bairdco, fasteddy, i'll be sure to let out a good kamikaze war cry when i realize that pavement shouldn't be that close to my face just for you guys.
Cranbrook Specs (sorry guys)
- Thread starter IamTheBear
- Start date
I ride a Huffy, found on craigslist. I got lucky as it is an older Huffy, probably before the quality became dangerous. I look it over all the time, repacked the bearings three times(I estimate once every 2 months), replaced the brake arm with a Shimano D-type. The stock arm stripped because it had been spun and bent like a pretzel before I got it.
There's your first part: Shimano D-type brake arm requires no bending to fit around the kit sprocket.
There's your first part: Shimano D-type brake arm requires no bending to fit around the kit sprocket.
IamTheBear, I sincerly hope you never have to but I can tell you from my own personal experiance that you will be so busy thinking about how much it's going to hurt when you land that you forget to yell. There a lot to do in those two seconds you have.
Steve.
Steve.
Baird,
Don't give up, my man. Now you know how I feel when I preach against soft mounting engines. Preaching to the choir? Anyway, you have a viable concern when it comes to safety. When I first became interested in motorized bikes I explored a few, the Cranbrook included. The construction of the Cranbrook turned me off real quick. Where my Schwinn displayed real weld beads, the Cranny appeared to be spot welded. The catilever bars where they attach to the top tube near the seat tube looked like they were just pressed against it.
That being said, and at the risk of getting you riled at me, I'll have to defend the Chinese Schwinn, in particular the Jaguar. It is a sturdy bike, decent equipment, brakes, shifter, bearings, etc. I have two, one bought new the other was used. I've had them apart right down to bearings and have found no deficiencies that concerned me enough to warrant replacing parts. I've welded, both tig and mig on both frames and was surprised and pleased with the steel. It was thick and clean. I'll admit I have no experience with other department store bikes except an 80s vintage Roadmaster that is built like a tank, but unfortunately rides like one too. Stiff and unforgiving, even after I installed a springer.
Good luck, keep up the fight.
Tom
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thanks, 2door. didja notice i gave up the fight on rubber mounted engines, too?
i don't have any real riding experience with cheap china bikes. aside from riding a friend's home from a party or to a store, i never owned one. even my old junkers were semi-quality bikes. i had an old black Raleigh 3 speed i got from a mormon church yardsale after they all switched to mountain bikes for their...uh... whatever it is mormons do on those bikes besides bother people.
anyway, that thing was awesome.
the schwinns? well, i can't say i like them, but there's not 200 posts about how much they suck on this forum, so maybe it is better.
what really gets me, is even armed with all this knowledge, people still go out and buy them, then they come here and complain about them, looking for solutions.
if this was a car forum, and there was a car as unsuitable as the cranbrook, people wouldn't touch them, and huffy would go out of business.
and when people compare the safety of their crappy cars with the safety of a huffy, which would you rather have a 35mph crash in/on? a Yugo or a Motorized Huffy?
i don't have any real riding experience with cheap china bikes. aside from riding a friend's home from a party or to a store, i never owned one. even my old junkers were semi-quality bikes. i had an old black Raleigh 3 speed i got from a mormon church yardsale after they all switched to mountain bikes for their...uh... whatever it is mormons do on those bikes besides bother people.
anyway, that thing was awesome.
the schwinns? well, i can't say i like them, but there's not 200 posts about how much they suck on this forum, so maybe it is better.
what really gets me, is even armed with all this knowledge, people still go out and buy them, then they come here and complain about them, looking for solutions.
if this was a car forum, and there was a car as unsuitable as the cranbrook, people wouldn't touch them, and huffy would go out of business.
and when people compare the safety of their crappy cars with the safety of a huffy, which would you rather have a 35mph crash in/on? a Yugo or a Motorized Huffy?
Now don't you go dissin' on Yugo man I...
...
...naw, I can't even make a funny outa it
In all seriousness - remember that your opinions & experience do actually make a difference, not all members post - not all people even register on the forum to even be able to post, but they're there readin' and learnin' and respectin' the input.
Of the number of motorized bicycles that have turned up in this area - only one of them other than myself have joined & publicly posted, but when I've talked w/them they've all said they checked out this place for tips & tricks and yep - safety concerns. It would be odd indeed for someone to join and say "Hey, thanks to this place here's a list of bikes I didn't build" lol, but you can bet that in fact yer makin' a difference & helping people make their first build decisions.
While we'll never really know how many folks heeded your advice - that doesn't make the advice any less valued or true, just remember that those who post anything at all are the minority on any forum, those that would post about how they changed their minds rarer still
...
