Bike Builders Unite

[Canoe]

NO wd-40. When it works it works; when it fails it fails. The last thing you want is to have that polymerizing in the heat. There are better lubricants and there are better penetrating agents.

The playa will destroy your bearings...and possibly chain...

"White Lightning: Clean Ride" is playa-tested, and comes highly recommended to me by folks I trust. (One must start with a clean chain, of course.)

Love this stuff. Seems the wax in it makes it self cleaning. The right way is with a new or cleaned chain, but I've used it on crap bikes without fully cleaning the chain and got very good results off-playa, only you end up reapplying and reapplying.

Price of Clean Ride varies a lot, depending on where you buy it. LBS can be expensive.

[unjonharley]

Skip the whole WD40 on bikes. It will wash crud into the rollers of the chain.. Same with larger bearings..You can use WD40 on a rag and run the chain through it. The oil in WD40 is about the same as 3 in 1 sewing machine oil.. Or "bench" clean bearing before regreasing them.. Playa dust will work its way into greased bearings.. If your bottom bracket crank bearing make noise.. You can do a field repair by adding a little 3 in 1 oil.. Same with a coaster brake or internal speed rear end..If it is real bad, bring it over to me at Elliots.. I'll try to fix it for ya.

[Elliot]

except for plastic pedals which should be replaced with metal ones.

oh come on man, quit raggin on plastic pedals. the only bad plastic pedals are the walmart ones. I run plastic on my 29er, my single speed commuter, and always ran them on my bmx bike as a kid. nothing wrong with plastic pedals as long as they are good quality. in fact they prevent you having to get a tetanus shot when your feet slip off of wet pedals!

for basic riding on the playa then plastic is fine.

You are absolutely right. There are no doubt good plastic pedals out there, and considering the general quality of this trike, these pedals are probably fine.

But I always recommend replacing plastic pedals with metal ones -- not because any specific pedals are low quality, but because most plastic pedals that people bring to Black Rock City are low quality. The walmart factor you mention is very much at work here. Most people bring walmart-grade bikes to the Playa. So I'm trying to indoctrinate the masses.

In this specific case of CaptainGoddammit's trike, I figure maybe two or three ePlayans will own a similar trike, and if I "con" them into wasting $20.- on new pedals the loss is small. But maybe 100 ePlayans will own walmart-grade bikes, and perhaps 40 of them will suffer broken pedals if I don't convince them to swap. And 40 people with broken pedals is a much larger problem, cutting into 40 people's enjoyment of their Burn.

This sort of thinking comes with being 63 years old. I'm looking forward to having you 24-year-olds in camp to keep me from overdoing it.

[Navi_Keef]

Part of me wants to get a Beast, then use the fully enclosed shaft drive setup from my Dynamic to create the ultimate playa bike. Problem is I'm figuring on selling the Dynamic to get cash for a fat bike.
I could do it though...

please dont put forth the effort to shaft drive a walmart bike, it aint worth it. a new chain is $5 and easy to replace every burn

[unjonharley]

There are barefoot pedals for barefoot or thin soled shoes. I notice some good looking pedals sold in the BMX bike parts section.. If you swap out your pedals, please bring the old pedals to the playa.. Some one may need them.

[unjonharley]

Part of me wants to get a Beast, then use the fully enclosed shaft drive setup from my Dynamic to create the ultimate playa bike. Problem is I'm figuring on selling the Dynamic to get cash for a fat bike.
I could do it though...

please dont put forth the effort to shaft drive a walmart bike, it aint worth it. a new chain is $5 and easy to replace every burn

Taihaar is the one to talk to about The Beast bike..

[Elliot]

... The oil in WD40 is about the same as 3 in 1 sewing machine oil...

Without "confessing" anything, I can add some numbers: WD40 is roughly 85% kerosine and 15% sewing machine oil. More precisely, for you tech-savvy folks, it is 85% a-solvent-similar-to-kerosine, and 15% light-lubricating-oil. (This information was posted on ePlaya years ago and was reported to be from the Material Safety Data Sheet.)
So WD40 is much better at cleaning that at lubricating.

Now.... My "complaint" about WD40 is their marketing. They are much too good at marketing! I keep having to hide my WD40 because people -- from 8-year-old neighbor kids here in Clearlake to senior citizens in Black Rock City -- grab the can and utterly bathe anything and everything with the stuff, completely wasting half a can before I manage to stop them.

