GreasyChris
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This is @Spare_Parts huffy cranbrook. It's badass it does well over 60mph now with the minarelli hybrid engine.
Affordable speed?
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Colonel__Klink
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That was my plan! For 20mph rides the initial bike will do ok for a while and I'll slowly tack on the new front fork, a front disk brake. I'm hoping to get 2.3 inch wide tires on it as well, I don't think I can go much wider than that sadly though
.Colonel__Klink
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The 2.20 wide tires aren't bad either,,, of course the 2.35 and 2.40 boots are a step up when it comes to ride quality on the ruff stuff...
Ive been steering our group of riders too keep there eyes open of HT,,, low frame,,, front suspension bikes with steel frames...
$200 ish range,,, so long as we can get those wider tires to fit between the forks and rear rails
Shes slim pickings up here in the North...
Don
When I was looking at getting the perfect bike I discovered that finding a bike that has all the check boxes straight out of the gate is a pretty tall order to ask for. So what I'm looking for at the moment is something with a frame that will fit the engine and looks fairly comfy. Then I can add a suspension fork that supports disk brakes up front later. I had originally considered a mountain bike and using a jackshaft kit to use it's native gears but the pricing and build difficulty might just be out of the range of a complete novice like me (I'm still making sure I understand what I'm doing before I actually order the parts for my first bike. I don't have much $ and this is going to be a commuter bike I'm building.)
The $150 bike I have in mind I originally was excited about but now i'm worried that the bottom may be TOO wide and that I have to make some sort of a mounting plate for the 49cc 2 stroke I want out of a scrap diamond plate I got lying about.... (do you folks think the engine will fit without complications?)
I really like the look of the bike though. The color is even nice (too bad the mountain bike tires I want for it won't be red lol.) And yeah I'll be using the coaster brake for a while if this one works out. Probably good for learning how to handle the bike initially as it seems to be a more intuitive motion pedal backwards if I really need to stop while holding the clutch.
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CrazyDan
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That huffy nel lusso is one of the exceptions to the huffy frames being ok, that one seems to like to break on the seatstays where the rear rack is welded in.
Colonel__Klink
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Thanks for telling me that, I honestly was about to buy it this morning. Unfortunately that means my search for a good base is still on
.
CrazyDan
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I've been using an older huffy cranbrook frame for about 4 years and never had any issues with the frame itself. The newer ones have a bend in the seat tube, but I've seen builds with the newer style as well. The wheels are no good and you will also need front and rear brakes (the front brakes does around 90% of of your stopping power).Thanks for telling me that, I honestly was about to buy it this morning. Unfortunately that means my search for a good base is still on
Colonel__Klink
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I saw those on Amazon but I realized that they were way too big for my little bike! lol
I take it the problem with the wheels is that the spokes aren't durable enough to be trusted not to break from the sprocket assembly? My current plan is to buy a sprocket adapter and therefore transfer most of the strain to the wheel hub. At least thats what they are purported to do! Lol
I went out looking for something that didn't have the weakening welds on the back of the frame behind the seat and had a steel frame. Also looked for something with front and rear pad breaks. That way I keep two sets of brakes. This is what I came up with.
I was surprised how easy of a ride it is as just a bike bc my small fold up electric bike is a pain to pedal! Lol.
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Colonel__Klink
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I was just kidding about that big 4 stroker,,, unless we find a heavy duty framed bike,,, or get a custom unit built...
I'm planning on throwing it into a low rider trike since it can handle 300+++ lbs deffinaly a few mods
A reinforced main frame beam...
China built dirt bike wheel's,,, alot stronger then mountain and bmx sets,,, and heavier...
Fat tire forks/Wheel up front to suck up the bumps and grinds...
Thick Pit bike disks brakes
Just me that is...
I like the idea of beefed up,,, stronger this and that incase one of these heavier units takes a hit...
Would the unit suck it up,,, or would I have to reinforce it later on,,, """for me that is"""...
the bike/ trike that is going to pound across stuff before it gets damaged...
