Brakes Disc Brakes for a Beach Cruiser?

[Carl Walichnowski]

Here's the pics of the parts.

Now I'm unsure if I would also need to buy a hub or will the hub adapter (I think that's what it's called) go right onto my bike?

 

[FurryOnTheInside]

Yes I do have I 26" inch wheel. Attached are some pics of what I think I'll need to install front disc brakes. This first picture is of my front wheel/fork.

I'm not surprised you have poor braking on the front at the moment with a painted rim and only a single pivot "caliper brake". Unfortunately I really don't know about the springer forks and how easy/difficult or effective/ineffective it is to fit a disc brake to that fork.
I have serious doubts about its effectiveness as a springer fork just from looking at it and imagining how it moves through its travel. It just doesn't seem to me to be a good design of springer fork (and i already don't like the idea of undamped springer forks!) for dealing with the bumps on the road surface.
With that said I would rather use a simple rigid fork, thus avoiding all the issues or imagined issues above. Rigid forks track better than anything else for their weight and price, and don't dive at all under braking. Rigid bikes were used in serious mountain bike racing for many years before technology got good enough to allow suspension.

To put it in strongly worded forum style:
You'd have to pay me to ride that, and if you paid me I'd take the money and I'd secretly spend it on a rigid fork.


Something else I noticed in your photo is that the quill stem is "slammed" and I don't know if you know about this so you'll have to excuse me if I'm telling you what you already know. It is a safety issue though, especially when you start adding to the forces going through the stem/steerer by addition of a decent brake so I think it is justified to highlight the potential issue here.

Excerpt from Sheldon Brown site:

Danger!
Note: Steerers are butted at the bottom, so the hole in the steerer is constant-diameter until near the bottom, then the walls taper inward in the butted section.

It is vitally important that the steerer extender (or stem) is not inserted so far that the wedge is installed where the steerer is narrowing, or it could come loose unpredictably.

When this happens, only the edge/corner of the quill or wedge contacts the steerer, and it is trying to "grab" a slanted surface.

This is sometimes a problem on smaller frames if you try to insert the stem or a stem extender too far down into the steerer.

The stem may also loosen unexpectedly if the steerer has been bulged out by overtightening the expander or wedge.

 

[FurryOnTheInside]

Now I'm unsure if I would also need to buy a hub or will the hub adapter (I think that's what it's called) go right onto my bike?

The hub adapter you pictured is to screw onto one side of a flip flop (rear!) hub. It certainly will not screw on where there's no thread to screw onto.
You need a front wheel, and a retaining (pronged) washer or lawyer lip fork.

 

[Carl Walichnowski]

The hub adapter you pictured is to screw onto one side of a flip flop (rear!) hub. It certainly will not screw on where there's no thread to screw onto.
You need a front wheel, and a retaining (pronged) washer or lawyer lip fork.

Oh the hub pic was simply something I copied to illustrate what I may need. I'm VERY inexperienced with pretty much anything dealing with bikes or motor bikes, I'm basically learning as I go. It would really be a big help if you could send a link for what I need to buy, this way I don't screw it up and get any wrong parts. I'm basically looking for the least expensive parts without sacrificing quality. It's asking a lot but you'd be helping out tremendously. Thx

 

[FurryOnTheInside]

Oh the hub pic was simply something I copied to illustrate what I may need. I'm VERY inexperienced with pretty much anything dealing with bikes or motor bikes, I'm basically learning as I go. It would really be a big help if you could send a link for what I need to buy, this way I don't screw it up and get any wrong parts. I'm basically looking for the least expensive parts without sacrificing quality. It's asking a lot but you'd be helping out tremendously. Thx

If you get a front wheel with disc mount it will either have a QR9 axle and will fit a fork with a lawyer lip or it will have a 3/8" threaded axle and will need a retaining nut. Some rigid forks take QR9 and can be filed out slightly to take 3/8", some take 3/8" and you can bodge it by putting tape on the axle since the tape can't squish out if it is stuffed into an enclosed space. A disc brake adapter might work safely but I have only used one on an S&M pitchfork that was way overbuilt for road use already. To be responsible I can only really recommend that you get a fork that is purpose built to have a disc brake attached.
Idk if you'll even find one that fits your frame's head tube. So just get a sturdy fork to fit your frame. Hopefully it has disc mount tabs, if not there's nothing wrong with a v brake really.
Choose the wheel to fit the fork.

 

[Carl Walichnowski]

Ok I already have another bike with disc brakes, what I'd like to do is buy the adapter for the cruiser and put the hub & rim on the Cruiser. If I could switch it out that'd be easiest and most cost effective. Another forum member (Frankenstein) stated that having my forks at the angle they are at is to my advantage and would help with the pressure. Attached are some pics of the front tire of my other bike, do you think I could get away with swapping it out? Thx

 

[Carl Walichnowski]

Ok I already have another bike with disc brakes, what I'd like to do is buy the adapter for the cruiser and put the hub & rim on the Cruiser. If I could switch it out that'd be easiest and most cost effective. Another forum member (Frankenstein) stated that having my forks at the angle they are at is to my advantage and would help with the pressure. Attached are some pics of the front tire of my other bike, do you think I could get away with swapping it out? Thx

Or even this specific bike doesn't work I could simply return it and by a bike that could suit my needs. Of course I'm not buying the other bike solely for this purpose, I'd like give my nephew a bike and he doesn't care if I take the front disc brakes and change it with the brake that's on the cruiser now, hopefully you can tell me it'll work!

 

[FurryOnTheInside]

Or even this specific bike doesn't work I could simply return it and by a bike that could suit my needs. Of course I'm not buying the other bike solely for this purpose, I'd like give my nephew a bike and he doesn't care if I take the front disc brakes and change it with the brake that's on the cruiser now, hopefully you can tell me it'll work!

That front wheel will probably fit. Do you really need to ask me? Just try it.
I cannot say whether the weird cantilevered truss fork thing on your cruiser will withstand the force of the brake. It certainly wasn't intended to ever have a disc brake fitted to it. What could go wrong? I'd
be scared to try it.

I can understand being on a budget, I am on a budget too; but I would rather just take my time, eat instant noodles, and save the pennies until I can get sufficiently heavy duty parts.
To me, the idea of putting powerful brakes and engine on a very cheap low end bike is like taking up bodybuilding when you have brittle bone disease.

 

[gary55]

How often do you think you will be riding that mountain bike once you have the motorized dialed in? Be honest. If the mountain bike forks have a 1" steer tube and it's long enough to work on your motorized put it on. You will be amazed how much better it feels to ride a bike that doesn't have forks that flex like crazy when you go in to a corner. And talk about stopping sweet.
I don't like knocking peoples bikes, and believe me I get some duzzies come in here. Your springer forks are crap. In a perfect world we could make chicken salad form chicken s**t, but even in that world we couldn't help out those forks. What have you got to lose? If they work good and you like them then you can order another set for the mountain bike when you get the dough. Think of it like a health plan.

 

[gary55]

The reason I'm telling you this is pictured below, and this springer is of good quality for this style fork off of a nirve 53.View media item 60724