Rant over. Carry on.

[Elliot]

...a new chain is $5 and easy to replace every burn

Hear, hear! This man knows his stuff.
I recommend running the chain dry, to keep it from attracting Dust which becomes gunk, and replacing the chain when it becomes worn.

Chains do wear out fast in the Dust, so don't ignore them. When worn, they don't necessarily break for quite a while, but they start skipping and derailing, which turns you into a pedestrian just as surely.

[unjonharley]

...a new chain is $5 and easy to replace every burn

Hear, hear! This man knows his stuff.
I recommend running the chain dry, to keep it from attracting Dust which becomes gunk, and replacing the chain when it becomes worn.

Chains do wear out fast in the Dust, so don't ignore them. When worn, they don't necessarily break for quite a while, but they start skipping and derailing, which turns you into a pedestrian just as surely.

Worn chains also start knocking the tips off the sprockets.. Then you will have more than a chain to replace.. Most chain, sprocket and pedal failure happen when powering through sand dunes on the playa.. Suggest you walk your bike through the larger sand dunes.. The 30 - 50 feet of walking could save you from a mile or more.. This kind of hard use is why I don't care for road side bike purchase.. If you do buy a bike from along the road to Burning Man... Bring it over to Elliot's for once over..

[Navi_Keef]

There are barefoot pedals for barefoot or thin soled shoes. I notice some good looking pedals sold in the BMX bike parts section.. If you swap out your pedals, please bring the old pedals to the playa.. Some one may need them.

love me some barefoot pedals! the dyno deuce i picked up for my gf this past weekend has them and they are a dream! this is actually her new playa bike that she will be throwing her own touch to.



also i came past these, and these look like an amazingly comfortable barefoot pedal. no grip for shoes though

[Elliot]

...
Worn chains also start knocking the tips off the sprockets. Then you will have more than a chain to replace...

... If you do buy a bike from along the road to Burning Man... Bring it over to Elliot's for once over..

Yes. And no.

Yes folks, worn chains ruin sprockets.

No... don't you dare bring me a junker to prepare for you at the beginning of the week!
My job is to repair unexpected breakdowns that occur during the week, and we have plenty to do with that.
Your job is to make sure your bike is in good condition when you leave the house.

UnJon, I appreciate you braggin' on me, but you really know better. Radical Preparedness, remember?



(Harrrrrrumph! grunt, grunt, grumble, grumble, curses)
.
.

[unjonharley]

OOPS! sorry bout that

[Captain Goddammit]

I know the Beast is a WalMart bike, but the cost of a "good" bike means that in my world they don't exist. And sure chains are cheap and easy to replace. But you're forgetting the off-the-hook COOL factor of a shaft drive fat tire Beast!!!

[Elliot]

OOPS! sorry bout that

Ohhhhh... the cruelty of the punishment that awaits you!

[Captain Goddammit]

I thought Unjon was our punishment for everything we've ever done wrong.

[unjonharley]

I know the Beast is a WalMart bike, but the cost of a "good" bike means that in my world they don't exist. And sure chains are cheap and easy to replace. But you're forgetting the off-the-hook COOL factor of a shaft drive fat tire Beast!!!

After all this thread is "bike builders unite".. Yeah for a shaft drive build..

Off the shelf WalMart bikes need a complete work over.. The ten monkeys assembling bikes in the back room of WalMart have no idea what they are doing.. Check everything,, Or take it to a good bike shop..

Those nice looking cruiser bikes.. That is what they are build for, cruising on the side walk.. Hard riding on the playa will break a cheap plastic pedal.. Or again, the ten monkeys may not tighten the pedal.. DO NOT RIDE on a lose pedal it will ruin the threads in the crank.. Some of the cruiser bikes I saw last year were adjusted wrong... The chain would make noise at the rear wheel.. People were asking me for WD40 to fix it.. When in fact the chain was to tight and pull the rear axle out of line.. The chain was trying to climb off the sprocket.. One was ridden this way to the point of coaster brake fell apart. The rider brought the part to Tiahaar in a bag.. The only thing he could do was make a free wheel out of it.. This ment no brakes.. Do Not Ride a broken bike..

[Elliot]

What UnJon said!

Yes, over-tight chain is alarmingly common.

