Trek 800 Antelope Build

[comfortableshoes]

To make the supports for the bags I rooted around in my recycle bin for large bottles. I found a laundry detergent bottle, the sort that sits on a shelf and has a spigot for dispensing.

I carefully cut the bottom in half the long way and then cut the sides to make the support for the back and the bottom of the bag, leaving them connected. I rounded the corners over with a pair of scissors.

After letting them dry fully. I hit them with some Krylon plastic spray paint. Covering all the yellow.

I'm going to let the paint dry over night while I figure out the attachments to the bike. I might need to buy some clips and clasps at AC Moore.

I'm thinking I can take the straps, stitch them down the back and attach the clasps to the straps to make the connections for the rack. An alternative is to make them like saddle bags, use the straps to throw OVER the rack and maybe one clips under the rack to keep them from sliding off.... Maybe one strap could go in front of the gas tank as well... I could use the hardware that came with them if i'm careful.

Note to self: the rack is 5.5 inches wide by 11 inches long, the first 4 inches are covered by the gas tank.

 

[comfortableshoes]

The weather finally permitted me to get a good ride in this AM. I put 10 miles on the bike and some of the rough behavior that I believe came from sitting around for 3 years finally calmed down.

I took her down the smooth shoulders of RT 62 here in Beverly the whole way over to Danver's. There I wanted to go to the Putnamville Res, but turned off on a side street too soon to get there. Had I been smart I'd have looked at the GPS map I had loaded to the MapMyRide app. Which is pretty accurate BTW. I've tested it against my car and feel pretty good about it.

Anyway, I ended up going down Conant St and ending up at the Shaw's Plaza before heading back and around Rantoul and Elliot St.

I put a total of 10 miles on her.

Top speed of 32mph, much lower than the chopper. However I don't think I really want to go much faster than 30mph. It's nice and a little exhilarating to get her up to 30mph but if I were to hit a rock, crack or pothole and be taken by surprise well a 30mph wipe out would not be good.

that brings me to another aspect of this build, the handling on this thing is AWESOME compared to the chopper. It handles just like, well, my mountain bike. turns on a dime and that makes riding it a lot of fun. The downside is that I feel like I can do mountain bike type things with the bike, and well, those things are now illegal for me to do, within the city anyway. Though I doubt cops are going to look at this thing twice.

A thing I noticed is that the brakes on the rear work well when I haven't braked in while, they will stop me dead. But if I had braked within the last 5 minutes it takes awhile to stop me. At first I blamed oil sputtering out of the exhaust, then I realized there is no oil on the rim, it's all on the cranks and pedal on the left side. The braking got worse when I feathered the brakes but were better when I slammed them on so long as I hadn't slowed myself within the last 5 min or so. I suspect that the old rubber of the pads gets heated up and just doesn't work very well anymore. The strange thing is, the front pads are the same brand and same age but if I slammed those on I'd go over the front handle bars even if I had used them in the last 30 seconds or feathered them. Good brake pads are cheap my teeth are not.

There are a few things I want to work on: Noise reduction, new muffler, new brake pads, kick stand, finish bags, lights

There isn't a lot more left to this build other than just enjoying the heck out of it.

 

[comfortableshoes]

Nearly finished the saddle bags.

I cut the handles off and cut off a 7 inch piece on the hardware side. I stitched BOTH pieces with the hardware to one of the bags. 5 inches of the strap were stitched to the bag, leaving roughly 2 inches and hard ware hanging at the top edge of the back of the bag. I cut a 13 inch piece of the strap and stitched that to the middle of the bag, attaching a heavy duty plastic side clasp to that.

On the other bag I stitched 3 13 inch pieces of the straps in the same positioning as the hardware on the other bag. The ends were folded over and stitched over to prevent fraying.

The 2 outer straps go over the TOP of the rack and the middle strap goes UNDER the rack. All of the straps can be pulled tight.

I will put in the plastic I cut for backing and get pictures of them on the bike. They look pretty awesome, if I do say so myself.

