TRADITIONAL Jumpy

[Wildcat]

I think the old knobbies like we had in the 70's (only one kind we could get back then) would look good on this old klunker. It would have a real vintage vibe like it was put together back in the 70's.

 

[Jude Ephesus]

That's going to be a great klunker! The Brooks with copper rivets is icing on the cake.

I used a Shimano 3CC hub for years, it held up, and the coaster brake worked well. No front brake.

I think it was SA who had a 3 speed with a neutral spot where the brakes weren't useable.

I used different shifters on the 3CC hub and they worked, even a nexus shifter. So I think shimano 3 speed shifters are interchangeable. The Murray has a good cable and shifter that can be transferred right over to the klunker. That's a 3 speed with a coaster brake for stopping. A new nexus hub shouldn't be too expensive, but I've found those hubs on women's beach cruisers on CL and gotten them with the wheels all ready to go.

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The crankset from the Murray is probably the same size as the old frame. If the cups fit the frame there you go. But you might want to use one of those conversion kits that lets you go with a better 3 piece crankset. I used one on my 42 Hawthorne and it was a much better ride.
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Caliper brakes would need some kind of bracket made up to fit your frame and fork, and they won't have very good stopping power, not as good as drum brakes.
The early klunkers used one speeds, but going offroad for me requires a nice low gear to drop down to, so gears are a must on a klunker. Other than the 3 speeds, 2 speed kickback and 5 speeds are out there too.

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Have you measured the space between the stays for tire clearance? I think 3" would be about as big as you could go.

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Whatever way you go with this will be good.

Thanks for all your input here @Wildcat !

I dig the drums, but I can’t build wheels and they are pricey to buy complete.

I haven’t measured my stays yet…. I will mock up and measure sometime this weekend and see what I get.

I did research that rear hub as well, and it does match what you’re saying. I need to just figure out a braking system and put maybe a 2.5” tire on it.

Jude, that looks like a 'true fat bike' tire. You won't be running that on a traditional frame. That requires a fat bike frame or modified rear triangle.

CST has some great tires for cheap prices though. I ran the CST Cheyenne on my Desert Sky klunker build. They have a great tread, a full look when mounted on a standard width rim, and very gnarly mtb quality; all for around $27 a per tire. Hard to beat. Found one from a distributor in New Jersey, you should be able to get them in a couple of days or so.

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I just noticed now that I ran a CST Rock Hawk on the front of this bike. Another grippy, very good mtb tire. I got it because it was slightly wider than the Cheyenne and I like a fatter tire in the front for float and steering grip. Found this pair at a rocking deal of $50 with free shipping! And I have had very good buying experiences from the seller, '365 cycles'.

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Also with this tire mounted on a traditional 26" rim, you shouldn't have any brake mounting issues. I used an adaptor for the rear frame and mounted Avid BB7 cable actuated disc brake in the rear, because I had a disc ready wheel. In most klunking instances, a single rear brake was plenty of power, especially disc brakes.

Thanks @OddJob !

I did think those 4” tires would be a no-go. I was surprised they were pictured on a regular rim and not a fat tire rim.

I have also seen those skinnier down hill tires on eBay as well and I think will be the way I go.

The discs are still a bit of a stretch for my skill set and budget for this build. I DO like the rear derailleur on there…. I didn’t think I could get one to work.

I’ll do some mock-ups this weekend and see what I get.

Double check the width of your frame for tires before you buy. While these frames were built for 28" tires, I've found that many of them will only accommodate normal or sometimes narrow tires.

Measuring this weekend!

Yes, stay away from the old Sturmey Archers with coaster brakes. In fact, I sold a bike with a S3C about a year ago and the guy just brought it back because the “brakes don’t work.” I spent several hours last night rebuilding it. But it is just a bad design and I have decided to do the right thing and build him a new wheel with an AW.

Hope we haven’t hijacked Jude’s thread. Looking forward to this build!

Nope! Awesome input! Thank You!

I have a Sturmy archer 3 speed coaster brake I was saving for another project…. Good to know before I put it on my wife’s bike!

I think the old knobbies like we had in the 70's (only one kind we could get back then) would look good on this old klunker. It would have a real vintage vibe like it was put together back in the 70's.


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I dig these too…. I’m torn on these vs. a super aggressive knobby tire. Truth be told, i spend a heck of a lot more time on pavement than I do on the grass or dirt!

We’ll see what I get. I have plenty of these types of tires on cruiser bikes…. I don’t have a crazy off-road bike…. We’ll see!

Great build, Jude! Klunkers are probably my favorite to build and ride. They're so cool, functional and just fun. That's a perfect frame and fork combo for it.

The wheelset from that Murray should work pretty well. Then you won't be needing to spread the frame for a wider hub and messing with a derailleur. Although that is fun too. They make BMX brake calipers in different lengths to reach various rim combos so something will likely fit. They'll clear a fairly wide tire too.

Haha! J/K. That Brooks you've got should be just the ticket. I love those and they look the part too.

Solid advice. If your terrain is pretty flat the Murray single chainring will do fine but if you have hills more gears would be desireable.

That price is hard to beat. The earliest klunkers had knobbie-ish cruiser tires since knobby mountain bike tires didn't exist yet. If you have some MTB tires that you like then those will work fine. I'd probably keep the width between 2.125 and 2.4. Narrower looks too skinny and wider might have issues interfering with the brakes.

