Hot Rod 'Liner, a couple more ride pics

[scrumblero]

its lookin great ! that head badge idea is awesome !!

[MplsCoaster]

Thanks you guys for the comments and support.

I needed it last weekend with the pain of putting the sealed BB into this frame.


First there was the tube trimming that had been done. Then I had to go to demel for a few hours to get them to fit with out tension.
I'm so not proud of the amount I had to do so I'm not going to post a pic.
It's not like it will be dangerous but it's kinda hacky. I glad it will be covered up.

In the pic, I still have the disposable installation 1/4" screws installed but they came out after all the trial fittings.

I'm almost ready to dump the used cheap Sugino crankset. I carefully measured and calculated the width I wanted and ordered a 103mm Sugino BB. Unfortuneately 103mm is too short to fit the Maxx design so it bottoms out.


Then I bought a FSA BB at 118mm. Now it looks too long, a bit goofy and the chainline may be off. Also the FSA (cheaper than the Sugino by half) doesn't have the rotating thread removable. So I have to screw it in the one side then line both threads up and screw them both in simultaneously (without stripping the aluminum adaptor threads). Maybe there is another method of installing into the adaptor before the adaptor's installation but that a pain too.



So a LBS has Origin 8 singlespeed crank sets on sale (32% off) so it would be almost as cheap (and less painful) than getting another BB. The Origin 8's look really good and they take the 103mm BB. I'll have to monkey around with the gearing but that's doable (Sugino 52T and Origin 44T (but has bigger chainring options and I have a 13T hub gear).

I weighed the bare frame and it 9lbs.

[MplsCoaster]

Wow, People are getting done already and the bikes look fantastic. This is so much fun.
I plan to have several revisions and then pick one (with your gracious input).

I finally got the bottom bracket in. I used the 103 mm and bought the Origin 8 crankset I mentioned earlier.
I had to flip the gear to the other side to get the chainline a little better. I think It looks ok. It spins very smooth.


I love Big and Littles but I got an idea. Maybe it could be a relative term. These are both 32mm but I think I could go 37 and 28.
I really like the way a larger than 26" wheel looks on certain forks. The top of the tire is even or higher than the bottom of the fork tube. So I mocked up it up with my Felt wheels to see.


What do you think? It will have to take some planning. And my credit card already got smoking. We'll see...
I put a kinda white with silver metal flake seat from a 2010 Schwinn Racer on it for trial. I'm not sure yet.
The chain guard is a repop my wife picked up from the used section of a LBS. It's shiny.

Then I switched gears Thinking Big (27.5) and little (26") just for fun. The 37mm fit in the back. I wonder if there is a 29er slick out there that might fit.


I lost the look I was after but I had to try. It was worth checking out.
I tried a splash of color with the seat to see what that might look like. "S" could stand for Spaceliner but probably not. I bought some NOS "matching" grips but they turned out too purple (versus metal-flake fire engine red like the seat). I flipped the handle bars up and I kinda like it better. I really like the look when other people flip them though.

There was some discussion of the radically cut handlebars I mocked up previously. I like the look too to but the side shot doesn't tell the whole story.


There is very little grip area. I'll try them again once I cut the fork threads down. It depends if I want them Show or Go. I'm glad the difference is only 5 minutes apart.

The fork is next. That will drop all the previous handlebar height by about 2 inches so I hope it won't look weird.

See Ya

[herr_rudolf]

Wow! Now THAT's a transformation... All that shiny metal is really beautiful... I like the deep v wheels. But I also like the combo with the smaller front wheel... What are the ERTO or ISO sizes of the tires? There's quite some choice in tires nowadays... Schwalbe seems to have the most choice in retro-esque rubber in a lot of sizes...

The radically chopped bars... the amount of room you have to grip the bars is only relative. How many touringbikers with dropped handlebars where actually gripping the drops? Not many. They grip the upper part of the bars just next to the stem. That's even shorter than the bars from your initial idea. But it's up to you to decide if it'll look good... I didn't realize uptill now you were going this much for a roadbike look.
Absolutely love it!
Keep on doing what you do.