No one said we can't take any frame of our choosing and have extra supports welded onto them... I dosen't cost that much too beef up a bike frame...
2 to 5 lbs of extra weight might be worth it in the long haul,,, same for the better forks and stronger wheels...
Do we trust what we have factory,,, or push the limits a bit when it comes too a bit more solid/ or stronger platforms...
I would think that there are a few light weight bikes out there that can rock along pretty fast,,, would we trust them today or later on,,, or would we like to step up the game plan before hand...
What is this hit thing,,, is it the curve drop off,,, all those broken tar and cement edges on the roads,,, wash board,,, pot holes,,, the off road stuff,,, and other unforeseen things that our bikes pound threw """day in and day out."""
Maybe there is no right or wrong answers...
Only what we think for our selves I guess
Don't break that bike Don... LOL
It's the unforseen that's the real issue for sure! It's great to build a bike for one of those gorgeous streets you see in photos of tokyo but that's not reality for most of us. Our roads are scarred, rough and full of holes. I really have learned that more than most. The bike I'm building is a replacement for a folding e bike with 14 (yes 14!) inch tiny wheels. When your rolling along at 20mph (or possibly more due to a steep hill...) on wheels like that you learn every little pit pot and hole on the side of the road lol. There's a good deal of weaving involved in my commute as I *DO NOT* want to replace this thing's tires again! lol.
The wheels on the thing are reinforced to hell tho. No 12 guage spokes, no the whole wheel is just cast with 4 rods connecting the hub. So the wheels themselves have held up to a few jarring mistakes. But you really do feel every bump in the road on that thing....
I aggree with you, I want a fat tire on my front end at least. I gotta investigate how many lbs I'll be adding though as I do have to carry my bike up 3 flights of stairs....
GreasyChris
Well-Known Member
The problem with the wheels is the hubs and bearings are garbage and the rims aren't the strongest. The wheels are the most important part of any build in my opinion, they are what's keeping you off the road. I'd reccomend double wall rims and quality sealed bearing hubs. Lots of guys have had good luck with the mag wheels. Some guys hate them. I didn't really have any complaints with the set I used to run
FurryOnTheInside
In Memoriam
I dont know what bmx spokes are. The best spokes are still the best spokes, and imho they are narrower than a lot of people on the Internet seem to believe.
The strongest wheels in impact are still the strongest wheels, and it isnt all about beefing up a random part here and there. "Beefing up" is brutish, and brutish things don't ofyen help on bicycles which are carefully thought out and balanced systems; but brutish things can easily make the situation worse especially with wheels, and this brutish bmx/ moped/ thick spoke thing.
Choose the wheels right for you, presumably the strongest ones made under a certain $ price point and weight, and presumably a little older so you can afford more.
Don't be tempted by brutish things. It isnt all about heft.
Do keep in mind the precision with which things like specific choices were made and that there are many choices made by real mechanics, engineers and designers, which were well reasoned.
You dont have to have all of the figures and be an expert.
Just know that big box store chinabikes were not specced scientifically but for a quick profit. Some supposed design choices were marketing fads, some were eye candy and some almost an actual scam.
Spokes (which in an engineering mind and setting would be more correctly called suspenders) are matched and balanced to whatever they are suspending and what they are suspended from!
You don't need to know anything of the specific figures to know that's a general principle.
With bicycle wheels all things need to be balanced.
No good reinforcing one component above the others, out of balance with the others.
You have to build a suspension bridge. So understand about as much as you can (just practically, not going to college lol) of how that works in principle.
You don't have to have everything quantified, just understand the principles.
Like in human flight... Someone already made very good bicycle wheels for the various cycling disciplines and those standards and principles have not changed much! Materials have improved; but the design principles and what we are trying to achieve is still the same thing.
The decent wheelsets that are out there already and can be seen on strong-and-yet-sensible bikes are still the sensible and sane examples, and dont need to be changed radically.
