All will agree

GoldenMotor.com
deacon

deacon

minor bike philosopher
Jan 15, 2008
8,114
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north carolina
I think everyone who has been around for a couple of years will agree that the hobby has changed. Some will say it has matured, others will say it's gone to **** in a hand basket. I just know it ain't the same as it once was. Back before anyone made high performance equipment, it was all just fool around for fun. See what you could make work even, now it's pull out the checkbook. (probably said by the barnstorming pilots of the 1920"s)

And yes I know, "If you don't like it find a new hobby."
 
bairdco

bairdco

a guy who makes cool bikes
Aug 18, 2009
6,537
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living the dream in southern california
i've only been around since last august and i can see what you mean, but it's mostly due to the increasing popularity.

the funny part is, is often times, "pulling out the checkbook" doesn't do you any good. while there are a few companies and individuals making a few quality products, there are so many more offering bolt on garbage that does nothing at all for your bike.

then there's the type that, when faced with a small problem, "diagnose" it by buying more parts. only had the motor running for 2 weeks and it's four stroking? must be the magneto, cdi, or these innertubes. better change them...

in a way, i wish more people got out their checkbook (btw, it's debit card and paypal now, deacon.;)) and bought quality bicycles and parts. i'm amazed that the most popular bikes are the lowest priced lowest quality bicycles you can buy. then they drop a motor into it. those bikes weren't designed for speeds over 10mph, much less, 45.

it's like putting a V8 in a shopping cart.
 
deacon

deacon

minor bike philosopher
Jan 15, 2008
8,114
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0
north carolina
Yeah even I have a debit card. I wanted to deal in cash only but the casher at walmart had to inspect the cash as it if were counterfeit. The only way not to hold the old lady behind me up, is to swipe a card.

Funny thing about the bike... Yeah a guy will go pay a hundred bucks for a bike at Walmart, then buy a motor for a hundred and a half, then put another three hundred in it to make it really "RUN", then the wheels fall off the hundred dollar bike.

Now me I buy a twenty dollar bike at the thrift store., strap on a piece of garbage electric motor and do ten miles an hour, It's toss up which will die first the bike or the motor... I have a great time riding it around and talking to the old guys who want to know all about it. Mostly they want to know how much I paid for each part. Heck I did buy one of those squeeze bulb horns but it is so loud I'm afraid to put it on. Probably give some old guy on the trail a heart attack. Might think it's a semi.
 
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Kevlarr

Kevlarr

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Jul 22, 2009
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Thing of it is most people that attempt this hobby don't know much about bikes in the first place, well other then which way the pedals go around and maybe how to put air in the tires. If they go out and buy a Worksman or a Felt for their first build and everything goes together perfectly (right lol ) and they have no issues what have they learned? Nothing.

If they start out with a cheap Walmart bike they learn how to pack bearings, what makes a quality wheel and quite possibly how to fab their own parts.

Everyone seems to say "I should have went with a quality bike for my first build." but think of that $100 bike as tuition for the "How to learn to troubleshoot, diagnose and repair bicycles with motors 101" class.

Think about it, how many people driving cars today only know where the gas goes in and don't even know how to open the hood. It wasn't like that with automobile owners 100 years ago.

:edit:

I'd love to have a few of your thrift stores or craigs lists around here. Seems like anything made before 1990 get the word "Vintage" added to the listing and starts at $100. Heck, there's a listing right now for an old brown Schwinn Collegiate 3 speed for $150.
 
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bairdco

bairdco

a guy who makes cool bikes
Aug 18, 2009
6,537
264
63
living the dream in southern california
i agree with that, i guess since i grew up around bikes and know what's quality and what's not, it's a lot easier for me to just look at something and know it's not gonna hold up.

what bugs me is people get all excited about hot-rodding their motor, while they totally neglect the bike. loose spokes, bent wheels and cracked frame? doesn't matter, i need an expansion chamber...

an easy way to make a bike go faster is to build up a solid bike that can take it. a fully built motor isn't any good if your bike can't handle it.
 
