Huffy Good Vibrations Build or simply my first bike build :)

[Danschutz]

Hey fellows, after making the decision not to use my motorized bicycle for my donor bike and with an engine kit on the way (PistonHawk) the need for a donor bike went into high gear. I placed an ad on Facebook in a group that's called mancave and the next day I picked this up and hauled it back to my shop.



This guy likes to build himself some custom bikes and was going to use this one for parts but as happens the project went south. Picked it up for 50.00 bucks, not exactly my first choice but for the money it suddenly became Plan A lol.

The plan.
I would love to paint this bike any other color than its current paint job but I want to get going on this before winter hits so the paint will stay for now. Im going to look at a roadmaster motorized bicycle tomorrow and hopefully I can K-ball the forks and front brakes and the handlebars. Will re-enforce the fenders and look for a new seat.

Some questions.
I see some cruisers with pretty wide rear tires. Without spending an arm and leg is there a size I should be looking for?

Does anyone sell a in frame tank for these beasts?

Also while chatting with the fellow I bought the bike from he showed me a pre WW2 ladies bike. the confines of the shed wouldn't allow me to peddle it but it rolls and has the coolest vintage look. Could this be a candidate for an electric set-up for the wife?

He also has a old Schwinn frame at his house and he described it as a mens bike that had two top tubes, side by side. The bike has been powder coated a kind of Kawasaki green. He offered it for sale just not sure what its worth. If its unique I might ditch the Huffy frame next year.

Any thoughts to add or keep me out of harms way is appreciated!

Dan.

 

[bluegoatwoods]

You might be surprised. That bike is a bit better for this job than you might think. They're tougher than one might suppose from the price.

I'm not quite sure the rear hub on mine (practically the same bike) is quite good enough, but I haven't given up on it yet.

One suggestion; cut the segment of the rear fender that runs from the top chainstay to the bottom chainstay right out of there. It does you no measurable good, but it interferes with chain and tire clearance pretty badly. Best to be rid of it.

I can't think of any reason that that vintage ladies' style bike shouldn't be electrifiable.
And it'll probably be a very cool ride.

 

[Danschutz]

You might be surprised. That bike is a bit better for this job than you might think. They're tougher than one might suppose from the price.

I'm not quite sure the rear hub on mine (practically the same bike) is quite good enough, but I haven't given up on it yet.

One suggestion; cut the segment of the rear fender that runs from the top chainstay to the bottom chainstay right out of there. It does you no measurable good, but it interferes with chain and tire clearance pretty badly. Best to be rid of it.

I can't think of any reason that that vintage ladies' style bike shouldn't be electrifiable.
And it'll probably be a very cool ride.

Your stalking my progress lol. Seriously thanks for the info!

Im super happy with the bike, not a fan of the color but I can always tear it apart in the spring and either paint or powdercoat if it bothers me to much.

If I cut the fender there it looks like I will cut the part of the fender that attaches to the frame I have no problem doing what your saying but maybe Im not looking at it correctly I guess it also attaches further up the fender so I should be good?

I posted in the Mountain bike section that I also picked up a Roadmaster Mountain bike and the fork/ brakes should fit the cruiser. Also grabbed an old Mesinger seat for a buck and its super comfy!

Motor comes in Tuesday! Hope to have the newly painted forks installed and possibly convert the Coaster brakes to freewheel before the motor install.

If you have a sec check out this video, is this a good option considering my cruiser will be motorized?
http://youtu.be/9YCujPo2Qjs

BTW. I have to consider myself a real newbie when it comes to working on bikes, used to work on them a lot when I was a kid but really haven't touched anything other than a BMX bike and that was nearly 35 years ago so I really do appreciate all your help! Thank you, Dan.

 

[silverbear]

When I cut my rear fenders for chain clearance I just cut in a little ways and remove a strip from where the chain would otherwise rub and down to where it won't, not the whole section. You want every attachment point for that fender and then some. Beef up the attachments as the metal is thin and vibration will weaken it to the point of coming loose and when it does the fender rotates... could easily result in disaster.

As far as using a fatty tire in back, best to stay with what you have until later when you have a better idea of how wide you can go without the tire being rubbed by the chain. There usually isn't much leeway there... UNLESS you use a jackshaft with a shift kit in which case you will be driving the wheel through the pedal chain. That gives you more lateral room for a fatter tire.

Welcome to the forum.
SB

 

[Danschutz]

SB,
Good advice. I guess I need to be more concerned about puncture damage than width damage also lol.

I had plans to use a jackshaft but a couple extra gears and I think one more bushing sounds like I'm subtracting horsepower so for now I've stayed away.

Thanks,
Dan.

 

[bluegoatwoods]

It's true; cutting that part of the fender out sacrifices that one mount point right behind the crank. But I have two ways of overcoming that. One is to replace the upper fender hanger with something a good deal more stout. I also fasten my fender to my rear cargo rack. A couple of holes drilled through both with a nut and bolt, and that fender ain't going nowhere.

