| Author | Message | ||
     Mnrider |
I need to get me one of those flask holders. Some of my buddies have fat tire Surly's,I just put bigger tires on my GF 29er for winter. | ||
| Lemonchili_x1 |
I've finally started getting a little more serious about mountain biking, and it's starting to get addictive... I finally went and rode some singletrack trails about 20 minutes from home and have gone back the last three weekends for more, plus at least one quick local ride before work during the week. It's fun and I'm feeling a bit healthier, and did I say it's addictive???The old Mongoose has received a little TLC, the semi-slicks changed for something more suitable and a new air shock. What I want now is more suspension travel... and knee pads might be a good idea too  If I stick with riding on a regular basis I'd like to buy something more modern (you know, something with disc brakes would be good!) I haven't ridden a 29er, but sitting on them they feel huge. A 26 dual suspension that is good both climbing and descending technical stuff is what I'd like, but new bikes are a fair chunk of $$$ for *another* hobby... I'm keeping my eye on ebay for the moment for things like Giant Trance, Norco Range, Spec Camber, Merida One-Twenty etc. Any suggestions on trail/AM bikes to look for? | ||
| Ourdee |
 I made this bike in 1981 while in England. It is a 4 speed front wheel drive. Both wheels steer. I can make a u-turn on a standard sidewalk. It can also be crabwalked. It's shod with downhill racing slicks. Named Reaper, it's a hoot on hot black seal coated parking lots. At one time it had two 28cc two smoke engines on the back with 24" 10 pitch zinger props, running on nitromethanol, propanol, and 50-1 oil. Back to pedal power only for now. | ||
| Danger_dave |
Nice. A few of the local kids have unicycles. That looks like hard yards. | ||
| Mr_grumpy |
That seat is stolen off a "Raleigh Chopper" unless I'm much mistaken. | ||
| Ourdee |
It was in the bike shop when I was picking up a pair of matching forks. It was a Raleigh chopper seat. | ||
| Notpurples2 |
The two wheel steering reminded me of this: Kinda neat. If I lived in a city I'd want a foldable version of it. Most foldable bikes are heavy and UGLY. | ||
| Mnrider |
 This bike caused me a few broken bones! | ||
| Toona |
 My December 1966 Schwinn Stingray, original coppertone paint. My homemade wheelie bar, the Wham-o wheelie bars are crazy priced!  My November 1964 Lime Schwinn Stingray. It has the wrong seat and sissy bar installed, but still cool! The front tire wouldn't hold air, so I replaced the inner tube. It was the original October 1964 tube and had 12 patches on it! | ||
| Danger_dave |
Nice veterans. the Wheelie bars rock. Are you on www.ratrodbikes.com Mr Toona? | ||
| Lemonchili_x1 |
Ourdee - that looks like a lotta fun to ride  It doesn't surprise me that Toona has something with wheelie bars My first bicycle was a hand me down dragster from my sister, I think it was a Malvern Star. What I really wanted was a Mongoose or a PK Ripper like Rick showed above, so the dragster got bmx bars etc. Funny how the dragster seem so cool to me now. | ||
| 86129squids |
http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2012/10/15/162 949884/for-about-20-cardboard-bicycle-could-change -the-world-inventor-says | ||
| Lemonchili_x1 |
I got new wheels   It's a 2010 Polygon Collosus AX 3.0. Made in Indonesia, I believe Polygon make frames and bikes for some of the larger manufacturers though not sure which ones. This was a 2010 run out model, a real bargain considering the spec | ||
| Bandm |
     Here's the cooler hauler I put together a few weeks ago, 1973 Schwinn Town & Country. | ||
| Mnrider |
Very Nice ride chile. Hollow crank with the outboard bearing is a great setup. Takes some time to get the suspension set up right with the rebound and air pressure. (Message edited by mnrider on October 28, 2012) | ||
| Ourdee |
  This was a rough sketch and the result, a low-racer for HPRA, I built and raced in the stock class at the Major Tailor Velo-drome. It was built with roller brakes so that it wouldn't fill a streamliner body with smoke trying to stop, but I never raced it as a streamliner. The seat is seat is 3 layers of carbon fiber sandwiched with 2 layers of .250" honey comb, weighing 7 ounces. The clear wheel discs are made from window film. Named "AlleyCat" It's picture appeared in the Chicago Times sports section.  I only had $100 dollars in the building of "Holy Roller". A compact low-racer also raced in the HPRA stock class. I got in a race with a guy on the Monon Trail in Indianapolis one Saturday morning. It hit 41.9 mph in a sprint. I weighed 230 pounds at the time. Decal on the other side of the boom said," will race for food".  I learned a lot in building this copy of an 1879 open head Excelsior Duplex. To make the 51" wheel I had to first make a machine to bend the rim. The machine was hand cranked. Had to make another machine to tension and 1/8" wire in the rubber tire so it could be silver soldiered. Worked from pictures That I found. My wheel made a few laps of the Indy 500 track. | ||
