Another Golden Eagle

[jerryt]

Hey DougC,
I'm really anxious to see a Worksman installation because I have one too. Did you order the one speed and does it only have the coaster brake and have you considered adding a front caliper brake?

Guessing (and hoping) you'll start a new thread for your conversion. Mine is a used Worksman, (my Hum-Vee). I bought it last week but haven't started reconditioning and have'nt ordered my GEBE kit yet. It's a one speed and rides nice. I believe it only has 1 inch spoke to frame clearance (s/b 1-1/4") but will get an accurate measure when I align the wheels.

BTW, I enjoyed reading your blog about your Lans conversion but I need to go back to see which GEBE kit you have. (Edit: just spotted it in your handle-DOH)

 

[DougC]

Hey DougC,
I'm really anxious to see a Worksman installation because I have one too. Did you order the one speed and does it only have the coaster brake and have you considered adding a front caliper brake?....

I ordered a 3-speed coaster-brake with a front drum brake. I figured I *might* have to pedal it home at some point, and I am moving to an area with mountains, so I really wanted two different brakes on it.

I had no way to measure if the spoke ring would fit, I really hope it does. I'm guessing I'll modify ithe frame if it don't. I've got nothing else to use the bike for.

I couldn't find anyone who'd ordered one off the site direct. Many people seem to get them from industrial surplus sales, so they don't get to pick exactly what they want.
~

 

[DougC]

Holy smokes......
Assuming the UPS truck is on time, it's gonna be exactly two months from order until the bike arrives. I placed the order 4/30 and the tracking number says billing info was received 6/27. The actual transit time is only three days.

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Assuming the bike is as good as I've heard, I had planned on ordering another one for regular (non-engine) use--but that will be some months off, after I have relocated. Should be entertaining to see how long that one takes.
~

 

[jerryt]

This all American business has been making bikes for what?? a hundred years?? You'da thunk they would know how to make and ship in a coupla days and compete like the younger companies have to do.
Go figure!!

 

[DougC]

Got the bike in today.
Right off, it looks like the GEBE ring will NOT fit inside the Worksman frame, as-is.

The seatstays seem to have just about enough room, but the chainstays do not--you need 1-1/4" of clearance, and they only give about 1". I may try jacking it, haven't decided yet. I wanted to ride it with no engine for a few days anyway.

Towards that end, the cockpit is rather short for a 6'2" person--the 1" quill stem only extends an inch or so forward, and doesn't have much of any vertical adjustment either. I plan to get another taller & longer stem for it already.

Overall it is rather heavy, but much of that weight is in the wheels. The spokes are HUGE, they're easily twice the diameter of the "regular" bikes I have. You can't even try snapping the normal spoke ring on, I'll have to drill out the slots bigger or something.
~

 

[MotorbikeMike]

Worksman Rims and belt sheaves

Hi i don't know anything about GEBE.
BUT I do build Whizzers, with belt-drive sheaves, and use Worksman wheels exclusively.
Whizzer sheave bouls wonderfully to Worksman, what type of drive belt will your engine use?

Mike

 

[DougC]

Re: Worksman Rims and belt sheaves

Hi i don't know anything about GEBE.
....
Whizzer sheave bouls wonderfully to Worksman, what type of drive belt will your engine use?

I already have a Golden Eagle kit.
The sheave is a plastic molded ring that has keyhole-shaped slots cut in it to properly snap on to either 32- or a 36-spoke bicycle wheels.
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I'll have to email GEBE and ask if anyone has done a Worksman this way.
A few possible problems I notice:
...the 3-speed rear hub doesn't have a lot of extra axle to play with. It's hard to tell how much room there is to put on the engine mount. I know that you can get longer axles for single-speed hubs, but I don't know about a 3-speed.
...the front wheel looks like it might have enough clearance for the sheave inside the fork, but I got the front drum brake wheel. Because of the drum brake's diameter the spokes cross farther out than usual, and they won't come close to fitting into the regular cut slots.
....The spokes aren't drilled on the centerline of the rims. On the "downhill"/MTB rims I have on one bike, the spokes are drilled about 1/16" apart, on either side of the centerline. On the Worksman rims, they are drilled about a quarter-inch apart. This seems like it would push the sheave out even further than normal, with respect to the engine mount.

....In general--the front drum brake needs help. It barely stops at all, I have to open it up and see what's going on in there. Also the cable stop is super cheap and slides if you squeeze the brake lever very hard. The drum brake has no brand markings and looks pretty crude, so Worksman may have made it in-house.
....The rear coaster-brake makes scary grinding noises when stopping... I don't ever remember new coaster-brake bikes making such a noise, but it's a Shimano Nexus, so I'm guessing it just needs to break in.
....I shoulda got the 12" hi-riser handlebars! The regular ones put the handgrips about 2" below the seat. I'm used to my recumbent bikes! Agony!!!
~

 

[MotorbikeMike]

Grinding Shimano

Hi I've used a bunch of worksman wheels with the shimano, mine dont make any noise, open yours up and grease it good, Mike

 

[Torques]

Re: Worksman Rims and belt sheaves

Hi i don't know anything about GEBE.
Whizzer sheave bouls wonderfully to Worksman, what type of drive belt will your engine use?

Mike

It is made by Gates, Kevlar reinforced, breaking strength, 1280 lbs.

 

[MotorbikeMike]

belt specs

Hi well I dunno what that means, we use Ax type fracional hp belts is that what yours is or is it some toothed belt like on a cam or blower? Mike