Lowco Liner (aka Sunday Best)

[Dr. Tankenstein]

As many of you know, I live in beautiful Savannah GA, where I have regular weekend rides with @kingfish254 and our non-RRB buddy Chris. Lately, these rides have been on Sundays and range from 20+ mile excursions from downtown onto our trails system that take us out and around Lake Mayer. While I love these marathon rides on my strandie, I also enjoy just touring downtown Savannah, taking in the historic sites and ‘people watching’ all the locals and tourists. We usually take these rides as an opportunity to show off our latest ‘builds’ or ‘finds’. Hence, the name behind this years build. It will based on the ‘best’ frame/parts I have for future Sunday rides.
It won’t be anything to ‘fancy’, just a clean black and chrome classic ‘bobber’ style, that’s nice enough to ’take to church’.
Here’s an inspiration pic I found on the interwebs:

the frame will be a CWC repop Roadmaster with a refurbished CWC Shockmaster fork. The plan is to build up a set of polished 57mm rims mated to the ‘best’ hubs I have (TBD), stretch a set of 26x2.35 Bontrager Solana whitewalls on them, a nice wide Electra XL saddle, some chrome motorcycle mini apehagers and hopefully some cool lighting. Again, nothing too fancy, just a nice comfy ride that will garner a few ‘thumbs up’ from spectators.

 

[Captain Awesome]

As many of you know, I live in beautiful Savannah GA, where I have regular weekend rides with @kingfish254 and our non-RRB buddy Chris. Lately, these rides have been on Sundays and range from 20+ mile excursions from downtown onto our trails system that take us out and around Lake Mayer. While I love these marathon rides on my strandie, I also enjoy just touring downtown Savannah, taking in the historic sites and ‘people watching’ all the locals and tourists. We usually take these rides as an opportunity to show off our latest ‘builds’ or ‘finds’. Hence, the name behind this years build. It will based on the ‘best’ frame/parts I have for future Sunday rides.
It won’t be anything to ‘fancy’, just a clean black and chrome classic ‘bobber’ style, that’s nice enough to ’take to church’.
Here’s an inspiration pic I found on the interwebs:

View attachment 193022
the frame will be a CWC repop Roadmaster with a refurbished CWC Shockmaster fork. The plan is to build up a set of polished 57mm rims mated to the ‘best’ hubs I have (TBD), stretch a set of 26x2.35 Bontrager Solana whitewalls on them, a nice wide Electra XL saddle, some chrome motorcycle mini apehagers and hopefully some cool lighting. Again, nothing too fancy, just a nice comfy ride that will garner a few ‘thumbs up’ from spectators.

 

[kingfish254]

I can hear Chris keeping score for you now. "That's one for you Rob!"
Can't wait to see this vision come to life. I think your parts plan is a good one.
We still need to get @Captain Awesome to come down for a ride one someday.
Also, it's been too long since @Skydreamer has ridden with us.

 

[MattiThundrrr]

Glad you're in, Dr T!

Let it roll!

(Just not on Saturday)

 

[Captain Awesome]

I can hear Chris keeping score for you now. "That's one for you Rob!"
Can't wait to see this vision come to life. I think your parts plan is a good one.
We still need to get @Captain Awesome to come down for a ride one someday.
Also, it's been too long since @Skydreamer has ridden with us.

I'm in

Just let me heal up first

 

[OddJob]

There IS a Dr in the house!
I like your build ideas, and your inspiration photo! Will be fun to watch you pull this together.

NaTty RaT oN~!

 

[Dr. Tankenstein]

Here’s the fork that I’ll be restoring/using. Got all the ‘suspension’ pieces bagged and tagged. The fork leg assemblies ‘move’ freely, now to find a way to drive out the pins that hold everything together. Gonna start by applying some paint remover….
BTW, I ‘test fitted’ a 24x3 Felt Thick Brick and it fits between the fork legs, the stretched Solanas on 57mm rims should fit easily.

 

[OddJob]

Super cool fork! Can't wait to see what you cook up in your lab, Doc!

RaT oN~!

 

[MattiThundrrr]

now to find a way to drive out the pins that hold everything together

Maybe something from the automotive aisle, like a u joint removal/installer

@ingola what's that doohickey called that you use on cotter pins?

 

[Ravenshurst]

Super cool fork! Can't wait to see what you cook up in your lab, Doc!


View attachment 193592

RaT oN~!

BRASS GOGGLES!!!!

 

[Ravenshurst]

Maybe something from the automotive aisle, like a u joint removal/installer
View attachment 193593
@ingola what's that doohickey called that you use on cotter pin

Deleted

 

[Ravenshurst]

Here’s the fork that I’ll be restoring/using. Got all the ‘suspension’ pieces bagged and tagged. The fork leg assemblies ‘move’ freely, now to find a way to drive out the pins that hold everything together. Gonna start by applying some paint remover….
BTW, I ‘test fitted’ a 24x3 Felt Thick Brick and it fits between the fork legs, the stretched Solanas on 57mm rims should fit easily.
View attachment 193591

Do you need to save and reuse the pins or can you re[lace them?

 

[ingola]

Maybe something from the automotive aisle, like a u joint removal/installer
View attachment 193593
@ingola what's that doohickey called that you use on cotter pins?

