Reid's Stealth Cruiser: Float your eBOAT? Ideas, anyone? p22

image courtesy of http://www.schwinnbike.com/usa/eng/Prod ... rs/Landing

Talk about stealth?
Skip over the pale-colored paragraphs to follow because they are mere personal introduction.
First, a bit about me for any new folks who might look into this thread.
I am member #5 of this 3800 member place; A.W.O.L since not long after our beginnings here.
I was getting ill with something fatal, a condition rarely found in males. It is called SLE for short.
As the effects of the condition worsened I had to withdraw from the e-bike hobby, withdraw from real life, practically,
and had to avoid all stress: no adrenaline rushes, no sunlight, and even forgo all exercise of any kind.
I lived as a slug in the dark in a Lafuma reclining chair for about two years past, until just recently, when
I found a "cure" for what ailed me. I am fine now. In fact, I could almost say "cured".
Time will tell if "my" cure is permanent. Google terms " valium SLE ", and for their lives' sakes,
tell any of your SLE / Lupus friends to do the same. Generic Valium, a.k.a. diazepam has saved my life, not for its being a tranquilizer, but for its mysterious, yet, effective (for me) quieting-down of my body's hyper-active immune system---
that vital, mysterious biological mechanism which had grown so vigilante that it was trying to kill the body--and nearly did so. Diazepam therapy costs me only $25/mo, and no doctors doctors doctors needed once legally prescribed.
Diazepam is the only med I employ.
Addendum of July, 2009: I have enjoyed nine months of nearly perfect remission.
The remission afforded to me by diazepam is falling away, slowly, slowly.
The "tranquilizer", for it is that, and a muscle-relaxant, the best, and it is not toxic
if used in moderation, is only a calmer-downer of my immune system. It does not make me "drunk".

NOTE WELL: WHO famous just dropped dead?
That creepy, but talented musician, MJ, that's who. He was an SLE patient.
Heart failed suddenly. He was on Prednisone.
Prednisone may have hastened his death, directly or indirectly.
I feel bad even when an unpopular, could not be any other way, person dies.

SLE is not a "woman's" disorder. It kills men, older men in particular
Ray Walston, "My Favorite Martian", dead.
"On the Road", Charles Kuralt: dead.

Treatment of these three dead men was by the standard, fifty year-old regiment of PREDNISONE.
MJ would have been on Prednisone, a wonder drug, but to be used in extreme moderation, and only pre-op for a few days.
But the doctors who HAVE NO IDEA how to manage Lupus, or its more severe form "Systemic Lupus Erythromatosis" (sp. error for sure) "SLE", and the docs put almost every patient on a steady intake of Prednisone.

Prednisone, long term, more than a few weeks: you go bald, woman or man.
You gain perhaps forty pounds of fat.
You develop a sort of from-the-insides-rot: your arteries and connective tissues gradually go to goo,
along with your bone-ends, which go soft, and your spine, thus, collapses s l o w l y. Two years or twenty years with Prednisone:
you will be dead, if not of SLE 'nephritis', then of a sudden system failure CAUSED BY THE LONG TERM USE OF PREDNISONE.

I won't take Prednisone for this condition, which I refuse to term as "disease". "Disease" is, imo, usually curable. Cancer. Broken bones, etc. "Disorder" is a better way to think of MS or SLE or Rheumatoid Arthritis (all at root, related!).
WE DON'T HAVE A CURE but we, the patients must not be SHEEPLE of the medicos. They mean well, but damned few are progressive enough to offer a =proven= safe, alternative that =may well work for many SLE people=. It does not dope me. It might dope you, that Valium/diazepam, 30 mg per day. I am not adversely affected by my legally prescribed diazepam. I think and move clearly all the time; am never "high", like anyone gets from even two beers. I can write, think, and my hair is not falling out, and I am 150lbs, as always. And though, lately, my physical energy level has dropped, I am no where as sick as I was last August, when I was truly dying: you can just tell. The first Valium tab dropped my BP by twenty points on the systolic side! And I woke up the next morning, and no pain! And I felt like 30 again!

ALL THIS IS ADDED BECAUSE NO ONE IN THE WORLD BUT FOR ME IS PUTTING OUT THIS MESSAGE OF HOPE:
diazepam may possibly be your aid, if you get this natural disorder called "SLE". I am prescribed it, actually, for the known
use of the drug in combatting "labial hypertension". But that's not all it does. One more thing: diazepam/Valium sure does not shut me up or slow down my writing speed, ha ha.

