Hello from Clayton Delaware

[motomanic]

Hello, I've been reading alot of the posts for over 2 months now in prep for my first build. Some of the posts on this forum really helped me in ordering my kit and some of the key parts to hopefully make this buld a good one.
As a newby to building...any sugesstions or comments are really appreciated. Here is what I have so far:

Engine Kit - 66/80cc Flying Horse Silver Angle Fire with upgraded speed carb
Manic Mechinic Hub adapter with 40 tooth sproket
Huffy Nel Lusso (hey it was free...and hopefully not a dud!)
Sturmey Archer X-FDD Hub Dynamo and right Hand Canti brake lever
Upgraded stanless Steel bolts to replace the one that came with the kit
Heavy duty Universal Motor mount
Mr Tuffy Tire liners

The money I saved on the bike purcase will be spent at the bike shop...lacing the Sturmey Archer Drum/Dyno front wheel and packing/greasing everything before I actually put anything on the bike...

 

[silverbear]

Welcome to the forum. It looks like you're off to a good start. Good luck to you and have fun!
SB

 

[motomanic]

Thanks...looking forward to posting pics when done and taking it for the first ride. One part I was looking to upgrade was the cylinder head. Looking at the Billet High Compression Performance Cylinder Head...read some reviews which indicate this s a really good upgrade for reducing heat from the engine and improving performace...

 

[xseler]

Howdy & welcome!! Lots of good folks and info here in the clubhouse.

Best of luck in your build!

 

[motomanic]

Thanks...been getting familiar with the forum and reviewing some topics. These got to thousands of years of builder experience...feel like a kid in candy shop.

 

[2door]

Welcome to the forum. You've come to the right place for any help you might need.

One suggestion I would make is to hold off on buying/installing go-fast parts until your engine is fully broken in and you're familar with it. After that do one thing at a time as opposed to loading the engine down with so-called 'high performance' items. You and your engine will be happier.
Have fun and ride safe.

Tom

 

[motomanic]

Well, here it is another weekend...and no progress to report on the build. I am hoping to have some updates for you soon on the Nel Lusso build. At this point I need to get the front wheel to the Bike shop to have the Sturmey Archer drum/dyno installed, laced and trued. I like the idea of tackling this project myself however my experience with building a wheel is none.

I did check out a few Youtube "how to" posts and the lacing doesn't seem difficult but selecting the right spoke length is a little more than what I know right now. Figure I should leave this to a pro.

I know alot of folks would say why not just buy the wheel with the SA drum/dyno already on it. That was my first thought...however every site I checked only supplies the SA for a 26x2.125 wheel. I haven't found anyone who has a the SA on a 26x2.35 wheel which is the stock wheel on the Nel Lusso which I really would like to keep. (BTW if my terminolgy for the parts are wrong...excuse me...I'm working on it)

I will be tackling checking and greasing the rear coaster hub and the crank hub/bearings...I've read enough posts about Walmart assembled bikes to understand you just can't be too careful in this area. This not something I've ever done before..but the instructional videos are very detailed and luckily I have a spare rear coaster wheel hub to practice on.

After that, I plan to sort out the clearance issue for the chain by modifying the rear fender. My goal is to cut away 1/2 inch of the fender (depth of the cut) for 8 -10 inches (length of the cut) where the motor chain would actually come incontact wit the fender. I plan to do this on both sides of the fender and file it smooth to round the edges so it gives the appearance it was made this way.

That's it for now now from DE...more to come.

 

[Trey]

motomanic- Welcome! Lacing and truing my own wheels has been very rewarding. It is not difficult, although somewhat tedious.
I believe that you will find all you need to know at; "wheel lacing tutorial" by silverbear
Good luck, and have fun!

 

[motomanic]

Trey, Thanks for the link...I am sure I will try lacing my own wheel...I like the the idea of knowing everything for this build was done by my hand...still Im not sure about how to calculate the spoke length I will need to lace the Sturmey Archer hub. There is a clear difference in size between the stock hub and the S/A which means I need a shoter spoke...how do I calculate the lenth of spoke?

 

[motomanic]

If anyone can tell me the size spoke I need to lace a Sturmey Archer x-fdd hub to a 26x2.35 wheel. I would greatly appreciate it.

