Riff Ratt

[Wildcat]

The handlebar brace really needs to be curved to fit in. Off it came.
I assembled the bike for a test ride sometme in the near future. I thought everything would need tweaked to get the wheels aligned but it's good and everything lined up. I still have to drill a couple holes in the dropouts for the tabs on the stand. Chain and brakes also. I'm considering painting the fork ends black to match.

 

[OddJob]

I like the fork ends the way they are. Carries the theme from the rear drop outs / springs. It looks perfectly balanced color wise to me right now!

 

[Wildcat]

I'll leave them as is. I tried my old Western Flyer headlight and it looks right to me. The drivetrain hooked up fine. I think the shifting will stay manual, no derailleur or anything, shift by hand. I'm pretty sure low gear will be the gear to use unless it's going down a mountain.
I need a extra long cable for the band brake. I have a cable housing that's just right, 6 feet long.

 

[kingfish254]

I love this build. It has such a Dr Suess vibe to it.

 

[Captain Awesome]

I love this build. It has such a Dr Suess vibe to it.

Agreed. Super cool

I can see myself riding it and making BOING BOING noises

 

[Wildcat]

Dr. Seuss the riffraff type? I've never seen the guy, maybe so.
The rear stand isn't working out. I have to redo the dropouts to make it work and that area is busy already. The stand attached to the front like a cycle truck but I had visions of going over the handlebars. I'm going to try a center stand somehow.

 

[OddJob]

WC, get your tech / Youtube savvy wife to film you riding this. I want to see those springs in action!

This build has great continuity and fluidity , and just enough cartoon wackiness to really catch your eye.

RiFf RaT oN~!

 

[Wildcat]

I should be getting a brake cable tomorrow. Then it's ready for a road test vid!

 

[Wildcat]

Agreed. Super cool

I can see myself riding it and making BOING BOING noises

Maybe I could rig one of these on a wheel so with each rotation it would make a boing sound:


But seriously, just a brass bell will be the noisemaker on this bike. But I thought of this first!
The rear stand didn't follow the flow of the bike, and I think I've got a mod for the center stand that might work. I came up with an idea for a build that will use the center stand later.
The brake is now working and I tightened up everything. Later I hope to have a test ride video to upload. Getting it up the stairs takes 2 people I think. It's not the weight, 40 lbs, but the length, about 7 feet.

 

[Captain Awesome]

Maybe I could rig one of these on a wheel so with each rotation it would make a boing sound:

View attachment 163222
But seriously, just a brass bell will be the noisemaker on this bike. But I thought of this first!
The rear stand didn't follow the flow of the bike, and I think I've got a mod for the center stand that might work. I came up with an idea for a build that will use the center stand later.
The brake is now working and I tightened up everything. Later I hope to have a test ride video to upload. Getting it up the stairs takes 2 people I think. It's not the weight, 40 lbs, but the length, about 7 feet.

View attachment 163223

I tried to play one of those things one time and almost lost a tooth

 

[Wildcat]

The test ride went well, no crashes or broken bones. The pedals were too close to the ground, scraped the pedals a couple times and damaged one of them. I think the cantilevers bent allowing the bike to ride lower, so I'll have to do some braces. I need another couple inches of ground clearance. I may get some metal and fab up longer brackets, using heavier steel if I have to buy it. Or mount the bottom of the shocks differently to get some height.

The chain skipped a few times but I didn't see why, it's lined up perfectly.

 

[Wildcat]

You can see where the bend is (green arrow). It changed the angle of the shock also. So I'll bend them back and put a heavy bracket on from the seat stay to shore it up.

 

[Captain Awesome]

The test ride went well, no crashes or broken bones. The pedals were too close to the ground, scraped the pedals a couple times and damaged one of them. I think the cantilevers bent allowing the bike to ride lower, so I'll have to do some braces. I need another couple inches of ground clearance. I may get some metal and fab up longer brackets, using heavier steel if I have to buy it. Or mount the bottom of the shocks differently to get some height.
View attachment 163264
The chain skipped a few times but I didn't see why, it's lined up perfectly.

Beautiful scenery, and man you aren't kidding when you say it's hilly

 

[tjwilson]

That is a classy looking ride! Sounds like you’ve got the bending issue fix. I’m thinking the chain skip might be corrected by increasing how much the chain wraps around the rear sprocket? Moving the tensioner forward and/or changing the angle should take care of that.

 

[Wildcat]

That sounds right, and I think I need to take a couple links out of the chain also. It hung slack when I repositioned the tensioner back or forward.

 

[user 26311]

Cool looking bike! I’m sure you’ll get the bugs worked out in short order!

 

[Karate Chicken Industries]

The chain skipped a few times but I didn't see why, it's lined up perfectly.

The length is changing throughout the travel and that can cause skipping if the tensioner is not adjusted perfectly to compensate.

 

[MattiThundrrr]

It's why you don't see a lot of single speed bikes with rear suspension. Didn't @toro1978 do it with Fully? Maybe they can give some advice

 

[toro1978]

Yes but in both cases it was a design that keeps the chain length constant.

 

[Wildcat]

I've seen the mountain bikes that have the pivot point a couple inches behind the BB so I figured with a freewheel it would work. If it still skips after taking out a few links and adjusting the tensioner, the springs will be just for looks and the rear will be solid. Maybe do a couple seat stays instead like a loop tail.