BO15 fly my zephyr

[uneasy rider]

apologies if this name has been used previously. apologize even more for the pic, bad even by my standards. anyhow, i'm in, and am excited to finally build this one. i've had it for a long time, and this is one of my favorite frames. been busy during my layoff from work cleaning out the garage. sold 4 bikes and 3 surfboards, so i now have room for more builds and boards!

 

[kingfish254]

Great to see you in the mix! Can't go wrong with a Zep frame.

 

[kingfish254]

Have you used any of that spare room to work on this yet?

 

[uneasy rider]

haha, thanks for keeping me off the bottom kingfish! i had a hard time finding my post, thought i might have been dq'd already.

actually i finally got to my storage to dig for parts, and thankfully found what i was looking for, and even better, stuff i forgot i had!! love it when that happens.
so my plan is to make this build a blend of old and new, and again come up with a bike that fits a purpose and rides really nicely.

i want to use a skiptooth drivetrain with a newer wheelset. a long time back, i purchased one of those skiptooth rear cogs under the impression it would fit a nexus 7, of course i found out it only fits 3 speed hubs, so my plan is to grind off every other tooth on the rear cog. after some research on this site, it sounds like the biggest challenge is getting the proper chain length, as you can only adjust in 2 link increments. if anyone has done this or has any thoughts, i welcome comments/advice.

was originally planning to use this set of bmx bars and a compatible stem. but i found this set of nos nickle plated torringtons that i'm thinking might go well, unfortunately, there are some rust spots, but still a nice bar, and then i can use a vintage stem as well.

 

[bleedingfingers]

Just curious did the skip tooth sprocket not work because it needs to be dished ?
I have one and used it on a 2 speed Sachs torpedo hub but they have a very thick steel sprocket
so worked fine .

 

[kingfish254]

I'm not positive that grinding every tooth will work. Make sure that the tooth pitch is equivalent to a the spacing on a skip tooth chain. You might run into the same issue as when you try to use a multispeed chain on a single speed cog or chainring.

 

[uneasy rider]

Just curious did the skip tooth sprocket not work because it needs to be dished ?
I have one and used it on a 2 speed Sachs torpedo hub but they have a very thick steel sprocket
so worked fine .

so the skiptooth cog is too thick for the nexus 7 hub.

I'm not positive that grinding every tooth will work. Make sure that the tooth pitch is equivalent to a the spacing on a skip tooth chain. You might run into the same issue as when you try to use a multispeed chain on a single speed cog or chainring.

thanks for the reply, that's what i'm looking for. i'll check that out. i'm going to commit to this wheelset, as i don't currently have a multispeed bike. if i have to, i'll just run 1 inch pitch chain and ring.
straightened the dropout as best i could. on the last frame i stretched to accommodate wider hub, i used sheldon brown's 2X4 method, which worked well. looking at this frame, i thought that might not be the best way. so on the workbench was a jig i had made to build fishing rod handles, and with that i was able to make up this spreader tool, which worked quite well. now i just need to get the correct no turn washers. progress!

 

[kingfish254]

The nexus7 hubs are great, I had one on my Flexy BO7 bike and loved it.
Nice work on the frame.

 

[uneasy rider]

sooooooooo, ordered the cone wrench neither i nor the lbs had, took a week to arrive. ordered the no-turn washer kit, which took 2 weeks to arrive.

good news, these washers will work on my straight dropouts. found the skiptooth conversion cog i had bought years ago, and decided to compare to og.

i found i i also found out that bleedingfinger was right, and this cog WILL work on my hub. i also may have found out how he decided on a user name, as the og cog is SHARP, and left my index finger bleeding profusely. so it looks like my drive train is going to work as planned.

 

[OddJob]

That's awesome the cog worked out. Skip tooth will have a nice look on tgis build.

 

[uneasy rider]

setting up drivetrain. looks like cog/chainring alignment is close enough. that is good.

unfortunately, nos skippy chain is not long enough.

i'm REALLY glad i kept those old skiptooth chains. is there anything worse than needing something not easily found that you sold or threw away? not for me. so i took 4" from one and added to the other. looking good here.

i'm really starting to feel this build! my original plan was bmx theme, but i am considering other alternatives, so i'll just have to see where it takes me. kind of nice to be using parts i have had for so long, not wanting to be on an episode of hoarders.

 

[kingfish254]

Man that chainring has some bling to it!
Love the skippy N7 conversion!!!

 

[bleedingfingers]

Heres a shot of the ninja throwing star I have no dish in it at all and also very sharp in spots .
Should have some more finishing on the teeth if I ever use it again .
Worked on the 2 speed Sachs torpedo hub no problem .
Glad yours worked out

 

[uneasy rider]

was originally planning a bmx cruiser build w/ bmx fork and bars. used the fork on last build, though i do have another, but decided to go with fork that came w/ frame. unfortunately the truss rods i have are too short, possibly for a 24" bike. i have some painted ones, but wanted chrome, so those are out. going to go with traditional cruiser bars as well.

not sure about the seat yet, have a couple options...

 

[kingfish254]

You might be able to make some extensions from tubing.

 

[The Renaissance Man]

Great start, love the Zep frame and the skip tooth conversion on the nexus is nice.

 

[uneasy rider]

been a busy 4 weeks. started a new job after 4 months of temporary retirement. wow, tougher than i thought, plus summer finally showed up in so cal, warmer weather with humidity (ugh) on top. feeling my age for sure. made the bike rideable, and took her out. rode nice, but i am extremely disappointed with the cambium seat. probably most uncomfortable seat i've ridden. also need to raise the seatpost (not usually a problem for me!)

picked a badge from my stock, always liked this one. going to change seat, may add fenders. otherwise happy with progress.View attachment 135902

 

[kingfish254]

Welcome back!! Get that baby done!