 

[Trey]

If anyone can tell me the size spoke I need to lace a Sturmey Archer x-fdd hub to a 26x2.35 wheel. I would greatly appreciate it.

THAT'S how I'd find out. This place is great.

 

[silverbear]

Use a search engine to find a spoke calculator. It will tell you the length you need. Sometimes you can reuse spokes from a different sized hub by changing the lacing pattern, for example four cross instead of three cross. Lacing a wheel is tedious and daunting for the first time, but once you've done one and have some confidence it is a great feeling of accomplishment. If an old fellow like me who has a traumatic brain injury (from a lightning strike some years ago) ... if I can do it, then anyone can. Since the lightning injury I am terrible with puzzles and such. Study it some and you can do it, too. Patience. Perseverance. Success!
SB

 

[Trey]

And THAT'S the fella who knows.
Post pictures of the process, and be sure to include the first couple mistakes. I was too involved to take pics throughout, but the first couple 'patterns' I tried were not mathematically possible on this planet.

 

[silverbear]

No, I'm no expert on wheel building and the next time I do it I will once again look on google for a video refresher to remind me where to start, what is next, etc. I have had wheels which seemed to just lace themselves it went so perfectly and other times when I have wasted a whole evening not understanding where I have gone wrong and why it won't work. In which case I put it away and come at it again when I'm not feeling frustrated and have a clear head. That is where the patience and sticking with it comes in. If a spoke is too short there isn't much hope, but slightly too long and you can shim with little washers to buy a bit of shortening and can use a dremel to grind off what sticks out of the nipple. Can't have anything pointy against your tube. Even when I try a spoke length and just can't make it work I'm only out some time and not money.
If you can't make sense of a spoke calculator try another one in hopes it is explained in a way which makes sense to you. Sheldon Brown is usually a good source for bike stuff... but I found his advice on wheel building confusing.
Hopefully someone else who actually is an expert can weigh in on this subject.
SB

 

[curtisfox]

Atomic Zombie has a segment on how to lace up the wheels. www.atomiczombie.com ..........Curt

Here is the spot http://www.atomiczombie.com/Tutorial - 3 Cross Wheel Lacing - Page 1.aspx

 

[motomanic]

Thanks, I definitely am starting to understand the patience part...I found a calculator I like...http://www.prowheelbuilder.com/spokelengthcalculator/ which allows you to input certain details about your hub,rim model and manufacturer and provides a nice visual to help you understand the process...unfortunately the rim and model iformation is not provided in the Huffy manual nor is it easily provided if you call Huffy support. Found that out today! Luckily you can enter in measurements in lieu of this data with the prowheelbuilder calculator...my next step is to remove the tire and capture the diameter of the hole for the nipple....once I get that I should get the proper spoke lengths...and can finally order them. My progress is slow but it's still progress.

 

[viver]

Howdy & welcome!! Lots of good folks and info here in the clubhouse.

Best of luck in your build!

hello,everyone know the caraok electric unicycle?

 

[silverbear]

Thanks, I definitely am starting to understand the patience part...I found a calculator I like...http://www.prowheelbuilder.com/spokelengthcalculator/ which allows you to input certain details about your hub,rim model and manufacturer and provides a nice visual to help you understand the process...unfortunately the rim and model iformation is not provided in the Huffy manual nor is it easily provided if you call Huffy support. Found that out today! Luckily you can enter in measurements in lieu of this data with the prowheelbuilder calculator...my next step is to remove the tire and capture the diameter of the hole for the nipple....once I get that I should get the proper spoke lengths...and can finally order them. My progress is slow but it's still progress.

Excellent!
SB

 

[Trey]

Right on! Remember: A good spoke wrench is less money than rebuilding a wheel because of rounded over nipples.
Since you'll need one; You can easily make your own truing stand with an old front fork. There are threads here about different designs.

Keep us posted.

 

[motomanic]

Hello again from Clayton. It's been a while since I posted a status update. Progress has been slow on my builds due to other priorities but with Spring comes renewed determination. I want to say thanks to everyone that encouraged me to build my own wheels. I did just that over the winter and I'm pretty happy with the way they turned out. I produced two sets of wheels with the SA X-FDD drum dyno for the Nel Lusso. I also completed another build that Im pretty happy with. Pics will be sent out later today.