Advice and suggestions needed for cruiser build -HBBC Delux

[benend]

I'm considering a build based on the Delux cruiser from HBBC.

I'm thinking Yescom for the kit - something 500W or more, and mechanical disc brakes, because I don't want to bother with hydraulic. And Ping battery, very likely. Any advice on the kit is appreciated. I'd love it if the battery could fit in the "tank" area of the frame.

The issues are:
No brakes with a rear hub, and there's no disc tabs on the frame or forks for a disc. I'm considering buying a disc boss and having it welded on to the rear. Is that feasible? For the front, I'd probably have to buy new forks. The no-disc capability is really keeping me from jumping in.

I'd like to use the existing 50mm rims. Is it fairly easy to rebuild a hub with those rims? Should I hire it out? What's a wheel build cost?

Front rim - I'm not familiar with disc brakes, but I think I'd need a new disc-capable hub for the front?

 

[bowlofsalad]

The issues are:
No brakes with a rear hub, and there's no disc tabs on the frame or forks for a disc. I'm considering buying a disc boss and having it welded on to the rear. Is that feasible?

Probably. The steel could be post weld treated in some way, their site says raw steel, which alloy they use and if they did anything to the steel afterwards is important. Maybe you should send them an E-mail and ask them what material specifically (1028, 4130 and so on) and if they did anything to the frame after it was welded beyond the clear coat. You might also ask if they could add the disc boss themselves to a frame for you.

For the front, I'd probably have to buy new forks. The no-disc capability is really keeping me from jumping in.

Find out the headset sizing before you order forks.

I'd like to use the existing 50mm rims. Is it fairly easy to rebuild a hub with those rims? Should I hire it out? What's a wheel build cost?

The rims aren't necessarily the complicated part. You should probably do research into wheel building, there is kind of a lot to it. There are pros and cons to hiring out versus doing it yourself. Learning to do something and investing in the tools means you have that ability and option to you for a very long time. Paying someone to build a wheel for you means you'll probably end up with a good wheel right off the bat pretty quickly, but it's just a single wheel, what happens when the wheel gets out of true or you need another wheel? Pros and cons to weigh, but there are books and guides out there that really lay out the process for you, it's not a new idea. Saying something is easy or hard is really relative to you, someone might say something that weighs 30 pounds is something they can manipulate with ease, the next might claim that is a massive burden.

Stating cost might be speculative. I'd guess a ballpark of around 100 dollars give or take for local labor and decent spokes. I'd probably go with 13/14(these numbers are a reference to thickness at for sections of the spoke) single butted spokes from someone like sapim, DT or wheelsmith. But there are http://www.dtswiss.com/Components/Spokes/DT-alpine-III triple butted spokes you may able to use that might be worth a look.

Front rim - I'm not familiar with disc brakes, but I think I'd need a new disc-capable hub for the front?

Yes.

 

[benend]

Thanks for the reply - truing a wheel is the only thing I can't do on a bike. I tried when I was a kid - and I probably still have the truing stand somewhere. Youtube and the Internet happened, and I might take it on again with help.

Man, I wish it were easier to find a cruiser frame with a disc tab. I'll contact the manufacturer and ask if they'd do it, but from my prior email from them, it sounds like they're just a reseller.

The other option is to go $$$ on a frame:

The dropouts are interchangeable.

In fact - just saw this on their site:

But the HBBC is almost exactly what I want - just no disc tab.