Donor bike arrives...!

[trapdoor2]

Hi y’all! If y’all don’t mind, I’m starting a new thread to track my conversion build.

Looks like Wal-Mart has come thru after all. My tracking number comes up as “ready to pick up”…so I’m headed over there during my lunch break (“Chick-fil-A” is next door). Gee, now I gotta start a bike build…and my garage/workshop is a mess. Hmmm…clean first or build first…such a dilemma!

One good thing: I bought one of those “Ultimate” bike stands a year or so ago (http://www.rei.com/product/729321) and have really enjoyed working with it. Every task is so much easier and the damn thing is as strong as can be.
I use it to store my Baron but it cannot easily be centered (balanced) in the clamp…so I clamp it just ahead of the seat pan. This leaves quite a bit of bike hanging off one end. The rotating friction joint which keeps the bike from swinging is quite solid and the Baron can be set horizontal…and left there. No worries!

Now that I think about it, I guess I need to clean up a bit before the build. I also have a honey-do list (about a mile long) and as winter has shown up (going down to 22F this week) in the South, I need to do the annual cleaning/safety inspection of the kerosene heater I use in the garage/workshop.

I think I’ll spend this evening cleaning up.*

===Marc

*All decisions are subject to change w/o notice, esp. after I get my mitts on the new bike. All rights reserved. No vertebrates were harmed making this decision.

 

[Mark B]

I'd consider the fact that there will be a mess to clean up after the build, anyway.....

Be sure to take lots of pics!

Mark

 

[trapdoor2]

Ok, the bike was waiting for me at Wally-World. No problems there; tossed it in the back of the truck and off to the house. Lunch (Turkey-burger and a diet 7up) and then a bit of box-shredding.

I opened the box to find a nice, shiny-new 26” men’s MTB…exactly as ordered; looks pretty good actually. It has a three-piece crank and twist-grip shifters (which I prefer). I noticed, unfortunately that it is fitted with threaded headset and 7/8” wedge-fit quill. The head-tube is 1-1/2 OD, so I suspect the ID is 1-1/8”…but I’ll need to purchase a threadless headset and have the original bearings knocked out, etc. My LBS will be happy to oblige, I’m sure.

Of course, if the headtube is only suitable for a 1” threaded, I’ll have to come up with a work-around.

I mounted the front wheel (more to have someplace to put it) and sat on the frame…surprisingly enough, neither the front nor rear shocks bottom out. Perhaps this bike was set up for men of certain stature… :shock:

The seat stem supplied with this bike is quite short (perhaps 6”), not sure if it will be usable.

I have one suitable 26” road tire, I guess I need to buy another. I’ll work on that later though.

If I can get the garage cleaned up a bit, I’ll take some pix. Any recommendations for pix size best suited for this forum?

 

[trapdoor2]

Stripped the donor bike last night...after some minor area cleanup and sweepdown.

Donor bike is as expected, full of crappy components and I'm having a really hard time not ordering all new. :evil: The bottom-bracket is solid steel (I think perhaps someone ordered "extra heavy" iron for this one); I do have a nice aluminum double crankset that I'm going to substitute, no added cost there. I will purchase a new bottom bracket though. Me no like crappy loose bearings; like sealed. mmmmm sealed.

The cables are all plastic, with no wire liner. As they were routed underneath the bottom-bracket (which was the lowest point of contact with the shipping box), the rear cables (brake, both derailleurs) were squashed in shipment...I mean really squashed, like having the wire showing thru squashed. No worries there, I'll just replace them with new.

The front derailleur is not a bad piece of kit; not TDF but not bad. The rear D is a true POS, completely redesigned to suit 'stamped steel' production methods. Totally non-repairable, everything is either spot welded or riveted together. It functions (gee, it says "indexed", it must be good!) and I'm going to try to make use of it...but I suspect it will be sacrificed to the recycling gods, if they'll take it. It might just piss 'em off.

Off to the LBS at lunch today. Gotta see if they have the tool to remove the original headset bearing cups. I could just knock 'em out but I prefer the proper tool for the job...esp. as aluminum is easily damaged. While there, I'll pick up a threadless headset (I wonder if they have green? That would match the paint), some cable sheathing, a tire & tube and order a bottom-bracket to suit the crankset I'll be using.

