Bike Builders Unite

[Meat Hunter]

I see where it says that it will notify other subscribers, but even then it is still limited to a 100' range.

[Navi_Keef]

I see where it says that it will notify other subscribers, but even then it is still limited to a 100' range.

yeah but it will also alert you when it is within range. i'm i could ride around or something and at some point it would ping that it is nearby

[sadie]

Hello Bike Builders....first, I am in absolute awe of that fat tire trike...well done Capt. Voltveus!

I have acquired a tricycle, and am in the process of a few upgrades for the playa. I successfully changed the tires to 2.125 and only broke one tire tool in the process.
I am brand new to bike mechanics, so this question may seem dumb, but shouldn't the non-drive rear wheel turn as freely as the front wheel??? It will turn independently from the drive wheel, but with effort...when I loosen it up it wobbles....
What did I do when putting it back together? Backwards bearings? Backwards wheel? seems to me those things should be ok in either direction...
Hopefully it will be a simple adjustment....
Thanks in advance for your advice.

[Meat Hunter]

Sadie,

On my trike, the non-drive wheel turns just as freely as the front wheel. I have had my non-drive wheel off several times and the bearing is traight through with no taper.

Elliot might have a better fix, but if the drive wheel spins okay, then I would think that the baring in the non-drive wheel might be rusty. My first fix would be a good dose and long soaking of the bearing in penetrating oil and to see if your can free up the bearing.

If that does not work, then a bike shop could probably replace the bearing.

Either way, you might also see if the shaft and the inside of the bearing are rusty. Then my fix for that would be a lite sanding with emery paper and and penetrating oil.

Also, you might wish to disassemble the whole drive shaft assembly and give the shaft and the inside bearing a lite sanding with emery paper and penetrating oil.

[Elliot]

Sadie, was the non-drive wheel spinning freely before you changed the tire?
If this is a second-hand trike, and the wheel turned poorly when you acquired it, then I would try simply a squirt of WD-40 or some such solvent/lubricant on the bearings. Those bearings are often just 49-cent wheel-barrow bearings.
Either way, changing the tire should not require any work on the wheel, the bearings or the axle.

[Navi_Keef]

I would try simply a squirt of WD-40 or some such solvent/lubricant on the bearings.

YOU'RE KILLIN ME MAN! My cyclist in me is crying at the fact of wd40! goto wally world and get white lightning. in the bike department, small 5oz bottle, you just need a little of it. dont get it mixed up with the white lightning cleaner.

[Elliot]

As per the MSDS, WD-40 is 85% kerosene and 15% sewing-machine oil (roughly). If there is rust and/or other grit in there, the kerosene (a solvent) will loosen it up a bit and maybe even wash some of it away, or at least move it around. After the kerosene evaporates, a tiny bit of light lubricating oil will be left behind -- enough to prevent new rust for a while.

You are correct, WD-40 is no lubricant to speak of. But for freeing up dry rust, it works pretty darn well; and most people have it readily available, which is a worthwhile factor to consider.

[maladroit]

It's easier for people to remember either "Follow the common wisdom" or "The rabble are idiots!" for each topic, rather than weighing the downsides and benefits of various options.

[sadie]

Thanks guys. I will have some time to fiddle with it tonight.

[Navi_Keef]

what would you say would be some must carry tools to help people while riding around?

so far i have
1. pedal wrench
2. hex keys
3. small hand pump
4. spare master links
5. spare 26" tube (if you feel nice enough)
6. tire levers
7. tire patch kit

[FIGJAM]

Whatever you have to carry to adjust chain tension.

I run into more people walking their bikes because the chain keeps coming off than anything else!!!

[sadie]

Update...

I got the rear free wheel to spin freely by turning the washer around that was up against the bearing...it has a slight cup shape to it...

BUT THEN..... I noticed there was not a washer in the same position on the inside side of the wheel AND even though it spins freely, there is still a slight wobble to it.

SO

I took the cup shaped washer off, and just put the nut up against the bearing on the outside side, then of course the lock nut, but there is still a slight wobble....as if the bearings (sealed) are ever so slightly too small for the hub...?? There is no wobble to the drive wheel or the front wheel....just the rear free wheel.

I can live with the wobble if it's not damaging the bike...so that is my question I guess....also...should I put the cup shaped waher back on??

By the end of this I may very well be able to come by and help fix a bike or two...

[Meat Hunter]

Sadie,

There is a very good chance that if a wheel is wobbling that the spokes need to be tuned.

I had to take my brand new and fresh out of the box tricycle to a bike shop and have them to tune the spokes because are three wheels were out of alignment.

