49cc's on a Schwinn

[FOG]

New here. Great site. What's goin' on in that BTR forum is nothing short of amazing! I had no idea. I'm just about embarrassed to take my skill set anywhere near those guys ...

But here's what I got:



It's a 49cc China motor from a "left out in the rain" mini quad and my sister's old Schwinn. Both items left for dead until I came along.

Some progress:



Performance wise it's just about a dumb as it gets ... but we gotta have that dual exhaust! Can't live without that. Twice pipes! I'm also liking my faucet handle gas cap too. Sort of says Steampunk and Redneck Engineering at the same time.

My intent with this soon to be fine machine is general transportation. Since I retired I've pedaled a cheap 29" Wal-Mart bike somewhere north of 5,000 miles, but I won't be able to do that forever. Having just finished my 67th lap around the sun we're definitely on the downhill! But as long as my sense of balance is good enough to walk upright I should be able to ride that Schwinn. If the weather's nice and it fits in my backpack there's no reason to start the truck.

Being a natural born coward my big consternation at the moment is what to do about brakes? I have it on good authority from people I respect that the coaster is marginal at best and pretty much useless in general. I do like a good panic stop when necessary! A locked up coaster's not much help.

Performance wise I suppose discs are best, but somewhere during my web travels I read that my original forks aren't up to the stress of having a disc on just one side of the hub. I dunno. Seems plausible.

So whaddaya think guys? Are my skinny Schwinny's strong enough for a disc?

FWIW, toolwise my most prized possession is a 1952 Logan Turret Lathe. Making my own hubs is a very entertaining thought. I could do that .....

 

[FOG]

Where'd the pictures go? They showed up on the preview. Hmm. I'll get better ...

 

[FOG]

Here we go.

And the twice pipes.

 

[Greg58]

Welcome to the forum, I added front bmx side pull brakes to both of my beach cruisers. They mount using the hole in the fork where the fender would mount. Using coaster brake and side pull together stops real good. For both of mine I used 96mm reach, I found them on eBay in a kit with handle and cable for under $20.

 

[FOG]

Thanx Greg. Your response triggered a quick trot out to the shop and ya might know it, I don't got no fender mount! This is hardly insurmountable tho. I have another 26" bike around here that does have a mount with a tubular fork to boot. Much more substantial.

Here's a closer pic of the skinny schwinny's;

The "expert" that said these forks were too weak for a disc also described the fork legs as "blades". He wasn't far off on that.

 

[indian22]

I really like the start you've made on the Schwinn & know it's going to be a beautiful build FOG. Each build rolls on it's own & comparatives aren't of much use other than to discourage creativity in others. Suggestions however inspire logical inspection & at times decided improvements result.

Since you own a Logan & other metal working tools (drill press noted) I'd surmise your skillsets are already more advanced than most entering into this hobby & this puts you in a great position to successfully build some bikes of complexity, once you're comfortable with the basics of bike construction. None of it rocket science, but in the last 120 years or so of placing motors on bicycle frames much in the way of design has been successfully sorted and proven, and yet innovation still flourishes!

I hope you enjoy this amazing pastime & have great success in all things along the way.

Rick C.

 

[FOG]

That was a well thought out and finely worded post Rick. Thank You. I think I'm gonna like it here ....

 

[Greg58]

Fog if you want you can weld the mounts on the fork to mount the newer v-brake style.

 

[FOG]

I've read that term, " V Brake", several times now. Is this something new I don't know about?

 

[FOG]

Google's my friend. I know what V-brakes are now. My pedal bike has them!

 

[FOG]

When last heard from I was making brake decisions and settled on giving these cheap Chinese generics a shot.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Hydraulic-...var=522130763522&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649

Never being one to take the easy way out I also decided to make my own polished aluminum hubs! This is my 3rd lovely piece of scrap but it's almost good enough.

Somehow I balled up the relationship between the two rings of spoke holes.The holes on one side are supposed to be in between the holes on the other and I didn't get it right. It still laces up but nipple engagement was all over the map and it was so crooked I didn't even try to true it up. That looked like an exercise in futility.

The other issue is with the outside spokes. I left the flanges fat for safety and thought a 5 degree bevel on the outsides would save me, but they aren't getting anywhere near the beveled surface. The horizontal hole seems to be the controlling factor so next time I'll use the tilting table on my drill press to get a 5 degree hole. Might work ... lol.

I've been using Sheldon Brown's excellent Wheelbuilding guide as my bible;

https://www.sheldonbrown.com/wheelbuild.html

and he'll actually take a hammer to a recalcitrant spoke which I imagine bends the hook to a little over 90 degrees, but I ain't ready to go there yet. Maybe next time.