Any changes you do make should be for a reason, and should have been made in consideration of other changes that it would need to remain in balance with, and would compliment the first change you made.
Suspension bridges again..
You cannot make it stronger by doubling the cross section of one single part, like only the thickness of its suspenders. Thwt would obviously violate the design principles. I do not know what numbers to look for in tensile strength or cross-sectional area of bridge suspenders. I do know that the designer knew!
I do know that the suspenders must be elastic (springy) enough and pre-tensioned into their range of useful elasticity so that they will never come loose during any impact and hammer at their points of attachment on use as intended.
They will always stay completely somewhat snug and in constant contact, just like my carefully-thought-out sprung chain tensioner you've seen.
The principle is that of the constant and consistent support by keeping things in proportion.
No bouncing and jiggling that actually turns into jittery hammering impacts.. unless I got it wrong!
The bicycle wheel (or the unfurled bicycle wheel bridge?!) can put-up with a heck-of-a-lot of strain considering its very low weight and very sparse "frugal!" construction, by keeping all its parts in proportion, in balance.
Stress is kept low, unavoidable stress is kept to an acceptable level by not overdoing any one thing or taking it out of balance with the rest of the system.
Do not be tempted to be a brute; do take care to not overspec any single component in way that it no longer matches up with the components at either end of it.
Allow it to do its job.. or Let it play the way it wants to with neighborhood kids of a similar size and ability.
Metaphorically speaking. 
A bicycle rim, whether its the type marketed as very lightweight, or made to appeal as massively strong for hard-core bmx street raiders ☠, cannot and does not
support the tension that would be required to correctly stretch a set of motorcycle spokes (or bridge suspenders, either!!) into their proper range of acceptable elasticity that keeps them in tension and in constant contact at both ends.
Failing to be correctly stretched & lengthened, would allow no room for the slight deformation of the rim to be absorbed by the spokes shortening again, and the spokes would not absorb that deformation at every impact of the road, nwhich could perhaps be every rotation with an extremely heavy load (you mentioned 300+++ lbs?!)
That ability to shorten when the rim is unavoidably flattened at the bottom is all the spokes have for keeping the wheel strong.
Lots of spoke tension that holds the alloy of the rim under compression, so it always stays somewhat arched between each spoke, and not flat, and the shortening that keeps the spokes in tension all over the wheel, 100% of the time even when the arch is unavoidably flatter at the bottom than youd really prefer.
You dont need the specific figures to know just that much and I try to avoid figures here, meaning that I dont know and they aren't the principles (and I could easily post incorrect information which is no help). Figures can come into it later. There is a specific % of the over all length that the stainless spokes will be stretched during the build so that they can absorb in use and stay tight, stopping any hammering from occuring. The actual % numerically depends on metallurgical properties of the spokes)))
How's your local public library? Any chance of taking a look at Jobst Brandt , "The Bicycle Wheel"?
Keep looking for really decent used wheelsets!
meanwhile I really want to get my head x-rayed more frequently! ☢
I feel like I never get enough data points to build a useful picture. More data is a good thing. It gives some opportunity for intelligent and useful interpretation. Obviously it doesn't guarantee that. Just affords more opportunity.
The strongest wheels in impact are still the strongest wheels, and it isnt all about beefing up a random part here and there. "Beefing up" is brutish, and brutish things don't ofyen help on bicycles which are carefully thought out and balanced systems; but brutish things can easily make the situation worse especially with wheels, and this brutish bmx/ moped/ thick spoke thing.
Choose the wheels right for you, presumably the strongest ones made under a certain $ price point and weight, and presumably a little older so you can afford more.
Don't be tempted by brutish things. It isnt all about heft.
Do keep in mind the precision with which things like specific choices were made and that there are many choices made by real mechanics, engineers and designers, which were well reasoned.
You dont have to have all of the figures and be an expert.
Just know that big box store chinabikes were not specced scientifically but for a quick profit. Some supposed design choices were marketing fads, some were eye candy and some almost an actual scam.
