Bicycles

[FastDoc]

Originally Posted by wheelbender6

Continuing series of bikes I have built and squandered. This Trek was relatively complete when I bought it. I changed most everything except the frame and wheels in preparation for the MS-150. I wish that I had changed the wheels too, because I broke one of them just 2 days before the MS 150. I was doing a lunch ride down Mill Ave in Tempe, AZ when the wheel failed.
-One of the things I loved about this Trek frame was that the rear brake cable was routed within the top tube. The cable entered the top tube aft of the head tube and exited just before the seat tube.
Next week, I'll show you my backup road bike that I used to complete my MS 150 ride.

Lovely 1500. :-)

I have a 1988 1000 with Shimano 600 group and it is one of my favorite bikes. I also prefer the inteal cable routing. Trek makes excellent bikes and the quality of the USA models was outstanding.

[wheelbender6]

E-bike Drive train is stock Shimano Altus, FastDoc.
I will see if I have a pic of the motor side chain setup or I may find a generic one from Currie. You will be surprised how simple it is.

[wheelbender6]

My fixed gear bike. It was left for dead on a canal bank behind my boss' house; so weathered that you couldn't determine the color. He brought it to the office to see if I wanted it for parts.
_First thing I noticed among all the rubble was an intact Campy headset. Good so far. Other components were SunTour sub-racing grade.
_With some rubbing compound, I determined the frame was a Ron Cooper, and I had never heard of him. Internet research told me this was an early 1970s racing frame, made to somebody's individual measurements, usually Reynolds main tubes and Columbus stays.
_I rode it as a fixed gear for a year but decided I needed gears again to battle the desert winds.
_I added a cog set (but no front derailleur) and it became my backup bike.
_After my above mentioned Trek broke a wheel just two days before the MS 150, this 1970's vintage Ron Cooper carried me 150 miles in one weekend.
_My riding ability is very mediocre, but I have enjoyed some really cool bikes.

[wheelbender6]

Here is the drive train FastDoc. It is simple, and motor gear ratio can be changed with the freewheel cog on the motor side. It is a "Left hand Thread" freewheel on the motor side, so You can't use one from a BMX bike as a replacement.
Looking through the back wheel, you can see the motor chain and how it attaches.

[cheesy]

Very nice Ron Cooper, wb6. Nice and clean as a fixed gear, too.

I have a stable of fixed gears myself, but all run 2 and 3 speed fixed gear hubs I built myself.
The Mighty Dunelt, my first 2 speed fixed. The one that started it all.


The Mercier. My first attempt at a 3 speed fixed hub. Died violently during an altercation with a Mitsubishi.


The Mercier morphed into the Phoenix, a 1973 Raleigh Super Course.


And the last one I built, for myself anyway. A 1954 Robin Hood with a fixed 2 speed Bendix.


There have been several single fixed gears in the past but I like the 2 and 3 speed better. Somewhere in my garage is a brand new S3X waiting for a decent frame and some Velocity rims.

[wheelbender6]

Wow. The Robin Hood is really sweet with that front drum brake, Cheesy. I can see that you are an all-weather rider by looking at your bikes. I finally began to add fenders after I moved to TX.

[FastDoc]

Originally Posted by wheelbender6

My fixed gear bike. It was left for dead on a canal bank behind my boss' house; so weathered that you couldn't determine the color. He brought it to the office to see if I wanted it for parts.
_First thing I noticed among all the rubble was an intact Campy headset. Good so far. Other components were SunTour sub-racing grade.
_With some rubbing compound, I determined the frame was a Ron Cooper, and I had never heard of him. Internet research told me this was an early 1970s racing frame, made to somebody's individual measurements, usually Reynolds main tubes and Columbus stays.
_I rode it as a fixed gear for a year but decided I needed gears again to battle the desert winds.
_I added a cog set (but no front derailleur) and it became my backup bike.
_After my above mentioned Trek broke a wheel just two days before the MS 150, this 1970's vintage Ron Cooper carried me 150 miles in one weekend.
_My riding ability is very mediocre, but I have enjoyed some really cool bikes.

A handmade high end lugged steel Campy equipped custom abandoned and dropped in your lap! That has not happened to me yet, that's for sure!

I've not been interested in the fixie thing; I live in a hilly and occasionally windy area and I'm no superman, I need gears. The more the better. Also I don't want to risk my increasingly elderly knees. Unrelated but I also have not been interested in fat bikes, but if I lived where it snowed I might want to at least borrow or rent one to give it a try.