I only hope this anecdotal information may save or extend some person's life. YOU ALL know someone with SLE; you just don't know they have it, it being a "hidden" illness: I look like a million 'uckin' bucks, only without the millions, ha ha!
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This will be a stealth cruiser bike.
It will look like a regular, boring, cruiser, just as much as possible.
That means there will be no brake caliper levers on the handlebar; no levers at all,
just a mini ding-bell on the left and a thumb throttle on the right.
Because of our flat Miami terrain and a good coaster brake, and robust, in-line, single-speed chain, and
'set back' of the rider, we do not expect to need any front brake....KWY-A-DA-WY-A-DI

*know what you are doing and why you are doing it*
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DOM (this bike's nickname in honour of a forum friend here) will go very far and
quite fast for a coaster brake ebike: 2O to 25mph, estimated.
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You are "in" this simple build project with me, in a sense. So I may say, "we are going to try...."
(the third person "we"). You're here! So am I.
Let's get to work, you and I.
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There will be text and text ad nauseum and....and more and more pictures.
Everything will be explained as if the reader were new to bikes, e-conversion, and new to the use of hand tools.

Most members here are well-experienced, of course!
Will make this project documentary-simple, although not so short to read
so that new folks, who have never worked on a bike before, will ride off, exclaiming, : "I can do that!"
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As I learn things worth mentioning I'll add and subtract data from these postings.
There will be endless edits to the texts over the months as I fine tune the new bike
and tune up my writing skills.
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This thread is image-intensive.
Apologies tendered to those of you still stuck with dial-up service.
I finally was able to get broadband last year.
So I use broadband instead of a hand-cranked telephone ,
"Hello, Central? I want to see a 30kb picture on my computer..."
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Regarding my old history here, just for background purposes:
I had, at that time of my early membership, a blue, retro-styled Currie Mongoose Cruiser,
heavily modified, made to go relatively fast on 36V instead of its OEM 24V
(with 36V of lead acid battery, it would speed to 25mph on the level in still air).
Then I (stupidly) took that retro bike all down to bits, planning to repaint the blue frame in bright safety yellow.
Uh oh, I turned suddenly as weak and sore, fatigued, with the chronic condition already told about above.
Decision time: the gussied-up Currie would never be easy for me to get back together again.
Besides its being heavy and clunky at over 120 lbs with lead, its frame was poorly jig-aligned at the factory.
The bike frame could never be fully right. We jigged the frame, bent the hi-ten steel =, but...no, it could never be straight.
That frame-fixing exercise, futile, of the low grade, entry-level Currie product, taught: you get what you pay for.

Having recently regained my health, I decided to discard the Currie and start to e-build from scratch.
I will recycle some custom parts that I had put onto the old Currie Mongoose retro cruiser.

Photos and reid-style "brief" :lol: texts to follow...
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This is a real-time build-a-very-simple ebike thread: an e-blog thread;
only black widow spiders and this spinner know how long it may spool out. :wink:
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source: http://sheldonbrown.com/gloss_cn-z.html#cruiser

Cruiser
"Cruiser" is the currently popular name for what used to be called a "balloon tire" bike. This style of bicycle was most popular in the '40's and '50's. They are usually characterized by 26 x 2.125 tires (if they have 1.75 or 1 3/4 tires, they are considered "middleweights".)

The upper top tubes and stays are usually curved for a "streamlined" look. Older cruisers usually had a straight lower top tube, later models were cantilever frame designs. Cruisers are built for ride comfort, not efficiency. Classic cruisers were spectacularly heavy, had only one gear, and a coaster brake.

This type of bike is quite impractical for hilly country, due to the weight, the lack of gears, and the low saddle position of older models. For this reason, cruisers traditionally were most popular in very flat places, such as Florida and the Southern California coast and became associated with beach resorts.

As a reaction to the gonzo image of mountain-bike marketing, cruisers seem to be making a comeback in popularity, even in places far from the beach.The new generation of cruisers is much lighter, thanks to modern materials and manufacturers who care about reducing weight. They are also now available with multi-speed gearing. The "neo-cruiser" appeals to aging baby-boomers who have nostalgic memories of the balloon-tire bikes of their youth.
The classic balloon tire bike, before it was known as a "cruiser" was also quite important to the history of cycling because it was in many ways the precursor of the mountain bike.

