The Atomic BB got low

[GearNut]

Nice video! Were you cruising around a local school? The bike did not look too twitchy at all when you took the turns.

I was a bit amazed though concerning another video that you posted on utube, the one about balancing Harley flywheels. I watched that one at least 2 years ago if not longer, while looking into what it would take to dynamically balance 3 1/2 stroker wheels with S&S 3 5/8 pistons.
That was a little bit before I found motorbicycling.com. It is weird how the world just got a little bit smaller to me now...

 

[biknut]

I was a bit amazed though concerning another video that you posted on utube, the one about balancing Harley flywheels. I watched that one at least 2 years ago if not longer, while looking into what it would take to dynamically balance 3 1/2 stroker wheels with S&S 3 5/8 pistons.
That was a little bit before I found motorbicycling.com. It is weird how the world just got a little bit smaller to me now...

You're a GearNut, I'm a biknut. Hummm. I think I know all about you now.

Thanks for helping validate my exsistance. It means I'm not the only one searching for secrets, in the places I'm looking.

You're into motor bicycles because you're an advanced high level GearNut close to enlightenment. You know that motor bicycles are the last step before nirvana, for those that know how to see.

 

[biknut]

Nice video! Were you cruising around a local school? The bike did not look too twitchy at all when you took the turns.

That school is at the end of my street. There's 2 across the street from each other. I do all my testing there.

It's always subject to be very twitchy, but after about 5 days now I've gotten pretty used to the way it's feels. I've gotten a lot better at steering it. It's definitly not so bad that the handling overcomes the good looks. I recommend anyone that gets these forks be extra careful for long enough to get used the them. I'm not afraid they're going to throw me down much anymore, after 5 days, but I still can't ride with one hand very long. I found out you can steer around a bump with the front wheel, and still hit it with rear. That's how fast these forks steer, and how long the wheelbase is now.

I had it up to almost 30 for a while today and it wasn't doing anything to scare me at those speeds.

The way it feels to me now, I can live with these forks, but I've got to shorten the peddle crank. That bothers me a lot more now than the handling.

 

[GearNut]

I see that you have 3 piece cranks.
These folks do not cater to that design, but if you can convert over to 1 piece cranks (depending on your bottom bracket) they only set you back $9.99 + shipping for 3" or 3 1/2" cranks.
bicycledesigner
I have bought from these folks before and they are good with ///FAST/// shipping.
I received my handlebar stem 2 days before it was expected.

 

[Goat Herder]

Or cut them down dress the ends on a bench grinder. Would have to purchase the two thread taps right and left side tho.

 

[biknut]

Or cut them down dress the ends on a bench grinder. Would have to purchase the two thread taps right and left side tho.

You know I never thougt of that. I'd probably drill the holes crooked though. T've got my eye on some cranks on ebay.

The only problem is they're for a 115 mm bb, and mine is 121 mm so the chain line will be off. The seller said I might be able to put the sprocket on the inboard side if the crank, and I know there's shims.

I'm not sure how long a crank I want. Mine are about 168 - 170 mm. My bike is 3" lower now. I saw some really short 115 mm cranks, and some 120 mm. I'll run a smaller front sprocket to make up for the short crank. I want it to peddle easy.

 

[biknut]

I've fallen in love with the combination low rider/china girl look. My next couple of builds will probably be low riders. It's really a practical type of build for a mb. Low rider forks drop the peddle crank 3 inches. That means you're going to have to get a shorter crank. As a matter of fact, it's going to be kind of expensive for the whole transformation. New peddle crank, sprocket, headset, probably peddles. Front brake will probably involve a new front wheel. Front wheel leads to new rear wheel. New wheels mean new tires.

What you guys don't know is I have a high volume motor bicycle business going in my garage, with a lot of monthly cash flow. The problem is, I'm the only customer lol.

At a stop, both my feet can be flat on the ground, with my knees bent. The frame looks nicely low. My rear rack was always a little downhill, but not it's too much. I'm going to ditch the rack, and go back to the stock rear fender location. That'll allow the seat to sit all the way down, but I'll have to relocate the taillight, and reflector. The ride is nice and soft, especially up near 30.

Most of my initial concerns about the handling are gone now, after one week. Saying these forks handle weird, is about the same as saying a bicycle is hard to ride the first day you learned. Then after a week you think it's easy. This seems about the same as that.

 

[biknut]

Looks like you might need shorter cranks.....

115mm cranks, and disk brake.

 

[biknut]

115mm cranks, and disk brake.

I think the front half is looking pretty good now. It's the back half that needs attention.

I never thought I would be able to run a disk with forks like these. That's kind of a problem now, because a couple weeks ago I ordered a set of fancy wheels that have a drum brake in the front. Now I don't really want them. If I have a choice between a disk and a drum, I'll always go with a disk. After I pick them up, I'll toss them on the pile.

There is a silver lining though. I used to only toss harley parts on my pile. A pile of harley parts costs thousands. A pile of motor bicycle parts only costs hundreds, and in all honesty, a motor bicycle is more fun for me at this point in time.