Bikeguy Joe

Bikeguy Joe

Godfather of Motorized Bicycles
Jan 8, 2008
11,837
252
63
up north now
I like the fact that if you want to keep one going at any speed, you WILL have to learn some basic mechanical work. Otherwise you are just throwing money around. Better to go to Las Vegas if your going to do that.

I will agree though, this hobby is very similar to all hobbies....the longer it's around, the more people throw money instead of using their intellect.
 
Kevlarr

Kevlarr

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Jul 22, 2009
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I agree 100%. What kills me is all the people that post saying "I'm in the middle of my first build, what mods can I get to make my motor go faster?" or "I just got though porting, shaving the head etc. on my BRAND NEW MOTOR" just put the motor on the bike and see if things hold up first! It's not like it's that difficult to take a motor back off and mod it after it's broken in a bit.
I didn't put my pipe on until I had about 500 miles and a lot of issues worked out on my bike. Now that I've got nearly 800 miles under my belt and a few more issues gone I'm thinking about doing a full tear down to balance the crank and do some porting.
And I'm always on the lookout for a better cruiser frame since at the moment that's about the only thing that hasn't been replaced on my Cranny. lol
 
Bikeguy Joe

Bikeguy Joe

Godfather of Motorized Bicycles
Jan 8, 2008
11,837
252
63
up north now
I have found the best cruiser frames are the diamond type mountain bike or older "skinny tire bike" frames... ;)

All the bikes I have built seem to hold up better and vibrate less when I used the older diamond type frames. The cruiser types seem to vibrate much more.
 
deacon

deacon

minor bike philosopher
Jan 15, 2008
8,114
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0
north carolina
I get a lot of mountain bikes at the thrift store. I switch out the rear wheel for a coaster wheel usually 20" if I can. I find them to be very good to hold most any motor but they are wider than a coaster bike at the rear axle so they need a little friendly persuasion to fit the coaster wheel.

I switched to ebike for the slower pace and now I hear guys doing thirty miles an hour and wanting to do things so they will go even faster. I'm telling you these whipper snappers and their fast bikes and loud music make my teeth hurt.
 
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scotto-

scotto-

Custom 4-Stroke Bike Builder
Jun 3, 2010
6,505
24
38
Ridin' inSane Diego, CA.
Kind of funny how a lot of people want tricked out, full blown engines but never mention anything of how to stop them! Brakes are of utmost importance when your flying along at 40+mph and some idiot just cuts you off without a care in the world. Scarry stuff!

If more people were mechanically inclined, they'd be talking with skills, rather than a debt card...dnut



Cheers! dnut
 
grinNbarritt

grinNbarritt

New Member
Jun 4, 2010
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Orcutt CA
Have you talked to a high school kid lately? They are clueless about working with tools and thier hands..... we had a kid who got into trouble at school, so his dad made him come clean up at the machine shop while he was suspended. Kid couldnt read a regular clock! had no idea how the chuck worked on the end of a air hose.... Then he tells us about "woodshop" class.... they dont get to work with tools, its all on computer!!! When I was in high school in early 80's, we had a full welding/machine shop class... Glad i went to school then...I may not know computer, but I can make a muffler bearing....LOL Jim
 
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fasteddy

Well-Known Member
Feb 13, 2009
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British Columbia Canada
Terron, funny how you never forgot that. A lesson well taught.

I wasn't doing well in regular school so they sent me to a vocational school in 1957 at 13 years old.
Within a week I was cutting up scrap cars with a cutting torch for the parts we needed to repair cars that came in to be repaired. The school had a full body shop and we were there to learn a trade so we weren't a total loss to society.

Pretty heady stuff for a kid who never built anything other than a tree fort and the only tools were a hammer and a hand saw.
After the axe incident that's all Dad would let me near.

