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Elgin motorbike made roadworthy.

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15 posts • Page 1 of 1

Elgin motorbike made roadworthy.

Postby Boardtrack fan on Fri Oct 30, 2009 3:50 pm

I posted pictures of this bike in the middle of summer. I had just picked it up at the Wauseon antique motorcycle swap/race. I tried to leave the original patina, but make it so I can ride it. The bearings were in surprisingly good shape. I did replace the small set of bearings in the ND coaster. The tires are cyclocross tubeless and fit really good. Kinda pricey though. I need to do something with the seat and then I can really call it done.
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Re: Elgin motorbike made roadworthy.

Postby KZ1000 on Fri Oct 30, 2009 3:56 pm

Looks good, are those 28" tires on wood clad wheels
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Re: Elgin motorbike made roadworthy.

Postby thesuicideride on Fri Oct 30, 2009 3:56 pm

wow that is awesome! :D how do you mount tubeless tires? are they solid rubber and you do the boiling water thing? thats a cool stand too. did that come with?
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Re: Elgin motorbike made roadworthy.

Postby Boardtrack fan on Fri Oct 30, 2009 4:09 pm

It has the original 28" metal clad wood rims. Someone replaced some spokes before I bought it. The tires are very similar to the sew-up tires used on velodrome race bikes. Imagine a really tough inner tube with tread on the one side and you get the idea. They slip on pretty easy. The hard part is keeping them centered on the rim while you are inflating them. You are supposed to glue them to the rim, but for riding around the neighborhood I think I will try them without. I bought the stand a while ago on ebay. A guy in Canada reproduces them.
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Re: Elgin motorbike made roadworthy.

Postby deorman on Fri Oct 30, 2009 4:12 pm

They may work without glue, but if not you may damage the valve stem. :|
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Re: Elgin motorbike made roadworthy.

Postby Boardtrack fan on Fri Oct 30, 2009 4:20 pm

deorman wrote:They may work without glue, but if not you may damage the valve stem. :|

Yeah, the stem is a presta valve to start with, so it does not fit the hole very well. I was thinking of cutting a sharder valve stem out of a old tube and use it as a spacer. Not sure if the presta will fit inside though.
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Re: Elgin motorbike made roadworthy.

Postby deorman on Fri Oct 30, 2009 4:22 pm

Maybe a wiring grommet? :?
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Re: Elgin motorbike made roadworthy.

Postby sensor on Fri Oct 30, 2009 5:26 pm

looks great :mrgreen:
glue them before you ride it(i dare you to ask my why i say that)!
and as for the seat id just spin the post and drop it and watch it when you sit down(im guessing the leathers separated on the back) so you dont tear it more
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Re: Elgin motorbike made roadworthy.

Postby thesuicideride on Sat Oct 31, 2009 12:45 am

sensor wrote:looks great :mrgreen:
glue them before you ride it(i dare you to ask my why i say that)!
and as for the seat id just spin the post and drop it and watch it when you sit down(im guessing the leathers separated on the back) so you dont tear it more


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Re: Elgin motorbike made roadworthy.

Postby Unchained on Sat Oct 31, 2009 8:05 pm

NICE! The new tires are sweet and I'm really liking the look. Are you planning on replacing the front fender?
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Re: Elgin motorbike made roadworthy.

Postby Boardtrack fan on Mon Nov 02, 2009 9:13 pm

Unchained wrote:NICE! The new tires are sweet and I'm really liking the look. Are you planning on replacing the front fender?

I have a fender, but it is green. I have not made-up my mind if I want to use it or not. It belongs with another Elgin that was badly damaged in shipping.
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Re: Elgin motorbike made roadworthy.

Postby Bigcam59 on Tue Nov 03, 2009 8:05 am

sensor wrote:looks great :mrgreen:
glue them before you ride it(i dare you to ask my why i say that)!
and as for the seat id just spin the post and drop it and watch it when you sit down(im guessing the leathers separated on the back) so you dont tear it more


I have to agree! As a bike mechanic I've heard horror stories about guys that forgot to glue on tubulars. As for a valve hole spacer, any decent bike shop should be able to get you one (or two) cheap.
Nice lookin' bike, btw! :)
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Re: Elgin motorbike made roadworthy.

Postby ifitsfreeitsforme on Tue Nov 03, 2009 8:22 am

awesome bike, and the Contis look good. But definitely glue them. They will roll right off in a corner, or if a defect in the pavement grabs them the wrong way. In fact, I've even rolled tubies off a rim that were glued, but the glue had dried after a couple seasons.
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Re: Elgin motorbike made roadworthy.

Postby SSG on Tue Nov 03, 2009 4:21 pm

Very nice bike, It's great that you're getting it rideable. The factory single tube tires were held on with some form of shellac, but modern tubular glue is probably far superior. This link might be helpful. http://www.parktool.com/repair/readhowto.asp?id=101
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Re: Elgin motorbike made roadworthy.

Postby skoda on Thu Nov 05, 2009 8:38 am

Oh, that looks so cool. Digging the "stand" also. Get some of that aluminum tape and sneak it up inside/under the seat for some backing if you can get it in between the horsehair and leather (good luck) or just try to not sit down! :D
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