 

[Danschutz]

PistonHawk Motor kit came in today from PistonBikes. Shipping was super quick and the kit looks fantastic.

Got a couple things done to the cruiser while waiting for the delivery. Took the Roadmaster parts bike and relieved it of its front forks and handlebars. Eventually used the seat post for the lay back seat post DIY.

Parts bike.


Fork cleaned up and painted.


DIY laidback seat post something I read from a member here (Bairdco). Took the donor seatpost and cut the top off, slide that into the bike and then mocked up where to cut some donor handlebars, cut the bars, took the new seat post and hammered it into the donor straight seat post for a real strong and nice fit. Really happy with it. Oh! And picked up this old Mesinger seat at a garage sale for a buck. So comfy and the exact look I wanted to boot.


And heres a pic where I left off tonight.....

 

[Danschutz]

And here is an issue I need to address. The hub is a little to large for the sprocket so should I dremel the hub (black marks) or hog out the sprocket????


EDIT* Some forum members gave me some great advice on my Hub situation. I didn't take the pic down in case someone else encounters this same issue. Ive been told that the little bit of dremel work should be perfectly fine as long as the bolts do not hit the spokes. Also its ok to hog out the Sprocket holes to get the proper match. One vendor chimed in and suggested drilling six holes into the Sprocket and using the six holes in the hub to get it attached.

Man I love this place

 

[dodge dude94]

O
M
G

What is the Roadmaster you're using as a parts bike? I've been wanting to do the same with my Huffy that you're doing, just didn't know what forks would fit.

That's friggin awesome.


Keep it up!

 

[Danschutz]

O
M
G

What is the Roadmaster you're using as a parts bike? I've been wanting to do the same with my Huffy that you're doing, just didn't know what forks would fit.

That's friggin awesome.


Keep it up!

Its pretty late here but I will try and get that info to you in the morning. From what I gathered first off you want to find a fork that is threaded not threadless, basically almost all threaded stems are 1 inch and threadless I think are 1 1/8th inch. Next I took a quick measurement of the front part of the frame that the stem goes into (head tube). I used my cell phone as a measuring stick. The donor bike had the same length and the fit is perfect.

But I will get you the name of the roadmaster in case you want to find some forks on Ebay or something.

Im glad I could help!

Ok, heres the name.
26" Ladies' Roadmaster Mountain Sport SX All Terrain Bike
It looks like another wally world bike.

 

[Danschutz]

Today was my 14th wedding Anniversary so I figured no bike work today which is fine but after taking my lovely wife out for dinner she says go work on your bike YES!

So I set up a little "bench" to dremel my hub.



If you ever need to do this it is pretty simple.

Here is a pic of the motor mount I made for the cruiser frame, used 1/4 inch aluminum plate. Don't judge me to harshly its my first bicycle engine mount lol. I want to smooth out the corners and edges still. But Im certain it wont fail.





And here is a pic of a vintage bike rack that was given to me by the fellow I bought the wheels from. One of my clients is picking it up tomorrow to get it sand blasted and then Ill spray some primer and a few coats of color. I love the looks of this old bike rack!
That seat and rack came off the same bike.

 

[xseler]

Looks like you've got everything figured out!! You're gonna end up with a very nice bike.

 

[dodge dude94]

Its pretty late here but I will try and get that info to you in the morning. From what I gathered first off you want to find a fork that is threaded not threadless, basically almost all threaded stems are 1 inch and threadless I think are 1 1/8th inch. Next I took a quick measurement of the front part of the frame that the stem goes into (head tube). I used my cell phone as a measuring stick. The donor bike had the same length and the fit is perfect.

But I will get you the name of the roadmaster in case you want to find some forks on Ebay or something.

Im glad I could help!

Ok, heres the name.
26" Ladies' Roadmaster Mountain Sport SX All Terrain Bike
It looks like another wally world bike.

Sweet. I'll attempt to look for either that one or the mens version. How does it ride with the mtn fork and those bars on it compared to the cruiser stuff?

Here is a pic of the motor mount I made for the cruiser frame, used 1/4 inch aluminum plate. Don't judge me to harshly its my first bicycle engine mount lol. I want to smooth out the corners and edges still. But Im certain it wont fail.

Well that looks familiar. lol

 

[Danschutz]

Sweet. I'll attempt to look for either that one or the mens version. How does it ride with the mtn fork and those bars on it compared to the cruiser stuff?

Im 5'10" with a 32 inseam, 165 lbs. The forks absorb bumps very well. The entrance into my driveway is pretty steep at the curb and without the shocks it would jar you riding into it, with the shocks it not an issue. I was initially worried about the change in geometry from the curved stock forks to the straight roadmaster forks. I think my wheelbase is just a wee bit shorter but it feels better.

I never intended to use the cruiser bars because I want to go fast on straights and corners (bumping up to 4.5 horsepower this spring) and these bars came off the roadmaster. I really like the feel, actually I love the feel of the bars. With the cruiser frame the seat post is lower than a mountain bike, so it feels like a more comfortable mountain bike I guess with these bars.