Machine shop and wood working were there too. At 14 I built a replica of a 1830 cupboard that really ticked the wood shop teacher off because he was teaching bird houses.

Talked to a union carpenter who was forman on a job and a new carpenter showed up from the union hall. He was just graduated and a fountain of knowledge. Calls down to my friend that the measurement that he is taking is 4 feet 6 1/2 inches and two little marks.
The foreman is up the ladder to see what the H*ll he's talking about. Down the ladder he goes and in to his office and calls the union hall and asks were they got the genius they just sent him.

The clincher is he was the top man in his class.

My buddy retired right on the spot.

Steve.
 
weekend-fun

weekend-fun

New Member
Jun 21, 2009
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fasteddy said:
Terron, funny how you never forgot that. A lesson well taught.

I wasn't doing well in regular school so they sent me to a vocational school in 1957 at 13 years old.
Within a week I was cutting up scrap cars with a cutting torch for the parts we needed to repair cars that came in to be repaired. The school had a full body shop and we were there to learn a trade so we weren't a total loss to society.

Pretty heady stuff for a kid who never built anything other than a tree fort and the only tools were a hammer and a hand saw.
After the axe incident that's all Dad would let me near.

Machine shop and wood working were there too. At 14 I built a replica of a 1830 cupboard that really ticked the wood shop teacher off because he was teaching bird houses.

Talked to a union carpenter who was forman on a job and a new carpenter showed up from the union hall. He was just graduated and a fountain of knowledge. Calls down to my friend that the measurement that he is taking is 4 feet 6 1/2 inches and two little marks.
The foreman is up the ladder to see what the H*ll he's talking about. Down the ladder he goes and in to his office and calls the union hall and asks were they got the genius they just sent him.

The clincher is he was the top man in his class.

My buddy retired right on the spot.

Steve.
Click to expand...
great story! (^)
 
KCvale

KCvale

Well-Known Member
Feb 28, 2010
3,966
57
48
Phoenix,AZ
I think age has a lot to do with it.
Us older guys grew up working on mechanical things, and the not so old guys worked on computers.

I started earlier this year with a $100 Cranbrook too. Then built a little better bike, a $140 2-WheelBikes Maui, then a luxury $500 Giant Suede 3-speed with a jackshaft, and just recently a $300 Grubee GT1.

I learned alot by doing it that way, more from this web site.
Innovation isn't dead, I use my own keylock ignition and wiring, and make of point of trying to not use a tensioner.

I like the guy with the checkbook too.
For the money the GT1 is hands down the best bike when you are building for a guy like that.
They are extra strong, have 3 brakes and front shocks, they are easy to chain-match so you don't need a tensioner, and half the work is already done for you.

I agree starting with a $100 bike to learn if you are going to build more, but if you are just building one and want reliable I'd go GT1.
You still learn, but you'll enjoy the better bike for the long haul.
 
Kevlarr

Kevlarr

New Member
Jul 22, 2009
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fasteddy said:
Talked to a union carpenter who was forman on a job and a new carpenter showed up from the union hall. He was just graduated and a fountain of knowledge. Calls down to my friend that the measurement that he is taking is 4 feet 6 1/2 inches and two little marks.
The foreman is up the ladder to see what the H*ll he's talking about. Down the ladder he goes and in to his office and calls the union hall and asks were they got the genius they just sent him.
Click to expand...
When my brother was a finish carpenter/cabinetmaker for a few years he ended up teaching a class in night school called "Carpentry Math" for that very reason. laff.
 
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fasteddy

Well-Known Member
Feb 13, 2009
7,454
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British Columbia Canada
Kevlarr
My old shop teacher taught us carpentry math by the feel/touch method.
When you messed up you could feel his hand touching the back of your head. It was NOT a joyus moment but we learned.

I admire your brother for taking the time to teach. I'm sure he was not short of students.

Steve.
 
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