No big deal. They tuned my three wheels in about 15 min. while I waited. The cost was minimal and worth the trouble.

In my opinion, you would be well served to have all three of your wheels tuned. Better to fix it now when you have the time than chance a preventable problem on the playa.

[FIGJAM]

I had a wheel like that and it was all in the sloppy bearing.

Even when I replace the bearing because I thought it was worn, the new bearing had a little wiggle in it.

It never hurt anything.

[sadie]

I had a wheel like that and it was all in the sloppy bearing.

Even when I replace the bearing because I thought it was worn, the new bearing had a little wiggle in it.

It never hurt anything.

Thanks...good to know.

[Captain Goddammit]

Have you been playing any '70s funk music while you ride?

[sadie]

Have you been playing any '70s funk music while you ride?

ok...you're on to me...now that you mention it, I'm sure that is the issue.

There is a constant playlist of 70's funk in my head...so the bike tire isn't the only thing that wobbles...




And MeatHunter...I somehow missed your post last night...thanks for the tip on spokes.

[captain voltaveus]

Here is a little compilation video of pics I shot while putting together the Voltcycle. Now I can move on to the LED Tron Pong table (2.0)

[media]

[ecoita]

WOW!! Amazing! Video was perfect! Thanks for the inspiration!!!

[Navi_Keef]

Here is a little compilation video of pics I shot while putting together the Voltcycle. Now I can move on to the LED Tron Pong table (2.0)

so how much gas do you have through it? how long would you say it last on a tank?

[Navi_Keef]

i thought that i would post an update of the bike with the bars, speakers, and kickass taillight setup.

[media]

[captain voltaveus]

Badass... Are the tail light animations sound responsive? Arduino controlled?

[Navi_Keef]

Badass... Are the tail light animations sound responsive? Arduino controlled?

nope, they just scan through the different modes repeatedly. wanting to make it as simple as possible

[Meat Hunter]

Last burn, I had a little 500 lumen lite on my trike, I could only see ~8'-10' ahead of me. On the dark streets and the deep playa, I almost ran down several dark wads. Only by quick action did I avoid a collision that might have not only done physical damage to the dark wads, but also to myself.

Today, I installed a 4,600 lumen bike light on the top of the front basket of my trike. Since it is already dark here in Mississippi, I took the bike out for a ride around the place to see how well it worked. The results exceeded my exceptions. I may blind the dark wads with my light, but I will not run over them.

[Ratty]

I hope it's aimed at the ground. You may have to put a shield on it if it shines into peoples eyes. Meathunter if your light annoys people they WILL annoy you back.

PS can I ride next to you at night? I can't see for shit.

[Captain Goddammit]

4600 lumens?? Are you sure man? Those expensive-as-hell HID car headlights don't make that much. You'd have to be totin' a hell of a big battery to run that much light.

[Meat Hunter]

Whether it is 4,600 or not, I do not have a way to gauge it, but that is what the Amazon literature said.

Edit:
I stand corrected. I was confused with the 3,600 which I did not purchase. The bike light that I purchased is advertised at 4,000 lumen.

[Captain Goddammit]

Wow that's a bad-ass bike light. Battery killer...

By the way, I've found a place that reproduces antique oil lamp bicycle headlamps. That's so damn cool, I'm gonna give up my LED-converted classic bullet light. Who gives a shit if you can see, when you have actual fire lighting your way?!!

[Navi_Keef]

Wow that's a bad-ass bike light. Battery killer...

By the way, I've found a place that reproduces antique oil lamp bicycle headlamps. That's so damn cool, I'm gonna give up my LED-converted classic bullet light. Who gives a shit if you can see, when you have actual fire lighting your way?!!

just bought a led bullet light today, was considering the antique oil lamp but decided against the maintenance of it

[Captain Goddammit]

So here's the latest on the bike I'm building.
I put on a 5-speed Sturmey-Archer rear hub but I wanted a "suicide" stick shift. I got an old '70s 3-speed shifter and reworked it.

It has an idex plate inside to give it detents to click into each gear. As you move the stick, a spring-loaded ball bearing snaps into one of the three holes in the upper right of the plate:

I made a new index plate from a piece of steel:


The trick was drilling the five new detent holes in exactly the right places.
I made a measuring jig and connected the original 5-speed twist-grip shifter so I could accurately mark the movement of the shift cable for each gear:

[media]

Then I connected my stick shift to the jig. The marks on the jig showed me exactly where to drill my new detent holes.

I ditched the white plastic shift knob for a Hurst Pistol Grip, much cooler: