I recently left the army and decided to go back to college and Study Secondary Education and History. I discovered this hobby while looking for an inexpensive way to get around the small town my University is located in, and discovered the motorized bicycle thing. So I ordered a kit and built my first bike. I am rather proud of it and so far it is running great.
New to this hobby
- Thread starter dusan
- Start date
Thank you both for the complments
While I love to tinker, I don't see myself doing much in the way of upgrades (the idea of going faster than 20 Miles per hour on a 14-year-old $100 K-Mart Bike does not appeal to me) but I do see myself in the future building a better bike now that I have a taste of the fun
That's understandable, however, not every upgrade is a speed boost. Things like a rear sprocket adapter or a high compression head don't really give you a speed increase. A rear sprocket adapter will make it easier to keep the rear sprocket connected and allow you to drive the hub and not the spokes. A high compression head with large fins will keep your engine cooler and make it last longer. Or you could get a dual brake handle to put both the front and rear brakes on one lever so you don't have to hit a brake and clutch with one hand. Also, I recommend a double leg kick stand which will make it easier to park and work on your bike.
I have the double leg kickstand on order as well as the break leaver. Sadly as far as the head I would have to replace the jug as well it's one of those horrible all in one units.
As far as the adapter, the hubs on this bike suffers from an issue that is common on the Schwinn Riverside that being everything is an odd size so in order to make the adapter fit I would have to order it to fit a smaller hub take it to a machine shop to have it cut to the proper size. And at that point i may as well just buy a wheel made for a rear disk brake and bolt the sprocket directly to the rim.
Ultimately, this first bike was to try out building one and see if I enjoyed the hobby at all Come this summer and I have more time I plan to build a bike using a frame with an integrated fuel tank take the time to balance the crank and wheels and spend a bit more time and effort than the two weeks I spent on this first build
Oh, ok, I didn't notice that your head is attached to the cylinder. I don't know much about those types but at least you won't have any air leaks around the head gasket, haha. I know that you can find sprocket adapters that are smaller than the coaster brake hub size. I got a smaller one for geared hub on my mountain bike, I think it's 1" circumference, I'm not sure what your hub size is. But it sounds like you are on everything.
dusan, I was going add the this thread. But limiting yourself to 20 mph which is quite thrilling on a short wheel base Cruiser. The rim brakes, properly adjusted will give you a safe ride. If you can spare the time. I highly recommend following Fasteddy. His took notice of you. His a Good Sport in the kindest terms. One of the proper hand craftsmen.
I gave the member map a good study and your user name did not pop up. Are you in the USA?
Tom
I gave the member map a good study and your user name did not pop up. Are you in the USA?
Tom
Yes I am in the U.S. In Southern Wisconsin and probably did not show up because I have not noodled with any of my profile settings and I will give him a follow
South Central, the photos were shot at a Rock County Park
You hit the nail on the head, It's close to home and one of the better teacher's colleges in the state. Also, while I may be going on the G.I. Bill I still don't want to spend too much of Uncle Sam's Money. But I did choose to live on campus for conveyance’s sake, a 3-minute walk to class is better than a 20-minute drive also I don't drive cars any more long story, but it involves an IED and memories I do not want to relive ever, and being in a car causes that.
F'n IED's give em a dud and they find a way. Step son took a land tour HOA near miss. Were you hurt or PTSD? I gather the latter for sure.
Not wanting to be in a rolling cage has it's limitations. Especially in Wisconsin. I will put you on my follow list.
Take care Buddy. If you ever need any machine shop services. Check my thread.
(72) Bike builders that have machine tools/shops | Motorized Bicycle Engine Kit Forum (motorbicycling.com)
Tom
Not wanting to be in a rolling cage has it's limitations. Especially in Wisconsin. I will put you on my follow list.
Take care Buddy. If you ever need any machine shop services. Check my thread.
(72) Bike builders that have machine tools/shops | Motorized Bicycle Engine Kit Forum (motorbicycling.com)
Tom
I was the "Lucky" one and only would up covered in ground meat what was once my Best Friend implied with fragments of what was his skull
I will definitely keep you in mind for the machine shop stuff, I eventually want to get one of those gas frame bikes and build something super-duper comfy to ride. (see if I can hit that max 30 MPH the state allows)
I will definitely keep you in mind for the machine shop stuff, I eventually want to get one of those gas frame bikes and build something super-duper comfy to ride. (see if I can hit that max 30 MPH the state allows)
Damn man! Thanks for the reality check, I guess today wasn't such a bad day after all.
any day not in a war zone is a great day
I thought I was kinda having a bad day but I guess not.
Hi dusan,
Sorry to hear about your experience with the IED. My nephew was in Afghanistan with the Canadian Army and though he wasn't injured he still came back with PTSD and it took him a while to readjust with a lot of help.
Then to give it all a strange twist he became an Royal Canadian Mounted Police constable. He has had some wild times with that. It isn't donuts and coffee.
I think you will enjoy the bike building. Each one gets a little easier than the others and believe me if you stay with this there will be others. My builds are slow due to age and health. One has been going on in fits and starts for 11 years because I spent summers in Northern Minnesota building bikes with a friend of mine and filled in working on the Indian tri car spring and fall until I my health gave out in 2014.
All the best on the build and we are all here to help.
Thank you Tom for the kind endorsement.
Steve.
Sorry to hear about your experience with the IED. My nephew was in Afghanistan with the Canadian Army and though he wasn't injured he still came back with PTSD and it took him a while to readjust with a lot of help.
Then to give it all a strange twist he became an Royal Canadian Mounted Police constable. He has had some wild times with that. It isn't donuts and coffee.
I think you will enjoy the bike building. Each one gets a little easier than the others and believe me if you stay with this there will be others. My builds are slow due to age and health. One has been going on in fits and starts for 11 years because I spent summers in Northern Minnesota building bikes with a friend of mine and filled in working on the Indian tri car spring and fall until I my health gave out in 2014.
All the best on the build and we are all here to help.
Thank you Tom for the kind endorsement.
Steve.
Thank you for your kind words
It's awesome he went into the Mounties, I was an MP, so I have a lot of respect for the men in red they do one heck of a service for their country. I hope I don't offend anyone with this, but they are possibly one of the best law enforcement groups in the western hemisphere.
As far as building, I find it extremely relaxing, I can focus on the project for a while (who know I would find therapy from not wanting to park my Motorcycle in college parking lot)
But now I have the bug I can work on, one that was not done over a weekend, built with the cheapest possible engine kit on a $150 K-mart bike that hung from the rafters of my parents' garage since before I went into the service.
Best part about all this is, I am relearning all the stuff I forgot about bike repair when I was 8 my father gave me a set of tools and told me I had to take care of my own bike that included things like trueing the wheels etc. he would always check after I was done to make shire it was safe and if it was not tell me what the issue was and to go back and fix it. I am grateful to him to this day for teaching me the joy of caring for your things and the value of hard work.
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