Click to expand...

I wanted, right now, a new, easy to pedal, single speed, all-steel, basic coaster brake-only Chinese cruiser.
I could have bought one online, or a junk-in-a-box from Walmart.
Instead, I shopped the Miami-area bicycle shops; several of them, and came to this great place:

I cannot say enough good words about their genial spirit and helpful attitude to a "poor" customer on a budget.
(they sell high end bikes too, mostly high end bikes).
Ask for Ray or Ismael if you are a Miami area customer wanting bike service or sales.
They will treat you right. Mention me and get a bonus smile.
Coral Way Bicycle Shop is a square-deal business since 1942.

Here is what I bought from them three days ago, bone-stock:

single speed coaster brake, steel frame and fork, alloy rims, stainless spokes, Kenda tires,
$200 with included six months warranty (free adjustments)

Now what is next? This bike is fine and easy-gliding as-is. It is good quality, basic bicycle!
Best of all for an e-bike, imo, it is STEEL, where steel counts: a security-plus for curb hoppers and grasshoppers :wink: like me.

Let us improve the bike further? And soon enough we will ElectrifLy !
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In the next form: Let's recycle the nearly new Bontrager brand, Big Hank, super-phat tires
which I had put on the old Mongoose, and nowadays, have a higher use for:

----
spilling correction of Ismael's name

review

Submitted by Dman a Cross Country Rider from California
Date Reviewed: April 12, 2008
Duration Product Used: 1 Year
Price Paid: $20.00
Purchased At: Local bike shop
Strengths: Good slicks, soft, fast. Dual compound
Weaknesses: None
Similar Products Used: specialized hemisphere ex.
Bike Setup: 80lb electric comfort bike for road use.
Bottom Line: These slicks are pretty good for the road. I run low pressure and a 80lb bike.
I run about 18-20 psi in front and 26 psi. I have the 26 x 2.2.
They are 26.5 inches tall and about 2 1/16" wide on skinny rims.
They soften the bumps pretty well. Pumped up to normal levels,
they become easier to pedal but ride gets bumpy at higher speeds.
I have 1700 miles on them but I don't pedal much.
They will wrinkle on big ledge type bumps if not aired up to like 26, but I don't care about that.
They have a thin sidewall but the corners are thick and the center section slick is about 1 inch wide.
The softer rubber on the corners is not a slick, but textured rubber. I really like them.
Value Rating:5 Overall Rating:4

Click to expand...

Why fat slicks? Ideal for asphalt adhesion. It is well documented by bike experts, that bike tires, on dry
or on wet pavement, need no tread pattern: the nubbins or grooves useful only in snow or in mud, simply absorb power;
their compressing and de-compressing at every revolution. Rubber flexure eats up power. For this reason, Bontrager tires are exceptionally thin walled and thin on the treading area too.
"Big Hanks" wide cross section means that you can run across soft turf, and even over soft sand, with perfect security.

These relatively huge tires can be run at 20 PSI and still roll nearly with the ease of hard-riding, skinny,100PSI tires.
The balloon tire-type is the PRIMARY shock absorber; therefore, the soft but thin and flexible slick balloon affords not only
efficiency, but great shock absorbing qualities. This is not the stiff, hard-pedaling tire of old time cruisers or kids' bikes.

For a bike that isn't going to be pedaled at high speeds, say, over 18 or 20mph, the wind resistance of fat tires is almost negligible. Besides that, I am sitting full upright in full comfort and and in fine viewpoint to scan the road in all directions.
This is NOT an aero way of biking at all. But it sure is comfortable riding!

Fully five hundred asphalt miles on these tires were logged before, on the old Currie Mongoose crusier.
Note the negligible wear?


Now both of the Big Hanks are in place and they are beautiful; they do draw favorable comments from people.

__

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I do not like standard kickstands because they are both a bother and unstable.
Below, please see laying against the bike, a U type stand that was intended for the aborted Currie project.
May as well apply it to this bike! But it lacks.....
And also there on the ground, see a steel Wald USA brand rear rack, leftover, never mounted, from the Currie days.
No alloy racks for me; aluminum racks too often break. Steel is forever.

Kickstand, plus this bike's braze-on's height, means we need a spacer of some sort.
And for the NOS rack's misplaced mounting hardware? I need a bike shop's help again:
Coral Way Bicycle Shop, no other shop will do for me.

