all year round mb?fat tire?

[Zackiriyah]

My goodness, those are some beautiful bikes that KCVale posted, aren't they?

I'm a little reluctant to spend a bunch of money on a bike. But bikes like that make it tempting. Maybe one day.

I agree.kc sure knows how to work his magic

 

[2old2learn]

KC's doing some very impressive work and at the same time providing many of us timely, accurate, and insightful information. We are fortunate to have resources like him in our group and we need to encourage people to support him. No such thing as a free lunch!

Wayne

 

[KCvale]

Ahh shucks guys, you make me blush...
Thanks for the kudos

Phoenix just happens to a be good place to build and sell quality MB's is all.
I just worked myself with different things to become an alternative quality build source in a town littered with $200 2-stroke unsafe trash bikes.

When the purse strings are not the main factor for someone, it is all about what is best for them.

After so many different builds, this is my favorite part now guys...
Build each customer 'the bike' for them on a custom basis with what will actually work on the bike and fit them.

Bike Fit is the #1 thing for me.
I have had customers from a 100# 4'8 woman to a 350# 6'6 man.
If they can't ride the bike comfortably and safely before it has power, it won't get better with power, quite the contrary actually.

Anyway...
I just ask a couple of crucial questions on my e-mail contact form to get the ball rolling.

Balloon tires are popular again here in America, but present a problem to motorize.
Actually not a problem, just another opportunity for innovation.

Right up my alley as it where ;-}

 

[butterbean]

KC's doing some very impressive work and at the same time providing many of us timely, accurate, and insightful information. We are fortunate to have resources like him in our group and we need to encourage people to support him. No such thing as a free lunch!

Wayne

It sounds like what you are saying is that because someone chooses to spend their time contributing to our hobby, it's every enthusiasts job to support him (by buying his bikes/parts?). While I appreciate the work he does, it doesn't make it my responsibility to support his choice of how he spends his time, and he does just fine without me. I don't think anyone else can build whatever kind of bikes they pretty much want to and sell them for a living. Sure, there are other guys who build a few bikes here and there, but kc is the only one I've seen literally go to a bike shop, pick out whatever bike HE wants to build, build it how HE wants to, and sell it for what HE wants to. Nobody else in our hobby can do that consistently. And like I said, I respect what he does. But I also feel like we can either continue being cheerleaders, or we can take off our tutu's and get in the game. I don't mean get in the game as far as selling bikes, I just mean take an example and improve the quality of our own builds. I started out barely knowing anything about mechanics, it took me about 6 months to get my first kit bike on the road and keep it on the road. That was 6 years ago. Now I've worked my way up to full custom. I'm building a non-kit bike from the bare frame up, including building my own wheels. And this isn't a bike that will be sold, it's just for me. In fact this bike I'm building is my dream bike, American frame, hydraulic forks, custom wheels, 4 stroke engine. My point is that there are too few people building at a high level when it comes to personal builds, and I'm trying to be one of those people. Building a high quality bike is not rocket science or black magic. It just takes a little learning and patience to do it right. Yes, kc is a highly skilled and qualified builder. But we all could be if we tried harder.

 

[2old2learn]

Nothing wrong with walking your own path. For those who prefer to purchase rather than innovate and build, they should check out a builder like KC and see if he has something they'd like. If you came to me wanting a custom hotrod, I'd have you call Chip Foose.

 

[butterbean]

Truly great bikes are built, not bought.

 

[KCvale]

...Now I've worked my way up to full custom.
I'm building a non-kit bike from the bare frame up, including building my own wheels.
And this isn't a bike that will be sold, it's just for me.
In fact this bike I'm building is my dream bike.

Outstanding!
Especially building your own wheels...
That is one thing I simply don't have the patience and skill to do right, don't really care to learn, and wouldn't like doing kind of like under sink plumbing these days.

'Dream Builds' for me have almost always been worth the money to me.
My problem is the dream keeps changing ;-}

Yes, KC is a highly skilled and qualified builder.
But we all could be if we tried harder.

Forums like this make everyone a better builder, they have sure helped me, I return the favor when I can.

A competent shop helper is how I manage.
Some things simply need 2 people to do right the first time in short order anyway, but even then we don't build and release a bike in one day.

I always laugh at the MB kit promos of '2 hours and simple hand tools and your are done!'.
Pffttt.
We typically spend that much time just on the handlebars, brakes and cable matching.

Pull cables are a mystery to many, and like with me spoking a wheel, don't want to know how or do it.

Understandable, but to me handlebar layout and cable/wire management are the 2 easiest ways to bring home both a comfortable and safe rider experience, and either make or break a bikes visual appeal.

The only pull cable you can't easily cut to fit is the throttle cable, it has nubs on each end.
*yes there are ways to make your own nubs and custom cables but usually not needed for a nice clean look.

I run the throttle cable best I can for a minimal protrusion in the front, then length match everything else to it.
You really need a good cable cutter to make this easy, I paid like $45 for mine and after hundreds of cuts it still does the job.

It's hard to explain in words how to size a cable and I don't have pics, but what you are sizing is the outer housing.
This is what allows a pull cable to maintain a solid connection between cable ends.

I put the handlebar lever on, run the cable where and how I want it to go, then mark where the excess cable is at the brake/shifter/etc.
Then pull the sheath away from the lever a good 5" with the inner cable still attached and cut your marked end off, inner cable and sheath together.

You may need to nip the end, or maybe use a stick pin for a clean round end of the sheath, but then just push the inner cable back in where it belongs, put and end cap on and you have a perfectly sized cable.

CAUTION!
The inner cable needs to protrude past the end of the cable sheath to attach!
If you cut both cables in place you won't have anything to connect, that is why you slide the sheath down from the lever, to leave you the extra out the end.

That is just one thing to up your game.
Ignition wiring is another.
Handle those two things right and it don't look like a bike with kit slammed on it, it looks and functions like it was to be there.

Like ButterBean said, it's not rocket science, it is just taking the time to detail for the big picture as you go.
Time consuming yes, worth it?
Well, all I can say is it's worth it to me to do the best I can every time.

 

[butterbean]

I bought a mini cable knarp from treatland, so I can use any throttle cable I want. I wanted orange cable sheathing to match my gas tank (tank is plastic and even if I could paint it a different color, I wouldn't, not because I'm a huge fan of orange but because it's transparent and I can see the fuel level inside the tank). So I got this mini cable knarp and 10ft of sheathing from pork chop bmx. The orange of the cable sheath isn't an exact match to the tank, but it's close enough I'm not that worried about it. Anyway, with the mini cable knarp, I can cut the large nub off just about any cable and use it as a throttle cable.

 

[butre]

I don't bother with cable cutters, I just use a rotary cutter, usually my angle grinder. then I use a drill bit to clean out any plastic that melted on the inside. I also dip the ends of my cables in melted HDPE, the stuff is very slick and makes it very easy to get them through the cables, plus it does a pretty good job at keeping them from fraying.

 

[fattirejack]

I have been riding my fat tire Beast since early spring. Around 1500 miles on it now, rear tire is ready for replacement. KC is right about the sunchaser being a better chose of frames, I heavily modified my Mongoose Beast frame. It sure is a joy to ride, which makes it well worth it to me.... ENJOY