Alan Bonds built a lot of klunkers back in the Repack days. His klunker page is a great resource for tips and inspiration.
http://clunkers.net/

Loco Joe has a great way to mount caliper brakes to frames that don't have mounts for them


Have fun, I'll be following this build with interest!

This is an epic hack! Thank you! And this fits my skill set and budget ideas just wonderfully! As for now, I’ll use this as my base build model for braking ideas!

I really appreciate it!

 

[Jude Ephesus]

So….. starting the mock-up.

I was shocked actually, at how the 26 x 1.75 tires filled up the fork and rear stays.

I think a 2.5” tire may be a tight fit!

 

[Jude Ephesus]

Easy-peasy thus far

I dig the geometry….. it looks like it’s stretched!

 

[kingfish254]

Looking good so far.

 

[Jude Ephesus]

Looking good so far.

Thanks! I need @OddJob to get me a tire size recommendation!

2.4”? 2.5”?

 

[OddJob]

Thanks! I need @OddJob to get me a tire size recommendation!

2.4”? 2.5”?

Plenty of room for 2.25 for sure. Especially if they have larger knobs along the sides of the tire. Which makes for a more squared off profile.

A 2.35 - 2.4 might fit if the tire has a more rounded profile.

 

[Jude Ephesus]

Plenty of room for 2.25 for sure. Especially if they have larger knobs along the sides of the tire. Which makes for a more squared off profile.

A 2.35 - 2.4 might fit if the tire has a more rounded profile.

Thanks!

 

[Jude Ephesus]

Plenty of room for 2.25 for sure. Especially if they have larger knobs along the sides of the tire. Which makes for a more squared off profile.

A 2.35 - 2.4 might fit if the tire has a more rounded profile.

-I got the 2.25 Rock Hawk for $50 as originally recommended.

I was thinking you would tell me to push my luck with some meats!

As I know most MTB, klunkers in particular run low air pressure, I do prefer running on the high side, so, I’d rather pump up the thinner tires than run lower pressure on the meats!

-I’m sure the thinner tire will make finding brake calipers easier as well.

Thanks for your guidance on this OJ!

 

[Pondo]

So….. starting the mock-up.

I was shocked actually, at how the 26 x 1.75 tires filled up the fork and rear stays.

I think a 2.5” tire may be a tight fit!
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I think you could push the envelope on that frame, since you're not running fenders, but 2.25s will be great. Plenty of clearance, should handle well and still be supple depending on pressure. OJ does know his biz.

 

[Jude Ephesus]

I think you could push the envelope on that frame, since you're not running fenders, but 2.25s will be great. Plenty of clearance, should handle well and still be supple depending on pressure. OJ does know his biz.

Thanks! -I was thinking the 2.4”, but then I thought about the air pressures I typically run and impact on tire size. I do most of my riding on pavement, so usually while in use, the air pressures will be up.

I also didn’t want to have to engineer a special brake set up.

I was also cautious, I’m not a huge fat-tire fan, and I was afraid the larger tires would impact handling and detract from the frame and overall look of the bike…. I want the thing to ride great and be agile and when someone looks at the bike, I want them to see a klunker, not a huge set of tires.

We’ll see what we get. I was surprised the 1.75” mock up tires filled the ‘wheel wells’ WAY more than I had ever imagined.

 

[Jude Ephesus]

Did some disassembly today of the parts bike: Everything went smooth.

I hit everything with WD-40 yesterday, so everything came right apart.

It does look like all the BB components from the Murray will fit no problem into this thing.

500 bike Bruce is having a sale next week, so I’ll go out there to see if I can find the brake parts.

 

[MattiThundrrr]

As I know most MTB, klunkers in particular run low air pressure, I do prefer running on the high side, so, I’d rather pump up the thinner tires than run lower pressure on the meats!

Super low pressure is helpful on really rough terrain, think about the tire wrapping around chunky rocks and roots. But for smoother stuff and mixed terrain, back and forth from road to gravel and dirt, it isn't needed. I run mine at 30-45 psi for most of my rides. I definitely want enough to protect the rims from impact

 

[marshall hudson]

Looking good so far.

 

[Jude Ephesus]

Tires came in!

 

[Captain Awesome]

Tires came in!
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[Jude Ephesus]

Super low pressure is helpful on really rough terrain, think about the tire wrapping around chunky rocks and roots. But for smoother stuff and mixed terrain, back and forth from road to gravel and dirt, it isn't needed. I run mine at 30-45 psi for most of my rides. I definitely want enough to protect the rims from impact

Thanks Matti! 100%

I used to spend a fair amount of miles off road when I lived in Florida. (Alafia River State Park). I ran about the same pressures you do.

 

[Jude Ephesus]

Got the wheels scrubbed and tires on.

-at least temporarily.

Brakes are going to be an interesting fit!!!

Headed out to 500 bike Bruce’s this weekend with this guy to shop for parts and see what I can make work.

 

[twojs.bike]

What is 500 bike Bruce?

 

[Jude Ephesus]

What is 500 bike Bruce?

He’s a friend of mine in the Syracuse Classic Bikes club …. He has at least 500 bikes at any given time (in 2 barns) and a 20’ x 20’ building with every square inch packed with vintage bike parts.

He does a few big sales a year…. He’s got one this weekend and I’m headed over.