Boardtracker / Antique motorcycle style bicycle build

[PeteMcP]

Good progress pics Bart. Keep 'em coming. Powdercoat colour turned out awesome. Nice solution to the rack's front mount, and that Lepper Primus saddle really compliments your Porucho frame.
I agree, comfort when riding is paramount. No good building something which isn't a comfy ride. Been there, done that! In fact I've swapped-out the dropped boardtrack handlebars on my ongoing ACE tribute build for more comfy pull-back bars, making for a more 'roadster' vibe. The idea was to make the bars interchangeable depending on my ride/mood, but I'm betting the pull-back bars get far more use. Instead of lengthening your bike's bars, how about flipping the stem from ahead to astern? Did that on my BLUE BAMBOO which is my most comfortable ride.

 

[Starnger]

Great progress! Though something with that stem is not quite in place in my humble opinion. Maybe a bigger stem? Maybe put it lower? In now looks kind of slim for a bike with such wide tubes.

 

[BartRidesEternal]

Good progress pics Bart. Keep 'em coming. Powdercoat colour turned out awesome. Nice solution to the rack's front mount, and that Lepper Primus saddle really compliments your Porucho frame.
I agree, comfort when riding is paramount. No good building something which isn't a comfy ride. Been there, done that! In fact I've swapped-out the dropped boardtrack handlebars on my ongoing ACE tribute build for more comfy pull-back bars, making for a more 'roadster' vibe. The idea was to make the bars interchangeable depending on my ride/mood, but I'm betting the pull-back bars get far more use. Instead of lengthening your bike's bars, how about flipping the stem from ahead to astern? Did that on my BLUE BAMBOO which is my most comfortable ride.

I saw it on some bikes and it was not really my thing. But I will try it and check it out thanks.
There are Ruff Porucho frames used with mountainbike handlebars, where you have a riding position with you hands and feet forward and that does not seem comfortable.

Great progress! Though something with that stem is not quite in place in my humble opinion. Maybe a bigger stem? Maybe put it lower? In now looks kind of slim for a bike with such wide tubes.

No problem Starnger, thanks for the heads-up. I checked it again and for me, its just fine.

A lady neighbor of mine rides a very slim frame (small tube diameter) white citybike, with whitewall balloon tires 2.25". Not huge tires, but the tires look absolutely massive against that frame. I love that! I'll take a picture when I see that bike again.

And I can't lower the stem anymore, due to the space needed for the carbide lamp.

And I could not resist and not post this: A testfit of the wingnuts:

I will manufacture a longer M10x1 shaft on the rear so the wingnuts are filled, or more importantly: their full thread strength and potential used!

I am so happy now! Have a nice weekend and thanks readers/commenters!

 

[us56456712]

I saw it on some bikes and it was not really my thing. But I will try it and check it out thanks.
There are Ruff Porucho frames used with mountainbike handlebars, where you have a riding position with you hands and feet forward and that does not seem comfortable.


No problem Starnger, thanks for the heads-up. I checked it again and for me, its just fine.

A lady neighbor of mine rides a very slim frame (small tube diameter) white citybike, with whitewall balloon tires 2.25". Not huge tires, but the tires look absolutely massive against that frame. I love that! I'll take a picture when I see that bike again.

And I can't lower the stem anymore, due to the space needed for the carbide lamp.

And I could not resist and not post this: A testfit of the wingnuts:

I will manufacture a longer M10x1 shaft on the rear so the wingnuts are filled, or more importantly: their full thread strength and potential used!

I am so happy now! Have a nice weekend and thanks readers/commenters!

I did that, but used hex nuts under the wing nuts. The wing nuts were for show, the hex for the clamping power. I used them without hex nuts on the front.

 

[BartRidesEternal]

I did that, but used hex nuts under the wing nuts. The wing nuts were for show, the hex for the clamping power. I used them without hex nuts on the front.View attachment 186060

I read this, tried it without the wingnuts and agreed with you. I am also planning to not use a tensioner (I like my chains on hard mode)
I used a longer CB-E110 shaft I have from earlier builds. The shaft is almost the perfect length with this setup, the wingnuts end and the shaft nearly flush. Thank you @us56456712

Detail: The brass spacers have a very small diameter on the hub-side. If I ever need to adjust the bearing races, I can easily do that without removing the wheel assembly.

