only the good die young

[deacon]

The Road Master junker bike I bought for about ten bucks has been ailing for a while. Today i finally found the problem The rear dropout, the slotted part that holds the rear axle is almost totally broken off. I knew the chain kept jumping off, but I had no idea why. Alas poor road master I knew it well.

I can't even salvage the front forks since I drilled holes in them. No sense putting those weakened forks into a different bike. Otherwise I might buy a 20" kids bike and put the big front end on it.

Now that I have the hub motor, which is a better bike, I am torn whether to replace it or not. I expect that I will, only because everything can be easily swapped out in a couple of hours. So what do I want in the next one.

Of course my choices are limited to what the junk shop has on hand the day I go in. Most everything is a bike with gears these days. Those in a junk shop are pretty much a waste. But I can convert it to a one speed by just tossing the derailler and the guide. Shorten the chain and be done with it. I usually put on a coaster rear for the brake and because I can lower the rear for easier mounting. I expect that I will again. The front wheel at least needs to be 26". If I have to use it for the hub later it will need to fit. Also I have a bunch of 26" tires which are good for friction drives. I probably will build a friction drive as well. I have all the parts for it on the road master. All I need to do is to pickup a good frame.

there is no real advantage to a big heavy mountain bike frame. I think I might try to find a light weight frame and use the heavy duty wheels I have on the Road Master now. Probably wind up with a sissy bike they seem to be the most plentiful. Don't know what that says about bike people.

 

[deacon]

I have spent three days trying to decide what to buy at the junk store. I think i have decided, If it isn't sold by tomorrow. They have an old ten speed with those shift levers on the goose neck. It has a coaster type handlebar and I think a medium sized seat.

It has those silly skinny tires and wheels, but I plan to change them out anyway. I'll have to strip of the chain guide and the derailuer. It is a lightweight frame so I'm not sure how it will hold up, but I'm willing to give it a shot.

It's a twenty six inch and I hope it has the old one piece crankset. If it does, I have a set of short pedals for it.

Best of all, I'll have a full day of work getting it ready to go. I have been wasting away here for the last couple of days. I need to get into the shop. I think this time, I will try to document everything I do with pictures. I don't know if I can or not, but I'm going to try.

 

[deacon]

I am going to convert the junk store bike to a bike that I can use. First of all this is the bike with the damaged (broken more or less) rear drop out.

This is the bike I purchased at the thrift store today for twenty bucks. Way more than I usually pay but if you look close you can see the handlebars are coaster type so I won't have to change them and it has a cruiser type seat. It is a bit smaller than a cruiser but it is larger than a mountain bike so I wont have to change it.

Also I think the pedals will be okay, they are the same length as the ones on the broken bike. I'm hoping I won't have to change those either.

Now to begin the changes,

 

[deacon]

The challenges begin... The forks front and rear on the newer bike will not accept a 2.125 tire. I have four of them with the road tread needed for a friction drive. That being the case I found an used tire for the front wheel. I will be switching the twenty inch wheel and tire from the broken old bike to the newer one. That is the next chore.

Since it will then be a one speed. I have to shorten the chain as well.

I have all the wheels and ten speed hardware off the bike now. That really isn't much of a chore to remove. However when the shop temperature is in the twenties, it is slow going. I have to figure in warm up time.

 

[deacon]

To the Moderators

If this thread is a waste of your space feel free to just dump it. I am just doing it to have something to do while I warm up between steps.

 

[deacon]

I got both wheels on and the chain cut right. I took it out to test and the chain popped off. I adjusted it and it popped off again. I spent a half hour moving and twisting and tightening and finally it stayed on. So I took if for a quick half block test ride.

You guessed it the pedals drag the ground on any turn. This is a one piece crank so I don't have room to cut and drill it. I am going to have to switch out the crank set. Fortunately I have a small crank from a twenty inch bike. But I don't have a small chain ring which is going to make just a little bit of difference in the performance. For better or worse I don't know but I do have to change the crank and chain ring.

These jobs always grow on me.

 

[deacon]

Okay now,

I have the 20" wheel on the rear... With the coaster brake... I also welded a bracket on so I have a hand brake as well. Just in case that pesky chain falls off again.

I have shortened the crank arms. They look pretty sad but after four tries I got the welds to hold. I need a higher amp welder for sure. The bike itself is pretty much ready to go.

I'll finish it tomorrow and make a picture of it.

I have to rig the motor and the batteries, to make it motorized though.

So the total outlay in cash to make replace the broken bike and to modify the newer one is twenty bucks. Of course I have lots of stuff laying around.

I sure do wish I could use the 2.125 tires on the bike they are brand new and have the road tread. Oh well their day will come...
I did test ride it and the bike seems to do just fine. I'm looking forward to trying it with the motor tomorrow.

Oh yeah one more thing I had to do. I had to take about an inch off the kick stand, then I put a bend in it to fine tune the length.

 

[deacon]

Well I go the switch done. I'm really interested to see how the crank works out. I got the motor reset as well. Only thing left is to ride it but it's supposed to rain tomorrow. If i get a chance I'll shoot some pictures.

There are some new touches on the bike that might be interesting to someone. I'll try to explain them tomorrow.

 

[deacon]

This is the picture of the completed replacement player bike... with the power supply trailer in the foreground.

the shortened crank arm and shortened kickstand

The turnbuckle and cable on the side of the motor mount to prevent twisting of the motor. A new feature.

the shifter levers are still there one holds the motor up for pedal use on the bike trail when the weather clears. The front brake lever is also used to hold the motor up for temp use like coasting downhill to save the battery.