Change it!

It was fun, for a change, as any change can be fun.

But there are so many things wrong that I am not going to upend the entire world making it right.

Because I am not just building a bicycle for style, but for exercise, I took a good 5 mile ride this morning to check it out. I don’t want to base my decisions only on looks.

It was windy out and took some resl peddling power, and I also ran through all the gears, checking out my new combination of derailleur and shifter.

The positive spin:

~It looks big

~I picked up a little rake, a little trail, a little straight line stability

~ Cornering felt slightly more secure, but not much because of the square tire.

~There is slightly less oversteer

~ There is a little more inertia

~ It’s so unique that nobody around here has ever seen one.

The negative spin:

~ It’s all too black. Tire, hub, rim, spokes, nuts….Everything but the nipples. Ugh.

~ The tire is blocky looking and screams “utility bike”.

~ It raises the bike

~ It is slower to steer

~ Kickstand is too short now

~ It makes the handlebars look tiny

~ And act tiny, Needs more handlebar leverage to control that big wheel.


So the decision is clear, that this must get the shiny wheel again and the black wheel goes in the shed for now.

Also the shifter has to go, but I knew that from before. I was just hoping for a minor miracle.

I do plan other changes for this bike including lowering the frame at the dropouts, A larger banana seat, and a completely different sissy bar and gooseneck.

I don’t think I’m going to be able to make the structural rear fender idea practical. I’m afraid that I’m going to spend a lot of time welding on it and then throw it away.

Then again I could use the practice.

 

[Ulu]

The shiny wheel is back on, and the black wheel’s in the shed, and I have been chilling around with piles of random parts trying to create an impressive shifter idea.

Instead I figured out a way to improve the brakes on the Sting-gray, & I started working on that.

No photographs, so instead some random bike .... that I shot at the Clovis Bicycles shop.

Can anyone tell me what’s going on with this hub? This is a recumbent bike and it has some extra idlers.

 

[Ulu]

I was condemning my shifter for being dodgy, and I found today that there was a spring missing from it. A spring supposed to be in that shifter, but that somehow was still on my workbench on a towel with hardware. I haven’t bothered to put it back yet because I’m still toying with ideas for other shifters, but the truth is that I’m liking the twist shifter.

 

[Ulu]

Oh yes! . . it’s so much better with the shiny wheel. Also the new Sunrace derailleur is much better at shifting.

I’m going to have to put this bike on the back burner for a bit. I need to do a little work on the Sting-gray, But I have a stock of non-bicycle chores to accomplish.

 

[threeforks]

Is that a tadpole recumbent ? Pedals out in front ? Two wheels in front ?
Then those idlers take up the extra chain when the front boom is adjusted
for a shorter rider.

 

[threeforks]

I sure like the look of the back wheel with the white sidewall.
Can you find a matching combo of some kind for the front?

 

[Ulu]

I don’t remember the brand of that recumbent bike, but yes it had an adjustable frame.

I am still lusting for the right tire. 700x35 rib tread whitewall.

 

[Ulu]

I thought this yellow bike was interesting.

 

[threeforks]

I am still lusting for the right tire. 700x35 rib tread whitewall.

That sounds like the right tire to match the back and build.
Can you find or lace it up with a red rim also?
Isn't that back one anodized? might be hard to find a 700 C anodized red,
but it might be possible to have a bare rim anodized, then lace it up.

Do you lace up wheels?

Yes, that yellow bike is interesting.
Might look odd at first, but the design must work.

 

[SkyknightJohn]

The front wheel drive (FWD) moving bottom bracket (MBB) recumbents have quite the following. Shorter chainline, so no idlers to re-route & lose efficiency, less weight, too. Takes some getting used with you feet moving as you steer, but they hold some of the race records.

Thos who love them love them intensely.

 

[Ulu]

That sounds like the right tire to match the back and build.
Can you find or lace it up with a red rim also?
Isn't that back one anodized? might be hard to find a 700 C anodized red,
but it might be possible to have a bare rim anodized, then lace it up.

Do you lace up wheels?

Yes, that yellow bike is interesting.
Might look odd at first, but the design must work.

I have laced a few wheels before, and I was thinking about this one because the spokes are black and I would like to put stainless spokes on it. Right now I just scraped them down to bare steel.

I worked as an engineer at a big anodizing plant (Kawneer) and I have racked up parts and anodized them as well, at a small shop (Permaloy).

I can’t imagine finding someone who can do just one wheel. It’s kind of a black art, getting the time in and voltage and current set.

I don’t think that rim is anodized red. I think it is clear anodized and painted translucent red, candy-apple style.

I can do that myself.

 

[threeforks]

Just my view, but that would look great.
And if you can match the candy color even close, it should really pop.
Clear anodized 700 C rims are more common.

There is bound to be some kind of white side wall 700 C somewhere.

 

[Ulu]

So far all I found is this glow-in-the-dark white stripe tire.

I wanted to shoot the side walls with white plasti-dip in spray cans. It would probably turn the tires in to goo.

The thing is, I have some old kenda tires and a can of spray on plasti-dip so maybe we’re going to find out “post-haste.”
I also have the dippy stuff as well lol this could get messy.



Hey, there’s a cool name for a speedy bicycle with a big basket and pouches. Nobody thinks of “the post” anymore. It’s the mailman, and he drives a funny looking jeep.

In any event, it probably has already been done. None of these things are ever quite as clever as I think.