The previous chainwheel was wobbly and bent. Now I ordered and assembled the black Ruff one. Looks good in my opinion!
I did consider a 'fake' skip-tooth by grinding off some teeth. Just for the age-old looks. But I do not have a front brake, so I'll leave it as it is.
Maybe in the future when I have a front brake. Safety is important for me as I cycle with my kids onboard regularly. With the flat surfaces here in the Netherlands, the coasterbrake will suffice.
I still like the thought of a spoon brake...

Kickstance!

Next:

• Put on the black chain.
• Fender bending, lamination, staining and assembly.
• Fabricate brackets for: Carbide lamp (front), rear and front fender brackets and for the rear lamp.
• Detailing.

Question: Should I paint the rims? I still very much enjoy the looks of the 'boardtrackers' with colour matched rims. Maybe even more than chrome/nickel rims...
I also do like the "Ratrod" looks with red rims (maybe a dark tone?) which would suit this as well.
Maybe this could be done when the build is complete, then I'll have a overview. Yeah I think that is better, my head is racing forward due to my enthusiasm sometimes

 

[MattiThundrrr]

To me, color matched is the right choice

Red seems more appropriate for a hotrod

 

[PeteMcP]

I agree Matt. Colour-matched. Painted rims on a vintage inspired bike just look right.
I used self adhesive 'RIMBLADES' on my Blue Bamboo build to co-ordinate the rims with the bike's frame colour. These heavy duty moulded rubber rim protectors are are mainly designed to avoid curbing expensive alloy car wheels, but they work just as great on bike wheels. Once pressed in place, the quality 3M adhesive used to fix Rimblades ensure they aren't ever coming off. And they save a bunch of time, effort and money compared to the cost of disassembling wheels for painting or powder-coating. Just a shame in this instance that Rimblades, though available in a variety of colours, none match Bart's RAL frame hue. Easy enough to spray-paint the Rimblades prior to fitting them though. I regularly order custom-mixed RAL coded rattle-can paint from my UK supplier.

 

[BartRidesEternal]

Thanks guys, eventually I will think about it again. Now rooting for colour matched rims.

Little updates

I found a perfect way to bend and laminate the fenders. Now time to finish them.
And I did a testfit with the carbide lamp and it looks good!

 

[BartRidesEternal]

Hi guys, I had a productive day. Very happy with the progress.
Descriptions below the pictures.

I wanted a longer handlebar, so I milled some aluminum bits to lengthen it. There is only one hole in the handlebar, so I can really tighten it inside the handlebar tube. Safety en strength is important!

I made a bracket for the candle lamp as well.

Fender stays (too narrow and too long)

Brass bracket to hold the rear lamp.

Bending with a vice and hammer

Very happy with this result!

It is getting there! I hope to finish this one somewhere in april. Really looking forward to a long (100+ kilometres) trip.

 

[BartRidesEternal]

Goodmorning everyone.

Covid struck us down for the first time and we had to wait it out. Luckily it was like a flu, just take it easy and wait it out.

Last weekend I had a bit more energy to spend on the bike:

Rear fender bent and laminated. My system works!

Testfit.

Front fender bracket and stay mounted.

Rear fender stay, bracket and lamp mounted.

Rear light setup.

I will use the green box to hold a battery for the rear lamp. I think it looks good like that.

 

[BartRidesEternal]

Goodmorning!

I had some time this weekend to work on the bike. Learned some lessons along the way.

Lesson 1:
So I painted the rims, very happy with the result. But: painting on chrome does not really make for a very strong paint... I did degrease it fairly well, but I never thought about chrome being so smooth that paint does not stick that well.
It is strong enough to hold the paint and clean the rims. But I can remove it with a nail
So I'll leave it for now, putting the tires back on went really well. When it gets ugly then I'll unlace and powdercoat the rims.

