What a great idea!
Rockafella - 1953 Ruff Firestone Super Cruiser - Completed Ride Video +MajorAward+RollingStoneCover
- Thread starter kingfish254
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i actually used a Schwinn meridian trike brace for beasterns rear fender their 1 sided and may work pretty well as extenders however i do not know how long you would need since they are regular sized fender braces if you straighten them out they may be able to be sandwiched to the regular braces and drilled and bolted as the Renaissance man stated earlier with his idea for brace extenders
im going to risk ratrod social disaster and say i actually like the crazy bars on this build ( ducks form all the tomatoes being thrown at me lol) they kinda give the bike an edge nonetheless you kind of gave me an idea for my reaper spaceliner project i am working on with those bars might have to get me a pair of those buuterfly bars and use this idea on reaper
There's a sign at a local pond near my house, it says: "DO NOT FEED THE FISH"...It applies here also!
I don't hate the Screaming Donkey bars, but I just know that the bars I have planned are perfect. I'm sure that I will use these on a build someday.
This may just be a Jake like distraction
Or it could turn into Imelda Barcos Part Deux
That post by @Funkme was the funniest thing ever.
She said you have more trouble choosing bars than Imelda does choosing shoes or something close to that. Was going to try to find it but that thread was 52 pages!..
But back to this sweet bike. It's looking cool!
The bars?....Let's see how they look with that X53 tank..
Look forward to seeing what you've got coming for the bars.
Got chainage
I needed to take Rockafella for a shakedown ride to make sure all of the mechanicals were going to work well. The only seat I had that could work with the 31.8 tube was an OCC saddle. It wouldn't go down very far, but it was good enough to ride with. I threw on some Lucky bars and hit the streets.
Overall, I like the ride of the Ruff. Definitely need a lower seat position and a different seat of course. I bottomed out about 10 times going over sidewalk handicap ramps.
. The pedals came close to catching pavement a few times, but not as much as I thought.
I've had some concerns about the springer fork action and the deep fenders and fat tires. That was one of the main reasons I needed to take this shakedown ride. I can make the fenders work no problem if these were stationary forks. But I think there is just too much springer action and not quite enough room for the fenders to play well with the moving parts and diminishing space as the springer compresses. Obviously the fenders MUST stay on this build, so I am going to have to find a different fork to use.
Overall, I like the ride of the Ruff. Definitely need a lower seat position and a different seat of course. I bottomed out about 10 times going over sidewalk handicap ramps.
I've had some concerns about the springer fork action and the deep fenders and fat tires. That was one of the main reasons I needed to take this shakedown ride. I can make the fenders work no problem if these were stationary forks. But I think there is just too much springer action and not quite enough room for the fenders to play well with the moving parts and diminishing space as the springer compresses. Obviously the fenders MUST stay on this build, so I am going to have to find a different fork to use.
It doesn't look like the same bike!
I know, it's like most any other bare bones Ruff Dean in this configuration. But it served its purpose of checking the ride and verifying my concerns with the fork.
It was still a fun ride. Hot as hades, but still fun.
No worries, it will be back into Rockafella 1950s stealth mode soon enough.
I think thia old Shelby springer fork will be a great replacement fork on Rockafella.
Also the 52T/22T gearing was perfect for downtown Savannah. Just right for easy start and still able to get some decent speed up.
LOOKS NICE B!! BRING ON THE REST SO CRANK UP THAT SAM COOKE "BRING IT ON HOME TO ME" AND GTB! PEACE
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Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using Tapatalk
The Shelby springer well with the train light too. These are the springers that were used on some of the Shelbys that had the pretty big fender light.
It's getting exciting now that I have actually had a few days to tinker with this beasty and work out a few kinks. I'm stoked about the new fork .
It's time to Get Up and Jump!!!! ( I found this by following a youtube train of Sam Cooke to Led Zep "Bring It on Home" to RHCP "Bring It on Home" to this). I miss the early craziness of the Peppers! Flea was off the wall!
Cheers to the Red, White, and Gumby Green! Happy 4th of July!
Put the Shelby Springer fork on today. I'll still need to be some reducers so that I can use bearing cups for a 1" threaded steer tube. But it fits well enough for testing.
It looks good with the headbadge too.
The tires clear the fork fine. I did have to file some flat spots on the axle threads so that they would fit the fork drops.
Then came the big test. Would both the fender and tires fit and work on this fork. The answer is a surprising yes. I can't even slide a spoke between the tire and the fender, but the wheel spins forever with absolutely no rubbing.
It looks good with the headbadge too.
The tires clear the fork fine. I did have to file some flat spots on the axle threads so that they would fit the fork drops.
Then came the big test. Would both the fender and tires fit and work on this fork. The answer is a surprising yes. I can't even slide a spoke between the tire and the fender, but the wheel spins forever with absolutely no rubbing.
Rolled it outside to get some mockups with the new fork and to try to get a better feel for guard and rear fender placement. Also threw on the original 53 Firestone halfmoon handlebars.
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It looks sweet but if you want my honest opinion I'd cut out the bottom bracket and slide it up the down tube about 2"
