I haven't folded it in a long time. The guys at the welding shop went to great lengths to keep it a folder when they repaired and strengthened the frame. One bolt is stuck, I wrung off the handle on it but everything else folded.
(MBBO Class 1) Powerglide
- Thread starter Wildcat
- Start date
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Even though I have looked at these pics hundreds of times, I didn't realise it folded into three, that is very cool!
Luke.
Luke.
The handlebars slide in, and the handlebar assembly folds down, the headset assembly folds, the seat post slides down and the seat tube folds. That makes 3 folds, 4 if I had the original folding crank on the chain side. This thing was way too complicated.
The seat won't cut it for riding any farther than 100 feet. So I put the good seat back on, but may go back to the banana seat later. Added a bulb horn. I still like to go for a ride. Next to work on is the broken can opener that will be the brake strap. I want to have bottle opening capability also.
With almost no budget after the VA snafued my retirement pay, these will become my wheelie bar wheels somehow. What bike budget I do have is reserved for the frame insert.
The plan today was to get the drop stand modded for the wheelie bar and get it completed and also get the brake arm bottle opener done. By 3pm it was too hot and I called it quits for today. I still need to do some bending and add a couple of bolts to the stand and I didn't even get to the bottle opener.
Awww... Cute little training wheels! Hehe...
Merle.
Merle.
Looks great with that leather saddle.
Skateboard wheels will bolt up if I find some.Awww... Cute little training wheels! Hehe...
Merle.
I have never seen one of these frames before and I'm curious about how the bars connect to the headset. Is it possible to flip the bracket around to the front and lean the bars way forward?
Yeah that Merle... he's a moron...
Hehe, just teasin' man, looking good.
Carl.
Hehe, just teasin' man, looking good.
Carl.
The handlebar assembly folds forward at the fork crown, after loosening the nut where the headlight bolts up. The bracket has the notch for the headset like a lock washer so it only slides down over the threads at one point. I could make a spacer that would let them tilt forward with a longer bolt. I'll try it to see.
Well, it will be painted after all. Red. There's not much selection in spray paint, I wanted rustoleum, but this is the only brand I found, and the only can of primer at 5 different hardware stores. I also lost a wheel from the wheelie bar while riding the other day, so I found another set of wheels, new this time.
As I was tearing it down, I tried the rear wheel on the other slots, with the wheelie bar below it. It lowered and stretched the bike 2 more inches. I may make it that way when I put it back together, I think the bar looks better under the wheel. I still have ground clearance for the pedals too, I wasn't sure how it would work lowered. Then I proceeded to take it all apart. I forgot it has loose bearings, but the grease held them in place. I checked to see if I could let the handlebars hang forward, but I would have to do some bending of the bracket, so I won't pursue that. There aren't any new cracks in the frame anywhere, so that's a good thing. Next comes wire brushing the whole thing and getting ready for primer. The wheelie bar will get reworked also.
Very cool! Will the chainline work ok with the wheel in the other slots?
Luke.
Luke.
Yep, but the brake arm will need a different kind of attachment. I'm hoping the bottle opener will still work.
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More progress. I was going to do some bending to get the stand to double as a wheelie bar, but it needed to be taken apart and the braces redone to be right. The normal stand branches out which wouldn't let the wheels be vertical. I straightened the legs, removed the braces, did some cutting and re-bent one brace to fit. I may not have to bend the second brace unless it seems flimsy on the bike. I also used a brass wire brush to take the silver paint off leaving the chrome. But the brass brush didn't take paint off the frame when I tried it, I may have to use a steel brush for that.
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Such a cool idea using a drop stand as a wheelie bar!
Luke.
Luke.
Funkme
𝐰𝐰𝐰.𝐟𝐫𝐮𝐢𝐭𝐜𝐚𝐤𝐞.𝐧𝐮𝐭
very cool little folding bike...love it,it's a classic.
To clarify, there is enough room to adjust the dropouts up or down an inch, along with having 2 slots for the wheel. That's using 3/8ths bolts. When I had it adjusted up as far as possible, the chain touched the seatstay, so I adjusted it down enough to clear the stay and keep the low and long stance.
The dropouts made it easy to make the extensions, with the hole above the slot.
Adjusted to clear the chain.
All the way up.
