New bike project. maybe

[Drunkskunk]

I picked up a full suspension bike for cheap last night. Realy all I want was a base for building a full suspension road bike. Too much time on a hard tail, and too much time stairing at Full suspension Motobecanes got to me.

But this cheap Toys R Us bike will need a full rebuild before it can handle even the power I can put through it peddaling. it may end up being nothing more than a template for a whole new bike.

So is there someplace were I can buy premade bike aprts, like headsets, crank journals, and dropouts?


My plans right now are to build it to accept the 700c wheels from my roadbike, and build the battery bag and controller to be quick swappable betwween the bikes.

 

[Ypedal]

I've considered many ways to make a battery pack swapable between bikes.

Having a fleet of bikes, i'd like to make good use of my 1500 $ battery packs !!! :lol:

With compatible seat post diameter tubes would be the best solution, just pull the quick-release.. lift the seat/battery and slide on desired ride of the day !!

Fixing a cheap bike will nickle and dime you to death, better off finding a good deal on a ready-to-go bike and using the free bike for parts !

 

[Lenk42602]

ypedal is right - you are better of finding a slighly used fs bike on ebay for a couple hundred bucks. By the time you source and purchase all of the parts required to modify the TRU bike, you will have spent the same amount, maybe more.

If you intend on using 700c road wheels, you are better of finding a 29er full suspension frame - this is an mtb frame with geometry designed around wheels with the same diameter as road wheels.

but then you will be into more money, as most are only disc brake, so you can't use your wheels, so you buy more wheels, and brakes, and etc, etc,etc.

been through it many times. better off bleeding all at once, rather than a little for a long period of time....

 

[BiGH]

is there a reason you *have* to run 700c wheels? a 1.5" wide mtb rim is 38.1mm wide, the 700c tyres come in 23,28,32mm wide - not really that much in it

i'd run normal mtb wheels and then put high pressure slicks on them OR

what about lacing a 700c rim into the mtb hub - would that work (i have no idea).

If you were going to do that i's still start out with a suitable bike (Or frame).

or you could custom built it from an 2nd hand quality bike and a suitable frame like a surly instigator.

also bear in mind that there can be minor incompatabilities between bikes, like my old bike the steering tube was shorter than the new frame - so it meant i had to change the front shocks! The seat tube was narrower, which meant the derailure didn't fit - things like that.
i ended up spending roughly $350 for the new frame, new front derailure, shocks, road (tiogra tripple crankset and BB) new chain, seat post as well as the minor bits

its also nice to have reasonably wide tyres too - it helps with stopping the heavy bike.

 

[Drunkskunk]

All good advice. this TRU bike doesn't look like its going to work.



My goals are to have a full suspension bike, using a 28-29 inch wheel (700c) that can't be identified as an electric from 3 feet away. And looks like something purchased stock from a bike store. But I also want things like a long wheelbasein the beach cruser range,(135-145cm), no exposed wires or cables, and a battery rack attached the frame strong enough for someone to sit on.

I've been looking around since I first built my first bike, and haven't seen anything close to what I'm looking for. They just don't make long wheelbase full suspension 700c sized bikes with a steel frame that could support a rack off the back strong enough to hold a person, and with tubing big enough on the rear suspension to hold all the motor's wiring. My only choice I think is to build it, or completly modify one, starting with tossing out the main frame and custom building a new steel one.

 

[BiGH]

All good advice. this TRU bike doesn't look like its going to work.



My goals are to have a full suspension bike, using a 28-29 inch wheel (700c) that can't be identified as an electric from 3 feet away. And looks like something purchased stock from a bike store. But I also want things like a long wheelbasein the beach cruser range,(135-145cm), no exposed wires or cables, and a battery rack attached the frame strong enough for someone to sit on.

I've been looking around since I first built my first bike, and haven't seen anything close to what I'm looking for. They just don't make long wheelbase full suspension 700c sized bikes with a steel frame that could support a rack off the back strong enough to hold a person, and with tubing big enough on the rear suspension to hold all the motor's wiring. My only choice I think is to build it, or completly modify one, starting with tossing out the main frame and custom building a new steel one.

OK so sounds like you need to relace the hubs into 700c wheels. Does this bike have disk or rim brakes? But the cost of the changeover is going to be higher than just using MTB slicks like in my build thread.

I'm also after a bike that doesn't outwardly appear as though its electric. i found one way was to completely wrap the wires to the tube using black electrical tape - this technique works particularly well on a black bike. You could also make a semicircular tube like a thick hose cut down one side to wrap around the stays where wire runs, this would give an almost stock look especilaly if you matched the colours correctly. my bike now with the new frame looks like crap and needs painting. I'd love to find a bike that you could feed the batteries INSIDE the tube, but i fear this is a bit of a pipedream. It would also mean that the controller could NOT be rmoved from the bike. I'm also wanting the stealth look, but its hard, you'll often find that what you need isn't completely available. IE: i'm running my batteries in pannier racks on the back, however most of the racks i find can't allow the controller to fit under the rear deck. The one i have found i don't want to drill through it since its the topeak one. the issues go on when you're finicky about these things like us!

all i can say is keep looking, and don't be afraid to go custom if you know you'll get a lot of use out of the bike (as i already have!).

It sounds like the beach cruiser would be a custom framed job. this offers a lot of advantages - suck as the ability to design room for wires in tubes! I'm seriously thinking of putting a hole in my top tube for the throttle wires but i'm scared to drill into the steel, it just doesn't look neat enough as it is lol.