[Skipton]

MplsCoaster

This thing is looking sick! I dig all the ideas you got going here, the chain guard is cool! The three pc crank turned out great! worth all the effort!

I like the shorty "hipsters" bars

I like the flat bars also

Schwalbe tires have some slicks in 700 and 29er. they will make the credit card smoke

http://www.schwalbetires.com/bike_tires ... es/citizen

Keep up the great work!

[Three-Wire]

Then I switched gears Thinking Big (27.5) and little (26") just for fun. The 37mm fit in the back. I wonder if there is a 29er slick out there that might fit.

I like the way the front wheel looks on the fork in your first mockup, but I kinda like this second mockup look better overall... The bigger wheel in the rear helps bring the long seatpost into better proportions, and with the lost 2" of steerer tube I think the upright handlebars will work better. REI actually carries some 29" & 26" city tires in the same style, maybe they could add to the big/little look?

http://www.rei.com/product/793100/serfa ... re-29-x-20
http://www.rei.com/product/793099/serfa ... re-26-x-15

Very nice looking bike so far, and good job on the BB conversion!

[Skrufryder]

these 29er's 28's and 700c are aall the same size ther ISO designation is 622mm
The tire industry makes all kinds of slick's and semi slicks in this size check out schwalbe's site.

[MplsCoaster]

Hey Guys,

Thanks a lot for your comments. I now see some stuff I hadn't earlier.

The rear tire size is limited by 28" from the axle. I don't think I have the skills and the energy
to extend it like some of other great bikes have.

Herr_Rudolf
Thanks for the Schwalbe thought. I have some on a Royce Union that are exceptional.
The rear tire size I have on it now is 37 and I have to deflate it to get it on.
The felt wheels are just for mockup. I don't like the machined surface. It changes the look.
I can't do the fixie of the felt wheels any more so no brakes otherwise.

So the first vote for the 26 in front. I found a 1.3" to match the 700 in the back.
A very different look than original. But I had to see. I like the look of your bike with the Tall and Smallers .
If the stuff in the mail doesn't fit this bike, I've got a few bikes they might

Thanks for you continued support for the bars. I agree about putting my hands near the stems.
I usually do that so I bought these bars:
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=40277
They're nice and wide. Perfect for blasting around the lakes.
I'll be looking in the mountain bike section for something with slightly wider vertical area (that I can chop).

I'm glad you mentioned the road bike comment. I didn't see it before. It's not what I originally intended.
I still like the smooth rolling fattie that I had on earlier. I have to think about for a while..

Shiny metal does look good, doesn't it...

Skipton
Thanks for the links. They have a 45s (1.75)but I don't think they'll fit. I could try 40s.
I already know that my 26 x 1.95 fits perfectly and gives me the hot rod look.
I don't know if I can keep my original intention on what I have coming.
I'll have to see their limitations of width.
That's the 3rd time I been called hipster. I guess if it looks cool then its alright...

Three-Wire
2nd vote for the small wheel/front tire. Do you think it fits with the fork?
I saw somebody else customize their fork and the tighter fit look great.
It's beyond my skill level.

Thanks to the link for rei.
They have a big sale, practically giving them away, I had to buy them...
I hear that one a lot... Some thing me and the misses have in common.

I'm glad you like the one set of bars up. See my link previously for the new Typhoon bars.
They don't have the same effect upside down. Especially with the stem, even though the Porteur's are kinda shallow.
I do like other's bars down though.

Skrufryder
Thanks for the info and the standards. I measured again and 29ers might be out.
I'll check them out closer. So go mock ups..



I'm torn about the (Hot Rod versus Transformed Road bike) look but I'll see better after I get a few things.
I'm gonna work on the fork now. I'll see what that changes.

Sorry Guys about the seat post, it wasn't put in far enough for riding. I'm lazy with my mockups.
The frame is a 18.5 so I noticed earlier that it needed less than the Typhoon (18").

