Tall Bike Project

[lowracer]

I took off the shock, unscrewed the spring preload adjuster, removed the spring, cut an old piece of bicycle frame tube the same length as the spring and installed it where the shock used to be. Now its a solid attachment w/ no rear suspension.
Heres a pic.
Ill test ride it tomorrow both pedal only mode & with the engine assist to see if I'm happier with it as a hardtail.
-Lowracer-

 

[lowracer]

Still wasn't happy with the shock locked out alone (some flex), so I revised the mounting point for the rear aluminum struts to additionally keep the rear swingarm from shwing'n.
Took it for a 2 rides, motorized and pedal-only, & all is well.
Here are the latest pics showing revised rear struts.
-Lowracer-

 

[lowracer]

I removed the std china girl muffler today & added a straight pipe with flex pipe & a pocket bike expansion chamber. I still need to wrap it with header tape but got to take it for one test drive & wow. Definitely more power but noisier too.
Here are the pics.
-Low-

 

[lowracer]

Well, it may just be that time again to morph '2High' into a totally different bike.
Don't get me wrong, '2High' has been 'TooMuchFun' but its a freakshow on wheels & I got a bunch of new parts coming in the mail tomorrow from Sick Bike Parts that are getting me excited to do another shift kit project.
I ordered:
1- 152mm freewheel cranks
2- STD front freewheel
3- 24T chainring
4- 44T chainring
5- 153mm Bottom Bracket
6- (2) #410 BMX chains
7- Freewheel oil
8- Chainring mounting hardware
I think I want to use the bottom bike stretched out like it is, install the new bottom bracket & drivetrain use the long BMX handlebars but pulled back and possibly a banana seat mounted setback and a 7 speed freewheel to shift the engine power thru.
I may even take the top bike and cut the rear triangle off & mount it on the rear of the bottom bike to add a second seat for 2-up riding...we will see how this turns out.
I may need to start a new thread soon called 'Shifty2Long' or 'Shlong' for short....lol
-Lowracer-

 

[cannonball2]

Shlong-OMG! If you put a second seat on Schlong might call it Three Some.

 

[lowracer]

CB2,
LOL
I received my order today from Sick Bike Parts & as usual everything looks perfect & it arrived fast. I love those guys!
Now I need to brainstorm which frame to use for the main frame and whether to use a 26" or 20" rear frame. The 20" would lower the rear end & slacken the headtube angle which is a good thing.
-Low-

 

[lowracer]

Well, as luck would have it...Just when I am getting ready to dismantle '2High', I pass by my favorite bike store looking for outcasts & find two perfectly good large bike frames being thrown away. I threw them in my trunk and couldn't wait to plug in my extension cord, Sawzall & power drill. Here is what the rideable 'Shlong' looks like before the finishing touches and before engine mounting. I took it around the block for a few test rides & it rolls great and handles well. I haven't put my daughter on the back seat yet for the 2-Up test ride...
-Lowracer-

 

[Lightning Boy]

You do good work, Low! Been keeping tabs on your builds a while now. Very innovative stuff.

 

[lowracer]

Thanks Lightning Boy.
Lately I try to build using free stuff usually being thrown away by local bike stores or the free listings on Craigs List for bikes. Buying everything on eBay would get too costly. I strip down the bikes and sort the components for later usage & the frames can always be used for multiple uses. I don't weld so nuts & bolts, a drill, a sawzall, a grinder, a hand file and plenty of angle iron (or aluminum) always come in handy.
Cheers,
-Low-

 

[Lightning Boy]

I follow many of those same mantras. No welding, just nuts and bolts for me. Both of my bikes were built for free, using stuff I had or scrounged up. I find it very cool to repurpose and recycle things into something completely different.

 

[cannonball2]

Yikes LR you cut a Specialized!! Seriously cool build though!

 

[lowracer]

Yeah, funny too cause I was thinking the same thing...Which of the two do I cut? The Specialized or the Kent (cheapo Chinese road bike)? The Specialized is like a size 22 & had a headtube longer than any fork steerer I own...lol
So the Specialized got the axe (but I also wanted to use its rear v-brake bosses.
I'll probably cut whats left of the Specialized downtube off, though I like its bottle cage mounts on 'that thar' stub. Headtube geometry is very adjustable by changing the length of the rear top tube to seatube junction (its a cut off steerer stem mounted on the seatpost with another cut seatpost slid in & bolted thru). It would be fairly easy to bolt in a rear coil shock since the whole rear end could swing like a huge swingarm (the pivot point is a bottom bracket bolted between the rear dropouts of the front bike. Not sure how to measure what size spring I would need to get (lbs/in)?
Gonna ride it around a bit pedal only to see if its worthy of motorizing. Its the same methodology I used for '2High'. Really I dont plan that much, I kinda just roll with what comes next. This thing almost turned into a long recumbent but then 'changed me mind'.
-low-

 

[cannonball2]

Yeah I am also a build on the fly person. Even after thinking a build over some things dont be come obvious until you are into it. I cant imagine a better pivot point than the BB. I think a 750in/lb shock would be the minimum starting point. Thats a common shock for most bottom end spring shock MTBs. I have one on the Diamondback Ebike and am running it at its lightest setting. Tightening the spring a small bit really ups the rate. You need to jump into the E thing. That thing begs for two hub motors!