...naw, I can't even make a funny outa it
In all seriousness - remember that your opinions & experience do actually make a difference, not all members post - not all people even register on the forum to even be able to post, but they're there readin' and learnin' and respectin' the input.
Of the number of motorized bicycles that have turned up in this area - only one of them other than myself have joined & publicly posted, but when I've talked w/them they've all said they checked out this place for tips & tricks and yep - safety concerns. It would be odd indeed for someone to join and say "Hey, thanks to this place here's a list of bikes I didn't build" lol, but you can bet that in fact yer makin' a difference & helping people make their first build decisions.
While we'll never really know how many folks heeded your advice - that doesn't make the advice any less valued or true, just remember that those who post anything at all are the minority on any forum, those that would post about how they changed their minds rarer still
time for that new wheel this one look ok ?Wheel Master 26x2.125, Rear, B/O, C/B, H/D, Chrome Steel Wheel | BikepartsUSA .
it's not a bad wheel. i put a set of those on a buddy's bike. the chrome is awful, though. his bike is a beach bike, non-motorized, and spends most of it's life outside, and after 6 months the rim is completely rusted.
so go with the weinmann dh 39 instead is what your saying and, that comes with the shimano hub you love so much.
if you're going to order through bikepartsusa you can call and ask for any specials they might have. i bought two pairs of wheels from them for 140 bucks (70 a pair.)
i ordered these: WHEEL MASTER WHL RR 26x2.125 ALY BLK CB SHI 12G-SS | BikepartsUSA
when i got them, the rims were Weinmann's.
they had a deal on pairs, and the matching front had a heavy duty Shimano front hub. they were really nice wheels, and i totally recommend them.
i also recommend bikepartsusa. they've got great shipping, good prices, and great customer service.
as far as the Shimano coaster brake, it's a long way from being my favorite hub, but since they don't make my fave anymore (Sachs Komet Super) or my second favorite (New Departure) anymore, i'll settle for the Shimano. i don't like that they have press-on spoke flanges, but i haven't had one shear off the hub, like an old Bendix did on my bike.
the Velosteel hub is supposed to be an exact copy of the Sach's (made in Czech Republic with the same tooling) but i haven't tried one out.
i'd love to get my hands on the Sach's comet they used in the 50's on their motored bikes. it's got a sprocket on both sides. i've only seen one in my life.
i ordered these: WHEEL MASTER WHL RR 26x2.125 ALY BLK CB SHI 12G-SS | BikepartsUSA
when i got them, the rims were Weinmann's.
they had a deal on pairs, and the matching front had a heavy duty Shimano front hub. they were really nice wheels, and i totally recommend them.
i also recommend bikepartsusa. they've got great shipping, good prices, and great customer service.
as far as the Shimano coaster brake, it's a long way from being my favorite hub, but since they don't make my fave anymore (Sachs Komet Super) or my second favorite (New Departure) anymore, i'll settle for the Shimano. i don't like that they have press-on spoke flanges, but i haven't had one shear off the hub, like an old Bendix did on my bike.
the Velosteel hub is supposed to be an exact copy of the Sach's (made in Czech Republic with the same tooling) but i haven't tried one out.
i'd love to get my hands on the Sach's comet they used in the 50's on their motored bikes. it's got a sprocket on both sides. i've only seen one in my life.
YES they ARE cheaply done BUT some of us with NO JOB and NO income have NO choice and IamThebear asked some simple basic questions which nobody wanted to answer because you were so determined to make your point that the Huffy is a BAD start.I just sold my Cranboob with 2000 + miles on it. I did all the things I outlined here- http://motorbicycling.com/f30/guide-bicycle-motor-preparation-care-354.html and then rode it for two years, with no problems.
Stay away from rough patches in the road and treat it with respect and a Cranboob will last a long time.
They are really cheaply done) bikes.
Well some of us can NOT make another start. So why don't you GIVE the dimensions that IamThebear asked for and stop rubbing his nose in his HUFFY
I signed off this group after suffering through all of the NON-answers to IamThebear's Inquiry deciding that the group was drunk on the smell of it's own cork instead of a community that SHARED. View my history and you will see since then my posts have been ZERO.
I DO know from MEASUREMENT that after-market spring forks wont fit a Huffy whose steering post is .996" and after-market steering posts are a good 1 mm FATTER.
i have successfully applied after-market luggage racks and front baskets and LED lights to the much maligned Huffy with NO fit/function problems.
I am sorry if you judge my answer harsh and uncaring but I have a motto: Words MEAN things, and IamThebear's words were not responded to (he ASKED for dimensions) and the whole thread seemed to this novice to be rather selfish
I apologize if I have misjudged, but on the surface, that's the way it was perceived.
Yodar