I put up an ad on Craigslist to get a free kiddie cart, the sort you tow behind a bike to pull 2 kids. I got a free one that I'll need to strip the fabric off of and add a piece of ply wood so that I can use it to get groceries and haul stuff. There is a guy in the next town over that rehabs and resells old bikes. He's selling me a pair of better wheels for it for $10. So I'll have a pretty heavy duty cart with a little work and $10 or so invested. And by heavy duty I mean able to haul the amount of groceries I buy at any given point, usually 4 bags worth.

 

[comfortableshoes]

really excited at how sharp these came out.

Two of the straps go across the top of the rack and the middle strap goes under the rack and pulls tight. I made these straps extra long in case I wanted to take the bags off the bike and throw the strap over my shoulder. The other 2 straps use the original hardware from the bags.

Inside is surprisingly roomy. The back is held stiff with some thin but tough plastic called "gator board" it's used in signmaking to make heavy duty long lasting signs for retail places. I got a bunch of it printed with old signs for free. I used plastic spray paint to cover the old sign. It took a lot to get decent coverage. In the end it looks good. The plastic will be fixed to the back of the bag with some sort of glue. My contact cement if I can find it. Otherwise it'll get hot glue.

 

[comfortableshoes]

Well I seem to have lost a post, or I put it on someone elses.

Eagle Arse at the Park by lessherger, on Flickr
Ran an errand and went to the park. Took a pic of the bike. Wahoo.

 

[comfortableshoes]

Luck was not on my side this AM. I got up early to ride a 15 mile loop, again including the Putnamvill resevoir as my destination. I got about 1 mile out and realized that I had left my bike computer on my desk. No big deal, I turn around and get it. I clip it on. Again about 1.5 miles in my ride it's gone. Sadly I had road down a very busy stretch of street and when I went back to look for it, gone. This reminds me of the time I lost my camera out of my pocket. Apparently it wasn't clipped in properly.

So I came home and grumbled. Total mileage? 5.

The bike itself is still riding great and feels good. The engine is running primo and sounds great for a happy time engine.

Well, poop. I just checked fleabay to see if I could get an old/used exact same version of my Sigma 1200. They are going for $65. That makes the loss sting even more. Luckily I have my old 800. but I'll want another computer for the other bikes.

The reason I'm so hung up on the Sigma bike computers is Sigma rates them up to 50 MPH and some of the motorcycle forums have used them for up to 125 mph. I have no idea if the newer Sigma computers are as robust.

ON a good note, the riding will be sweet tonight.

 

[JustAnotherBozoOnABike]

...good morning cs, good to see you have the bike running so well.

anyway, here is a link to the Sigma i've had on my bike these last 4 months or so and the only thing i don't like about it is it doesn't have a back light so reading it at night is near impossible, ...other than that it works great, ...and i don't know about 50mph but i've had my bike up to 39mph and my Sigma 1009 has run just fine at that speed, no glitch's at all.

Sigma BC 1009 Bicycle Speedometer

...another plus is it's priced under $25.00.

hth, bozo

 

[comfortableshoes]

@bozo good call. I was just looking at that one. It's a good price. Sigma makes a LED light that clips onto the size of the computer. I've been considering rigging up some little LED for evening rides. I think the SIGMA computers are the best for MABs> Sturdy and work really well. Plus if a part breaks you can buy just the mount or just the magnets. I like that.

 

[comfortableshoes]

I got up early to go for a ride. The sun is shining and a nice breeze is blowing. This marks my last free day as my graduate classes start tomorrow. As I've lost my SIGMA 1200 I used my SIGMA 800. After 1 mile in I notice it's only reading 13mph. I pull over, reset it, and go on my way again. After another mile I notice it's reading 44 and nothing else. I pull over at the old Winslow School and pull it off again. I've never had any issues with the Sigma computers and the only change that I made was to move the mount to the bare aluminum stem. So I move it back. It worked flawlessly the rest of the 14 mile scenic trip.