I can add that I have several week-old Huffys here with very noisy coaster brake hubs. The noise is coming from the hub itself, regardless of chain tension. And it is not a matter of bearing tension either. Exploratory surgery is indicated.

[unjonharley]

Save the front brake off junk bikes.. Turn the coaster brake into a free wheel.. Install the saved brake.. Huffy is WalMart brand..

[Tiahaar]

Ohman you crazy folks are having fun over here in this thread. I better post something. Love the new trike CaptGD and the Crusher Navi, and the wild shaft ideas and cruiser builds and Unjon's and Elliot's wisdom and all the rest of you building stuff

So yeah Mongoose hit a homer with the Beast and Dolo (really, they are better than the average wallymart stuff) with the mentioned caveats of lubing and resetting all the bearing tensions. Good serviceable parts, crappy store/factory assembly. Easiest mod is to get a 21t cruiser rear sprocket and swap it in...takes like 5 minutes uses same chain length and gives playa worthy gear range. I'll bring a half dozen to Elliot's Fixit Emporium.

The Dolo I have got a triple crank swapped in front and I managed to strip the freewheel (which has since been JB welded and still holding) so they aren't really meant for ultra-low gear mash riding ( I was attempting a radical uphill technical section and kinda abusing it heh) but for playa riding would be ideal as shipped...a warning: that the disc brakes are fine but mine took a lot of finicky adjusting as the mounts were kinda not aligned exactly properly on the frame...had to grind some metal. The parent company is good for their warranty, they did send me a free new rear wheel even though I told them I just wanted to buy one. Something about certain serial numbers having some issues with the freewheel. Sorted.

My beast trike build is progressing, its getting a nexus internal hub on the back:

[unjonharley]

There is my man Tiahaar (looking good) rock'en on down the road..

[Captain Goddammit]

I've been hammer-and-dollying original rat-trap pedals for the '76 Yamaha Moto-Bike, getting them all straight before blasting and painting. Gotta make every single piece, nut and bolt look as fresh as possible. Hopefully it fetches a really pretty penny, cuz I want a Mongoose Dolomite, and other stuff!
I should have posted "before" photos... it was as dingy and rusty as most 40 year old bikes. It should be very nice when it's done.
Holy shit you should see what these things sell for! I always knew it was special and I'm glad I've kept it so long.

This isn't mine, it's a photo from the web, mine's 100% disassembled right now, but this is a 1976 Yamaha Moto-Bike. It's full suspension, with real oil-filled shocks up front. The rear ones are springs. It's heavy... but cool. They only made them 1974-1976.

[Tiahaar]

WOW!! that is cool! have never seen one like that from the factory, sweeeeet bike

[unjonharley]

Captain has been pedaling his butt for a long time..

[Canoe]

Have I got this correct?
Between

... My beast trike build is progressing, its getting a nexus internal hub on the back:

and your



Have you got the rear driving gear onto the hub housing not the driven gear shaft, so the nexus shifting is in play?

[Captain Goddammit]

Captain has been pedaling his butt for a long time..

Every now and then that old doo doo head unjon rips me with one I can't even retaliate against... god damm doo doo head crotchety old fart...

[Tiahaar]

lol Capt and Unjon...well matched pair =)
And yes Canoe you are right! Its hard to see what's going on in those pics so here's a closer look at the hub: the output sprocket is riveted onto one of the spoke flanges so the hub's gears are indeed used. Two previous trikes built this way have held up real good, though I'm easy on the brake and have everything geared pretty low.

[Canoe]

Interesting!
Done carefully, it wouldn't mod/damage the flange either, so in future it could be used for its intended application.

[Agaton]

Interesting!
Done carefully, it wouldn't mod/damage the flange either, so in future it could be used for its intended application.

That IS its intended aplication.

[Captain Goddammit]

Well I've got a guy coming tomorrow morning to buy the shaft drive bike, for more than enough to pay me back for my new Mongoose and Charlie's trike... so yay, now I don't feel so guilty about spending all that money. The shaft drive was super cool and I wanted to do something fun with it, but men of modest means do not cut up new Ferraris to build art cars.
Now they need playa lighting, and maybe the Mongoose needs a custom chopper frame...

[Captain Goddammit]

Here's the Trike "monstered out" for the playa on the 24x2.4 "Holy Rollers".
It took a bit of work to get the front fender to fit back on (new brackets, some hammer & dollying, etc.) but it's worth it because it looks cool.