Hopefully I purchased all of the right parts from Staton Inc. The part that has me curious is the brake disc. I was imagining something bigger, but after some pre-mock up for the calipers while the parts arrive, I notice that the discs are only 120mm. I imagined using a plate to simply bolt the calipers to the Meridian's fender tabs, but now it looks like part of that tab will have to be removed for caliper clearance. We will see tomorrow I guess.
Schwinn Meridian build
- Thread starter Danssoslow
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Hopefully I purchased all of the right parts from Staton Inc. The part that has me curious is the brake disc. I was imagining something bigger, but after some pre-mock up for the calipers while the parts arrive, I notice that the discs are only 120mm. I imagined using a plate to simply bolt the calipers to the Meridian's fender tabs, but now it looks like part of that tab will have to be removed for caliper clearance. We will see tomorrow I guess.
So will you be running two freewheels?
Yes. Staton had 17mm axle adaptors for both left and right hand thread freewheels. I bought each of the adaptors, the freewheels, brake adaptors and disks. Purchased the calipers on ebay, a set I seen you reference in another trike thread; 50cc moped calipers front and back that are mirror images of each other. The end product should be symmetrical.
Awesome! 
With what seemed a thousand sabots thrown my way, I was able to make some headway with the 2nd sprocket on the igh.
Used #41 chain to secure the stock Sturmey cog with the new cog.
Clamped her down in the drill press.
And wouldn't you know, I broke the bit on the first hole. As it was breaking through the other side, I heard the fatal crunch.
Purchased two carbide tipped 1/16" masonry bits within my cousin's small town. Used them to drill there more pilot holes, and was able to used the broken bit to drill the holes to the final 4mm dimension. The holes that would break into the open area of the sprocket destroyed the masonry bits. Had to drive further into a bigger town yo Home Depot, where we found 3/16 bits, which worked to drill out the rest of the holes. In the process, the bit walked a bit on three of the holes, as the slipped into the opend areas of the sprocket.
Clean three holes up with a Dremel cut off wheel, and was able to fit the sprocket without stripping any threads; and there isn't any slop in the sprocket with the bolts started but not tightened. I'll cheat a bit, and use this sprocket on the stock side, so that the drive sprocket covers the ganglyness.
Used #41 chain to secure the stock Sturmey cog with the new cog.
Clamped her down in the drill press.
And wouldn't you know, I broke the bit on the first hole. As it was breaking through the other side, I heard the fatal crunch.
Purchased two carbide tipped 1/16" masonry bits within my cousin's small town. Used them to drill there more pilot holes, and was able to used the broken bit to drill the holes to the final 4mm dimension. The holes that would break into the open area of the sprocket destroyed the masonry bits. Had to drive further into a bigger town yo Home Depot, where we found 3/16 bits, which worked to drill out the rest of the holes. In the process, the bit walked a bit on three of the holes, as the slipped into the opend areas of the sprocket.
Clean three holes up with a Dremel cut off wheel, and was able to fit the sprocket without stripping any threads; and there isn't any slop in the sprocket with the bolts started but not tightened. I'll cheat a bit, and use this sprocket on the stock side, so that the drive sprocket covers the ganglyness.
I think they were sent to me via paddle boat and horse, but the button head 4mm bolts finally arrived to bolt the stock axle sprocket to the other side of the hub.
In my defense, the bolts were available locally, but for ~$3/per! $4 for 25 via Chinabay!!! Just took near a doggone month...
I will change out the bolts on the other side and blue loctite them all in place after the rear is all figured out and ready to break down for paint.
In the interim, I statted working on something a little kooky. I found a set of 2 bar knockoffs that match the diameter of the rear hubs. To mount them, I will be filling the middle of the knockoffs with Amazing Resin, and inserting 1/4-20 insert nuts it the resin as it sets. The three nuts will line up with the hubs 3 bolt hub pattern.
Afraid that the resin would not bond well with the metal, I am using threaded ceiling light mounting brackets, bolted to the knockoff through its center hole, to create a hard mounted skeleton for the resin to form around. Tomorrow I will set up the wheel and knockoff in some sort of jig and pour the resin.
Aluminum tape to seal up the end.the small circle in the center is the light bracket's hallow all-thread.
The bracket.
And the insert nuts. Aluminum tape was used again to seal the bottom of the insert.
Hopefully, tomorrow will provide some meat and potato pics. I'm eager to get going on this thing.
In my defense, the bolts were available locally, but for ~$3/per! $4 for 25 via Chinabay!!! Just took near a doggone month...
I will change out the bolts on the other side and blue loctite them all in place after the rear is all figured out and ready to break down for paint.