Won't do any work on it tonight or tomorrow. Jam tonight, movie with the missus tomorrow night.

 

[Mark B]

Definitely replace the cable housings. Don't forget to get cables, as well, not to mention housing ferules and crimp-on cable ends.

I'd chuck the rear derailleur and get a better one. The rear derailleur is not where you want a cheap POS. Good move getting a better bottom bracket, too. While at the bike shop, ask to scrounge through their used take-off stuff. They might let you and if they do, you might get all kinds of good schwag for a reasonable price. The worst they can do is tell you "no". Or talk about how cheap you are after you leave, but no biggie!

Jam session, huh? Git-fiddle?

Mark

 

[trapdoor2]

No git-fiddle here. Banjo...they issue you one when apply for citizenship in Alabama.

Less-than-perfect news on the donor bike.

Will have to stick with the 1" threaded headset and original front fork. Head tube is too small to adapt.

LBS could not get the LH bb cup out of the Donor frame...I'll probably use a bit of heat and a large dose of chisel and see if that gets it out. Worst case, I leave it in.

+1 on scrounging. My LBS is fine with that and I've bought several items from their junque bin. What I really ought to do is find a Shimano-compatible rear hub/freewheel. I have a nice 559 wheelset (originally on the Baron) but the hub is set up for disc. Wouldn't take much to lace a std. hub to it.

 

[Mark B]

trapdoor2 wrote: No git-fiddle here. Banjo...they issue you one when apply for citizenship in Alabama.

Saaaaaay....... You don't go around asking fellers to squeal like a pig, do you? :shock: :shock:









:lol: :lol: :lol:

Mark

 

[trapdoor2]

Sorry, I don't take requests... :roll:

"Deliverance" is just another cross for us to bear. My dad had to take my friend and I to the movie because it required someone over 17 to accompany us...and we were only 15 (1972). He was pretty straight-laced...and mad as a hatter when we got home. Mom asked how the movie was and he said something like, "awful, it has a rape scene". Mom, being the only female in the family started to go off on women's rights... Dad just looked at her and said, "there were no women."

Everybody scattered. Burt Reynolds was on my parents sh*t list from then on.

Yes, I can play the banjo part. Requesting it is somewhat like requesting "Stairway To Heaven" (or, perhaps Classical Gas) from a guitarist. It is only somewhat more lame than getting requests for "Rocky Top" (esp. considering Tennessee is only 25mi away).

Donor bike is back home (well, in the back seat of the truck). New 68 X 125mm bb is on order as well as an inexpensive 7-speed long cage rear derailleur and 1" to 1-1/8" quill adapter.

 

[Mark B]

trapdoor2 wrote: Sorry, I don't take requests... :roll:

"Deliverance" is just another cross for us to bear. My dad had to take my friend and I to the movie because it required someone over 17 to accompany us...and we were only 15 (1972). He was pretty straight-laced...and mad as a hatter when we got home. Mom asked how the movie was and he said something like, "awful, it has a rape scene". Mom, being the only female in the family started to go off on women's rights... Dad just looked at her and said, "there were no women."

Everybody scattered. Burt Reynolds was on my parents sh*t list from then on.

:lol: :lol: Sorry, I know how you must feel. My wife's name is Roxanne and she hates it when people start doing their Sting impersonation upon her introducing herself. It's gotten to the point she says her name and then says, "don't sing". They usually do, anyway. :roll:

Well, get to snapping some pictures of the bike. You have to have to progress pics, ya know!??!

Mark

 

[trapdoor2]

Roxanne: We (my wife and I) named our first dog "Roxanne" because she had a big nose and the Steve Martin movie of the same name was just out (1987). I guess if she was a "he" we'd have called him "Cyrano". We often called her using our "Sting" vocals". She was the best dog ever...RIP. Cleo is current runner-up. Life is never the same when you are owned by a Rat Terrier.

Pix are on the way. I charged up my camera. Nekkid bike frames...mmmmm.

 

[Mark B]

trapdoor2 wrote: Roxanne: We (my wife and I) named our first dog "Roxanne" because she had a big nose and the Steve Martin movie of the same name was just out (1987). I guess if she was a "he" we'd have called him "Cyrano". We often called her using our "Sting" vocals".