Eagle Arse at the Oak School by lessherger, on Flickr
In my pocket I had my phone with the MapMyRide app. I use the app to map out my rides and figure out what route I want. The stupid thing doesn't give directions. No, it only announces my "splits" on the mile and how many miles I've ridden. What kind of stupid map app doesn't give directions? stupid. I want an app where I can plug in a route and the app gives it to me via the ear buds. (or one ear bud.)

Anyway, the ride was mostly uneventful. I rode up to Wenham, where I'm not very familiar with the roads and at one point I pulled over to check the app for directions. I don't have a kickstand on the bike and I laid it down on the grass. This was a bad idea. The gas flooded the carb and upon starting up cause the happy time engine to sputter and spurt and cough a bit. After a few terrifying seconds the engine smoothed out and went with no further problems. Note to self: get a kickstand ASAP.

Eagle Arse at the Wenham Monument to Some Pastor by lessherger, on Flickr
I passed the Wenham resevoir and went through a nature preserve. The roads were quiet and relatively car free. Cycles 128 has a weekly ride for Harley and other bikes. They were out in small groups. This is also the day that the 2 bike shope sin the city have organized rides. Behind Brown's (my favorite LBS) was the start of the women's ride. A great number of women were getting ready for their Sunday ride. The really serious riders and loners were already out riding. I passed a great deal of bikers.

I have no issues with the "spandexter" crowd. There was a time when I was a mountain biker version of them. I'd never be caught in spandex now,and frankly no one would like to see my pudge squeezed into the sausage-like casing anyway. I'm

I passed an antique or reproduction motorcycle on McKay st in Beverly. He gave my bike the once over and we went our separate ways. I suspect he was going to the antique car show at the cummings center. They have it every week in the summer and early fall. Lots of neat cars and I have walked to it in the past. They give out prizes. Maybe when I get the chopper fixed up I'll go enter it. That would be a hoot.

After looping around and back in Wenham I came back down RT1a with it's narrow 6 inch wide shoulder that is rutted and frost heaved and back through to Beverly. The bike path is used as a parking lot in the more residential areas. So when I ride I am forced to ride in traffic. Luckily most of these roads are marked 25MPH so i'm going almost to peed with traffic if I open her up.

I prefer to ride the bike at 20 to 23 mph. Honestly that is my comfort zone and it seems the engine likes that speed more. Without the cushion of a 4 inch tire the ride is much rougher. The 20mph is about perfect anyway.
I'm very pleased with how well the happy time engine ran the entire 13 miles. Knock on wood it continues to run.

When I got back to town I swung past the firehouse and took a stop at the Old Cemetery and took a pic of the bike under a tree.

Eagle Arse at the Old Cemetary by lessherger, on Flickr

We are just a few weeks away from all the college students return from summer break. We've got 3 colleges in this city and I never look forward to their return. They bring a lot of revenue in but they also bring a lot of parties and in general loudness and bad driving.

Eagle Arse at the Old Cemetary by lessherger, on Flickr
The heavy rubber eagle arse grips are pretty comfortable and the eagle makes them more oval shaped than round. Which is surprisingly comfortable and allows me to rest my hands more often. My gloves have been shredded by the grips. The faux leather palm had a small tear before the ride then tore out during the ride and left me with a giant hole. I'll have to replace them with a better gel palmed glove. I had attached a nice reflective strip to these gloves so I'm sad to see them go.

So far I've put 38 miles on the new build and reached a peak speed of 29.5 (downhill) and have an average speed of around 15mph.

On an even better note I found a local gas station that does not have ethanol.

 

[Southgate Jonny]

Hi CS, I recommend this kickstand very highly >>> http://www.crowcycleco.com/bicycle-components/kickstand/double-leg-kickstand-screw-adjust-black.html . Little costy but well worth it IMHO.

 

[comfortableshoes]

I took the clutch side cover off to grease the gears. I'm ashamed to admit that it's the first time I did it. The gears were dry. They never had ANY grease in them at all! If there was ever a case to be made for cracking open your engine before running it this engine is it. Perhaps there was grease in there at one point but it had disappeared. Anyway. I put a nice dollop of good grease in there before my 7.5 mile ride. The engine was definitely quieter than it was before I added grease. Smoother.

