Starting a Skyhawk

So it begins. Acquired a Skyhawk GT frame with the intent of building a semi-legal street bike. Step A is to build a working peddle bike. I've ridden motorcycles and bicycles for a long time and have built bikes from loose parts. That said, I've never even been on one of these small motorized bikes. So, I'm largely working from theory.

In my experience, there are two paths to going faster: Gain power and/or lose weight. So, I'll try to keep the bike part as light as I can without breaking the bank. I did come up with a pair of inexpensive suspension forks. These are takeoffs from a Kona dirt jump bike. The stanchions seem to be a bit bigger than other suspension shocks, which looks good with the big frame tubes. These forks came with a disc brake setup in the bargain. The steering tube on this thing is pretty short, I guess in keeping with the big-boy BMX style of the dirt jumper (never been on one of those, either). But, it works with the supplied open bearing headset if I throw out the decorative bits.

Next up is wheels. I slipped a pair of 700C wheels on just to see what they looked like. They are, of course, too big for the frame. But, it seems to me that one of these things might make a nifty little café racer with a set of 27.5 hoops. Anyway, the rear dropouts were too small for the wheel's axle. Was able to spread the dropout with a tire iron, which was not too reassuring in terms of frame strength.

I'll be back when I have some wheels laced up.
 

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If you are going for a racer look, I might suggest a few things. One, smaller wheels. 27.5 is way too big for a racer. I'm building a cafe style bike in the cruiser category, and I'm running 24" wheels. Two, lower seat height and a longer seat. Ditch the rack, get a long seat and some throw-over bags if you need to carry stuff. Three, straight bars that far forward might be comfortable for you, but if not, I'm running club bars mounted upright. With smaller wheels, you may want a smaller rear sprocket because the smaller wheels will make you go slower. A smaller sprocket will compensate.
 
26" wheels are the right size for his frame. He can always put a larger rear sprocket on.
 
I use a 24 in the rear but it's really hard to find 24 inch disc brake wheels so I have a 26 up front
 
A grown man riding on 24" wheels looks strange to me, but whatever, each to his own.
 
I use a 24 in the rear but it's really hard to find 24 inch disc brake wheels so I have a 26 up front

Good time to learn how to lace and true. I built my wheels myself. Motorcycle drum up front, moped drum in rear, 23" bicycle rims with 11g spokes.
 
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