 

[curtisfox]

KOOL bike, work on scrap even wood, till you get it right, then do the finial. Like the dual exhaust, Build it to suite you and have fun............Curt

 

[Venice Motor Bikes]

Awesome job on the hub!!

This is the hub I like to use... (It's cheap enough that you can buy one just to copy the measurements to help make your own)


The picture in the ad is of a rear hub, but the listing is for a front hub.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Shimano-HB...162520&hash=item2cdfaa7e99:g:Ok8AAOSwqs1b9E9p

 

[indian22]

Chips on the floor...you're tracking well!

Rick C.

 

[indian22]

Awesome job on the hub!!

This is the hub I like to use... (It's cheap enough that you can buy one just to copy the measurements to help make your own)


The picture in the ad is of a rear hub, but the listing is for a front hub.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Shimano-HB...162520&hash=item2cdfaa7e99:g:Ok8AAOSwqs1b9E9p

That's an excellent thought on the Shimano hub, Norm.

You may already have dividing plates to match for your rotary table....

Rick C.

 

[FOG]

After making my 1st two lovely pieces of scrap I added a new tool to my shop. It's called paper! lol. I gotta write it down. And plot a process of measured steps so I don't cut too far. Waiting until I get close to start measuring is a sure way to fail.

And Rick, I'm not surprised that you know what dividing plates are for. At my level I have heard and seen pics of them. Have some idea of what they are capable of, but haven't got the slightest clue about how to use one! I do know if you want to make something like a 13 tooth gear ... you will probably need a dividing head. Somehow all prime numbers are available and everything in between.

I'll be happy to get my spoke holes in between each other.

Which leads to another embarrassing admission on my part. If you look closely down low on the far flange there's an extra hole, and this one comes directly under the category of "How could I be so Dumb!" Well, there's 36 spokes. 360 degrees. 10 degrees a spoke. Right? NO you dummy!! There's only 18 spokes a side ....

At least I caught it after one hole and I won't do that again.

That Shimano hub is just about beautiful and look at that price. Is that right? $18.99? I'm starting with a $20 chunk of aluminum! How smart is that? But it's more about the journey for me vs the destination. It's what gets me up in the morning ....

 

[indian22]

After making my 1st two lovely pieces of scrap I added a new tool to my shop. It's called paper! lol. I gotta write it down. And plot a process of measured steps so I don't cut too far. Waiting until I get close to start measuring is a sure way to fail.

And Rick, I'm not surprised that you know what dividing plates are for. At my level I have heard and seen pics of them. Have some idea of what they are capable of, but haven't got the slightest clue about how to use one! I do know if you want to make something like a 13 tooth gear ... you will probably need a dividing head. Somehow all prime numbers are available and everything in between.

I'll be happy to get my spoke holes in between each other.

Which leads to another embarrassing admission on my part. If you look closely down low on the far flange there's an extra hole, and this one comes directly under the category of "How could I be so Dumb!" Well, there's 36 spokes. 360 degrees. 10 degrees a spoke. Right? NO you dummy!! There's only 18 spokes a side ....

At least I caught it after one hole and I won't do that again.

That Shimano hub is just about beautiful and look at that price. Is that right? $18.99? I'm starting with a $20 chunk of aluminum! How smart is that? But it's more about the journey for me vs the destination. It's what gets me up in the morning ....

FOG you're displaying a couple of great traits that will serve you well in metal work. Determination and a good sense of humor, especially when it involves ones own mistakes or just misunderstandings of design and/or production requirements.

The cost of materials, including proper fasteners & associated parts, normally greatly exceed the finished cost (including all shipping) of a given commercial component. That also excludes the hobbyists time of labor cost, but the satisfaction derived from making it yourself is priceless! Personally I've reached the point of just ordering and assembling parts that serve or can be readily modified to suit my purposes, just because I can make something doesn't drive me to do so any longer, but I applaud those like you who do.

Three items I'd suggest for any who are committed to cutting metal. Buy good basic books on machining (with math tables), acquire a rotary table setup to accept a variety of plates and add a taper attachment to your lathe. I hope three jaw & four jaw chuck and face plate are things you already have. For home shop use; the import tools from Grizzly Tool are decent for the price, but your Logan pre-owned accessories are a good possibility as well.

It makes me happy to see others, like yourself, apply their time and talents to making cool stuff!

Rick C.

 

[FOG]

It's been a battle, but I finally learned myself how to make polished aluminum bicycle hubs. Well ... at least one!

Laced, trued, rockin' a rotor and ready to roll. Rear wheel hub comin' up ...

 

[Tom from Rubicon]

Nice work FOG, and I am coveting your turret Logan. I have been on the hunt for a turret tail stock for years. The ones I have found are either worthless or too spendie for me.
Tom from Rubicon

 

[indian22]

Nicely done on the wheel FOG....showin' some skills!

Rick C.