My First Build

I've been watching my younger brother tool around on his motorized bike for a couple years. My wife and son had visit to grandma's in San Diego coming up so I figured it would be a good time to give it a go. I'm a big guy (6'4", 285lbs) so this isn't the right toy to try to set a speed record on, but I figured I could put together a fun cruiser for pretty cheap.

I had an original budget of $300... but after carefully considering the potential safety issues of the bike, I decided on upgrading to a hub-sprocket setup vs the rag joint and I was none-too-thrilled with the stock tensioner (even the 4-bolt version). I had images of the damn thing falling in to my spokes running through my head and decided an arch-type tensioner was in order.

As for the bike itself... I knew I wanted to go "all new". I managed to pick up a Kent "Sea Change" (where in the heck they came up with that name is beyond me) at the local Wally World on clearance for ... get this ... $74.50. I'd gone in to pick up a Huffy Cranbrook for $169.00... yeah... my mind was changed.

One thing I didn't like about both the Cranbrook and this Sea Change was the "coaster brake" only. I figured the coaster brake isn't that big of a deal so much as the lack of a front brake is. So I decided to pick up a set of handbrakes... next upgrade will be a single pull two-brake setup... hitting that front brake AND the clutch level is a little... tricky.

In any case... I've only put about 3-4 miles on her thus far... still breaking it in.

Here is a shot of the result... total outlay... approximately $375.00 plus perhaps $10.00 worth of over-inflated priced bolts...nuts...washers... at the local Tru-Value Hardware.

:D
Tang1.jpg
 
My Flip Phone is gonna be useless by the end of this year. I'm forced to upgrade
I had to do that a couple years ago now...I successfully turned my "smart phone" into a stupid phone by disabling everything, including google and google play which the phone complains about anytime I reboot it saying things won't work correctly without them...lol...lol...It sends and receives phone calls just fine, nothing else will work is all and "thats the way uh huh, uh huh, I lke it"...lol.



There was also this little ditty today from the inventor of the worlds first cell phone...lol.

 
Not very thrilled with the squarish analog speedometer offering that you can find on ebay/amazon, etc... it's not very accurate... at all... I decided to pick up an inexpensive digital offering...

715jw5rP4aL._AC_SL1500_.jpg


...we'll see how it goes.
 
Welp... that was crap.

Crappy mount + the fact the sensor wouldn't pick up the magnet unless it was RIGHT ON IT (3CM my backside) = this one goes back and I am getting a Cateye.
 
It also just re-affirms my opinion on "wireless" in general. I decided to go with the old wired version... at least I know the signal is making it to where it is supposed to go.

Once I get my digital speedo up that "very suspect" analog speedo goes away (maybe my kid will want it?)

I am on the fence with the new seat I purchased. It was an "oversized" seat that managed to be smaller than the stock Kent seat it replaced. That said, it IS more comfortable than the Kent... but really... I'm sort of a big guy and really could use a little more ... area ... in my seat.

:D
 
Oh, and I pulled off the stock Kent handlebars (my god are they so bad) and dropped some semi-straight bars I had in the garage on. I feel much less cramped now... it was a very worthy change IMHO.

Tang4.jpg
 
Back
Top