In the interim, I statted working on something a little kooky. I found a set of 2 bar knockoffs that match the diameter of the rear hubs. To mount them, I will be filling the middle of the knockoffs with Amazing Resin, and inserting 1/4-20 insert nuts it the resin as it sets. The three nuts will line up with the hubs 3 bolt hub pattern.
Afraid that the resin would not bond well with the metal, I am using threaded ceiling light mounting brackets, bolted to the knockoff through its center hole, to create a hard mounted skeleton for the resin to form around. Tomorrow I will set up the wheel and knockoff in some sort of jig and pour the resin.
Aluminum tape to seal up the end.the small circle in the center is the light bracket's hallow all-thread.
The bracket.
And the insert nuts. Aluminum tape was used again to seal the bottom of the insert.
Hopefully, tomorrow will provide some meat and potato pics. I'm eager to get going on this thing.
+1!
I hope you get to feeling better. I wouldn't wish this on anybody! Uhg!!!
Felt well enough to work on the trike today. First, I am going to try to do something a different to fit the knockoffs. That light bracket is just big enough that it is keeping the knockoff from setting flush against the hub. So it will be on the back burner while I work on some meat and potatoes.
I want to run fenders, and the stock fork just didn't have the room to fit a fender; so I purchased a Huffy Millenium 29" fork. Kudos to Huffy for their easy parts ordering and cheap prices on replacement parts.
As a bonus, the fork legs are much thinner than the Meridian's fork legs. This allowed me to use a smaller strap to mount the drum arm. I had to grind the strap a bit to fit well, but the risk of the tape wearing away is gone.
Also, I set my fear aside and jumped right into cutting the rear assembly to fit the 5 speed hub. I still have to create a second mounting position on each side, but that will be easy enough, I figure. The axle length of the Sturmey hub just wouldn't allow the assembly to bolted by typical means.
I attempted to mock up the brake disks between the freewheels, but the freewheels are two big in diameter to allow room for the calipers. Too bad, as the disks looked slick and compact.
I want to run fenders, and the stock fork just didn't have the room to fit a fender; so I purchased a Huffy Millenium 29" fork. Kudos to Huffy for their easy parts ordering and cheap prices on replacement parts.
As a bonus, the fork legs are much thinner than the Meridian's fork legs. This allowed me to use a smaller strap to mount the drum arm. I had to grind the strap a bit to fit well, but the risk of the tape wearing away is gone.
Also, I set my fear aside and jumped right into cutting the rear assembly to fit the 5 speed hub. I still have to create a second mounting position on each side, but that will be easy enough, I figure. The axle length of the Sturmey hub just wouldn't allow the assembly to bolted by typical means.
I attempted to mock up the brake disks between the freewheels, but the freewheels are two big in diameter to allow room for the calipers. Too bad, as the disks looked slick and compact.
Been a bit on the broke side lately, and wanting to explore the possibility of mounting the disks inboard necessitated some funds. Parts are finally ordered, here's to hoping that it works.
In the meantime, to provide a proof-of-concept (and a reason to show a picture, lol) of something I am wanting to do, I pulled my bender out of my work van and grabbed a stick of 3/4" emt I had lying in the garage.
I would love, LOVE, to be able to have the lower curved support tubing cut out; but I have no idea if the new tubing will restore the support. The rest of the frame is aluminum, so the new pieces would have to be also, and then there is the need to restore the hardness after welding. That sounds extremely expensive.
I'll check into it. If such a thing isn't feasible, I'll leave the bottom tubing, and seek to bend myself some rigid aluminum conduit and solder the aluminum in with one of those low heat solder kits, or maybe even using an epoxy bonding agent (yay for having a friend that works for Loctite!)
In the meantime, to provide a proof-of-concept (and a reason to show a picture, lol) of something I am wanting to do, I pulled my bender out of my work van and grabbed a stick of 3/4" emt I had lying in the garage.
I would love, LOVE, to be able to have the lower curved support tubing cut out; but I have no idea if the new tubing will restore the support. The rest of the frame is aluminum, so the new pieces would have to be also, and then there is the need to restore the hardness after welding. That sounds extremely expensive.
I'll check into it. If such a thing isn't feasible, I'll leave the bottom tubing, and seek to bend myself some rigid aluminum conduit and solder the aluminum in with one of those low heat solder kits, or maybe even using an epoxy bonding agent (yay for having a friend that works for Loctite!)
Design looks good!
As far as the knockoff, I finally got around to filling the knockoff with Amazing Resin and casting the hurricane nuts into place. Interesting, the hubs on the rear wheels are not flat. They dome a little bit; maybe built that way, maybe spoke tension causes it; I'm not sure. The issue this caused was making the hurricane nuts sit canted as they were casted into the knockoff, as I bolted the hurricane nuts to the hub and sat the wheel over the knockoff as I was casting the resin.
