4-Lowco: Air Ride, 4-link, 3-spd

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Indychus

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Dec 5, 2011
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Ok, so this is my first build and I'm going to have a LOT of questions. A have a very low budget (read: almost $0), so a lot of cheap ebay and second hand parts will be used.

Here are my plans thus far, this is just the big stuff, the details will evolve as it comes together:

A 4-link rear suspension (hence the name 4-Lowco), air ride with a cantilevered lift system and a watts pivot on the rear hub. A 2" stroke air cylinder will provide 6.5" of travel.
3-speed internal hub with a suicide shifter.
Triple trees and looooong forks with a ridiculous rake.

And that's all I've got right now.


Here's an initial sketch up in AutoCad:

FrameAir.jpg



And a quick video clip of the frame and rear suspension, modeled in Inventor:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VHbIpFABcqY


I'm completely new to bike building, so I'm open to any comments or criticisms.
 
Re: 4-Lowco: A newbie's first build

thats pritty sweet idea you got there :) build it! :D
 
Re: 4-Lowco: A newbie's first build

Nice design. Gunna be a sweet ride! As for the hub, I would buy the nexus over the used S/A. 8)
 
Re: 4-Lowco: A newbie's first build

Well, it's not much of an update, but at least it show's I'm actually going to build something and not just play with CAD. UPS said my BB's should have been here yesterday, but I've yet to see them.

10 feet of 1.5" 16-gauge DOM
DutchFork-20111207-00186.jpg


I don't have a roller, I'm planning on packing the tube with pool sand and bending it over a wooden form to get my radii right. I hope I can bend it cold (I'm a pretty big guy), but I'll break out the oxy-acetylene for persuasion if needed.

This is going to be a heavy bike, but I'm hoping the 3-spd will help get it moving if I gear the crank low enough.
 
Re: 4-Lowco: A newbie's first build

This is going to be an awesome build. I love the style you have here.

That sand trick is pretty ol'skool works great. We (my bro's and I) just bent some 1" frame tubing like that and it was real nice.

What are your plans for the bag system?
 
Re: 4-Lowco: A newbie's first build

Indychus said:
So, a vintage sturmey archer 3 spd is about the same price as a new shimano nexus. I know the S/A is legendary, but I can't help but think that brand new parts are more forgiving for a newb. Which do you guys recommend?
Click to expand...

Try looking on craigslist for old women's bikes, a lot of the time they'll have a good 3 speed hub, shifter, cable, etc. and you can pick them up for around $25.

For example, heres one in Fayetteville that doesn't say but looks like there is a third cable on the handlebars for a shifter.
 
Re: 4-Lowco: A newbie's first build

Thanks for the tip, I'll check into that. I don't need the cables or shifter, I have other plans for those.

I'm glad you guys are interested, I know this isn't my idea of a "rat," but this forum is by far the best I have found for custom bikes. Maybe once I accumulate a bunch of what my wife calls "junk," I'll have enough cool old parts to build a proper rat.
 
Re: 4-Lowco: A newbie's first build

Well you´re off to a great start.
It must be so nice to have a roller, it would sure simplify my life a lot.
This is how I used to get the job done before, dosen´t get rattier than this :mrgreen: !:


Now I use a conduit bender... at least is a bit easier :roll: but will sure love to get my hands on a roller
 
Re: 4-Lowco: A newbie's first build

Not bad for my first attempt at rolling tube, but I didn't get the nice gentle radius I was after. I have some ideas for the next bend that will hopefully get better results.

I cut a wooden buck, then packed the tube with pool sand and heated it until it was glowing orange and bent it over the buck.

The nice thing about CAD is I know exactly where everything is going, so I can fully weld each seam as I progress instead of trying to get back into the tight spots later. It also helps prevent warping since I'm only doing a small portion of the welding each time.

Not as nice as I was hoping, but I'm still satisfied. By the time this project is done, hopefully I will have learned enough to make the next one really nice.

DutchFork-20111208-00187.jpg


DutchFork-20111208-00188.jpg


DutchFork-20111208-00189.jpg


DutchFork-20111208-00190.jpg
 
Re: 4-Lowco: A newbie's first build

Little more progress...

Here's the new method I used for bending the tube... again packed with sand, but used the weight of the '68 C10 frame to slowly bend it over the buck instead of bending it by hand. Took a lot less heat, and much better results. Still not perfect, but I have another trick I'm gonna try for the backbone.

The General Motors tube bender:
DutchFork-20111209-00191.jpg


Completed downtube. A couple of small kinks, not too shabby:
DutchFork-20111209-00193.jpg


Head tube and bearing cups added:
DutchFork-20111209-00195.jpg


DutchFork-20111209-00197.jpg


Have to go pick up some more steel next week. UPS still hasn't shown up with my bottom bracket shells.
 
Re: 4-Lowco: A newbie's first build

sweet. thats a nice pickup also. liken this build.

Outlaw 8)
 
Re: 4-Lowco: A newbie's first build

Thanks! I hate the Colorado. It has endless hours of work in it, and I can't stand to look at it anymore. I have a '68 C10 with a custom chassis on the frame rack, but every time I get any cash it goes into the Colorado. It's like a vampire sucking all of the time and funds out of my other projects. I loved building it, but it's worn out it's welcome.
 

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