29" beach cruiser at w mart

[ocscully]

All bicycle rims have seams. Unless the seam is really offset it should not be a problem when it comes to braking. There needs to be a flat surface on the rim for the brake to set on, When I went and looked at one of these bikes I seem to remember that there was such a surface on the rims. These rims are painted/powder coated and might need to be scuffed up to get the brakes to work well. As for the rear sprocket It should not be all that difficult to get it mounted. My first thoughts would be to try the stock rag coupler and use only 6 bolts skipping every third hole. Or if you don't want to use this type of coupler then one of the aftermarket adapters form Manic Mechanic or sportscarpat will probably work. The rear brake is the standard Chinese copy of the Shimano coaster brake. Have you worked out a starting point for the optimal rear sprocket for a 29 in. wheel yet?

ocscully

 

[steampunk]

i can confirm the sidewall it will take brakes.....little bit of 220 and you should be good to go...was looking one over the other day....im actually diggin it...i usually hate wally bikes...but a hub swap and i think everything else will be good to go... oh and i second the 6 bolt thing...should work great...just do your self a favor... take all the bolts and swap them out for better quality allens...makes working on the bike easier and less issues because of crappy soft bolts....i broke a bolt about every 40/50 miles around town till i did that.....usually rear motor mount studs/bolts...its a pia

 

[gobigkahuna]

Huh, I don't remember ever seeing a seam on rims on my other bikes, but it's reassuring to hear it's normal. I blew up a photo I have of the bike and you're right, it does appear that it has a "brake-able" surface hidden under that powder coat. Nothing a little bit of 100 grit won't fix.

I emailed Sportscarpat about the 48 spoke rim and he said his adapter wouldn't work, so I've not pursued that idea further. At this point I'm inclined to give the wrag joint a go hoping it works well enough. Might even change the spokes for heavier ones if that's possible.

Someone else recommended a 50 tooth sprocket so that's probably what I'll try first.

My current dilemma is that there seems to be very little in a "stock" kit that I will want to use, but if I buy things piecemeal the price skyrockets. I wish at least one of the vendors sold everything so I could order everything I need from them, cutting my shipping costs back down to a reasonable amount.

 

[gobigkahuna]

What are the sprockets typically made of, steel? aluminum? Where do you get your allen socket bolts from? Are hardware stores or auto supply better?

I tried out about a half dozen bikes before settling on the Onyx cruiser. Although it's not perfect, it really is a nice looking and IMO reasonably well made bike.

 

[steampunk]

steel typically....a reg hardware store may or may not have better bolts ...but you want the black oxidized hardware is the easiest clue......locally here in denver i have found them at the ace hardware(and others)....so since it is a semi national chain conglomo thing check you local bigger hardware store...machine shops are a garunteed thing and automotive parts stores are usually a good idea...if you have the skill to build wheels or can find a set of decent mtb hubs on your local market..ie craigslist etc...do it and have the wheels relaced with a higher quality hub...dans comp sells v brake blatesas well as caliper brakes online at danscomp.com...the hubs look scary at over 20mph just trying to look out for others safety....trust me road rash really sux

 

[gobigkahuna]

In my area it's the "little" hardware store that has the biggest selection, but the price can be kind of high. I know what you're talking about, I've seen the black oxidized bolts, I'll put that on my "to do" list. Have you tried using 6 bolts instead of 9? I wonder if that puts enough pressure on the rubber disks to keep the sprocket from slipping? I saw one picture where the guy managed to fit all 9 bolts though somehow, I'm guessing he might have bent a spoke two while doing it.

FWIW I won't be going fast with this bike and I'm all about safety first. I had a bad bicycle accident a number of years ago and so I'm super extra cautious out there.

 

[kevyleven007]

I just went to wall mart the other day and what do you know?they had one on display right in front.The bike is very light weight and looks really nice!If you like it I say buy one!nice bike!should be an easy install for a 2 stroke.no real problems I can see.only thing I would worry about is the coaster brake hub.its a lot lie a 29er version of my greenline stealth I upgraded with zoom suspension forks a front drum brake wheel from husky bikes ND A HEAVY DUTY shimono coaser brake rear wheel.It has a boy go fast 2 stroke and a bikeberry expansion chamber exhaust.really nice bike I love it.I have found that if you reverse the slant head so the plug is pionting foward you get a lot more power.just an observation.thanks and good luck that bike is really nice.