Alas, no pics of the process, but I will take some when I do the second knockoff.
Now onto a story with pictures (yay!).
In order to clean up the rear, I was determined to package the disk brakes inward. This caused an issues-a-plenty in that not only did the disk and caliper have to fit in the narrow space between the axle gears, but the calipers had to clear the freewheels/chain (creating a minimum diameter outward from the axle, and making the 120mm disks I purchased previously too small in diameter), and also the Meridian's outer 'hoops' that locate the axle housing (creating a maximum diameter of roughly 155mm).
My answer was a set of 150mm disks I found on ebay, intended for motorized scooters. They are 2mm thick, so the calipers I have already will work; BUT the disks hub hole and bolt pattern are too large to fit the disk hubs I purchased from Staton. My spare parts supply is beginning to stack up!
To remedy the hub issue, I purchased two 22 tooth axle sprockets from Husky, meant to fit the 17mm axle that I also puchased from them.
Two issues arised marry the disks to the sprocket hubs: #1-the outer diameter of the sprocket hub was a wee bit to large fit the disks; and #2-the bolt pattern diameter on the disk is too small to locate the nuts needed to secure the disk, as the nuts would hit the sprocket hub before lining up.
To solve problem #1, I bolted the hub to the axle, and had my wife do her best impression of Giligan powering up the coconut radio as I ground the od of the sprocket hub with an angle grinder.
Schweet!!!
Alas, no pics of the process, but I will take some when I do the second knockoff.
Now onto a story with pictures (yay!).
In order to clean up the rear, I was determined to package the disk brakes inward. This caused an issues-a-plenty in that not only did the disk and caliper have to fit in the narrow space between the axle gears, but the calipers had to clear the freewheels/chain (creating a minimum diameter outward from the axle, and making the 120mm disks I purchased previously too small in diameter), and also the Meridian's outer 'hoops' that locate the axle housing (creating a maximum diameter of roughly 155mm).
My answer was a set of 150mm disks I found on ebay, intended for motorized scooters. They are 2mm thick, so the calipers I have already will work; BUT the disks hub hole and bolt pattern are too large to fit the disk hubs I purchased from Staton. My spare parts supply is beginning to stack up!
To remedy the hub issue, I purchased two 22 tooth axle sprockets from Husky, meant to fit the 17mm axle that I also puchased from them.
Two issues arised marry the disks to the sprocket hubs: #1-the outer diameter of the sprocket hub was a wee bit to large fit the disks; and #2-the bolt pattern diameter on the disk is too small to locate the nuts needed to secure the disk, as the nuts would hit the sprocket hub before lining up.
To solve problem #1, I bolted the hub to the axle, and had my wife do her best impression of Giligan powering up the coconut radio as I ground the od of the sprocket hub with an angle grinder.
Schweet!!!
Problem#2...
Simple. Drill new holes! Here, I have already drilled the holes into the disks, and getting ready to drill matching holes into the sprocket.
Schweet!!!
I ordered the button head bolts from ebay in a not-so-common 5/8" length in a 1/4-28 fine thread bolt, but was sent 1/4-20s; so now I wait for the correct bolts to show up. A lot of time is going into this ordering & waiting. I had to order grub screws for the hubs themselves, just to be able to get to grinding them down. Building by online catalog is such a hurry-up-and-wait! But in the end, I think it is going to be neat.
Hopefully, I will have another update on the the added top tube. The parts are here; I need to find an 1-1/4 pipe bender to get the pipe bent up. The tank/bed/shifter idea I have should turn out pretty slick; I just need more time and materials...
Simple. Drill new holes! Here, I have already drilled the holes into the disks, and getting ready to drill matching holes into the sprocket.
Schweet!!!
I ordered the button head bolts from ebay in a not-so-common 5/8" length in a 1/4-28 fine thread bolt, but was sent 1/4-20s; so now I wait for the correct bolts to show up. A lot of time is going into this ordering & waiting. I had to order grub screws for the hubs themselves, just to be able to get to grinding them down. Building by online catalog is such a hurry-up-and-wait! But in the end, I think it is going to be neat.
Hopefully, I will have another update on the the added top tube. The parts are here; I need to find an 1-1/4 pipe bender to get the pipe bent up. The tank/bed/shifter idea I have should turn out pretty slick; I just need more time and materials...
Nice work fitting the brakes up!
Thank you, sir!
There's roughly an 1/8" between the brake hubs, brakes and sprockets mounted. Calipers will have space between each other; but bolting the lower mount will be kooky.
