ORBO A noMad

[rickpaulos]

Been sitting in my basement for a couple years so this will be my offroad build. Hard or soft tail? The mid frame shock cushion is pretty much petrified and there are no pivot joints in the frame. More of a gimick than functional. I'd seen a KHS a few years ago that someone equiped with aerospokes.

Getting a complete clean and rebuild. I did hose it off before I put it in the basement but the dirt grew back.

Not mine but an inspiration.

 

[BartRidesEternal]

Wow, that rear shock frame is very cool. I'm SHOCKED!
Looking forward to your progress.

If you can't find a shock, I'm sure the ratrodbikes members have ideas to replace it. At least I have

 

[Skippy]

That rear shock looks like it could be replaced by an elastomer, like that found on early proflex models..

 

[Wildcat]

Nice frame!

 

[68z27]

"Getting a complete clean and rebuild. I did hose it off before I put it in the basement but the dirt grew back."

The dirt grew back? Yup, it'll do that...........

 

[rickpaulos]

Another clean and scrub with a polishing compound and then turtle wax this time to keep the air away.

Certainly not a favorite polishing product because the container is failing.

 

[rickpaulos]

More build off supply piling up.

 

[rickpaulos]

Brown hubs. Should match the tires well.

 

[MattiThundrrr]

This is an old thread, but they suggest a couple of options for elastomer replacement, if needed.

https://www.mtbr.com/threads/khs-solo-one-soft-tail-replacement-elastomers.732649/

 

[rickpaulos]

With no pivots in the frame, I don't think it will flex much anyhow. The blue pad is intact for now. I'll see how it rides when built up.

 

[MattiThundrrr]

Yeah, it's actually in nice looking shape, I've seen far worse, some softer versions literally melted into goo that looks like nacho cheese

 

[ifitsfreeitsforme]

mmm, cheesy nachos....

 

[rickpaulos]

Elastomers just don't last. I have a pair of Proflex bikes. I had them out in the sun one day and the frame shock pads melted all over. Pad goo removed and bikes put back in the shed until I decide what to do with them.

from the storage:

in the sun for about 20 minutes:

The other bike:

 

[MattiThundrrr]

I've been searching for this hack for a day or two. Doesn't look like the K2 will need it, but there's a rat solution for the proflex cheese. Must be something to do with the urethane they used, that k2 piece looks much more firm. An old inner tube wrapped around the shaft, held tightly with zip ties.

https://theradavist.com/readers-rides-dannys-1993-proflex-253/

 

[BartRidesEternal]

A quick search 'Rubber shock' you can find several shock types. But you'll need an rubber which can handle a bit of UV radiation.
And are disc springs an option? They can be quite stiff, also depends on how you stack em.

 

[Bike from the Dead]

I'm not sure I've seen one of these frames with an aesthetic shock absorber before. Pretty odd. Wish I could help more about shock absorber replacements, but that's outside my area of expertise. Good luck on your build though!

 

[rickpaulos]

The evil white stuff has arrived. This will put a damper on everything. Plenty deep and it's suppose to get cold so it won't melt off soon. Once the endless corn fields are covered in snow, the sun's heat gets reflected and that keeps the temps even lower. Add north west winds across hundreds of miles of snow and that acts like a refrigeration unit.

 

[rickpaulos]

Derailleurs (very dirty), shifter pods (gunked up) and brakes cleaned up and installed. Levers were packed with muck so I took those apart and found the maker & date on the insides.

The brakes are branded with POWER/TOOLS. This reminds me of Menards house brand Tool Shop, before MasterForce. Kinda odd branding for a bicycle. Searching for power tools is a hopeless search.

The brakes were made by Lee Chi, I recognize the logo inside the brake lever. Looks like a Pac Man, an L inside a C. Year is 1998.

 

[MattiThundrrr]

The "Power Tools" logo makes me think the levers might have come from a promotional bike, esp considering the lightening bolt, doesn't make sense for a bike accessory. Maybe something like a DeWalt thing given to stores or something. I can't find any evidence of anything online

 

[Jude Ephesus]

Been sitting in my basement for a couple years so this will be my offroad build. Hard or soft tail? The mid frame shock cushion is pretty much petrified and there are no pivot joints in the frame. More of a gimick than functional. I'd seen a KHS a few years ago that someone equiped with aerospokes.

Getting a complete clean and rebuild. I did hose it off before I put it in the basement but the dirt grew back.

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Not mine but an inspiration.

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Super cool frame with that rear suspension. Can’t wait to see how it comes out!