Ruff Cycles Tango S build.. my first "from scratch" build!

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J

JustPlainDeV

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Well... The title says it all.. Just got my new Tango S from Local Cycles in Long Beach, NY (which also happens to be my hometown).. and I can't wait to start building it up! First order of business is to get it powdercoated, and I have a triple tree fork from a West Coast chopper that I'm going to have blasted and powdercoated as well. Past that, I have two sets of 3g single speed wheels (one red and one black) that I'm debating on using, and everything else that goes on this bike is going to be brand new. I'm looking to build a 3" wide back wheel with a Nexus 8 speed, and the goal is to have this bike complete in time for the Local Cycles 5th anniversary "Cruisin' N' Boozin'" weekend. I'm open to all suggestions and help... so have at it!





 
UPDATE (2/24): Frame and Fork will be dropped off to the powdercoater on Wednesday morning.. My forks are chrome and looking a little rough so I'm hoping they can be saved. If not, I guess I will have to make some more room in the budget for a new one.

Question: Since this is my first build, there are some things I'm not clear on. First thing is concerning the bottom bracket and crankset. I'm going to be using a 3 piece bmx-style crankset and I noticed that bottom brackets are available in multiple sizes. (103mm, 107mm, etc.) Am I supposed to measure the width of the bottom bracket on the frame and order accordingly or does that width exist to keep the chainline flush when using wide wheelsets? I'm assuming the former, but I thought it would be smart to check first.

Thanks guys!
 
I love the cruisin shirt. I went to look online and did not find it is it older or they just do not have it on the site yet?
 
It's not on the site. Nic just got them made for the Anniversary party in June. Hit him up on Facebook.. I'm sure if he doesn't still have them he will be making more.
 
Make sure you use short crank arms or your pedals will scrape. I think I used 145mm arms on The Dean.


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You know that's what I was thinking too, but when I asked Nic he said that regular length cranks would be ok. It looks like on the Dean, the bottom bracket is a couple of inches lower than the center line of the dropout, and on the Tango they are closer to level. I was thinking that when I get the frame back and get the fork and wheels on, I'll mock up a set of one piece cranks just to see where I am before I order a crankset. Thanks for the advice, keep it comin'! (Oh and BTW Rat Rod, I want a set of those Abe Linkage Forks BAD! lol)

On that note, I ordered my tires today. A nice set of whitewall Thick Bricks should be on their way from Motostrano soon.
 
Well.. The bike and my forks are at Profab Customs in Clearwater, FL getting prepped for powder.. Spent a little while shooting the poop with the guy when I dropped everything off and he put a little bug in my ear that's now telling me to build a 3" wide rear wheel and have the hoop hydrodipped before assembly.. Hmmmmmm.... Lol.. My wife is gonna kill me when she finds out the total bill on this bike. In other news.. Ordered a headset today and picked up some tubes so I can get my 3G wheels ready. This way when the bike comes home I can at least roll it around my garage and mock up bars and cranks and such. I'm not sure which crank length is going to work out for me so I haven't ordered anything yet. The powdercoater says he can clean up my pitted forks before he coats them so they should look like new.. If not.. Does anyone have a Felt Abe Linkage for sale/trade? :D
 
I used 5 inch cranks on my Porucho and the pedals do scrape at times, especially when going around corners or in and out of driveways. I have 24x3 tires on 50mm wheels so it's not as low as one with wider wheels. I'm going to put a 26" wheelset on there at some point but that's only going to lift it about half an inch. The Tango seems to have the BB a little higher than the Porucho.
 
Well now that I look at that post.. It looks like the Sunlite may be a better fit for my needs. I'm going to be running a 24x3" Thick Brick on a 57mm 3g wheel.. The Felt fork may not have enough room to let the tire spin. Thanks for that link.. You probably just saved me quite a bit of wasted time and money!
 
The Thick Brick will work on the Felt fork, at least with their 50mm rims. I'm actually going to use the Felt fork on another frame with that combo. I'll take a better picture showing the actual clearance. The Sunlite fork has an inside width of 90mm on the front fork, the Felt is 80mm. It's definitely tight but should be ok. I think all the bikes they used the fork on came with 26" wheels.

Here's a picture of my Porucho that better shows the Sunlite fork installed.

porucho062.jpg
 
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I really like this frame, but I like it more with out the plate. I have a porucho now and my gal rides my custom felt, but I was thinking of getting this frame and building one for her. Keep us all updated with pics and such.
 
They have a new Tango coming out which is a bit different. It has the BB in the downtube instead of using the standoff. I don't know if they're going to keep both of them in the line though. Here is a rough (ruff?) comparison.

tango.jpg
 
New frame looks nice.. But I think I like the older design better. It's definitely a more open layout for a bigger rider like me. I wonder why they are changing it?
 
JustPlainDeV said:
New frame looks nice.. But I think I like the older design better. It's definitely a more open layout for a bigger rider like me. I wonder why they are changing it?
Click to expand...

They seem to be constantly tweaking their designs, which is a good thing. I'd assume the changes are to simplify the design and construction. Save a few welds and also the laser cutout on the stand off, although that's one of the cooler things about it. I tried my friend's Tango and it's more cramped than the Porucho for me. I'm 6' 5" tall, he's maybe 6' 1". Neither is a limo like my Basman.
 
Yeah I'm a little closer to 6'3" than 6'2" and I think the Tango will fit me just right with some apes on it.. The Porucho is a sweet ride too and definitely looks a little longer. I've never ridden a Basman but my Nirve Cannibal frame has plenty of legroom for me with either straight bars or apes on it.. So I'll be hard pressed to ever get rid of that one. The garage is starting to get a little snug as it is.. lol
 
I kept trying to find someone with a built Porucho so I could check out the fit. The frame by itself just looked too small. It's almost 7 feet long built. About the same as the Basman but on the Basman you sit over the back wheel where on the Porucho the rear wheel is pretty far back. I sit more upright on it. I think you'll be really happy with the fit of your Tango. Just watch out for speed bumps!
 

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