With that said that's a great looking bike, clean lines. How well does it fit you?

150 miles in a weekend is a lot. I bet your riding ability is better than you're giving yourself credit for ;-)

[FastDoc]

Originally Posted by wheelbender6

Here is the drive train FastDoc. It is simple, and motor gear ratio can be changed with the freewheel cog on the motor side. It is a "Left hand Thread" freewheel on the motor side, so You can't use one from a BMX bike as a replacement.
Looking through the back wheel, you can see the motor chain and how it attaches.

Thanks for the pic.

Now I get it.

Very clever simple clean installation, I like it. Can it be disengaged to pedal? Or does the freewheel take care of that?

[FastDoc]

Originally Posted by cheesy

Very nice Ron Cooper, wb6. Nice and clean as a fixed gear, too.

I have a stable of fixed gears myself, but all run 2 and 3 speed fixed gear hubs I built myself.
The Mighty Dunelt, my first 2 speed fixed. The one that started it all.


The Mercier. My first attempt at a 3 speed fixed hub. Died violently during an altercation with a Mitsubishi.


The Mercier morphed into the Phoenix, a 1973 Raleigh Super Course.


And the last one I built, for myself anyway. A 1954 Robin Hood with a fixed 2 speed Bendix.


There have been several single fixed gears in the past but I like the 2 and 3 speed better. Somewhere in my garage is a brand new S3X waiting for a decent frame and some Velocity rims.

Cheesy you really have a lot of talent. I also respect yu are out there in less than perfect weather. Good on you!

So sorry to hear about the crash. Vintage bicycles make poor hood ornaments. :-(

[FastDoc]

I had read that internal gearing is less efficent than deraileurs. Can you notice a difference?

My bike with the fewest gears is my 12 speed Trek 1000. It's all up from there. 14, 21, 22, and 24. I need them all!

[cheesy]

Originally Posted by FastDoc

I had read that internal gearing is less efficent than deraileurs. Can you notice a difference?

My bike with the fewest gears is my 12 speed Trek 1000. It's all up from there. 14, 21, 22, and 24. I need them all!

Depends, Doc. A worn in SA 3 speed will be more efficient than a derailleur set up. A new hub, not so much. Also depends on the hub make itself. My Sram 7 felt like I was riding with a dragging brake before I washed out the factory grease and converted it to oil bath. Much better, but still a slug compared to my Shimano Alfine 8. Weight is the biggest downside to IGH when compared to derailleurs. The hub is rotating weight but at least it's at the axle.

Most everything in my stable is internal gear. 2, 3, 7, 8 speed, along with a few SA 3 speeds with double and triple cogs and derailleurs. I even have an NOS Shimano 2 speed hub looking for a project. Just three bikes are derailleur only set ups and the newest is from 1991.

If I was made of money, I'd consider a Rohloff 14 IGH, but like I said...

Bikes do make lousy hood ornaments, so do motorcycles. I think we both may have been racked up around the same time.

[cheesy]

Originally Posted by wheelbender6

Wow. The Robin Hood is really sweet with that front drum brake, Cheesy. I can see that you are an all-weather rider by looking at your bikes. I finally began to add fenders after I moved to TX.

Thanks.

I used to commute year round and wouldn't take the car to work unless the temp dropped below 5F. Now, due to three knee surgeries and arthritis, and the unpleasantness with the Mitsubishi, not so much. Has to be a really nice day. As far as the fenders go, I really dislike the reverse skunk stripe.

[wheelbender6]

Another bike I squandered. This is the first bike that I built just for fun, and I wasn't concerned about weight and performance. I bought this Specialized Globe frame for cheap, because the seat post was VERY stuck. After solving that, I had an Arai drum brake laced to the front and a Shimano Nexus Roller (drum) laced to the rear.
-I really enjoyed this bike but the frame was too small for me. I bought the blue Mongoose cruiser frame posted above and transferred all the parts to it.

[wheelbender6]

"There have been several single fixed gears in the past but I like the 2 and 3 speed better. Somewhere in my garage is a brand new S3X waiting for a decent frame and some Velocity rims".
-I think I would have enjoyed riding the newer fixed gear hubs with three speeds. I just had to unload most of my bikes due to space restrictions.

[wheelbender6]

"Very clever simple clean installation, I like it. Can it be disengaged (motor) to pedal? Or does the freewheel take care of that"?
-The freewheel sprocket on the motor side allows you to pedal without motor drag. However, you feel the weight of the motor and heavy lead acid batteries while pedaling.