Interesting thing. I went back out again, got in another 7.5 miles. When I got to 2 blocks away I ran out of gas. My round tank holds about a half gallon. I filled it up when I left the house this morning. That means I only got about 21 miles out of that half gallon. Which seems low, and is way less than I was getting before.

I have supposedly only done about 45 miles on the bike. Right now I'm running 32:1 oil mix. I just refilled the tank so I've used 1 gal of the 1.5 I had pre-mixed. I did spill some when I first filled it because the carb was stuck open. The petcock did leak a small amount when I first filled it, but I doubt it was 1/2 gal worth. Maybe it was. It took awhile for me to notice it was leaking and there was a lot of gas on the floor and all over the engine.

I also suppose I could have spilled some of the gas when I laid it down to check the GPS.

So, I'll keep a close eye on this tank and see how many miles I get on it.

 

[maniac57]

Fix the fuel leaks.
A gas leak is a problem waiting to happen.

 

[comfortableshoes]

Fix the fuel leaks.
A gas leak is a problem waiting to happen.

I should have been more specific in my write up, there are no longer any apparent fuel leaks, those were fixed when I fixed the carb. That is the mystery.

When I check the tank between rides- the level isn't changing in the tank. There isn't a spot or puddle under the the bike. The tire isn't greasy or wet where the gas would drip. The engine isn't moist with gas. And the garage doesn't smell of gas. So it's clearly not leaking over night or over the course of days.

I'm leaning toward the idea that way more spilled out when the carb leaked than I had imagined. When I fixed the carb I drained the tank to get the junk out of it, so there was some loss in the draining process as well.

I was keeping track of how much gas was used via my gas can, because I haven't been filling up the tank on the bike completely full, in case I needed to drain it. I started out with roughly 1.5 gallons in it, I just put the last half gallon in the tank.

I'm going to wrap some paper around the petcock and fuel line over night to see if I can see if it's leaking in tiny amounts. Mixed gas will leave an oily spot on paper, even after the gas has evaporated.

 

[Krealitygroup]

.

Seriously you should see my garden. My pear and peach tree look amazing, and this will be the first year I get kiwi on my hardy kiwi vines. Not to mention my tomato plants and various and sundry other items. And let's not even speak of the shizzle I'm getting done around the house. I'm getting a TON of stuff repaired that I haven't had the time to work on.

Now back to thinking about how I'm gonna get that round tank mounted on the back of the bike and how close I can get it to the seat without getting gas on my fat arse.

I'd love to see your garden. I'm growing a ton of stuff my self. 2nd year doing it

 

[JustAnotherBozoOnABike]

I'd love to see your garden. I'm growing a ton of stuff my self. 2nd year doing it

...welcome to the forum and to the hobby.

...and here is a thread where you can see that shoes isn't the only resident gardner in the house, lol.

What Are Your Garden Tricks?

, bozo

 

[comfortableshoes]

I've switched over to container gardening for all my annuals. So zucchini, summer squash, cuke, tomatoes, all are in sub-irrigation containers. Next year I'm moving over to what is called the "rain gutter grow system." (Search for it on facebook.) I'm on city water so being able to use LES water for my garden saves me some money. I also installed a rain barrel, which allows me to save even more cash.

You can see pics and read about it here: http://comfortableshoesstudio.typepad.com/other_stuff/ I also write about my bike and load up pics of it in new locations.

No riding and no work on the bike this week, I'm in class from 9am to 6pm every day, and I have to leave for class at 7am. I don't get home until almost 8pm. It's worth it though. I get this core class out of the way and only have to take 3 classes the rest of the semester.

 

[comfortableshoes]

Just put an offer in on Craigslist for another, slightly newer Trek 800. This one needs more work than my current. I'll need to rebuild and work on a lot of stuff. I'm not holding my breath, the guy may flake out on me at the last minute. The price is right, even if the frame is the only thing that is good on it. From the pics I'll need to put on a lot of new stuff. I'm not sure I'll motorize it or not. It may be my beater bike that I'll ride to the train for school. i'm not sure yet. Let's just see if I get this bike. We'll go from there.

