Mint Chocolate Chip-A bike built for the Crested Butte Chainless World Champs (Finished)

[squirreldh]

Its definitely an interesting event, and I welcome any RRB'er to come out and join in on the fun! As you can see from the video its not a serious event and many come out on some crazy rides. Crested Butte is a really friendly town with many vintage cruisers rolling around.

Back to the build. I got the hub overhauled and reinstalled with the pegs. Cones and bearings look to be in great shape.

Also have the brake all hooked up.

I am getting close to having a rideable, or should I say, rollable bike! Then its fairing time

 

[squirreldh]

Wrapped the bars with a couple old tubes. For two reasons, its free, and may help with vibration damping...

Still need to overhaul the fr hub, and steal tires off my road bike...

 

[squirreldh]

Went to overhaul the front hub and much to my surprise, I had forgotten why I had saved this hub in the first place! It is running sealed cartridge bearings pretty cool for a old 90s hub.

Popped the seals and unfortunately they are caged, I am going to order some higher quality bearings for it, something with more balls, loose style like the hub mods mentioned earlier.

Stole the tires off the road bike and its a roller! They are Specialized armadillo 700x25c, have puncture resistance, and a little bit of tread for traction off pavement. I have personally run them in near mtb conditions and on fire roads with my road bike and must say they hook up well offroad, as well as a near slick road tire can anyways! No issues with flats yet either. So yeah, its a roller!!

Now to do some testing and make a fairing!

 

[squirreldh]

Well i scooted to the top of the street and rolled back. Its barely two blocks and maybe a 1% grade? Hit just under 15 rolling along, not the smoothest run either! This thing wants to roll!

Starting on the fun part, fairing construction! Found this corrugated plastic bike box at work, perfect!

I do not wrench at Colorado Cyclist, just where the box came from, may keep it for my rear wheel disc.

Figured I would start at the wheel since I know I want to follow it similar to a Moto GP bike.

Sipping on some local CO brew and enjoying the beautiful sunset while visualizing while constructing...

Lets see how far I get tonight.

 

[Fv2]

I'll say 4
But maybe, you'll get some fairing design.

 

[squirreldh]

I'll say 4
But maybe, you'll get some fairing design.

Thats pretty funny. I just opened my 4th, and am done designing and constructing for the night this corrugated plastic cuts well with a razor blade, but 3 brew in and going on my fourth I am calling it before major bloodloss...

Got some of my boat hull style construction going, getting better as I go.

Got a long ways to go before I skin it...

 

[Fv2]

Thats pretty funny. I just opened my 4th, and am done designing and constructing for the night this corrugated plastic cuts well with a razor blade, but 3 brew in and going on my fourth I am calling it before major bloodloss...

Got some of my boat hull style construction going, getting better as I go.

Got a long ways to go before I skin it...

 

[Jaypem]

Thats pretty funny. I just opened my 4th, and am done designing and constructing for the night this corrugated plastic cuts well with a razor blade, but 3 brew in and going on my fourth I am calling it before major bloodloss...

Got some of my boat hull style construction going, getting better as I go.

Got a long ways to go before I skin it...

What??
This is going to be good!

 

[squirreldh]

More boat hull construction happening this morning!

Electrical tape mock up going well, ready to start glueing the assembly together before I get much farther. Going to add a couple more vertical supports in the front but its shaping up. Glad my roommate and GF arent complaining about me using pot lids for different radius.

 

[Funkme]

The vid looked like a fun day. love coastering downhills here.
I find my bikes with 3" tires roll faster and further...
love your bike so far.

 

[squirreldh]

I imagine the wider tire helps distribute the load over a greater area? I have been thinking about a lot of physics with this one. I do have clearance for a larger tire, but nowhere near the 3" range. I ran a 26x1.5 Geax Roadster on my Higgins last year aired up to about 80psi. It worked really well, felt a little slow in the dirt sections and overall throughout the course. I do plan on doing a lot of testing with this ride before the race, probably experiment with different tires, weight, body positions, etc. Putting a lot more thought and effort into being competitive this year!

Sent from my SM-G550T1 using Tapatalk

 

[squirreldh]

Took a break from construction to run to the hardware store. Picked up some CA glue, which is in essence super glue... research told me they work fairly well for this plastic. Also found these button post screws things in alloy for my wheel covers.

Using the easiest method I know for tracing a circle. Screw, string, and pencil, or in this case felt tipped pen...

Traced the circle so I could retain the CO Cyclist logo on the wheel disc, might as well look sponsored!

One disc cut out.

Same string and penc method for center cut.

Both discs cut! Used the first as a pattern for second as opposed to string method.

Installed!

Need 8 more button post screws so it doesnt bend outwards. May run tape over rim/disc seam.

Onto gluing the current boat hull pieces...

 

[1oldbikelover]

Truing and tensioning the front wheel this morning. Using the zip tie method...

Humm..better method than I use....a toothpick taped to the frame or fork!

 

[1oldbikelover]

Well i scooted to the top of the street and rolled back. Its barely two blocks and maybe a 1% grade? Hit just under 15 rolling along, not the smoothest run either! This thing wants to roll!

Starting on the fun part, fairing construction! Found this corrugated plastic bike box at work, perfect!

I do not wrench at Colorado Cyclist, just where the box came from, may keep it for my rear wheel disc.

Figured I would start at the wheel since I know I want to follow it similar to a Moto GP bike.

Sipping on some local CO brew and enjoying the beautiful sunset while visualizing while constructing...

Lets see how far I get tonight.

Ipswich ale! I've had some of that a few times!

 

[CrazyDave]

Looks like a very good time after looking into this! Not too serious. I would think long low and heavy with the least rolling resistance..but I am eager to learn and be proved wrong

I would like to show up on a old shaft drive bike just get folks wondering.

 

[RustySprockets]

Some have been known to go out after Election Day to grab as much coroplast as I, er...I mean THEY, can find.

 

[The Renaissance Man]

You could also coat the bike (and yourself) in graphite to reduce resistance like Gilbert Klecan did to win the first post-war 'All American Soap Box Derby' in 1946!

 

[RustySprockets]

You could also coat the bike (and yourself) in graphite to reduce resistance like Gilbert Klecan did to win the first post-war 'All American Soap Box Derby' in 1946!

Nothing wins downhill quite like a slippery upside-down canoe.

 

[squirreldh]

I would like to show up on a old shaft drive bike just get folks wondering.

A friend did it on a pennyfarthing a few yers back... no chain! Of course he wasn't the most competitive, but this is a fun event as opposed to serious competition, I am just going for glory

 

[CrazyDave]

A friend did it on a pennyfarthing a few yers back... no chain! Of course he wasn't the most competitive, but this is a fun event as opposed to serious competition, I am just going for glory

Oh lord, haha. even better. I looked and looked for rules on the event, other than "no chain or secured chain and a helmet, and sign the waiver" I found nothing. Personally if I wanted to win for the sake of winning , a old shaft drive bike would fit the bill. Many other chainless ways to transfer power. Doesn't say you cant have a electric motor? belt drive, any bike nearly can have a belt drive kit and internal geared rear hub! HA! Big ol honkin set of rotors and hydro brakes. You'd have a few beers in ya before second place came down. Or maybe stay chainless and beltless with something similar to this http://glendalecycles.com/bike-technology/chainless-shaft-drive-bicycles/

Sorry I thought about this wayyyy too much