Tangent recall of a regrettable, other, local shop: in the Currie days, I asked them to get the special Currie freewheel open.
Result: the hammer and chisel mechanics there, they literally ruined the Currie's double-sided-drive rear hub,
and those chislelers -did not even get it open- . I got not even an apology for their mechanics' crude ineptitude.
"No charge". Gee, thanks for that: I had no usable hub anymore for that Currie.

SO, now I know where to go:

Thank you for the installation of these, and for your idea of that spacer, Alberto of Coral Way Bicycle Shop.
Alberto, you are the silent wizard of Can Do.

Your bosses would not even charge me for the time you gave to my bike today
(for your idea of the needed-spacer, the rack hardware and its neat mounting).
Ishmael: "But the new kickstand does not seat into the braze-on; it will rotate and foul the tire soon."
Reid: "I have the fix for that: epoxy putty. I'll finish this off at home.


First application, how-to-do:


More will be added, neatly, to fill the area nice and full looking, smoothed with wet fingers,

then painted over to match, either the silver or the black. It will look good when finished.

The new kickstand is a delight to use: roll the bike forward, the kickstand self-retracts.
It holds the bike UPright, not at an angle. It is bolted, and now the epoxy putty will make it "unitized"
to the tabs, which I will tap inward and putty over, probably. The stand will never shift on its own.

Next up: recycling the wonderful, aftermarket Thud Buster seat,
salvaged from the aborted Currie, and showing it against the stock seat of this "Sun" branded bike.

The ThudBuster gives this rider two great things: superb shock absorption, plus, a -set back- of several inches:
this gives the bike that "crank-forward" feel. Very neat to ride...
and more.... who needs a suspension fork on paved roads, anyway?

Read up about how I came to love the Thud Buster; one of my earliest threads here:
"Whoa! The Thud Buster works!"
(November, 2006)
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Stock seat (comfy enough) compared next to the Thud Buster


15 to 20 PSI front, and 20 to 25PSI rear, is all these fat tires need. This gives fine shock adsorbtion
and a fat foot print for wet/dry road adhesion, while retaining easy pedaling.
High pressure tires for autos went out of style ca. 1924, and ushered in a new era of smoother rides
and less tendency to puncture. Hard tires puncture more readily with tacks and glass.
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The Thud Buster, as I had it made, and "laid back" at a maximum angle, to give a bit of that "crank forward" effect

Whoa, partner! That Thud Buster looks expensive; about a hundred dollars, I think it was.
It came with a lever-lock quick release. Hmmm, it is most tempting for a thief to steal such a seat in five seconds' time.
Therefore, I ditched the quick release, and use a bolt and nut;
neater; saves a bit of weight too. IDEA:


Let's make the Thud Buster's moving parts safe from the elements: the sand and water.
Also, it will be private from curious eyes. Security:

Mathurin said:

Thu Nov 23, 2006 6:26 pm
Well, I'd like to know if you still love it once the honeymoon is over.
Say, in 2-ish weeks from now.

Click to expand...

Well, it is now two years-ish now.
The T B got a good five hundred miles of service on the old blue Currie bike
before being transferred to the new, silver bike. Let's say: the divorce rate
of T B owners from the T Bs.....is very low. No divorce case foreseen :wink:

(Huh? I said this was going to be an uber-simple bike? Well, really, it is, except in the little details)
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Thank you for looking in! More to come! Time to order a front wheel/hub motor!
Which one, and from whom???

Hi Reid,

Nice looking bike there, looking forward to seeing it come through, i reckon you'll be up and running before me!!!
keep those pics coming.


Cheers,

D

^ ^
Thanks, Deecanio! A lot more pictures, close ups of details, to show up here in the coming months.
Again, apologies to those still stuck with dial up internet.
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Normally I would not publish email to a public board, but this will surely be OK by Justin.
(email addys snipped or altered to foil spambots)

Justin's firm's home page, packed with good reading material and good products

From: "Ebikes Information"

To: ReidWelch@netscrape.comp

Subject: Re: ezee wheel-only purchase question for Justin

Date: Sat 11/15/08 01:41 AM

Hi Reid, well quite a fancy to hear from you again. Your blue DB is still around? I didn't realize you had gotten ill and it sounds like the universe has thrown you quite an ordeal, so it's great to know that you are doing well and feeling great.

