Deacon's Bike

deacon · #1 (**permalink**) 04-01-2008, 05:37 AM

I sure hope it's judging that starts this summer since I have already begun work on mine. See it under bikes only or whatever that is. The bike frame is pretty much ready to go. I switched to the 20" wheel last night but I think the pedals are too low since I had to keep the old 26" crank set. I think I will start looking for a 24" coaster bike with a good rear wheel. I am pretty much committed to the frame I have now. I have no idea why, it is all wrong for the china girl kit. I wanted to use the weed wacker engine anyway.

Next adventure will the search for the wheel or making the new engine work which ever comes first. The thrift store has about gone out of the bike business. I suppose it is yard sales for me now.

My particular bike is ideal for yard sales Since it cruises very slowly, I can run up and down the roads very slowly and just check them all out for bikes. If I find one, I will have to go back and ride it home I guess. Or put it in the trunk of my wife's car. Oh well any excuse to ride the bike will do

deacon · #2 (**permalink**) 04-01-2008, 08:16 AM

I took a shot of the bike now that it is pretty much complete. I decided not to go with the 24" wheel after all. I have about an inch of clearance between the bottom pedal and the ground. That should be enough since I am not going to take it off road ever.

It still needs some paint touch up but you can see the shape of it.

**RedB66** · #3 (**permalink**) 04-05-2008, 06:43 PM

Deacon....What is the appeal to the smaller wheel?

deacon · #4 (**permalink**) 04-06-2008, 08:55 AM

In my case it is stability.

My balance is better but it still isn't very good. So I tried the smaller wheel and I liked it a lot. I can drop my feet and the bike is low enough for me to reach the ground easily. Plus I just like the way it looks now. I could probably go with a 26" but when I rode the 3speed, I was all over the place with that 26" wheel. I'm much more stable and it's easier for me to mount and dismount over the lower rear wheel. Us creeky old guys can understand that I'm sure lol. The other thing about mounting and dismounting is you are really standing on one foot, I get terribly off balance when I do that. It is much easier for me to get on and off the beast that way.

If I get a weed eater friction drive to work, it shouldn't make too much difference in the speed either. Of course it does with the chain drive but thats okay, I like it slow. I should add that it gets a lot of positive attention for some reason.

deacon · #5 (**permalink**) 04-08-2008, 11:33 AM

Update on the build off bike. I had to steal the rear wheel for the delivery bike. That was when i threw the chain through the spokes. I am waiting now for two new coaster brake wheels to come. I bought them on ebay.

They are god awful gawdy, since they are white and come with white tires and some kind of hello kitty type decorations. I had planned to mount the tire from the original wheel that got wrecked but the more I think about it the more likely I am to go with the white. The bike is going to be red white and blue so the white wheel and funky tires might be appropriate. I am calling it my clown bike.

I am ever so close to giving it a try with the weed wacker engine but I am stuck waiting for the wheels so I know where to mount the whacker

deacon · #6 (**permalink**) 04-08-2008, 05:28 PM

It's alive it's alive... I hooked up the gas tank temporarily so I could check the carb on the weed wacker. It works like a champ. I have the axle peg on for a drive wheel and its all together except for a kill switch. I did check the kill wire and it works so no reason the kill switch wont work.

It's gonna be a great bike. I just know it lol.

They say these bikes get 200 mph but I doubt that. Still it will be fun to ride a friction drive with unlimited range. Now I'm chomping at the bit for my wheel darn it. I can have this bike ready to run in an hour after the wheel arrives.

**Bikeguy Joe** · #7 (**permalink**) 04-08-2008, 05:34 PM

Nice!
When's the wheel supposed to show up?

deacon · #8 (**permalink**) 04-08-2008, 06:11 PM

I have no idea but man i'm climbing the walls. I have a bike with a 26 inch wheel i could put it on but I hate to do that since it has the right frame for a china girl kit. The one I'm going to put the weed eater on is a ladies frame. Not good for much of anything else.

How did your friction drive do climbing hills did you need to pedal much?

**Bikeguy Joe** · #9 (**permalink**) 04-09-2008, 07:00 AM

I have to pedal to "assist" the bike only if I want to maintain speed, it will pull a pretty good hill on it's own.

deacon · #10 (**permalink**) 04-09-2008, 07:40 AM

cool i like that idea... thanks for all the information joe