My Bike Is Done! (for now)

SeattleMike · #1 (**permalink**) 03-25-2008, 08:22 PM

Pics can be found on my website: Bike Pics
Just finished it, and took it out for a ride. It was a blast! I went up hills no problem. I think I want a sprocket with fewer teeth because I felt like I was revving pretty high going only 20mph.

Earlier this week I took it out but the chain wasnt tight enough and it kept on bunching up in the 'gearbox' or whatever its called. After I tightened it I found that the chain kept coming off the sprocket, so I followed your guys' advice and filed the teeth down. Today I took it for a long 40 minute ride around the hills of Seattle, and it did great! Until it started raining.
When I got home I smelled like gasoline. Any remedy for this?

**CRUISER** · #2 (**permalink**) 03-25-2008, 10:20 PM

mike you are a man after my own heart. not only do you have a nice motorized bicycle but it is on a gary fisher frame which is top of the line in the mountain bike world. gary fisher with a bicycle motor on it. i love it

deacon · #3 (**permalink**) 03-26-2008, 04:45 AM

Mike how tall are you. that seat is way high for a short guy like me. I'm a hair under 6' and I find the seat down is more stable for me. I don't pedal much though.

**Bikeguy Joe** · #4 (**permalink**) 03-26-2008, 05:53 AM

Nice bike!

Did you smell of gasoline (fill the tank only 3/4 full to avoid splashing leaks), exhaust (Use certain synthetic oils for less smell), or "cheap Chinese rubber", which the grips are made of and have a certain strong petroleum based odor all thier own? (Wear gloves, or find new grips).

SeattleMike · #5 (**permalink**) 04-06-2008, 02:58 AM

Deacon, I think I'm 5'10". I actually raised the seat higher than it is in the picture, I have a knee injury and I have to have the seat really high. It's so high that I can't sit down and put a foot on the ground without leaning the bike over. I often ride in a sort of standing position, like riding a hoarse, it takes lots of shock out when I'm going fast. I need to do this because of a back injury too

I feel like I'm in great control when I raise my butt off the seat, lots more control going fast and over rough terrain than when I sit down.
Joe, you are right about the grips. I wrapped electrical tape around the throttle grip and I barely smell like gasoline anymore. I still do somewhat, but I think it is because of a exhaust gasket leak which I'm going to fix soon.

**Bikeguy Joe** · #6 (**permalink**) 04-06-2008, 06:30 AM

The grips are the worst. I wear gloves usually.

deacon · #7 (**permalink**) 04-06-2008, 07:06 AM

My grips are gone... I usually take the grips off my bikes because they are used and the grips are stuck like cement, I have to cut them off. I use heater hose and black tape for grips. So far it works pretty well.

I had a bad gas smell when my fuel line was leaking a little. I think the air movement was spraying gasoline back on me.

I could hardly walk a straight line when I started to ride. My balance was sooooo bad. these days I have much much less balance problems. I think stroke victim who are fit enough should ride bikes on the bike trails at least. Big old comfortable ones with giant tires but they will relearn their balance I'm sure. The brain seems to rewire itself. I didn't have a stroke but I bet it would work for them the same way.

Now I did fall the first time and I was terrified a few times at first but it does work after a while.