Anyway, so I went back to the bicycle shop and ordered another rear wheel to go with this front, except it's wider. Double wall 30mm, with a shimano cb110 coaster brake, and 12g spokes..

Then after getting used to the evil handling, the long peddle cranks were a downer. It was very hard to not strike the peddles on the street. So to fix that I ordered a Sinz 115mm crank. The stock sprocket was a 38T, and so is the one I have now, but the gearing is going to have to become a lot less. I think the smallest chain ring I can get is 36T. That probably won't be enough. I can probably go up a tooth on the rear though.

 

[biknut]

This is the new crank. The gearing is too tall, but the chain line is straight. This crank has arms 2" shorter then the stock ones. When I get the gearing sorted out I'm going to polish the sprocket.

 

[insomniacshotrods]

Nice looking bike,i love the forks and the new wheel.

 

[biknut]

Nice looking bike,i love the forks and the new wheel.

Thanks. Sometime in the next 2 weeks I'll have a new rear wheel on it too. I'm planning to dump the rear rack so I can lower the seat more.

 

[biknut]

This weekend I made a lot of changes. Removed the rear rack, and remounted the rear fender back to the original stock position. I fabricated a concealed, and reinforced mounting system that I'm hoping will defeat cracking. This allowed me to lower the seat all the way down.

Installed my new wheels that I had made for me at REI. They're 27.5mm Rhyno Lite black and silver, with a Shimano e110 coaster brake rear, and a Sturmey Archer XL-FD drum brake on the front. The tires are Kenda K-Rad 1.95 F 2.30 R

This is the first time the Atomic BB has had matching wheels in a long time. Now I'm thinking the rear end looks great, the front end looks great, but the handle bars aren't cutting it anymore because the seat is so low. One change always leads to another.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJugWJdXnD4

 

[biknut]

Well, guess what?

These forks are worn out already. The main pivot on the big tube got sawed through by the bolt head on the right side. They're still in one piece, but now the RH big tube has a very loose, sloppy fit at the pivot. I'm aftaid the forks will come apart soon. The front wheel looks a little crooked too. It's cocked to the left a little.

I've actually come to love these forks though. The looks, and smooth ride are worth the trouble, but they need a little help out of the box.

I've ordered 2 more sets of these same bent forks. This failure wouldn't have happened so fast if there had been a washer, or spacer between the fork tube and the bolt head. The pivot bolt will probably need to be a little longer too.

 

[maurtis]

Glad you caught it before anything bad happened!

 

[lambofgod121980]

im wondering if strait springer would wear as fast as the bent kind and if the bent ones are "softer" than the strait forks? strait forks wouldnt lower my bike but might give me the ride. but GD i dig the bent look - something bout it says fudging right \m/ >.< \m/ looooooool

 

[biknut]

im wondering if strait springer would wear as fast as the bent kind and if the bent ones are "softer" than the strait forks? strait forks wouldnt lower my bike but might give me the ride. but GD i dig the bent look - something bout it says fudging right \m/ >.< \m/ looooooool

I've never handled a straight springer, but if it's constructed exactly the same, I doubt there will be much difference in wear.

I think cheapy forks like these are always going to be fairly high wear items, but with a little massauseing they can probably be made to last longer than they otherwise might.

At least they don't cost much. When I get a new set, I'm going to take a closer look. These were the first ones I've ever tried, and I just slapped them on as they were. No matter how well made any part is, I'll wear it out or break it in time.

 

[biknut]

Glad you caught it before anything bad happened!

I was about 10 miles from home when I finally got a inkling about what was happening. My first thought was about the right lower fork leg coming off the steerer tube, while going around a turn, and me biting the big one in front of a bus.

When biknut goes down, biknut goes down in flames lol.

But my second thought was, I'm 10 miles from home, and I don't feel like walking, so I rode it home anyway, in slow mode. Turns out slow mode is about 22 mph.

 

[lambofgod121980]

when you bought your forks off ebay, did you have to buy a new headset or can you re use the old one from the original forks.

these are the bent ones im looking at getting

http://www.ebay.com/itm/26-Bent-Spr...1426991362815991929&pid=100033&prg=1011&rk=4&

these are the strait ones i been eyeing

http://www.ebay.com/itm/26-Beach-Cr...676?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item1e5e2bccdc

 

[biknut]

when you bought your forks off ebay, did you have to buy a new headset or can you re use the old one from the original forks.

these are the bent ones im looking at getting

http://www.ebay.com/itm/26-Bent-Spr...1426991362815991929&pid=100033&prg=1011&rk=4&

these are the strait ones i been eyeing

http://www.ebay.com/itm/26-Beach-Cr...676?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item1e5e2bccdc

I did have to buy a new headset because mine was 1 1/8", and the springers are 1"

These are the ones I bought. I offered $100 shipped for 2 and they accepted the offer.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/290473294953?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649