If I were to motorize it, I'd probably go 4stroke. I'll have to save up for the 4stroke though.

 

[comfortableshoes]

Well, I was able to get the newer Trek 800 frame today. Full cromoly Trek 800 sport. Kid either cleans out storage spaces for his landlord. These bikes were left behind at apartments. He knows jack squat about them just sells them for peanuts on craigslist. He doesn't even know how a quick release skewer works. He had them tightened up with a wrench. So, I think he's also kind of a moron. Part of the deal was I take a junk pacific full suspension with the Trek.

So the good, the Trek frame is in very good condition, surface rust in a few spots, but overall, in good shape. The tires and rims are also in good shape. It looks as though it was used as a commuter, there's gunk caked onto the rim. It will take some scrubbing to get it removed. It must've been stored inside, the tires on it are nice fat street tires and they are in great condition. These aren't wally world crap tires, nice bike shop tires with lots of tread left. The hubs are also in good shape.

The front derailleur is shot. I'm not sure if I can get it into working order or not. the rear is just fine. The grip shifts work well, nice solid click when turned. This bike upright and is set up to be a commuter bike. The seat that came with it is a Specialized and clearly not a match for the bike. Though the post fits.

It looks to be a 1998 based on the coloring and serial number.

Overall the Trek was a solid deal for $25.

The full suspension Pacific? It's a of carp. It was well used. The tires, rims and hubs are from a different bike, and do not match. The tires are bike shop tires and have lots of life left in them. I'm pulling the handle bar, gooseneck and brakes off it to use as spare parts. The front shocks are pretty soft but I might try them out on Eagle Arse. I need to measure them to see if they will fit or not. So we'll see. The pacific also came with a mismatched seat and post. The seat was a Bell covered over with a rotted out gel cover. In thinking about it, I shoudl have kept the cover so I could cover the Trek seat at the train station. Too late now.

The Pacific will be donated to a place that works with people with mental health issues. They give them frames and parts, they build a bike and get to have it. It's a good program.

Again, not sure if I'll motorize the Trek 800 Sport or not. If I do I'll probably go with a bumble bee type of friction drive so the spouse can ride it. Or I'll just keep it without a motor and use it as a beater bike to ride to the train.

 

[comfortableshoes]

I was in NH most of last week and in class all the previous week. After I came home from grad school orientation I had papers and research to do. I have not been on the bike in 2 weeks. SIGH.

However, I did check the fuel, not one drop on the paper around the tank, engine or line. It is NOT leaking. Also the fuel in the tank looks to be at the same level it was when I filled it- full.

So, the only alternative is that I spilled way more than I thought when I first had issues with the carb and that some spilled out when I laid the bike in the grass. This is good to know.

The junk pacific bike has a kick stand I'll be using for the trek.

I am still on the lookout for a set of BMX wheels for the cart. I'm probably going to buy a junk bike and use the tires off it. The dude in Salem who said he's sell me the tires reneged and the kid in Revere doesn't have a pair of just front wheels. The guy in Salem does have a whole bike he'll sell me. But I'm not sure I can fit the rear tire on the cart with the sprocket. Pretty bummed about that, oh well. Though having a wheel with a sprocket on it gives me ideas for an electrical system. Just a thought.

 

[comfortableshoes]

I hemmed and hawed about taking Eagle Arse to my orthodontist appointment but in the end my need for riding the bike prevailed and I took it. I was pleasantly surprised by the low amount of traffic. there was very little. The usual 5 min by car ride took less than 2 min even with a detour to avoid traffic and lights. I got there faster and happier than if I'd driven the car. Awesome.

On my way home same thing, no traffic and got home in less than 2 min.

I managed to lean my leg against the muffler. Now have a nice burn on my calf. I had on jeans but had them rolled up because it's hot out. Hurts like whoa.