The 26" eZee wheel kit is certainly in stock, and the free shipping deal is on for another 2 weeks. I think you will quite like the feel of this conversion for your current project, and it's good to know that down the road if you ever move it to a disc capable setup then the hub will still be compatible.

The inside width of the rim is about 3/4". The tire and tube actually do a really good job of protecting the wheel during shipping, and the box is already sized for this, so I would keep them. Plus, the Schwalbe is a very handy puncture resistant tire to have around even if you don't need it for this particular project.

If this is what you want (no battery), then the total is simply $750 USD, which can most easily be sent via paypal. That includes the motor laced in the wheel, tire, controller, thumb throttle, LED indicator, and 2-week ground shipping. We can take credit cards directly as well, but it converts it to Canadian funds which isn't so useful since we do all the purchasing in US dollars.

You can indeed either ignore or snip off the pedalec sensor.

Justin

Click to expand...

Thudbuster cool! Particularly the way it make the set set back.

Hi Dogman,
yes, it really does work about as well as a soft tail rear suspension bike; without any pump-flexing of a soft tail's
frame when pedaling manually. Note that I have this T B laid back a good deal, in comparison to the stock T B mountings.
More weight to the rear makes the coaster brake more "efficient", due to the lessened forward-throwing of weight
when braking. Again, no mountains or hills here, or I'd definitely have front brakes.
May want to cut off the steel rack's front lip to ensure full travel-ability for the TB.
So far (just a few miles of riding) the T B has not struck the rack's upturned front,
but I've yet to ride the bike hard over potholes and rough turf or swale.

The TB you see above was made to lay that far back by slicing one or both of the elastomer buffers shorter,
making two of the cuts at an angle other than square, using a soapy razor blade. This way they seat "square", though the cantilever is laid most of the way back; a Thud Buster seems to like this sort of tinkering. Again:
Laying it all this far back puts the center of gravity farther to the rear, increasing the coaster rear brake's braking power.

As Justin noted, his Ezee kit motor comes with a brake disk. IF, later on, I want true safety braking, I could easily make
the front fork accept one of the many disk brake set ups. Inasmuch as I don't have hills here, and this may not be a
25mph bike, I hope that the coaster brake will be adequate for not-so-macho riding.
Keeping the bike looking neat: no handlebar levers and no derailleurs, appeals. I will have a thumb throttle on one bar,
and a tiny "ding" bell on the other (bell is already mounted today).
"Dom" (my bike's nickname) may look pretty much like a K-mart bike for Mr. Twombley Twiddles :lol: ,
but with adrenaline on the pub. tap by means of that 400W Ezee motor to come.
:wink: ___________
Mr. Twiddles here requests folks to view this advert extolling for advertising brakes/breaks
OTOH: daily downhills on a coaster brake alone? Think I'd soak my shorts and short a controller, PDQ.
Glad I live upon a pancake-flat Florida
state of mind. over gravity.
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The real deal about the much-maligned coaster brake
Note: for my riding situations and project, the 1890s-era coaster brake remains ideal in every way.
Too, if extra braking were required, I can and would fit a front disk brake (simply braze mounting fittings to the steel fork).

I will try reversing the stem, like I did for the old Currie, with this result, two years ago:

Note that the reversed stem brings the long handlebars rearward. It makes tiller-like steering: very stable for fast running;
you have perfect control even with just one hand on the bar

Another advantage: the "longer" rearward bars put me even more over the rear wheel: better braking traction and a lean-back stance. Not aero, no, but it is so easy to ride this way.

Having tried this both ways, I can say, with assurance, that the reversed stem will make the new bike even better.

Pictures of the stem reversal for the new silver cruiser will be put into this thread soon.

Consider the very early motorcycles? Here is a 1914 vintage motorcycle.

Typically, they all had swept-back bars: for rider stability going over rough roads or at high speeds:
less "quick" to turn, yes, but MUCH easier to maintain straight line traveling, almost like autopilot.

As it was: the new-old-stock WALD steel rack...its upturned end....

Riding experience shows that small clearance is not enough:







The cut-ends are retouched in black. Clearance achieved 8)

As it was on its first day, the brand new Sun cruiser from Miami's Coral Way Bicycle Shop:

As it is now:

"Set Back"

Why?

