Glider

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This build will be a new very simple, comfortable ride for me. 3 speed, quality parts, simple design. It'll be a smooth ride, hence, the Glider. Here's the sketch:
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I'm hoping to bang out the frame this Memorial Day weekend. It's the only opportunity to do some serious building. Here's day one:
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I ran out of both gases for my TIG welder, and my MIG.

This was the inaugural frame for my TIG welder, and the welds so far were less impressive looking than even my gas welds. On my last weld of the front half of the frame, I got an expert opinion that I've been using the wrong filler rod, and my last weld was much better than the others. Now I have to decide if I want to go over every weld again to pretty it up, or call it good enough for this project, and maybe smooth the welds a bit with a file.
 
Man that is a sexy sweep from the canti to the rear.
I always dig your builds. Why aren't you putting this one in BO13?
 
Chainstays were rolled, and then welded to a piece of curved tubing from a piece of exercise equipment.
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I bought this weird curved-on-one-side clamp years ago, but have never used it. It was perfect to hold the 1/2" tubing to cut for the cantilever braces.
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After much massaging, I got the stays and cantilevers to play nice together.
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Then I used a recently learned ball bearing trick to plug the ends of the canti-tubes.
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Chainstays were rolled, and then welded to a piece of curved tubing from a piece of exercise equipment.
View attachment 76600
View attachment 76601

I bought this weird curved-on-one-side clamp years ago, but have never used it. It was perfect to hold the 1/2" tubing to cut for the cantilever braces.
View attachment 76602

After much massaging, I got the stays and cantilevers to play nice together.
View attachment 76603

Then I used a recently learned ball bearing trick to plug the ends of the canti-tubes.
View attachment 76604
View attachment 76605
View attachment 76606
Wish I thought about ball bearings before I used bolts on mercury rising.
 
Threw on a loose wheelset I had laying around to check the stance. Had to go about 3/4" higher than I wanted, but the real wheels should have a little lower profile.
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Then made and welded in the drops.
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Seatpost is pretty much the last thing.
 
Is there a plate at the seatpost cantilever tube junction, or compound curved cantilever tubes?

Carl.
 
I really wanted to use this motorcycle solo seat on this build, but I wasted a lot of time, and just couldn't make it sit right.
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Incidentally, @guitarcarl, you can see the 1/2" tubing that I used to connect up the seat tube to the cantilever.

Anyhoo, the solo seat mount was not working, and so, I reluctantly decided that I would need to use a regular saddle. C'est la vie. Having welded on a regular seat post, I last minute realized that I needed a coaster brake bracket, and so I made one up quickly, and BAM! This frame is done.
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Finished the whole thing on the extended Memorial Day weekend. Next will be parts gathering and powder coating.
 
From roughed-out frame sketch to reality in no time.
Oh yeah - this build means business.
Carry on.... I'm hooked.
 

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