Yeah, ummmm...... Hope you're OK with me not passing that along to my wife! :lol: :lol:

Mark

 

[trapdoor2]

Understood.

Got the rear wheel built last night, took about 15min...which was all I had. The donor bike (DB) rear dropout width is considerably wider than the Cruzbike-provided adapter bushing-stack. However, I don't have those little tins of old hardware stashed about for nothing. I would guess the rear dropout width on this bike is close to 150mm (I'll measure). I am a bit on the leery side considering the stress to-be-incurred on this axle config. At my weight, I am likely to induce some, *ahem*, permanent curvature to the axle at some point. Making a custom-heat-treated-steel axle would not be a big deal though. Heat treating/tempering steel is not all that difficult if you choose your materials well...and you don't mind a bit of smoke and fuss.

I also re-installed the original front-end. I plan on getting most of the rest of the sub-assemblies ready to go this weekend in prep for next week's delivery of the new BB and quill adapter. BTW, is there any special reason to turn the front forks around backwards? I assume that little note in the build instructions is for forks with dropouts ahead of the fork CL. Mine are in-line with the forks, so reversing the fork does nothing but put the brakes on the back side of the fork. Also: which holes in the front fork plates should one start with? The pix show the aft holes (of three) being used. Perhaps this will become obvious when I start putting them together...

No pix yet. Camera decided to hide. I had the nekkid bike set up and went to find the camera...nowhere to be found. I remember bringing it home after the Halloween Catapult competition... :|

 

[trapdoor2]

Ok, finally some pix...

Here's the mess around my area:

There's an EZ-3 and Baron in there somewhere. More mess:

The black frame hanging off of the Catrike is a 1980's Puch I built as a Fixie...but @ 60cm it was too big for me. The blue bike is my Raleigh Fixie. Here's even more mess but a Cruzbike box full of goodies ain't a mess...yet:

Yup, I'm a card-carryin' slob. Thought you might like a better view of the Baron.

Here's the start of the assembly process. Rear wheel mounted:

Some extra "bushings" to fix my axle issues. Turns out the original front-end is only 90mm wide...clever these Chinese!

After sorting that out, I went ahead and threw everything else at it. Here it is after 4hrs of Saturday piddlin' around:

Whew! All I need now is a Bottom Bracket, a quill-threadless adapter, a derailleur and some fiddly time with brakes/derailleur/shifter stuff. Might get to ride this beast next week!

And, for Mark B...my Raleigh "Grand Prix" Fixie. 54cm...much more comfortable than the Puch:

 

[Mark B]

Love the fixie. Thanks for the pics.

Amid the treasures, I saw a bag of Lump charcoal. My man, you're really scaring me.... What kind of Q do you have?

Mark

 

[Doug Burton]

trapdoor2 wrote: New 68 X 125mm bb is on order...

Hi TD2,

What lead you to select a 125mm BB? I'm thinking you'll run up against a chainline issue (shifting into the top ring might be noisy and difficult).

The Freerider uses a 122mm for its single chainring, the Sofrider V2 uses a 113mm for its double...

Or does your road crankset sit inward on the taper like a Tiagra, for example?

Best,

Doug

 

[trapdoor2]

Being a grillmeister is required here in the South. I "q'd" for about 30yrs on propane until becoming a charcoal addict about 2yrs ago. Simplicity...aaaaaahhh. A big Weber kettle grill does it all. I did retain my propane smoker though. Much easier to manage temps with propane. These days, I mainly smoke Salmon and the occasional chicken or turkey breast.

Looks like we will be remodelling in 2010. Might just do a 'built in" back-porch kitchen/grill. I love to cook. Don't like to clean up...which is probably obvious.

Back to the build: I had a ball working thru the "fork be to narrow" problem. Getting the stack up of bushing for the orig. front wheel to fit in the rear was a no brainer but getting the front triangles to do 135mm from a 90mm fork was interesting. I basically had to rebend the Z in both triangles (thanfully, they are mild steel) to let them spread ~10mm wider per side...keeping all the parallel portions parallel. After massage therapy, the force-reaction pads don't line up with the fork legs, so they got a bit of massage too. If I were to decide to keep this bike, I might just make a new set of triangles...but I'd use 4130. Prob. not gonna happen though.