I should shut up now!

i'm sure you'll make some excellent decisions as to what to do! and some mistakes as I have!

 

[Drunkskunk]

So after some re-examining of the project, I decided there was no way to make the cheap full suspension bike work. the frame was just too light weight. It'll make a good gift for some needy kid this Christmas.

What I did decide was to go with a conventional triangulated frame full suspension bike, and eventualy found this:

I know, its a Mongoose. another cheap department store bike. But the frame is solid and will accept my 29 inch front suspension fork, all of my good running gear, my shock absorber seat post, and Handlebars. I'll only need to modify the back suspension to take the 29 inch size back wheel instead of the 26, as well as give me the wheelbase I want ... and ditch the yellow paint and stickers. The wiring will be all in the back anyway so it can be hidden when I modify the suspension

That leave only one part I need to find. The rear dropouts. I can fabricate just about any suspension part I'll need, but a dropout would actually be a very complicated part to make from scratch, without it looking like it was built by a redneck. I also want a couple of beefy ones that won't need a torque arm to handle upto a 5305.
Anyone know where I would go to look for a pre-made dropout?

 

[mvadventure]

To each his own and availablility along with dollars all make a difference which determines what you'll use. However a rigid frame doesn't have to provide a stiff ride.

My "beach bike" is a heavy steel almost 13 y/o Jamis Boss I paid $300.00 for new. Unfortunately I never planned on putting a motor on it and bought one with a 26' frame which means the seat is a long way from the ground. Had I bought a 24" frame I could use a suspension seat post which would greatly soften the ride. Lacking the seat post as I would no longer be able to touch the ground while sitting, I put the largest most comfortable seat I could find on it and it works pretty good.

If I could choose between suspension and brakes I would choose brakes. Never having had disc brakes on a bike I can only imagine how much more effective they would be than the rim brakes I have now. Stopping quickly is something I can only dream about.

Think safety over comfort, a big seat and properly fitting handlebars go a long way.

Simply an opinion,
Mike

 

[TylerDurden]

Anyone know where I would go to look for a pre-made dropout?

Cut em off a junk bike or moped.

 

[BiGH]

yep old bike is good - if you find a framebuilder (ask at your local bike shop) they should be able to make you the bit you require. Also some bike shops do stock dropouts designed for frame building!

 

[Jeremy Harris]

Here's one trick that might work for hiding wires, it's used to turn round wing struts on experimental aircraft into streamline shaped ones.

Get some extruded polystyrene insulation foam (the pink or blue stuff, not the white granular stuff). Cut out some slices that have a semicircle that is the outside diameter of the base tube on one edge and a nice fair curve (maybe an half ellipse) on the other side, sort of like half an egg section with the semicircular bit out of the bottom. Make sure there is enough space for the wires between the two curves.

Cut as many slices as you need to cover the length of tube and temporarily bond them to the bike frame (maybe cover the bike tubes with parcel tape to prevent them permanently sticking). Sand off the outside surface to a fair curve that blends well with the tube, then apply a thin layer of glass cloth and epoxy resin. Fair and sand the surface smooth with epoxy filler (not bondo).

Once this has cured, pull the whole thing off the bike tube and pour some petrol (gasoline) onto the foam. This will melt it out, leaving you with a neat fairing that is very light and fits the bike tube neatly. If you made fairings like this for the front and rear of the tube you could perhaps put wires both sides. The two fairings option might look neater too, with just the thin join down the centre.

The result, when painted, should look like custom oval tubes, so might give you the stealth look you want.

Jeremy

 

[Drunkskunk]

I hadn't thought about fiberglass covers that might be the way to go.


On lunch today I was browsing the secondhand parts bin at the LBS and found a triple clamp extended front fork. its a Rockshox Judy, but I have no idea the actualy travel, except that it's Longer that normal.

Its well used, and needs rebuilding. But I have no idea how these things come apart. anyone have any basic instructions or an exploded view of one?

 

[BiGH]

Here's one trick that might work for hiding wires, it's used to turn round wing struts on experimental aircraft into streamline shaped ones.

Get some extruded polystyrene insulation foam (the pink or blue stuff, not the white granular stuff). Cut out some slices that have a semicircle that is the outside diameter of the base tube on one edge and a nice fair curve (maybe an half ellipse) on the other side, sort of like half an egg section with the semicircular bit out of the bottom. Make sure there is enough space for the wires between the two curves.

Cut as many slices as you need to cover the length of tube and temporarily bond them to the bike frame (maybe cover the bike tubes with parcel tape to prevent them permanently sticking). Sand off the outside surface to a fair curve that blends well with the tube, then apply a thin layer of glass cloth and epoxy resin. Fair and sand the surface smooth with epoxy filler (not bondo).

Once this has cured, pull the whole thing off the bike tube and pour some petrol (gasoline) onto the foam. This will melt it out, leaving you with a neat fairing that is very light and fits the bike tube neatly. If you made fairings like this for the front and rear of the tube you could perhaps put wires both sides. The two fairings option might look neater too, with just the thin join down the centre.

The result, when painted, should look like custom oval tubes, so might give you the stealth look you want.

Jeremy

do you happen to have a picture of a bike done like this? it sounds awesome

I was thinkin of just shrink wrapping the stays or something - wind with large shrink wrap and heat... not sure if it would attach well enough on the edge i would have to cut.