Nirve switchblade frame extension??

Fang619 · Nov 10, 2013

Hey everyone just looking for some help with my nirve switchblade project
I'm currently trying to think of a way to widen and extend my chain and seat stays to fit a 3.25" wide tire
Its a 17x3.0 michelin m62 gazelle tire but with the tube inflated its 3.25" wide
As long as the stays are wide enough I can figure out a place for a gusset for the axle to sit depending on the design
since the wheel is going to be a bit smaller i figured I should lower the dropout/frame a bit to compensate, and while I'm doing all this work just to make the tire work I think I should pull the tire back a little to not make the frame look so stubby and tall.

The ideas right now are:
Widen the stock stays and lengthen them
fabricate custom stays

Any ideas are greatly appreciated
I've included a link to a poorly drawn ms paint pic for reference

http://i1079.photobucket.com/albums/w51 ... 807e8f.jpg

Fang619 · Nov 10, 2013

Also it was pointed out to me I should mention Im also widening the stays to accommodate the moped hub I'm using, It's a leleu hub but I'm unsure how wide it is, I'll have exact measurements later tonight :|

mikeeebikey · Nov 10, 2013

Fang619 said:
Also it was pointed out to me I should mention Im also widening the stays to accommodate the moped hub I'm using, It's a leleu hub but I'm unsure how wide it is, I'll have exact measurements later tonight :|

Well before I read this I was going to tell you how I shaved my 3" Kenda flames to fit a frame.......
Seems like you got it covered, cutting fabrication, welding, and paint are in your near future!

joeltheimpossible · Nov 10, 2013

I'm helping him out with this build. This is our first time ever redoing/bending the stays and the problems I'm thinking we are going to encounter are, if we try to bend the stays on the frame to widen it there may be a possibility of the frame bending in where the stays are welded.
And the problem with just welding new stays on, would be the difficulty with placement, making sure theyre level vertically and horizontally.

Does anyone that has done something like this before have any tips?

mikeeebikey · Nov 10, 2013

I have never tried rebending, I have added segments and a lot of grinding, made factory looking tubes. Others may have other experiences!
I do know you have to use a jig that aligns everything, trust me, they ride bad cockeyed.

LukeTheJoker · Nov 10, 2013

It can be done without a jig, with lots of precision eyeballing, a string line and accurate measurements, but as it was said, it must be right, nothing worse than a wonky bike, specially when you are cutting up such a nice frame to begin with!

Luke.