Bike Builders Unite

[Navi_Keef]

You won't have $25 in it.

and at least a days worth of work to make it perfect

[Captain Goddammit]

If you have more time than money...

It's also just plain cooler to make one.

[captain voltaveus]

Damn, building your own wheels IS ambitious. For $119 I got to rims, plus tubes and tires on ebay - with hubs for a cruiser that I wont be using. Given the costs of the tires and tubes, this seems economic. But less awesome an approach for sure!

[FIGJAM]

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2015/0 ... e-business

[FIGJAM]

[Captain Goddammit]

If you mean the big 4" fatties, a pair of wheels with tires and tubes for $119 is quite a deal!
I'd go with that!

[Canoe]

Depends on what they are.
For the $191 Dolo, you can get two 4" wheels, tube & tires, fork, frame, etc..
Use what you want and part out the rest.
Saw someone requesting a Dolo frame a couple of months ago.

[captain voltaveus]

Source for extra fatty rims / tires / tubes that I used...

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Beach-Cruiser-2 ... 4d28987df9

[Captain Goddammit]

oops double post

[Captain Goddammit]

Why on Earth would you do that, he wants $119 just for the wheels and another $119 for the tires & tubes. You could order a whole new Mongoose for less!!
I thought it sounded ok when I thought $119 got the wheels AND tires.

[Canoe]

There's always building a very specific wheel for the playa. A design where your main/regular wheel works for low roll resistance on the hard-pack, but in soft it sinks and a slightly smaller diameter surface that is much wider comes into play. I've seen a number of variations on the theme. Here's one example I saw in 2010.

playa wheel.jpg

[Captain Goddammit]

Oh crap... I just went and ordered a bunch more NOS and repro parts for my '79 Mongoose and some more for the '76 Yamaha and I'm pretty sure I'm gonna powder coat the frames... I'm turning into a bike restorer... and as fun as it would be, for numerous reasons neither of these will ever go to BRC. Hell they might never leave the driveway. Just like the old car that they share garage space with.

[Tiahaar]

sweeeet! wallyworld and targetplace are having a dolo price pissing match heeheee all the better for us fatbike playa riders free shipping both places too, I'm gonna trike one

[captain voltaveus]

Why on Earth would you do that, he wants $119 just for the wheels and another $119 for the tires & tubes. You could order a whole new Mongoose for less!!
I thought it sounded ok when I thought $119 got the wheels AND tires.

Yes, I see that the link indicates that he is now selling a pair with just the rims. The offer that is in the mail for me included the tires and tubes also which seemed to pencil out.

I have the Dolo deconstructed and the trike kit in hand, as well as a trike / disc brake hub adapter.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Bicycle-Bike-to ... 418c754f9f

The issue that I am facing now is that the trike kit of course is set up for a 5inch frame, not the fatty rear triangle. If I mod (widen) the trike kit to fit the Dolo frame, then the chain will not line up with the trike kit's rear axel. As I see it, my options are to ditch the dolo frame for a used mnt bike frame, or angle grind off the rear triangle and braze on a different rear triangle that isn't so fat. A local coop shop "The Bike Farm" has used frames and I think I can get what I need for $40, swapping out the Dolo components and using the fatty front fork and of course adding some ape hangers. I guess it's gonna get furred anyway and no frame could be heavier than the Dolo one, so who cares?

[Captain Goddammit]

I think it sounds a whole lot easier to just get another frame with standard rear spacing. There's nothing else special about the Dolomite or Beast frame and you can probably find a lighter one that will be better anyway, as long as the Dolo front fork fits the head tube. Used bikes are all over the place cheap or free.

[unjonharley]

HEADS up you fat tied bike builders..

A good replacement (fat) tube runs $40.. The bike repair camps will not have many spares at that price.. Suggest you buy one just in case..

[Captain Goddammit]

I was planning on using one of your hemorrhoid cushions if I have a blow-out...

actually, everything sounds bad about that

[captain voltaveus]

I think it sounds a whole lot easier to just get another frame with standard rear spacing. There's nothing else special about the Dolomite or Beast frame and you can probably find a lighter one that will be better anyway, as long as the Dolo front fork fits the head tube. Used bikes are all over the place cheap or free.

Yup, good advice. I checked out the Portland "Bike Farm" , which is a local co-op and picked up a Gary Fischer mnt bike frame ( much lighter ) with disc brake mounts that fits the Dolo forks. I grabbed a used narrower axel for the cranks and walked out of there for $25. I should be good to go.

Now just have to swap out the fatty rims and lace them up to the trike hubs, swap out some ape hangers and I should be rolling.

The next step will be fabricating a rear shelf that can hold a propane tank for a rear trike Poofer with the solenoid switch mounted onto the handle bars.

BOOM!

[Captain Goddammit]

Gotta love any bike build that includes a propane tank!

[Canoe]

HEADS up you fat tied bike builders.. A good replacement (fat) tube runs $40.. The bike repair camps will not have many spares at that price.. Suggest you buy one just in case..

???
Fat-specialist LBS sells them for around $16.

[Captain Goddammit]

SERIOUSLY?????
http://www.kohls.com/product/prd-202502 ... fgodxYkAmw

I'm about to return my Mongoose Dolomite!!!!

[Elliot]

SERIOUSLY?????
http://www.kohls.com/product/prd-202502 ... fgodxYkAmw

I'm about to return my Mongoose Dolomite!!!!

WHOA THERE! It seems safe to say that this "stretch"-thingie is very uncomfortable to ride, what with the rider sitting folded up like a safety pin. To ride with the pedals forward like that you need a back-rest, and the steering within easy reach of the reclined position.

Also, radial-spoked wheels are weak.

And the front fork is also weak, while not providing any useful function -- the wheel can move fore-and-aft, but not up-and-down. It is strictly for store-window looks.

[unjonharley]

I see these Low Riders here in Salem..

The riders look like a monkey humping a foot ball

[Ratty]

That thing hurts my back just to look at it. AND my butt. Did you ever ride a horse with the stirrups too long? Or bareback? After a few hours you need a pelvis transplant.

[Captain Goddammit]

Who cares? Stretch bikes are cool! I should just build my own.
Years ago I used to ride my one-speed, heavy, 20" wheel BMX bike (the '79 Mongoose I still have) 20 miles to friends' houses instead of my 10-speed road bike... because it was cool!

Same reason guys build and ride high-bikes at burning man.

And how does this qualify as "folded up like a safety pin"?

[Elliot]

.
I rode this for a while. It was absolutely brutal on my back.
So I installed a recumbent seat with a tall back-rest, and made a hugely long handlebar. Much better. (I also made it a tricycle, but that is unrelated to the seating position.)

[Captain Goddammit]

After taking the Mongoose out Id have to say it is the one that folds you like a safety pin.
I gotta build me a low-riding stretch custom cruiser. That's way more "me".

[unjonharley]

A bicyclops built for two

[Elliot]

After taking the Mongoose out Id have to say it is the one that folds you like a safety pin.
...

Oh yes. I just measured my Beast, and the frame is only 16 1/2 inches tall! That's "youth" size -- knees-in-ears size for an adult to sit on, if the saddle is not raised high enough. Mine has a nice long seat post, so the saddle can go high enough for proper leg extension. What it needs is a tall handlebar. I suppose I ought to go out and install one.

[Elliot]

.
Here we go. This is fairly comfortable. I want the handlebar even taller, but I will have to weld one up.