With the bars set just above the knees, I found even without clips or straps I could dig-in and pull up a hill or jump-start. The effect is liken to the start up dynamics during water skiing. In this frame design the vector of pull on the bars converges with the crank point. This gives the rider a great mechanical advantage up hills, or quick acceleration from a dead stop.

The bar location is a real plus when it comes to carpal tunnel syndrome, there in no pressure on the palms, thus no numb hands! In fact it seems to be best to set the bars just above the knees, so you can lean back and let your arms straighten out. Just for fun in high winds I lean back as much as possible. It feels like less drag, and maybe it is, but I like it because it is so opposite to tucking in on a road bike.

Click to expand...

source: http://www.ransbikes.com/createsFusionITR.htm

Editorial comments, optional to read: With this home-made "set back", which was introduced to the market by Rans, their term for it: "crank forward". I have some "crank forward" now.
I gain the following advantages... and, too, bear in mind that front-rear weight distribution is now heavy over the rear balloon tire.
I run that rear tire at a mere 25PSI at present.
The front tire is at 20PSI at present, yet, that pressure may be reduced, even to 15PSI and still roll effortlessly.
Tire cross-section and load and air pressure are all inter-related.

=This bike as it is today is extremely easy-riding on the level.
=The set back allows me to PULL against the bar-ends, working my shoulders and lats in isometric exercise,
whilst also allowing my feet to dig in, push forward, the pedals.
There is no "pumping" of the Thud Buster shock absorber; no loss of pedaling efficiency. It just feels GOOD to pedal.
=The lack of weight at the front allows that super-fat, super-soft, super-compliant front Big Hank tire to soak up all the road vibration.
In result, there is no nasty feedback to my hands (they are pulling back, you see, no "weight" on them).
Shocks mean nothing to the front end of this bike.
=The rear tire bears most all my weight (150lbs) and the TB soaks up the small shocks.
For the big shocks, like going over a nasty six inch high, narrow, bump: yes, the T B will fully compress
and my buttski may leave the saddle for just a moment, in that extreme case.

POINT: I never have to stand on or atop the pedals in anticipation of a pot hole or big bump in the road,
although I could do that if desired.

POINT: The bike is tall. I sit tall on its saddle. I've repainted my formerly-blue BMX helmet in safety yellow.
Unlike all-black bikes with dark-parka wearing riders, I intend to be SEEN by the traffic. Style be damned;
I want to live! :wink:

I will make a self portrait now of myself sitting on the bike, with my newly-yellow helmet.
My spray can painting skills equal that of the factory finish. Tips for spray painting from spray cans
might as well make another topic for some other thread, someday.

This is Krylon Fusion paint from the local hardware store.
It is tough and it is glossy IF sprayed in cool-ish, dry weather.
It is dry to touch in fifteen minutes. A day of low-temp baking in the oven
fully cures the paint: no "paint smell" and so, the paint reaches mature hardness quicker.

stand by... GeekReid and his helmet will appear in this form soon, in a few hours....

ADDENDUM, photo just taken: An e-geek is a geek is a geek is a geek. (That's my plan, anyway, ha ha)

Note the new "crank forward" stance made possible by the long-throw Thud Buster and the reversed stem?
Now I can really dig into the pedals and use my upper body to PULL my feet into the pedal strokes.

Look at the portrait above? Silly-me had the front fork reversed; I did not notice it in time.
I Am A Goose. The fork is now facing forward as it should be.

It will be about three weeks before I have the Ezee wheel kit from Justin.
And for battery? I hope to get Mr. Ping's battery, 36V, 20AH, like this one.

This is to be a more-or-less 20mph bike. It will have some pretty decent range.
It will be used for local runs to the store and back, and be able to pull a bike trailer that's already on hand,
if I were to need to haul big stuff.
Our local flat terrain makes a single speed coaster brake e-bike workable;
this would not be the case if we had real hills here and wanted to get good range whilst pedal-assisting.

I have a thudbuster light on my rigid pedal MTB. I gotta say, my wife's hardtail has el cheapo pogo stick under the seat and IMO both work equally well. Maybe the full size buster works better than both the ones we gots tho.

Good idea on the wrap. I'm going to copy you and there's nothing you can do about it.

Yeah, the wrap and all other ideas are for free use by anybody.
YES, the long-throw Thud Buster is much to be preferred, especially if you can "lay it back" like I've done.
MOST or many bikes won't be candidates for the tall T B, depending on their top tube's height;
for them the mini T B version is the only option.

