Another Schwinn Chopper build

So far I've picked up a BMI peanut tank, Kalloy seat-post and a saddle and added a left-hand freewheel to the rear wheel and made use of the OEM 44t chainring. A full-coverage OEM rear-fender is in the mail as is a Hayes V9 9" brake rotor for the front.

The rotor is gonna be a bit tricky since the front fork on these things comes down where the rotor needs to be. I'm not gonna be able to simply build a disc-brake wheel to suit my needs like I did with my cruiser, I'm going to have to modify the OEM hub to accommodate a rotor while maintaining clearance with the fork.

 

[RallySTX]

Nice work with the tire and rim. How well fo you rate those OCC rims? My experience is that it's nearly impossible to get a decent one used. They are always damaged, and the spokes are too thin, and weak, for adults like me. I love the width, and the availability of replacements from Choppers.US is apealing, but the general construction is such that several wheel builders I know refuse to use them. They choose to use moped rims instead. How much heavier is the DOT tire compared to the stock one?
Brian L.

 

[Cavi Mike]

The wheel as a whole really is pretty cheap. Though the rim is aluminum, it's a very thin gauge single-wall that's not even welded at the seam, just crimped. I had a coworker weld mine for me. The spokes are 14ga steel, not stainless. The hub is mild-steel so, while cheap and heavy, it's sure stronger than any aluminum hub and I'm OK with it. I wish this was a 48h wheel not a 36h but the reality is that it's going to be just fine for tooling around on pavement at 30mph.

And yes, the real motorbike tire is substantially heavier. Though I don't have a scale, its shipped weight was 10lbs in shrink-wrapped plastic so I'd say that's pretty well accurate. I wanted to go for a real motorbike tire for multiple reasons: Puncture resistance, wear, value but of course the most important factor, appearance. I'm OK with it weighing almost as much as the frame, there's nothing about the Schwinn tire I like.

 

[RallySTX]

Sounds like an honest assesment to me! Thanks man, I think both of us are on the same page there. Unfortunately, I don't have a handy welder dude waiting in the closet, so I'll be leaning toward more substantial stuff for my purposes. I decided the bent one I have was better suited as a Christmas decoration, until the LED string that was on it decided to fail. Happy Holidays.
Brian L.

 

[Cavi Mike]

The cheap stamped-steel triple-trees and the stubby forks were killing me so I picked up some longer forks from http://www.bicycledesigner.com. They are also wider so I don't have to worry about brake disc clearance and an added bonus: Brake caliper mount already there! Nevermind the wheels, they're from other bikes.

I want to keep them full length(42" now, stock 28") but I have a feeling they're going to flex too much for my liking. But they sure look ridiculous, don't they?! I love them.

 

[RallySTX]

They look F'ing Beautiful!! That rake looks just about right too. Now you just gotta set the trail. I have a poster on another forum who said the OCC chopper frames are too thin for serious consideration. I have two, and I'm useing one for short coasting vids now. I just think the wheels are bunk. Those forks are nice looking for sure. I can't figure out how that steer tube is gonna get by without some serious support. Yeah those forks would bow slightly under hard use, but I don't think I would exclude them for that reason. If they had the springers I want in stock, those would be a very nice substitute. Looks like a steel FS bike with downhill geometry, is the way forward on our streets. They are rough roads, and the FS bike would look nicer with springers too, I think. Seems like that's the only way I'm gonna get a decent long range chopper.
Brian L.

 

[Cavi Mike]

The frame isn't finished yet, that's all getting boxed back in once I decide on the amount of rake I want and the length of the forks. That flops around like a wet noodle the way it is right now and I'm sure it's going to completely break apart by the time I get it welded but hopefully not before I figure out how I want it.

 

[RallySTX]

Draw an imaginary line down the long axis of the steer tube to the ground. Draw another vertical line from the axle to the ground. If the axle line is within four to six inches behind the steer tube line, it should hamndle fine. http://rawge.bravepages.com/minichoppers/trail/Rake_Trail.htm
Brian L.

 

[Cavi Mike]

Draw an imaginary line down the long axis of the steer tube to the ground. Draw another vertical line from the axle to the ground. If the axle line is within four to six inches behind the steer tube line, it should hamndle fine. http://rawge.bravepages.com/minichoppers/trail/Rake_Trail.htm
Brian L.

That's good to know. I have a ton of "flop" as it's described. I'm definitely going to address this.

 

[RallySTX]

Side to side flop was what I got when I swapped out the 24 inch front to a 26 inch front wheel. You either need to reduce the wheel size, lower the fork rake, or shorten them. Alternately, a spacer to move the axle out toward the front of the forks would help, but then you would have to move the brake mount too. That's unless you can get a set of custom trees made, with enough angle to allow the trail to line up.
Brian L.

 

[Cavi Mike]

I slid the forks up 8.5" and raised the center of the bike up 2" but that still only got me to 45* and the calculator on that link you gave me is still saying almost 10" trail. I'm not sure what I want to do right now. I wanted a springer front-end originally and that alone would solve all of my problems but I can't find one. If I made one I would be stuck painting it because I don't know any chromers and I'm not sending it out. Wanting to stay chrome is one of the reasons I bought these instead of modifying the OEM forks for disc brakes.

I'm thinking my only option right now is making a new bottom tree unless I can find a springer front-end.