 

[kevyleven007]

Of course I put bmx handlebars on it too!nuff said

 

[gobigkahuna]

The new bike came in, I picked it up and built it yesterday (sans fenders). I'll probably start a new build thread to chronicle my progess. This is the second Onyx I've gotten and although it's not up to the same level of quality that my previous bikes (all over $500) were, it's not too bad:

Likes:
Frame construction is pretty good
Some components are very nice (seat, seat post and stem post)
Love the big wheels / tires
Lifetime warranty on the frame

Dislikes:
Too much black, would have been nice if some things were chromed or silver anodized instead
Some components too easily scratched (see above)
Stickers on the rims are yuchy (removed them already)
The coaster brake hub doesn't seem to work as well as I would want it to (I need to investigate this more)
Replacement parts are not available from Kent, would be nice if I could order a spare wheel, for example, in case I screw up the original.
Seat position feels like it should be back 6" or so (I'm 6'5" tall)

 

[vhatley]

My experience with the WM crappiles is that...amazingly they hold up, for a while. After a year on a pretty cheap beach cruiser with a pretty cheap chinese engine, the only problems I have had was the rear wheel bearings, and the crank...both after I sold the bike. the coaster style brakes are a little dangerous though, unless like me, you're an old guy and go pretty slow.

 

[gobigkahuna]

I'm just about finished with mine. Just need to find a mirror that won't budge when I hit a bump. This photo was taken before I cleaned up the wiring and removed the chain guard, but will give you an idea what it looks like.

 

[LS614]

Oooh boy, that's nice I must say that a friction drive done well and put on one of those mega bikes looks super slick Good job

 

[gobigkahuna]

Thanks!

 

[michigan 29r]

i purchased the 29 inch genesis and put a grubee gt5 on it. Also put on a sbp expansion chamber. give me a few days and I'll post a pic. The only problem I have had with this bike is the tires. The seams were bad from the factory. I replaced the faulty one with a wtb tire for 25 bucks. Also if you build this, remember to locktite everything. ecspecially the fenders. also you will have to modify the rear fender to get chain clearence. thebigger tubes on the bike also present a challenge when mounting the tank. I have ridden over 200 miles now on this bike and nothing else has broken or shows signs of fatigue. A front brake would be nice though.

 

[Craigars]

My 29" Genesis Onyx has been completed for about a month with no problems to report. Very happy with it's outcome both in appearance and performance. 1st thing I did was add a front side pull caliper brake with lever going to the right side of handlebar. Bolts right on to the forks where the finder bolts on. Cut two slots out of the fender to accomodate the caliper squeeze. Brakes work just fine. Fitted the rear sprocket with the rag adaptor using 6 bolts rather than the 9 supplied because of the spacing of the 48 spokes. Works just fine but probably will switch to a different adaptor probably from MM. Added 1 gal tank using conduit brackets. Changed the seat and post to a lay back design. removed all the silly stickers and logos repainting it black. Replaced the plastic B&W pedals with all metal ones. Added center kick stand.
Added Nitto handlebars powder coated black and installed Triumph grips and levers to give it a more BTR look. Rear light has working directional signals and brake light. This is a great bike for taller riders - I'm 6'4" - 200 lbs. It gets up to 30-35 on the flats which is plenty fast with the 44T sprocket but thinking of going to 48T to get more pull on steep hills. Hope this answers some of the questions I've seen here regarding brakes and rear sprocket.

 

[bobprobert]

just got my onyx 29er from wally world and ordered my dax friction drive setup after my last ride got stolen outside of work the other day. will post pics once i have it all pimped out

 

[donb4103]

I have built six of these bikes to date and they all are still running perfect! Well except for one that got hit by a Tahoe. I have had no problems with the builds. The only tough part was the rear sprocket. On the holes that met with interference with spokes I just put in the next size smaller bolts and went ahead and torqued them all down the same. No problem! Finding good tubes is another problem. I found thorn proof tubes on Amazon and added valve extensions to them so they would come all the way through the wheels.

 

[bobprobert]

I'm just about finished with mine. Just need to find a mirror that won't budge when I hit a bump. This photo was taken before I cleaned up the wiring and removed the chain guard, but will give you an idea what it looks like.

how are the rear brakes working for you? did you just install standard brakes here?

 

[Craigars]

Upgraded my rear sprocket from the 'rag' adapter to the billet one manufactured by Pirate Cycles - Pirate Cycles - fits the 29" wheel w/48 spokes very well and easy to install and rides great. Also switched to a 48T sprocket which lowers the top speed slightly - now getting 25-30 on the flats - but has more pull on hills. One thing I notice with these Chinese motors - the head bolts need frequent re-torquing.

 

[Andrae]

your bike looks great!wondering if you ever had to find replacement bearings for rear hub? theyre retainer bearings as you probally know.dementions are 9 x 3/16 33mm OD