Thanks for all the input. It helps.

MplsCoaster

[slow rider]

grate job it dose look fast just siting there.

[MplsCoaster]

Thanks for the compliment Slow Rider. Hopefully I can make it go as fast as it looks.
From one fellow Chromie to another, I think this bike was pay back on myself for saying for years:
"I like the chrome valve covers on that engine, that will make it go faster"

Well, I got the fork cut and dry fit with new races and bearings. It worked out easier than expected.
I took a bunch of pics because I thought I might have an issue with putting a Japanese fork in an old American bike but no problems.
I have to do some more work on the axle clearance but that's just gonna take some time.

So I mocked it up and conceptually, I built the bike (pretty close) to the bike I sketched.



Everything needs to be taken back apart and greased and/or loctited yet.
The seat post clamp can be dropped further on the tube so the rack could be more horizontal.
The seat is not right yet, it's just a stand in for now. Its supposed to be silver metal flake but looks too white.
I stole my new VO West Bank bars off the Typhoon because they were what I drew initially.
The head badge/grill idea still needs more work. Clay would work much easier than foil so that's next.
The seat post is still under construction. I used a suggestion from one of the guys here on an aluminum round stock (7/8")
and worked with my machinist friend to get a modern clamp attached. I found that some mtb seatposts had a cast top inserted into a tube. You can pick them up used for under $10. I cut the tube off and the cast piece was 7/8".
So my colleague turned down the cast piece and drilled out the end of the tube.
It still has to be welded and I might try to drill out the solid aluminum stock yet.
Too bad duct tape doesn't work for much more than poser pics.
So Including the the chain, the whole thing came in at 29 lbs. Not too bad.
I'm still considering multispeeds but not sure if I want to add a bunch more weight for gears. I guess I'll have to ride it first.
Of course, I may need a little more air in the tires too.

I like the way it looks but the set up looks like a lot of my other bikes.
End of Rev1, Hot Rod edition...

But like a little kid, I don't want it to be over...
So I thought about how I got some good feedback on the "Hipster Bars" I cut.
Again, I liked them but I needed to actually ride the bike so I started working on Hipster bars 2.
A guy at work graciously gave me some bars form his Redline 925. He hated them so gave them to me for free
It's easier to cut up some thing free. The black paint comes off but I don't have a big wire wheel at home so please use your imagination.
So here is how they looked before the cut and after:




I like the cut angle and will probably leave the inside color or change it for a highlight.
I put them on to see how they would feel with the fork cut down and not too bad.


I can stick the stem out a little more if I want them higher.

My wife got in the act and helped with this pic. There is enough room to "get a grip" now.



So we'll see how the next revision of this bike goes. I'm still waiting impatiently for the mail man.
I'm planning on something that has a little more "wow factor".
So many other people have bikes here that make my eyes pop. I hoping the next Rev to do that.
I also realized that I don't have to choose setups: Hot Rod or Transformed Road bike because I have another 'Liner frame downstairs.
One will be for the competition and the other will be for my own fun.

What do you think so far?

[JoKeR63]

Love the monochromatic look.
On the bars,.... keep in mind that this is a photo contest. If you think the hipster bars look the best use them for your photos and switch them out for cruising, that's my plan. My bike looks much better with flipped bars but my back would be dead in 5 minutes!

[johnp.smith]

Im not in to the cut handlebars but I love the rest of it. This looks great.

[Skipton]

All the chrome looks great!

I like the black bars.....Keep the great work going!

[MplsCoaster]

Hey Guys,

Thanks for all the early comments. I need to read them again to respond.

I forgot to put a 3d shot in. Tell me what you think of the pattern of the rack picking up the multiple top tubes.
Does it just make it look busy or does it work?

Sorry about the weeds but that was the only place late in the day to take the sunshine shining off the chrome.Shiny

Rev2 parts will be arriving on Thursday.

See Ya

MplsCoaster

[gowjobs]

I like the rack on that bike. I think it echoes all the frame tubes nicely.