i saw this coming

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tmonstar1

New Member
Sep 26, 2014
11
0
0
nashville
My murray monterey did not have a caliper mount for a rear brake, so i decided to drill a hole in my fender mount and mount it anyways. As soon as i had attatched it, i knew it would brake off one day, and yesterday it did, i also noticed my drop downs have warped, so i think it is time to build a new bike, i was thinking of buying a new micargi cougar, looks like it has everything i want, but i was curious if anyone had experience with these frames, do you think my tektro long reach brake caliper will mount on the springer front end? Has anyone ran into any issues with this type of frame, or what frame do you guys think is the best, if i decide to go with a functionality over fashion route.
 

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tmonstar1

New Member
Sep 26, 2014
11
0
0
nashville
Or does anyone have a sweet 26 inch frame they would like to sell! I have the wheelset, but i am looking for something with a front fork bb and crankset ready to rock.

P.s. i dont think ill be drilling into anymore frames so you dont have to waste time telling me how stupid that was
:-||
 

crassius

Well-Known Member
Sep 30, 2012
4,032
158
63
USA
was just working on a micargi with really fat tires - chain clears the tire, but rubs on the frame - axle is too short to space the frame out much without a bit of work

also no place to hook my tie down straps anywhere in the rear to run it on the bench

it is also coaster brake, so would never be one I would build
 

Citi-sporter

Active Member
Jun 16, 2014
206
43
28
North Bend, Or,
Since the fender piece failed at the ends, it looks like it was question the quality of the original frame's welds. There isn't any reason why this can't be brazed back in by someone who knows what they're doing. It would probably be stronger than the tack welds holding the piece in originally.

I'd remove the sidepull brake first.
 

tmonstar1

New Member
Sep 26, 2014
11
0
0
nashville
Ive brazed with mapp gas in the past, but my father in law has a welder, if i decide to stick with this frame, ive got some pretty burly square rod that could take the place of the original fender mount. Im finding very few of these cruiser frames, have the appropriate place for calipers. I would like to upgrade to disc brakes sometime, but i could really use this bike back on the road before i can make that investment. Since my other ride is an old carburated chevy 454 that gets 5 mpg downhill with the wind behind it, the motorbike has proven very useful.

I was thinking that fender mount was also there for structral integrity, but since it was such weak tack welds, it may not have been. Do you think it would be safe without the fender mount if i did do a disc brake conversion?

My other option is to put it on this mountain bike frame, which is likely what i am going to do in the mean time. Just need the time off from work. But i still love the look of a cruiser frame with these kits and a tank on it. Its just seeming less practical until i get the disc brakes installed, or mount these calipers on in a more reliable fashion.

I might go with a workman frame for my future build though, i think it is gonna be the best of both worlds, structurally and asthetically, but the mountain bike might just be my best option for the time being.

When guys are have shift kits and suspension on a mountain bike, i think they're killer, but this one is just a burlier frame, no suspension, but all i have to do is space it for single speed, i have no use for gears derailers or any of that mess without an engine shift kit, its just more hardware to work around.

Just gonna decide if i wanna put some elbow grease into the murray, or some money into a better frame for my future build.
 

Citi-sporter

Active Member
Jun 16, 2014
206
43
28
North Bend, Or,
Why? Fillet brazing is every bit as strong as arc welding with less chance of overheating the metal or blowing through a hole. Same with the tubing it's fine for this use. A solid chuck of "square rod' is going to add weight for not much strength gain plus being harder to drill. You've got the piece, braze it back in, why make it more work than necessary? These are sidepull brakes, they aren't known for having a tremendous amount of stopping force, especially in the rear install.
 

Goat Herder

Gutter Rider
Apr 28, 2008
6,237
20
38
N.M.
Disk brakes can be had at a reasonable price. If I was putting gusset's and such a disk brake is a piece of cake to install. Put the wheel and brake together. Never mind a place to mount it yet. This part is easy.

Mount the brake calliper onto the disk exactly where you want it. How do you keep it there? With a rubber band at the handle bar grip of course.

Now tack weld the mount in where it goes done. Take the calliper and wheel away and weld it in real nice like! Paint it put it back together and ride..

Dunno why anybody would have much fascination for rim brakes after trying out the righteous stopping power of disk? Don't get anything smaller than 203mm especially for the front brake. A generic smaller one could prove satisfactory in the rear.

I would never go for any of those tiny tiny brake sets they have at the like of Walmart these days IME and IMHO. Just too undersized.
 
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tmonstar1

New Member
Sep 26, 2014
11
0
0
nashville
Discs might just be what i do to solve this problem of mine, i need to get a new front fork in order to fit my front disc brake wheel unfortunately, and i wanted to get the nice monark springer fork. So ill have to not spend money for a couple of weeks so i can order the fork and disc brake kits, might have to go 2 weeks without the MB but ill have a much nicer ride if i do it right, as opposed to doing the first available option to get it back on the road. I decided to build this just before our slow season at work, and hoped to get through the winter before i took the project much further, but the motor bike gods insisted, i make a much more badass bike before winter has ended.

I suppose, if i get the nice fork, and disc brakes taken care of, ill only have to invest in the worksman frame, bb, crankset, and build myself a tank, to have the bicycle i really wanted to build in early 2015. Might be good to try and find out what kind of compatability issues ill have in the meantime.

Although, being 130 pounds, and having front and rear calipers pulled on the same lever, stopped me quite effectively, even at higher speeds in the past, but i still had inteded to build a bike with discs in the long run. I do always want to have 2 brakes at all times, in the event one fails, (which has happened most recently) i wont have to use the vehicle in front of me to help me stop. The side pull brakes did the trick while it lasted, just enough to make me love riding my homemade mb. Now that im hooked, its me spending more money! It will be well worth it when ive got the nicest mb around town!

If i get mechanical disc brakes, i should be able to use the dual brake lever still? Does anyone see any problems with that type of setup?
 

2door

Moderator
Staff member
Sep 15, 2008
16,302
175
63
Littleton, Colorado
There are those of us who are not fans of the dual-pull brake levers. The biggest reason is the critical adjustment of the bias to get the best braking action. Unless the pull ratio is set right you can get too much brake in the front and not enough at the rear. Or the other way around.

Those who use dual-pull levers know this and are competent at setting them up correctly. The problem is exacerbated when disc braks are used on the front and rim brakes at the rear.
Be careful if you choose the dual-pull concept. Even when properly adjusted you could get into trouble in an emergency stop situation especially on a slick surface such as sand, gravel or wet.

Tom
 
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Rudz

New Member
Jun 24, 2014
454
1
0
Tyler TX
I'm running a 203mm disc rotor up front and cheap caliper brake in the rear.

Tried dual pull for about a week, it stops, but I think I can do better. Switching it up, using original triple shifter/brake combo to control clutch and rear brake. The 8 speed /brake combo will sit on the left and control my shifting and disc brake. Only two levers.

Right now I have a clutch, shifter and dual pull brake lever, trying to cut down on clutter. Because if I split the brakes, it adds another lever which really gets cluttered