One of the biggest changes was the layback seat post. Initially I didn't want one but my knees are a little more forward than I like on the peddles so I figured Id spend ten minutes and make one to see if I liked it. Well it made the bike fit me like a glove, sure more tweaking and tuning left but this really helped.

Ive read that some people consider the layback look for the younger guys, well Im not young and was worried about that, so for any of you older guys give it a try

 

[dodge dude94]

Im 5'10" with a 32 inseam, 165 lbs. The forks absorb bumps very well. The entrance into my driveway is pretty steep at the curb and without the shocks it would jar you riding into it, with the shocks it not an issue. I was initially worried about the change in geometry from the curved stock forks to the straight roadmaster forks. I think my wheelbase is just a wee bit shorter but it feels better.

I never intended to use the cruiser bars because I want to go fast on straights and corners (bumping up to 4.5 horsepower this spring) and these bars came off the roadmaster. I really like the feel, actually I love the feel of the bars. With the cruiser frame the seat post is lower than a mountain bike, so it feels like a more comfortable mountain bike I guess with these bars.

One of the biggest changes was the layback seat post. Initially I didn't want one but my knees are a little more forward than I like on the peddles so I figured Id spend ten minutes and make one to see if I liked it. Well it made the bike fit me like a glove, sure more tweaking and tuning left but this really helped.

Ive read that some people consider the layback look for the younger guys, well Im not young and was worried about that, so for any of you older guys give it a try

5'10" 32" inseam? Hah, sounds like me. Though I'm a good 15lbs heavier. I've wanted mtn bars for a while now, myself. Simply because that's what I rode all the time, preferred the slightly leaned forward. Do you feel more stable with that stance on the frame rather than the long cruiser bars? I've always felt like I've had more control over my mtn bike. What tires do you plan on running? I'm currently running 1.75 kevlars. Good for speed and handling, bad for shock absorption. I think it's great to know that the forks are drop in. No cutting or fitting or anything, right?

 

[Danschutz]

5'10" 32" inseam? Hah, sounds like me. Though I'm a good 15lbs heavier. I've wanted mtn bars for a while now, myself. Simply because that's what I rode all the time, preferred the slightly leaned forward. Do you feel more stable with that stance on the frame rather than the long cruiser bars? I've always felt like I've had more control over my mtn bike. What tires do you plan on running? I'm currently running 1.75 kevlars. Good for speed and handling, bad for shock absorption. I think it's great to know that the forks are drop in. No cutting or fitting or anything, right?

Much more stable. Now I think the cruiser bars have there place, if Im just peddling around the bike path with the wife and speed isn't a factor I kind of like them but the mtn bike bars give me more control and I can lean into corners with much better body position.

Tires? I really don't know lol. I don't want knobby tread, looking for something really durable with traction.

Forks are straight drop in. Fyi, there is the littlest gap at the top of the stem like a reflector plate is supposed to fit there. The gap itself is thinner than a reflective plate, I don't think I could slide a credit card in the gap. No play in the post so no worries.

Dan.

 

[dodge dude94]

Much more stable. Now I think the cruiser bars have there place, if Im just peddling around the bike path with the wife and speed isn't a factor I kind of like them but the mtn bike bars give me more control and I can lean into corners with much better body position.

Tires? I really don't know lol. I don't want knobby tread, looking for something really durable with traction.

Forks are straight drop in. Fyi, there is the littlest gap at the top of the stem like a reflector plate is supposed to fit there. The gap itself is thinner than a reflective plate, I don't think I could slide a credit card in the gap. No play in the post so no worries.

Dan.

Sweet. Now I just need to find a parts bike.

I just wish my old 24in bike was compatible. lol

 

[bluegoatwoods]

Good thread, Danschutz.

You're clearly doing just fine on 'engineering' your build.

Plus your photos are good and your posts are informative. I would have told dodge dude much of the same things. But you beat me to it.

Once he finds those Roadmaster shocks, exactly what I have on my Huffy cruiser, he'll be real happy with the results. He shouldn't have a hard time, those things are a dime a dozen.

 

[dodge dude94]

Good thread, Danschutz.

You're clearly doing just fine on 'engineering' your build.

Plus your photos are good and your posts are informative. I would have told dodge dude much of the same things. But you beat me to it.

Once he finds those Roadmaster shocks, exactly what I have on my Huffy cruiser, he'll be real happy with the results. He shouldn't have a hard time, those things are a dime a dozen.

Yeah, when they finally appear on CL. :S

Thanks for the well wishes in that regard. I REALLY want suspension forks on this thing....

 

[maniac57]

Mine came off a POS NEXT suspension mountain bike. The triple-tree style are harder to find but they are out there.
(This was a sale build btw...)


Bolted right on the Cranbrook with no problems at all. Much better looks and ride as well as front brakes!
I'll do it again whenever I find these forks in my junkpile.
Great mod for almost any cruiser.