Psst. No rules brother. You can start with any bike in any condition. In my mind a pre-assembled bike is just as good a starting point as boxed bike. (If the wait gets too heavy lol)
GC.
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Unofficial March Shootout
- Thread starter GuitarlCarl
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GC.
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Likewise I got my boxed bike yesterday when I went into town to have lunch with my buddies from HS. I opened it at Walmart to make sure it was the right bike, check for damage and make sure the wheels were true. Everything checked out. They wanted to assemble it for me but I'm just going to toss most of it anyway so I took it. I unpacked it this morning. The head set was so tight I couldn't turn the fork and I messed up the top nut with a giant wrench and hammer getting it off. That's OK since I'll be replacing the head set with a better one anyway. It must have been the Chinese playing a joke to get it so tight, unbelievable. No grease either.
44 mm tires fit on the wheels and in the frame/fork. I was hoping fat gravel tires would fit as Kent also makes this bike in a multi-speed mountain bike version with forward facing drops instead of track slide puts. It came with 38 mm tires. Here are the 700c x 38 mm tires it came with.
Here is a 44 mm I mounted and slid into the fork and rear triangle. They fit good but any higher profile would start to get tight. Good room now but this is probably optimum, I don't think a 2.125 twenty nine inch tire would give enough room.
Everything else I have should fit as it is standard old school stem, bars, and crank. I'll lower the gearing. I have other plans for this fork so I'll probably change that and put on a side pull brake. I might change the rear direct pull brakes and mount cantilevers as they may fit. If they do fit the rim then I could use short pull brake levers front and rear. If the cantilevers don't fit I'll have to use one short pull and one long pull brake lever. It's a rat so that would be OK. Heavy bike.
44 mm tires fit on the wheels and in the frame/fork. I was hoping fat gravel tires would fit as Kent also makes this bike in a multi-speed mountain bike version with forward facing drops instead of track slide puts. It came with 38 mm tires. Here are the 700c x 38 mm tires it came with.
Here is a 44 mm I mounted and slid into the fork and rear triangle. They fit good but any higher profile would start to get tight. Good room now but this is probably optimum, I don't think a 2.125 twenty nine inch tire would give enough room.
Everything else I have should fit as it is standard old school stem, bars, and crank. I'll lower the gearing. I have other plans for this fork so I'll probably change that and put on a side pull brake. I might change the rear direct pull brakes and mount cantilevers as they may fit. If they do fit the rim then I could use short pull brake levers front and rear. If the cantilevers don't fit I'll have to use one short pull and one long pull brake lever. It's a rat so that would be OK. Heavy bike.
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I'm intrigued by this bicycle that someone posted a photo of from Atomic Zombie's Coaster Brake Challenge.
I plan to race my unofficial March Shootout bicycle in a 100K gravel event and in a 30 mile cross country mountain bike race. I have to have an excuse for coming in last so I use heavy vintage single speed bicycles for most of my racing. I'm thinking of drilling out my Unofficial March Shootout Walmart Kent Thruster. How bad is this idea? If it's a bad idea I probably won't listen but just curious.
I plan to race my unofficial March Shootout bicycle in a 100K gravel event and in a 30 mile cross country mountain bike race. I have to have an excuse for coming in last so I use heavy vintage single speed bicycles for most of my racing. I'm thinking of drilling out my Unofficial March Shootout Walmart Kent Thruster. How bad is this idea? If it's a bad idea I probably won't listen but just curious.
MattiThundrrr
Rattus All Terrainus
I love that bike! LOVE IT! I have about ten pictures of it from the postings on mtbr. Lemme know if you want me to share them, @us56456712
I wouldn't be brave enough to drill a Walmart bike, I don't trust them at full strength!
I wouldn't be brave enough to drill a Walmart bike, I don't trust them at full strength!
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Destruction is freedom
Chaos is life!
MattiThundrrr
Rattus All Terrainus
Chaos gets painful after a few dozen miles
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I'm starting to have fleeting second thought about drilling out the frame. I won't drill the rims as I want to replace them with different hubs and use these them on one of my wood wheeled bikes. I can't find tubular tires fat enough to fit the wood rims properly so I'll make up a set from the Wallyworld rims. Remember, I'm planning on using this bike in two events and then putting it in the scrap drive. I'm also thinking of only drilling the seat post and massive Huffy cruiser fork I plan to use. I could get some vinyl bullet holes to put on the rest of the frame to keep the theme going. I don't know what I'm going to do but this might be a safer option. Originally I was thinking that since the first test of total drilled out durability would be the gentle gravel May 2 Hiawatha's Revenge 100K ride that this would be a good test. Then, if it didn't bust, I would ride it on local single track to see if I could bust it before riding the August thirty mile cross country ride, which is pretty easy with no rough rock gardens.
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I'm now contemplating drilling smaller, fewer and more widely spaced holes to see how that works. I could add more holes later or leave it the same, depending how much of a swing bike the frame starts to mimic. I think this is the way to go? I don't want hot to just be a weird sidewalk statement bike, I wan to ride it on rougher stuff. Big decision.
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Just get a pack of those simulated bullet hole stickers ?
I already have a set of vinyl sticker bullet holes to put on the handle bars and stem. It's real holes I'm worried about. Most vinyl bullet holes are too big but some that aren't very real looking are smaller.
Hmm... Holes in our bikes now eh? Sure thing. The strategy is aesthetics vs strength. Where can I drill some holes to reduce weight (arguably the reason) and not compromise the integrity of my frame? Trek style says fab a tank plate and drill holes in it. Cool but it's been done. California hotrodders drilled holes in everything to get lighter, not sure I need to go that far. But I do remember seeing some old cruisers with skirt guards made with some kind of webbing laced through holes in the fenders to down near the hub, always thought those were cool. A guy could get creative with the lacing, radial or even some type of twisted weave. The sky's the limit there. The type of fork makes a big difference if it'll take it or not. Holes. It's all about where you put them I guess. Now ya got me thinkin'...
Carl.
Carl.
What is that, some kinda newfangled flute/bike combo?
& Does it whistle when ya wheel on by?
Merle.
MattiThundrrr
Rattus All Terrainus
Toot toot!
What is that, some kinda newfangled flute/bike combo?
& Does it whistle when ya wheel on by?
Merle.
Today's look at the Columbia. Placeholder wheels, stem and bars. So I can wheel it around in the trashed garage. I really think I'll be building a big box skinny tire chopper. I just need a theme and a name to start. That's a big part of what I'll throw at this build, the theme is my parameter for lack of a better word.
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MazdaFlyer
Like “RadioFlyer”
I have cabin fever and a few projects sitting around. I might try to revive this old JC Higgins into a rideable bike. No glitz just mechanically usable and flip able. I have a couple of old chains if I can find them, one is in a bag of WD40 the other is crusty dry.
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Hurry up March, I'm going nuts with nothing much to do. My computer, iPhone and iPad are not working. My TV streaming and old Samsung phone are still alive. It's been the warmest winter on record here so far and the gravel roads have been unridable for the last 4 days of above freezing temperatures. To keep from working on my March build off bike I have been riding my stationary bike, a lot. The day before yesterday I pedaled it 30 miles and yesterday 50 miles. At 10 mph you figure out how long I have been sitting on this torture device. So far today I have 10 miles but my butt is sore. Time for a road trip. I'm keeping the March build off bike in the attic so I won't be tempted.
