Paint and Wire Tuck?

...ladies

...ladies

New Member
Alright so i'm not all that experienced. I'm only 14, I have built 5 bikes so far though. I'v gotten bored with just a well running bike. All my friends have their permit for the summer, but i'm the young one and i'll still be riding one of my bikes around with my buddy. Figured in my free time i'd try to make it cooler as well as more relaible. Anyways to get to the point i plan to do a wire tuck (run the wires through the frame) and paint my bike. I have just finished stripping down the bike an hour or so ago down to the frame and started sanding a little. Has anybody ran the wires through their frame before? (i'm sure its been done) but is there a thread on it? Also the best way to paint the frame? Any suggestions..

Not sure if the terminology is the same with the car world and the bicycle world, i'm a car nut to be honest, stuck with a bike, but anything with a motor usually suits my fancy lol. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
 
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I ran a couple of my wires inside the frame. Only trouble is somewhere you will have to drill a hole in the frame. I hate drilling even small holes in the frames of these bikes, but I did it on one of my builds.

John
 
For cosmetic reasons only, the risk of drilling even small holes is inviting possible frame weakening. This sport is just starting and if enough people have serious mishaps. Laws will follow that will either condemn the use of gas bikes or over regulate them to the point of frustration. Try to consider the risk of metal fatigue that may happen even if you don't drill holes.
 
Instead of drilling holes in the frame you could use fiberglass to hide the wires and brake cables. If you do it right it could look just like the frame plus as an added bonus it would add a little strength.
 
reg454 said:
Instead of drilling holes in the frame you could use fiberglass to hide the wires and brake cables. If you do it right it could look just like the frame plus as an added bonus it would add a little strength.
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Wow never thought of that, already drilled half the holes(3), i did a quick drawing on how it would weaken the frame as least as possible. Its a thick frame so i think i'll be okay. But i really like the fiberglass idea. I'm pretty good with fiberglassing, built a few sub boxes and what not. But how would i go about fiberglassing the frame and keep it so that the wires can still move? Would the rubber casing keep them from being restricted? I'll probably end up just refilling the holes with some JB weld. the fiberglass will make it stronger than factory even with the holes
 
Honestly, if you have a well built steel frame, I wouldn't worry about it. A few small holes here and there shouldn't be a big issue, as long as they aren't in any high stress areas. Heck, I've got 4 holes in my frame. They were put there by the factory. For water bottles :)

I doubt putting JB Weld back in the hole is going to re-strengthen the frame any appreciable amount. I wouldn't count on the fiberglass adding any decent amount of strength either. At best it will just kind of hold the bike together if it breaks.
 
Here's the lowdown on frame drilling-

Drill at 90 degrees to the load axis. That is to say the sides of the down tubes, chainstay, or cantilever tubes, not the top or bottoms of them. Also, drill the smallest hole possible and use a de-burring tool one done drilling. Follow those rules and you should be fine.
 
The drill through the front down tube/motor mount adapter is an accident waiting to happen, especially with a load bearing bolt going through it and the engine resting on the drilled tube.

Cosmetic holes drilled as described above will be O.K.
 
if you have drilled a hole through the frame like I did on my first build (due to the fact thats what my so called and unclear instructions called for and I didnt know about this nice forum) I used a bolt and fender washers to fill the hole. still riding the bike and 2500 miles later there is no stress cracks as far as I can tell. I inspect before each ride! just wish I would have known about this site sooner.
 
Alright thanks for all the help, i have opted for fiberglassing. To restrengthen the holes (which should be fine) I'll just put a bolt through, JB weld it in place. And grind it down so its smooth with the frame. Then i will end up fiberglassing. Cover the wires without plastic tubes carefully in a "tube" of aluminium foil. It should be fine, with a lot of time, this will end up looking cool. Also pretty unpracticle if i ever need to take off the motor though, I may just fix the damage i'v done and paint it and call it a day lol
 
If you're just trying for cosmetics, to make things look neater, why not some simple wire loom? They make it in black, chrome and varied colors. Most of it is split so you can feed the loom over the wires and cables without disconnecting anything. Check out the auto parts stores and especially any that deal in hot rod parts. I think you'll find what you're looking for. Here's one manufacturer. Drossbach - Corrugated Tubing Solutions and Wire Conduit > Home
As for filling holes you've already drilled with JB Weld, Jason is right on. It will add no strength and just cobble up the looks. Fiberglassing will add little to no strength to the frame in the way you intend to use it. Good luck, send us some pix of the finished project.
Tom
 
2door said:
If you're just trying for cosmetics, to make things look neater, why not some simple wire loom? They make it in black, chrome and varied colors. Most of it is split so you can feed the loom over the wires and cables without disconnecting anything. Check out the auto parts stores and especially any that deal in hot rod parts. I think you'll find what you're looking for. Here's one manufacturer. Drossbach - Corrugated Tubing Solutions and Wire Conduit > Home
As for filling holes you've already drilled with JB Weld, Jason is right on. It will add no strength and just cobble up the looks. Fiberglassing will add little to no strength to the frame in the way you intend to use it. Good luck, send us some pix of the finished project.
Tom
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Holes are now covered and painted over with a primer. Can't tell they are even there. It should bend before it snaps. As for the wire loom. I think I know what your talking about, but the only stuff i have seen is pretty bulky and would look tacky all over a bike.
 
Hay ladies what part of Ohio are you in? I'm from Cincinnati but I'd love to see some close ups of your bike with the fiberglass. I'm building off of a Murray ATM and I'm going to probably be in the same situation. I plan to do the 90 degree holes in my frame to hide Just the cables. For wiring I plan on doing some audio wiring housing probably. Hope everything worked out well!
.we.
 
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