| Lemonchili_x1 |
"Takes some time to get the suspension set up right with the rebound and air pressure. " I will I've only done a couple of rides on it so far, I should be able to get out and do some proper single-track this weekend, really looking forward to it. That big front end just creams stuff that I had to ride around before  The rear shock is leaking a little out of the propedal lever and the propedal doesn't seem to have much, if any effect, but I've heard both aren't unusual for this model. That Schwinn 3-wheeler is schweeeeeet! Ourdee - what haven't you built??? Nice work! | ||
| Ourdee |
I have drawings of a few that haven't been done. One is the "Record Reaper", a 75' long record breaking attempt for Guiness, drawn in 1981. I keep dreaming of doing an electric for the 40 mile round trip to work. Needs 45 mph+, 45 mile range, @ less than 20 degrees f. | ||
| 86129squids |
Found out last week that I'm going to be called in to work at a GREAT local restaurant... I'll be BIKING to work, instead of a 40 mile roundtrip! Now I gotta find a good commuter setup on a mountain/hybrid bike- all I have now is my old Cannondale criterium racer! Keep the posts coming! Ourdee, dang, but you've got some neat builds! I spotted a really cool story on Kneeslider.com today, right up your alley- some Romanelli fellow building crazy stuff- go check it out! | ||
| Ourdee |
Wally world is selling a junk fixie that may be just the ticket at a hundred bones. I have one. Noah calls it the McDonalds bike. Rear flip flop hub. | ||
| Lemonchili_x1 |
Shock is leaking oil a little and needs repair/replacement under warranty, but man this thing is good fun   | ||
| Ourdee |
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| 86129squids |
The local Habitat ReStore has a Klein Mantra Comp up for silent auction... bidding ends on Wednesday at 2pm. When I last looked at the bid sheet (last Wednesday), high bid was only $250! I'm sure it will go up from there- other than looking it up on ebay (done), who's got an opinion on this baby? Dang thing is clean as a whistle! | ||
| Cityxslicker |
These guys just came out with an electric version of their 'bike' http://derringercycles.com/ still think I prefer the Juicer 48; but this one is a nice hit too. | ||
| 86129squids |
Just called ReStore to check on the high bid so far on that Klein- it's only at $300 as of today! I'll be there tomorrow at 2:50, chicken-hawking that bid book! Hopefully I can pop it at $350, might go to $400... Been a while since I've had "buyin' a bike" fever... | ||
| Tankhead |
I had a Klien Mantra for about a year and a half. Sold it and then built up a Specialized FSR xc. Had that for a year but the frame was welded not true to center. Replaced under warranty and sold it. The klien was stiff laterally but because of the design would jack up under hard braking and also would pogo quite a bit. Changed the shock to a cane creek rear shock but still did not change the action enough for me. Good Luck. | ||
| 86129squids |
Thanks Tank- I've been studying the reviews I can find, seems overall, that folks like the bike. I can understand the design shortcomings, but I doubt I'll be doing any hardcore serious trails on it. My gut, age and ambition will be served better just to ride this to work, on the greenway, and some less technical trails out at Ijam's Nature Center. I used to do those hard trails on a non-suspension bike, had a blast, but that was 13 years ago... | ||
| 86129squids |
Woohoo! Got the Klein in my living room now! Bids went up of course, but I ended up paying about $480 for it! There were 2 other guys bidding against me, but one I knew from my MC sales days, once sold him a bike- he relented once he saw how much I wanted it... Now, if we just had a pretty day outside instead of this crummy, drizzly, overcast and cold day... may go ride a bit anyway!  | ||
| Mnrider |
 Heres my Klein Reve I rode the MS 150 from Duluth to ST Paul with this year. In a way Klein is the Buell of bicycles,made in WS with lots of inovation then bought by a bigger company and discontinued.Known for beautiful welds and paint jobs. | ||
| 86129squids |
Oh wow. Beautiful bike! I want your wheelsets BAD. My old Cannondale criterium roadbike still takes sew-ups... the dang thing is fast as hell, but if I get a flat, I'm screwed. Been wanting to switch to clinchers, but then I'd need everydangthing el$e. Heck, I gotta get over my Homer Simpsonesque gut before all that. Mebbe I can trade the Klein for a recumbent.  |