Spokes (which in an engineering mind and setting would be more correctly called suspenders) are matched and balanced to whatever they are suspending and what they are suspended from!
You don't need to know anything of the specific figures to know that's a general principle.
With bicycle wheels all things need to be balanced.
No good reinforcing one component above the others, out of balance with the others.
You have to build a suspension bridge. So understand about as much as you can (just practically, not going to college lol) of how that works in principle.
You don't have to have everything quantified, just understand the principles.
Like in human flight... Someone already made very good bicycle wheels for the various cycling disciplines and those standards and principles have not changed much! Materials have improved; but the design principles and what we are trying to achieve is still the same thing.
The decent wheelsets that are out there already and can be seen on strong-and-yet-sensible bikes are still the sensible and sane examples, and dont need to be changed radically.
Any changes you do make should be for a reason, and should have been made in consideration of other changes that it would need to remain in balance with, and would compliment the first change you made.
Suspension bridges again..
You cannot make it stronger by doubling the cross section of one single part, like only the thickness of its suspenders. Thwt would obviously violate the design principles. I do not know what numbers to look for in tensile strength or cross-sectional area of bridge suspenders. I do know that the designer knew!
I do know that the suspenders must be elastic (springy) enough and pre-tensioned into their range of useful elasticity so that they will never come loose during any impact and hammer at their points of attachment on use as intended.
They will always stay completely somewhat snug and in constant contact, just like my carefully-thought-out sprung chain tensioner you've seen.
The principle is that of the constant and consistent support by keeping things in proportion.
No bouncing and jiggling that actually turns into jittery hammering impacts.. unless I got it wrong!
The bicycle wheel (or the unfurled bicycle wheel bridge?!) can put-up with a heck-of-a-lot of strain considering its very low weight and very sparse "frugal!" construction, by keeping all its parts in proportion, in balance.
Stress is kept low, unavoidable stress is kept to an acceptable level by not overdoing any one thing or taking it out of balance with the rest of the system.
Do not be tempted to be a brute; do take care to not overspec any single component in way that it no longer matches up with the components at either end of it.
Allow it to do its job.. or Let it play the way it wants to with neighborhood kids of a similar size and ability.
Metaphorically speaking. A bicycle rim, whether its the type marketed as very lightweight, or made to appeal as massively strong for hard-core bmx street raiders ☠, cannot and does not
support the tension that would be required to correctly stretch a set of motorcycle spokes (or bridge suspenders, either!!) into their proper range of acceptable elasticity that keeps them in tension and in constant contact at both ends.Failing to be correctly stretched & lengthened, would allow no room for the slight deformation of the rim to be absorbed by the spokes shortening again, and the spokes would not absorb that deformation at every impact of the road, nwhich could perhaps be every rotation with an extremely heavy load (you mentioned 300+++ lbs?!)
That ability to shorten when the rim is unavoidably flattened at the bottom is all the spokes have for keeping the wheel strong.
Lots of spoke tension that holds the alloy of the rim under compression, so it always stays somewhat arched between each spoke, and not flat, and the shortening that keeps the spokes in tension all over the wheel, 100% of the time even when the arch is unavoidably flatter at the bottom than youd really prefer.
You dont need the specific figures to know just that much and I try to avoid figures here, meaning that I dont know and they aren't the principles (and I could easily post incorrect information which is no help). Figures can come into it later. There is a specific % of the over all length that the stainless spokes will be stretched during the build so that they can absorb in use and stay tight, stopping any hammering from occuring. The actual % numerically depends on metallurgical properties of the spokes)))
How's your local public library? Any chance of taking a look at Jobst Brandt , "The Bicycle Wheel"?
Keep looking for really decent used wheelsets!
meanwhile I really want to get my head x-rayed more frequently! ☢
I feel like I never get enough data points to build a useful picture. More data is a good thing. It gives some opportunity for intelligent and useful interpretation. Obviously it doesn't guarantee that. Just affords more opportunity.
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