theGoPedal
100 mW
Hey Guys,
Been a while since my last post but I still lurk almost every day and I'm still building bikes. I'd like to share my latest project:
View attachment 14
The bike is a Sikk fat cruiser - an oversized 3-speed internal fat tire beach cruiser made out of steel. I chose this bike as a donor for a few reasons:
1. I wanted a bike big guys could ride. This bike is designed for guys 5'9" and up and can handle up to a 250lb rider.
2. I loved the idea of a 3-speed fat bike.
3. I really liked the oversize beach cruiser look and I wanted to work on a bike that was less complicated than my full suspension Kona.
Upon receiving the bike, overall I was happy but I did find it was lacking in a few areas. I found that in order to keep the bike affordable, the bike's designers had to cut a few corners on components. The stock tires and brakes were of low quality. I upgraded the tires to Vee Rubber V8s and upgraded the brakes to Avid DB1 hydraulics. Also, the bike has a 1 inch head tube instead of 1.125, which really limits the choice of forks. This is probably a remnant of the bike's beach cruiser heritage, but still too bad. I decided to leave the stock fork on for now. Lastly, the bike came with oversize ape-hanger handlebars which I didn't like, so those were swapped out with 5-inch risers.
All that said, you get a oversize steel frame fat bike, set up with decent rims and a SA 3-speed internal for $500 shipped to your door. Not bad.
View attachment 13
I was very impressed with Kepler’s ideas for making custom battery boxes out of aluminum and plastic. I basically copied his style with a few modifications. The aluminum (0.063 in.) came from a local metal shop and the plastic (0.125 in.) for the sides is standard stock from Grainger. I also purchased a small sheet metal bender to make the bends and a mini table saw to cut the plastic (both from Harbor Freight). The box is large enough for the battery and all the connectors. The wires enter through the bottom and on the front of the box is a panel mount XLR port for charging.
The battery is a pair of 6s 16AH Multistars wired in series for 12s. I added a 60A lipo BMS from Greentime and built a custom harness for it. Connectors are XT-90 anti-spark for the discharge wires and XT-60 for the charge wires.
Installing the Cyclone was fairly straight forward, but did require a few mods. The bottom bracket of the Sikk bike is 120mm, so I had to get some longer bolts and extra spacers to make it fit. I was also concerned that the extra width of the BB would put too much stress on the bolts, so I cut out some tabs out of some scrap to secure the motor to the bolts on the non-drive side for extra support. I used a second hose clamp instead of the large zip-tie to secure the motor to the frame. The hose clamps were also wrapped in heat-shrink so they wouldn't scratch and better blend-in with the rest of the bike. I swapped the 44t inner chainring with a 36t to slow the bike down a bit.
The ride is really enjoyable. The cyclone is a bit louder than my MAC but I'm getting used to it. Plus I've read the gearbox gets quieter as it wears in. The extra volume of the fat tires take a little getting used to on the street but do a good job taking the edge off the bumps in the road. I did limit the speed to 25 mph as I feel this is fast enough for the frame and stock rims. With the 3-speed I can easily climb any hill in my area. Acceleration is quite brisk.
Other parts: Luna Cycle e-brake sensors, Luna Cycle rear LED light, Ebay 10W headlight.
Still to do: The plastic sides of the battery box are easily scratched, so I plan to cover those with some vinyl ‘carbon fiber’ wrap. I want to get a few more accessories like a cell phone bracket and cup holder. Maybe some fenders.
I’d like to figure a way to make the battery box more watertight. Any ideas for that would be greatly appreciated.
I didn’t really plan for it to have a retro motor-bike look, but that’s how it turned out. I think the finished bike is really sharp. Thanks for looking. All feedback is welcome.
More pics:
Been a while since my last post but I still lurk almost every day and I'm still building bikes. I'd like to share my latest project:
View attachment 14
The bike is a Sikk fat cruiser - an oversized 3-speed internal fat tire beach cruiser made out of steel. I chose this bike as a donor for a few reasons:
1. I wanted a bike big guys could ride. This bike is designed for guys 5'9" and up and can handle up to a 250lb rider.
2. I loved the idea of a 3-speed fat bike.
3. I really liked the oversize beach cruiser look and I wanted to work on a bike that was less complicated than my full suspension Kona.
Upon receiving the bike, overall I was happy but I did find it was lacking in a few areas. I found that in order to keep the bike affordable, the bike's designers had to cut a few corners on components. The stock tires and brakes were of low quality. I upgraded the tires to Vee Rubber V8s and upgraded the brakes to Avid DB1 hydraulics. Also, the bike has a 1 inch head tube instead of 1.125, which really limits the choice of forks. This is probably a remnant of the bike's beach cruiser heritage, but still too bad. I decided to leave the stock fork on for now. Lastly, the bike came with oversize ape-hanger handlebars which I didn't like, so those were swapped out with 5-inch risers.
All that said, you get a oversize steel frame fat bike, set up with decent rims and a SA 3-speed internal for $500 shipped to your door. Not bad.
View attachment 13
I was very impressed with Kepler’s ideas for making custom battery boxes out of aluminum and plastic. I basically copied his style with a few modifications. The aluminum (0.063 in.) came from a local metal shop and the plastic (0.125 in.) for the sides is standard stock from Grainger. I also purchased a small sheet metal bender to make the bends and a mini table saw to cut the plastic (both from Harbor Freight). The box is large enough for the battery and all the connectors. The wires enter through the bottom and on the front of the box is a panel mount XLR port for charging.
The battery is a pair of 6s 16AH Multistars wired in series for 12s. I added a 60A lipo BMS from Greentime and built a custom harness for it. Connectors are XT-90 anti-spark for the discharge wires and XT-60 for the charge wires.
Installing the Cyclone was fairly straight forward, but did require a few mods. The bottom bracket of the Sikk bike is 120mm, so I had to get some longer bolts and extra spacers to make it fit. I was also concerned that the extra width of the BB would put too much stress on the bolts, so I cut out some tabs out of some scrap to secure the motor to the bolts on the non-drive side for extra support. I used a second hose clamp instead of the large zip-tie to secure the motor to the frame. The hose clamps were also wrapped in heat-shrink so they wouldn't scratch and better blend-in with the rest of the bike. I swapped the 44t inner chainring with a 36t to slow the bike down a bit.
The ride is really enjoyable. The cyclone is a bit louder than my MAC but I'm getting used to it. Plus I've read the gearbox gets quieter as it wears in. The extra volume of the fat tires take a little getting used to on the street but do a good job taking the edge off the bumps in the road. I did limit the speed to 25 mph as I feel this is fast enough for the frame and stock rims. With the 3-speed I can easily climb any hill in my area. Acceleration is quite brisk.
Other parts: Luna Cycle e-brake sensors, Luna Cycle rear LED light, Ebay 10W headlight.
Still to do: The plastic sides of the battery box are easily scratched, so I plan to cover those with some vinyl ‘carbon fiber’ wrap. I want to get a few more accessories like a cell phone bracket and cup holder. Maybe some fenders.
I’d like to figure a way to make the battery box more watertight. Any ideas for that would be greatly appreciated.
I didn’t really plan for it to have a retro motor-bike look, but that’s how it turned out. I think the finished bike is really sharp. Thanks for looking. All feedback is welcome.
More pics:
,well executed.