Lesson 2:
The Ruff Cycles Porucho is a beautiful frame, but the bottom bracket is located a long way forward, so the rider can sit low (looks really good!).
But with 170mm cranks and a short fork offset/rake this happens:

I did do a 5 minute testrun and it is do-able. When you have it in your head: Corner to the right, rightfoot forward it will get easy soon.

I try not to judge too harshly towards myself, this is what these projects are for: fun and learning and be able to make mistakes.

Lesson 2 solution:
Shorter crank and fabricate a nice piece that'll set the front axle forward by one or two inches.
I think about a leaf spring setup, but not sure yet, that is quite some work.

Goal: Have it done by the 18th of April, then I will ride towards a very old interesting town called Zutphen. Its about 140 kilometres of cycling back and forth.

Enough letters, I'll show you the pictures from yesterday:

Thanks for taking a look!

 

[MattiThundrrr]

She's beautiful, really strong work. Please share photos of your ride to Zutphen, it is great to see custom bikes getting exercised

 

[BartRidesEternal]

She's beautiful, really strong work. Please share photos of your ride to Zutphen, it is great to see custom bikes getting exercised

Thanks Matti!
I do like to use my toys And around June we have a new member to the family, so this might be my only chance to spend a whole day cycling in the coming months.

 

[MattiThundrrr]

Congratulations on the addition to the family. You are right, they do cut into cycling time, right up until they start asking you to ride with them!

 

[Starnger]

Looks really nice, great job!
I usually solve the pedal/front fender issue the other way around. Instead of installing shorter cranks (i am a tall guy myself, so 170 is the minimum i wish to have to pedal comfortably really) i am using forks with more offset. I like how they steer, and fixing the fender issue comes as a nice bonus.

 

[Maschinenschmied]

What a beauty!

 

[BartRidesEternal]

Congratulations on the addition to the family. You are right, they do cut into cycling time, right up until they start asking you to ride with them!

Thank you sir! I do like to ride with my daughter, she can't cycle herself yet. But I take her on trips getting morning eggs etcetera.

Looks really nice, great job!
I usually solve the pedal/front fender issue the other way around. Instead of installing shorter cranks (i am a tall guy myself, so 170 is the minimum i wish to have to pedal comfortably really) i am using forks with more offset. I like how they steer, and fixing the fender issue comes as a nice bonus.

Thank you too Starnger! I tried 152mm cranks and it rides very well so far. Now there is enough clearance for my big feet. I will try a longer ride soon.

What a beauty!

Thanks! Really happy with the result!

Currently I found an old army bag (canvas) that I will adapt for this bike, so I can bring water, tools and food on a ride.
Pictures soon!

 

[Tallbikeman]

The bike is a beauty. Love the color and the whole antique bicycle them. Good luck keeping the paint on the rims if you ride this bike. As you know everything likes to hit the rims as you ride.

 

[BartRidesEternal]

The bike is a beauty. Love the color and the whole antique bicycle them. Good luck keeping the paint on the rims if you ride this bike. As you know everything likes to hit the rims as you ride.

Thanks Tallbikeman! And everyone else for the very generous comments!

Little updates:

I finished the canvas (70's or 80's) militairy bag. I put a thin/light but tough piece of wood inside to create a stiff base, so a filled bag will not get in my rear wheel.

Furthermore, I did some testrides and adjusted the handlebars, seat and a bit of play in the bearings.
All preparing for a ride from Haaksbergen - Zutphen and back.
In the Netherlands we have cyclingpaths with points and numbered intersections. Its called a "knooppunten route".

Most of the time these routes are very nice and along historic paths and a lot of nature.

I will ride this route around mid April 2022:

This is the route I took while riding my EmPo pathracer after RRB build off 15.

Clamps to hang the bag on the bicycle carrier.

With the shorter crank, the bike rides perfect!

Candle Lamp suspension in action

Thanks again y'all

 

[Indyjps]

Wild stuff, nice build. I like the fixtures you used, may have to step up my game, I tack weld everything to the table while its still square then cut it apart