Electra cruiser 1

[Phranq]

Hi everyone! Just wanted to show off my Electra cruiser chopper. 700x28c in front, 24 inch rear dropped and extended on “lift shackles. 52t chainring, 13t rear sprocket. Miserable to accelerate, but has top end for days. As a kid I had a west coast choppers bike, and I tried to recreate the feel and reliability of that bike with a bit more performance and for my grown up self. So far I’m happy with it, but I consider this build incomplete.

 

[Phranq]

I put the chain guard back on, but had to extend the mounts because of the rear drop and large front sprocket. I used random parts laying around. I also removed my pvc rear rack because I’m trying to figure something out that’s a little more low profile

 

[Phranq]

This was my first long ride. 30 miles from home. She held up just fine, no wobbles or squeaks.

 

[Phranq]

And this was her first sea voyage. Life hack if you like the patina look lol

 

[Vroom]

Wow, that is pretty cool with the yak and all.What forks did you use?

 

[Phranq]

They were just from eBay, can’t remember exactly, but they didn’t cost much. They are 34 inches, if you look around, they will turn up. I had problems with fitment so I took it to my local bike shop, and they put some sort of adapter in the steer tube

 

[hamqqea]

I'm impressed! You must be pretty fit to use such a bike the way you are. Cool ride, healthy living

 

[Phranq]

Thank you! Trying to stay in shape and live healthy, the bike really helps! The local weather, not so much lol I’m a noob with bikes, but I’m learning and really enjoying it. A few years back I got into it and sank a bunch of money into a trek Excalibur, but it got stolen so it took a few years to get over that. Been building this on a budget for awhile and I’m happy with the results. It’s a lot more comfortable of a riding position than my trek was, and I think it’s faster too.

 

[MattiThundrrr]

I like the kayak hauling/hauled in kayak combo. Really cool setup, really unique bike to do it with. Perfect example of "ride what you like"


Ps just noticed "sturgeon general's warning". You don't hook up with the big boys in a kayak, do you?

 

[Phranq]

Lol I’m glad someone noticed my boat name. I’ve never caught a sturgeon, but in theory it could be done, maybe without the bike in back lol. It was salmon season when I took those, but I got skunked. I was mainly running tests to see if my setup would work, and it’s surprisingly stable. I’m thinking of motorizing the boat, and building a gravel bike to tow it, but idk yet, It’s a little cold for boats now lol

 

[Phranq]

Tired of my front rim not matching, so I painted the spokes with nail polish (took 2 days, needs more coats, would not recommend) and now I’m masking it to paint the rim flat black. Hopefully I don’t ruin my bike lol

 

[MattiThundrrr]

The river I fish has sturgeon. Be warned, one pulled me and two guys upstream in an aluminum boat for half an hour before bending the hook straight. I don't think it even knew we were there. Dinosaurs, the largest freshwater fish in north america

 

[Phranq]

Oh total dinosaurs! The area in the picture used to be a good sturgeon spot, but now they are protected here. Maybe a couple more years and I can try it out. I had a 5 pound rockfish tow me around a little so I can only imagine what that would be like. There are supposedly a lot of 7 Gill sharks here, so one day when I’m feeling brave I could try and fish for those. Not quite as big as a sturgeon but they look fun to catch

 

[Phranq]

Well the weather was nice enough to ride, but my front wheel is off my bike. That was motivation enough to finish painting. I got one side clear coated, and the other side is almost ready for clear coat. I went with satin enamel over flat black paint. I feel like that should match all the trim bits on the bike. With any luck I should be back on the road tomorrow.

 

[Phranq]

Woke up to no rain and a finished rim! I didn’t get it show bike perfect, but it’s my daily rider so it doesn’t need to be. Trying to get at least 30 miles in, tour de phranq!

 

[Phranq]

Well my back tire is going flat... good thing I’m not totally in the middle of nowhere, just gotta wait for my wife to rescue me. I guess there’s a silver lining, I finally get to paint my lowering brackets since I have to take it all apart.

 

[Phranq]

Alrighty, back home, shackles are off the bike. I’m not going crazy with paint or sanding, this is my daily and will see many many miles, so it’s just gotta look decent.

 

[Phranq]

Alrighty, I could wet sand the orange peel out, but it’s my daily. I really like how these turned out, the flat paint with matte clear is a magical combo. I may or may not paint the inside part that faces the wheel

 

[Vroom]

Those are a great idea!

 

[Phranq]

Thank you! I saw the idea somewhere else a long time ago, probably here lol I remember it was done with part of a car disc brake, but the description was very vague. I looked around the internet til I found something I thought would work, and found these lifting shackles. Can’t remember what exactly they are called, but I’ll look it up. I had to drill the fender mounting eyelets out because I was shearing those small bolts, and washers were rattling, that problem has been solved. It’s a little more work to change a flat than a normal setup, but not too bad.