My journey began late last October when I came across an ad for an engine kit for a bicycle. As a kid I had always dreamed of motorizing a bicycle so when I saw the ad from zoom cycles I thought I have an old Raleigh bike I can throw the motor on and I ordered the kit from Zoom cycles and my journey begins. My kit arrives in a few days and I start my build knowing nothing of these engines or motorized bicycles. Thru lots of research thru this forum and other websites and YouTube that there are different engines and more to it that just installing the kit. Quickly I also find that my original plans of using my old Raleigh not very practical without alot of modifying and machine work. Not to mention Raleigh has it's own thread sizes. So I abandoned my old Raleigh ( I have new plans for it now lol) and went and bought a Columbia Rambler from Walmart. It started of as a single speed cruiser. The first thing I did was completely strip the bike and replace the wheels and bearings. I replaced the headset and bearings with a higher quality Japanese set, I also replaced the bottom bracket with a sealed cartridge unit. I replaced the single speed sprocket with a shimano 5 speed cassette, I want to go with a 7 speed but couldn't get it to fit between the rear for stays. I already had to spread the frame quite a bit to get the 5 speed to fit, I had to replace the rear axle with a longer one without shoulders on the inside so I could adjust the offset on the mag wheels. My zoom cycles engine turned out to be a ZAE50 engine. I have complete taken apart and replaced the bearings with skf 6202, I port matched the case to a 40mm cylinder I got from boygoesfast, port matched the cylinder and ramped and skirted the piston, and installed a jaguar cdi, installed a jackshaft and custom made exhaust and gas tank. Now I just need the weather to cooperate so I can get it out and break it in and get the carb set up and figure out what carb I'm going to use.
My First Build, My Journey So Far
- Thread starter GreasyChris
- Start date
Spare_Parts
Well-Known Member
Looks good Chris. Like that amber headlight lol.
GreasyChris
Well-Known Member
Upgraded the brakes on the Rambler. Went with floating rotors. 203 front 180 on the rear from 160 standard rotors. Braking is very effective now especially slowing down from 80kmh. My main objective was to extend brake pad life hopefully the bigger brakes do the trick.
FurryOnTheInside
In Memoriam
Looks like you had to add washers to the PM-IS caliper mount to get the caliper body to clear the rotor.
Is that because the caliper was made for the tighter arc of the 160mm rotor, and the slot is too short? And is the pad slightly too far away from the axle/centre using this method?
I'm looking at the shine/brushed marks on the rotor and wondering if you're getting contact with the full width of the pad.
Can you grind out the caliper body to fit over the wider arc of the 203mm rotor instead, and have the pads positioned better?
I had to do this to my Shimano Deore two pot hydraulic caliper when using it with a 220mm rotor it definitely wasn't intended for. (I'll add picture later)
It was a little risky but I didn't break through to the fluid. I did find the bolt holes.
(And then I changed the caliper to an MT2 anyway, so all I achieved was reducing the caliper's resale value to zero.
)
((Then again the rear has washers and the wear mark on the rear just looks narrower than the rotor depth so maybe my post isn't relevant at all. It's just some calipers intended for 160mm rotors don't cope with the wider arc of 203+ rotors until you modify them.))
Is that because the caliper was made for the tighter arc of the 160mm rotor, and the slot is too short? And is the pad slightly too far away from the axle/centre using this method?
I'm looking at the shine/brushed marks on the rotor and wondering if you're getting contact with the full width of the pad.
Can you grind out the caliper body to fit over the wider arc of the 203mm rotor instead, and have the pads positioned better?
I had to do this to my Shimano Deore two pot hydraulic caliper when using it with a 220mm rotor it definitely wasn't intended for. (I'll add picture later)
It was a little risky but I didn't break through to the fluid. I did find the bolt holes.
(And then I changed the caliper to an MT2 anyway, so all I achieved was reducing the caliper's resale value to zero.
)((Then again the rear has washers and the wear mark on the rear just looks narrower than the rotor depth so maybe my post isn't relevant at all. It's just some calipers intended for 160mm rotors don't cope with the wider arc of 203+ rotors until you modify them.))
Last edited:
GreasyChris
Well-Known Member
Lol I'm no expert on bike parts that's for sure. I thought all calipers were the same size because I've never seen different sized calipers just the adapters for the different size rotors but that makes a lot of sense. I assumed the whole time that it was just the fact I was dealing with Chinese parts and that my forks and bike had the caliper brackets welded on crooked is why I had the washers. I had to use washers with the old rotors as well and no matter what I did the pads would wear crooked and slanted. This set up seems to be working better. I've had the front rotor on for about a week and a half and had to adjust it a couple of times to where it is now. The rear I put on yesterday and had the adjustment to tight on my first ride and got it way hotter than I should have. The wear pattern is getting better after today's ride.Looks like you had to add washers to the PM-IS caliper mount to get the caliper body to clear the rotor.
Is that because the caliper was made for the tighter arc of the 160mm rotor, and the slot is too short? And is the pad slightly too far away from the axle/centre using this method?
I'm looking at the shine/brushed marks on the rotor and wondering if you're getting contact with the full width of the pad.
Can you grind out the caliper body to fit over the wider arc of the 203mm rotor instead, and have the pads positioned better?
I had to do this to my Shimano two pot hydraulic caliper when using it with a 220mm rotor it definitely wasn't intended for. (I'll add picture later)
It was a little risky but I didn't break through to the fluid. I did find the bolt holes.
(And then I changed the caliper to an MT2 anyway, so all I achieved was reducing the caliper's resale value to zero.
((Then again the rear has washers and the wear mark on the rear just looks narrower than the rotor depth so maybe my post isn't relevant at all. It's just some calipers intended for 160mm rotors don't cope with the wider arc of 203+ rotors until you modify them.))
The wear on the front pads is alot more even than its ever been so I was happy to see that. There's not going to be a whole lot a riding left here this year before the snow starts flying and the bikes going to be torn down and redone, you can't tell in the pic but the drop out on the caliper side has a bit of a bend in it, plus there is a bunch of other stuff id like to do to it. Lol it's funny the difference a year makes and how much I've learned about bikes and 2 strokes.
Wow thats crazy cool, few people put so much effort and detail into their bikes so i’m really digging this
FurryOnTheInside
In Memoriam
I always have to do some manual adjustment to get the pad alignment perfect too. There's an actual facing tool for mountain bike disc caliper mounts, but I never knew anyone who could afford it for the little use it gets!
It's essential to have the pads perfectly parallel and flat to the rotor so the rotor isn't being twisted and the pads are contacting and wearing evenly too. I hold a flashlight under/behind the caliper to see the gap either side.
I normally use a file or rotary tool then the file. I'm using the PM-IS adapter anyway so I do the work of lateral spacing mainly on the alloy adapter, but because it is the threaded part I have to get the alignment parallel by altering the IS mount on the fork.
It does take time to do the job right but you can really feel the difference.
gary55
Well-Known Member
If you want smarts on bike parts you can damn sure lean on Furry. No bulls**t there. With what your building, and digging the mechanical for braking the avid bb7s are a real good choice for the cost to reward.
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