I did a preliminary "sit on it" test and decided to move the seat pan back about 3 inches (from the recommended position). This thing is quite close-coupled...! I will need a new seat-stem tube, the one which came with the bike is just too short. I can see why some folks put a bend in the seat tube...might do that myself. When you move the seat rearwards, it forces the back angle more (too) upright.

And...yes, as someone mentioned when I first started this experiment, the bike is a tad too tall. I still have my eye out for another donor bike, small (16"), with a true 1-1/8" headset. Gotta use that Rock Shox for sumpin'.

 

[Mark B]

trapdoor2 wrote: Being a grillmeister is required here in the South. I "q'd" for about 30yrs on propane until becoming a charcoal addict about 2yrs ago. Simplicity...aaaaaahhh. A big Weber kettle grill does it all. I did retain my propane smoker though. Much easier to manage temps with propane. These days, I mainly smoke Salmon and the occasional chicken or turkey breast.

I managed to breathe a little easier. Had you said you had a Big Green Egg.... That coupled with all the other similarities and the fact your name is Marc.... I might have become concerned. The fact you said you like fish rules out us being too close of kin.

Mark

 

[trapdoor2]

I almost bought an egg...but they're just too pricey for me. Besides, if it is ceramic, I will break it.

Fish is just the Norwegian part of my heritage showing...and Japanese birth. See? I'm both genetically and environmentally predisposed... :roll:

 

[trapdoor2]

Hardtailcruzer wrote:

trapdoor2 wrote: New 68 X 125mm bb is on order...

What lead you to select a 125mm BB? I'm thinking you'll run up against a chainline issue (shifting into the top ring might be noisy and difficult).

The Freerider uses a 122mm for its single chainring, the Sofrider V2 uses a 113mm for its double...

Or does your road crankset sit inward on the taper like a Tiagra, for example?

Doug,

Sorry, I missed your post. The chainring is a Sugino from the 1980's and yes, it does sit inward a bit. When selecting, my LBS recommended going with the same dimension as the original (which was 125mm). No worries though, if it doesn't suit, my LBS will happily exchange it. Nice to have a great LBS!

 

[Peder Torgersen]

trapdoor2 wrote: I almost bought an egg...but they're just too pricey for me. Besides, if it is ceramic, I will break it.

Fish is just the Norwegian part of my heritage showing...and Japanese birth. See? I'm both genetically and environmentally predisposed... :roll:

I noticed you mentioned Norwegian heritage and fish! I also like to eat fish that’s one good thing about Norway you can fish your own fish in the sea, river or a lake. Catching your own fish and preparing it fresh is about the best meal I can get. I also eat different food.
I have a Sofrider so I don’t have any experience building a conversion. It’s good that you are enjoying the building there are now many different conversions on the roads. So you will have a unique bike. When you are finished you can also have fun learning to ride a different style. At first it will seem difficult but when you have some experience you don’t even think about it. Good luck nice posts.

Peder

 

[Doug Burton]

trapdoor2 wrote:

Hardtailcruzer wrote:

trapdoor2 wrote: New 68 X 125mm bb is on order...

What lead you to select a 125mm BB? I'm thinking you'll run up against a chainline issue (shifting into the top ring might be noisy and difficult).

The Freerider uses a 122mm for its single chainring, the Sofrider V2 uses a 113mm for its double...

Or does your road crankset sit inward on the taper like a Tiagra, for example?

Doug,

Sorry, I missed your post. The chainring is a Sugino from the 1980's and yes, it does sit inward a bit. When selecting, my LBS recommended going with the same dimension as the original (which was 125mm). No worries though, if it doesn't suit, my LBS will happily exchange it. Nice to have a great LBS!

Marc,

Ahh, yes, I have one of those - Sugino double 110mm off of an '80s or early '90s Schwinn LeTour. Wonderful straight crank arms and small Q factor.

That sits wayyy down on the taper, and I think with the 125mm axle you'll be golden. I put mine on my SR proto with the 122mm BB axle and the crank arm just barely cleared the chainstay - I'd say by 4mm, which was what I was after (it was a q-factor experiment). So the additional 1.5mm on each side should work really well. Probably the best-shifting bike I ever built because of the perfect chainline dimension.

Looking forward to seeing what you think of the finished bike.

Have fun,