Ball joint splitter

 

[Dr. Tankenstein]

No progress on the getting the fork apart, but I found another ‘issue’….when test fitting it. For starters, I’m a BIG fan of sealed cartridge bearings, in the headset, crankset, hubs, wherever I can use them, I do. There just isn’t any comparison to traditional caged bearings in terms of smooth, effortless rotation.
So, I bought this new sealed 1” threaded unit
Thing is, to accommodate the cartridges the cups are quite a bit deeper than traditional ones, which adds to the overall stack height.

Needless to say, this made the fork tube too short….which was going to a problem anyway, because I tried a regular headset. This fork looks like it may have been on a girls bike originally, because the threads have obviously been cut.

But, that’s cool, I’m gonna just get it lengthened.
I have made some progress though! I have this awesome sealed crankset (can’t remember who makes it, but it’s ’vintage’ BMX. As long as I had the frame out I went ahead and installed it along with a solid 36 tooth chainring (remember, this is gonna be a cruiser, so easy pedaling) and a crank from a 1956 JC Higgins (gonna either polish it or gloss black it to match the frame). Duuuuuuudes! It’s smoooooth as butter! So at least I had one win today!

Check out how smooth it spins, it even ‘falls’ backward once it stops


That’s it for now, if I get the fork fixed, I’ll let you know!

 

[ingola]

No progress on the getting the fork apart, but I found another ‘issue’….when test fitting it. For starters, I’m a BIG fan of sealed cartridge bearings, in the headset, crankset, hubs, wherever I can use them, I do. There just isn’t any comparison to traditional caged bearings in terms of smooth, effortless rotation.
So, I bought this new sealed 1” threaded unit
Thing is, to accommodate the cartridges the cups are quite a bit deeper than traditional ones, which adds to the overall stack height.
View attachment 194820View attachment 194819View attachment 194821
Needless to say, this made the fork tube too short….which was going to a problem anyway, because I tried a regular headset. This fork looks like it may have been on a girls bike originally, because the threads have obviously been cut.
View attachment 194822
But, that’s cool, I’m gonna just get it lengthened.
I have made some progress though! I have this awesome sealed crankset (can’t remember who makes it, but it’s ’vintage’ BMX. As long as I had the frame out I went ahead and installed it along with a solid 36 tooth chainring (remember, this is gonna be a cruiser, so easy pedaling) and a crank from a 1956 JC Higgins (gonna either polish it or gloss black it to match the frame). Duuuuuuudes! It’s smoooooth as butter! So at least I had one win today!
View attachment 194823
View attachment 194825View attachment 194824
Check out how smooth it spins, it even ‘falls’ backward once it stops


That’s it for now, if I get the fork fixed, I’ll let you know!

I'm going through the same thing on Canadian metal I've had to switch to a springer and order a 9 instem to trim

 

[BartRidesEternal]

No progress on the getting the fork apart, but I found another ‘issue’….when test fitting it. For starters, I’m a BIG fan of sealed cartridge bearings, in the headset, crankset, hubs, wherever I can use them, I do. There just isn’t any comparison to traditional caged bearings in terms of smooth, effortless rotation.
So, I bought this new sealed 1” threaded unit
Thing is, to accommodate the cartridges the cups are quite a bit deeper than traditional ones, which adds to the overall stack height.
View attachment 194820View attachment 194819View attachment 194821
Needless to say, this made the fork tube too short….which was going to a problem anyway, because I tried a regular headset. This fork looks like it may have been on a girls bike originally, because the threads have obviously been cut.
View attachment 194822
But, that’s cool, I’m gonna just get it lengthened.
I have made some progress though! I have this awesome sealed crankset (can’t remember who makes it, but it’s ’vintage’ BMX. As long as I had the frame out I went ahead and installed it along with a solid 36 tooth chainring (remember, this is gonna be a cruiser, so easy pedaling) and a crank from a 1956 JC Higgins (gonna either polish it or gloss black it to match the frame). Duuuuuuudes! It’s smoooooth as butter! So at least I had one win today!
View attachment 194823
View attachment 194825View attachment 194824
Check out how smooth it spins, it even ‘falls’ backward once it stops


That’s it for now, if I get the fork fixed, I’ll let you know!

Tioga made vintage BMX sealed cartridges.
Now I use Odyssey Dynatron sealed cup bearings, but they require adjustment after every few hundred kilometres. I'm guessing the outer cups are too soft.

Anyway, beautiful fork! From what year is that?

 

[kingfish254]

Hope you get the fork worked out so that you can use that bearing set.
That crankset looks great on there. Love the solid chainring!

 

[Captain Awesome]

That fork
The headset
That solid chainring

 

[OddJob]

You are the Dr of Smooth! Looks like you are on the way to another slick build. RaT oN~!

 

[Dr. Tankenstein]

Tioga made vintage BMX sealed cartridges.
Now I use Odyssey Dynatron sealed cup bearings, but they require adjustment after every few hundred kilometres. I'm guessing the outer cups are too soft.

Anyway, beautiful fork! From what year is that?

Tioga! That’s it!
Not sure what year the fork bud, probably 40s…any CWC Roadmaster experts out there?
I can supply some detail photos if needed.