Columbia 🐪 CamelBack - ‘21 2n1

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MazdaFlyer

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Cleaned up frame for primer. Gave it a couple of coats. Ought to keep it safe from new rust on bare metal till I get around to committing
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to color.
 

MazdaFlyer

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Several builders have suggested flipping the fork around Walmart style with springs to rear. So while waiting on primer to dry I jumped in on the flip idea.
With my existing parts it messes up the geometry as I’d thought it would. It reduces the rake or trail but raises the axle up several inches.
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With this configuration it could have the springs forward but I think the tire would interfere with the down tube. It also raises the axle in relationship to the frame. Negative rake and trail?
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Also added safety washers at fork axle pivot points.

And then there’s this, might work with 20” fork which I don’t have. There’s also some adjustment in the axle bar for axle position. Need 135 degree brackets to replace the 90’s.
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And this is where I started, I did make two additional axle locations.
What’s the disadvantage to the additional rake distance? Seems like it would be similar to chopper effect on the fork.
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Comments???
 
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SwissGuy

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Several builders have suggested flipping the fork around Walmart style with springs to rear. So while waiting on primer to dry I jumped in on the flip idea.
With my existing parts it messes up the geometry as I’d thought it would. It reduces the rake or trail but raises the axle up several inches.
View attachment 233589
With this configuration it could have the springs forward but I think the tire would interfere with the down tube.View attachment 233590
Also added safety washers at fork axle pivot points.
Ahh geometry is a bummer sometimes!
 
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MazdaFlyer

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Ahh geometry is a bummer sometimes!
All about angles…inches/cm.

IMG_3548.jpeg

I read that 5 to 6 cm of trail is good, so my original mock-up was increasing rake and reducing trail. I have a 1910ish Peerless which has a fork with quite a bit of rake, thus less trail. This is starting to make sense.
 
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MazdaFlyer

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I went back to the original fork mock-up. I moved the wheel back 1.50”, that makes the rake or offset 3”. If I go back another 1.5” I’ll have some pivot bolt/spoke interference. It’s close where it is now.
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I find the spring assembly looking cool because it’s different but close to ditching the idea and just using the conventional fork. When I did the initial test ride things seemed to work OK. But the longer I toy with the springer idea the more things I see that could go wrong. Us old guys don’t heal up as fast as we used to.

Another thought is to do a conventional fork and springer for, both rideable, but one more for display.
IMG_3561.jpeg


2K…lot of views not much chatter.
 
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MazdaFlyer

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Did a little rough sanding on frame, some 400 grit, wipe down and then another primer coat. When looking through my sand paper bucket I ran across the small detail sanding block that I’d never opened. So the frame got a “block” sanding.
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OddJob

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I'm still on the Caramel Camel paint theme. Darker color darts on fork and seat tube.

On the susp fork issue, I like the uniqueness of it. What if you tried to create kind of a 'upside down' Monark style springer? Use another fork bolted with parallel flat braces (like your yellow ones) that pivot at the top and bottom, and move your spring to the front to work as your absorber and shock compression / rebound control?

Tried to draw it, not successful.

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MazdaFlyer

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Wheel flop.
Web site explanation:


Included is a link to “down the rabbit hole” geometric description, it made my head hurt.
 

MazdaFlyer

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Still messing around with this springer idea. Sketchy at best, rake would depend on the 20” fork profile. Any thoughts on this version?

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The Renaissance Man

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Not to further complicate things, but there is another important aspect to this that will greatly affect your design. You have basically created a lever with the spring acting as a load. The location of the fulcrum will dictate how stiff the boing will be!

Here's another rabbit hole for you!
 

MazdaFlyer

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Not to further complicate things, but there is another important aspect to this that will greatly affect your design. You have basically created a lever with the spring acting as a load. The location of the fulcrum will dictate how stiff the boing will be!

Here's another rabbit hole for you!
Yep, rabbit hole for sure! Ahh Physics. Maybe I ought to change the build title.
Another concern is whether the two springs have the same resistance, otherwise the two levers may not self center. Also different forces at work with the springs in a turning situation.

On the simple side of things I cleaned up some greasy parts on Thursday.
 
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MazdaFlyer

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MazdaFlyer

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Found myself on the slacker page today…fertilized some roses and other plants. Planted some ornamental grasses and shot the camelback frame with Harvest Peach. Getting a 20” fork next week to continue the springer experiment.
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One of my helpers…
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MazdaFlyer

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At it again. Trying to get some paint work in between rains. I blew apart the fork, did some paint prep on the fork and rear rack. The fork gets the Warm Carmel and the rack Matte Hammered Black.

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Fork in primer…my support rod is a little tall.
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Some rack parts drying…camo style.
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My other helper…frame curing.
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Getting ready to top coat fork.
 
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Another concern is whether the two springs have the same resistance, otherwise the two levers may not self center. Also different forces at work with the springs in a turning situation.



Another thought is to do a conventional fork and springer for, both rideable, but one more for display.

I would encourage you to have a rideable fork and to consider the other experimental. I am very interested in watching this experiment come together and will continue to follow along. However, I suspect you still have some design challenges to work out before this is safe to ride.

I am definitely interested in this.
 

MazdaFlyer

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I would encourage you to have a rideable fork and to consider the other experimental. I am very interested in watching this experiment come together and will continue to follow along. However, I suspect you still have some design challenges to work out before this is safe to ride.

I am definitely interested in this.
Thanks, that’s where I’m headed at this point, a two in one. A convertible funky freak bike and a rat rod camelback cruiser is the plan for now.

The cruiser fork has some Warm Carmel paint.
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