And too: the several types (hardnesses) of T B elastomeric dampeners are to be chosen, mixed or paired,
depending on the rider's weight and preferences:
a light man on stiff elastomers will get a hard ride.
A heavy man on soft (white colored) elastomers, will crumble them in no time.
The elastomers wear out in time, regardless.
I am still on my original set, at 500 miles.
The replacement absorbers are cheap enough.
Thanks for your thoughts, W!

Reid Welch said:

Look at the portrait above? Silly-me had the front fork reversed. That's what comes from knowing
not what you are doing in the dark (I did the stem reversal the night before and... I Am A Goose.
X

Click to expand...

Please turn the front fork around and I will feel better.
Thank you

Welcome back I missed you

marty said:

Reid Welch said:

Look at the portrait above? Silly-me had the front fork reversed. That's what comes from knowing
not what you are doing in the dark (I did the stem reversal the night before and... I Am A Goose.
X

Click to expand...

Please turn the front fork around and I will feel better.
Thank you

Welcome back I missed you

Click to expand...

Thanks for the welcome back, Marty!
Yes, the fork was turned right back around after the portrait (that's when I finally noticed my error).
All is well now. I have written to Ping about this thread. I hope he has time to skim through it.

You all know this is only the beginning of documentary that will go on for pages in time.

Will soon mount a digicam to the helmet and give you guys a tour of this Coconut Grove neighborhood.
We are so lucky here to have year-round good weather for biking, etc.
_______
off topic: I've always loved old tech machinery.
Did you ever hear of Polavision?
This video gives an idea of how very bad our photo options were away back in the dark ages.

Here I am when I was young. Play it in full screen?

I love the philosophical song...the words, the philosophy...and, true to the song, all that remains of that car now
(the T got crashed, destroyed after 25k miles of Miami traffic-dodging), is
that ca. 1860, antique wooden chair, temporarily lashed to the frame rails for that very
first test drive of the self-restored Model T running chassis.
The body took years more to restore and install.

This was all that I drove for five full years. I used no other car.

(see the video link up above for the car before it was bodied?)
You all will recognize that the setting is the same house courtyard as today.
But, the times, they have changed....

What a great piece of film (of your model T) – and the sound track sets it off perfectly Reid. The poor quality seems to add to it, giving it a dreamlike feel. You're lucky to have that continuity of living in the same fine house for so long. Thanks for sharing it.

Ah, thanks, Malcolm. It's sad, yet, accepting. The house was built by my life-partner in the early 70's.
He was rich and young then (though we are 24 years apart in age). And now he is old, 78, and in poor health,
just at this time when my health has miraculously returned.

Here we are again. Comical this time, I do a voice-over of the silent film.
Deteriorated by time, yet, the Polavision system was never good even new.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_fDxAThIrkg&fmt=18
"I wonder why they didn't sell a million of them?"

:lol:

Reid,
Would like batteries in the big triangle area of frame. Make a box from wood or plastic. Look what Thoxbui do.
http://www.endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=6020

Hi Marty, that IS a wonderful, practical, neat and efficient way to stow batteries, and save too, on costs of custom pro-built packs.

However, this bike is to look as much like a geezer's bike as possible. Hence, a small box of Ping cells, atop the rear of that steel rack. 16 pounds in weight.
It would be better, of course, to put the battery lower down, but, for practical purposes, a little nylon-bagged pack on the rack
will look stealth Stealth is what this bike is to be all about, a "wtf was that that just whizzed by!", complete with tiny
ding-ding thumb bell. I may, for practical matters of keeping clean (arghh), mount a pair of black plastic fenders, already in stock.
I don't like fenders, don't like the looks of them, but they do keep the crotch and back dry and clean over wet pavement.
And so, if I mount the fenders in time,
this cruiser will just look even more like some ho-hum "that's just some old pedal bike" = my goal.

Thanks Marty!

ding ding!

R.

Are these Ping batteries foil pouches wrapped in duct tape? I call foil pouches pop tarts. Pop tarts are also wrapped in foil pouches. Please buy or build a plastic or wood box to protect batteries. How about a milk crate?

I suddenly crave orange tic tacs and candy canes..

IIRC, DeepKimchi and Madventure use soft picnic coolers on rear racks... very stealthy.