tonyturley
Legend
- Location
- Scott Depot, WV, USA
- Name
- Tony
To the other two people on these boards who are interested in cycling, I'd like to share my latest venture. For the past couple of months, I have been working on a DIY bike I have affectionately dubbed "Project Beastie Bike". So named because I used the frame from a Mongoose Beast as the central core, this frankenbike uses 26" x 4" wheels and tires, and a real smorgasbord of parts that were never really meant to be together. When this project started, I knew next to nothing about bike mechanics, beyond adjusting the brakes for proper fit. Despite days of reading, researching, and planning, I still ended up having to do an about-face several times because I had bought the wrong part(s), and had to wait for the return/exchange process to run its course. Ended up spending about $60 in postage returning stuff I had bought that didn't fit through no fault of the vendor. I will say there are several bike vendors out there who were very patient and understanding with me as I explained my faux-pas.
One of the biggest errors I made was not taking into account that The Beast was a coaster brake only machine; ergo, there were no brake bosses on the frame. I somehow managed to find the only set of Fat Bike wheels designed for rim brakes. Rather than incur the considerable expense of sending them back for a set of wheels designed for disk brakes, I chose to soldier on. After much head scratching and scouring of web sites, I found bikeman.com, and a set of clamp-on brake bosses from Carver Bikes. I still had to shim the mounts to get them to snugly fit my bike frame, and a bit of garage engineering was involved in getting the cable runs to clear the monstrous tires, but the brakes work (see subsequent post at end). I also discovered a 1.125" alloy seat clamp works a treat in topping off the steerer tube, adding extra clamping pressure for the very old-fashioned quill stem.
Final assembly and adjustment of the 7-speed derailleur took place over the last two evenings. I've had the bike out riding it up and down my short suburban street as I tested the gears (which shift smoothly), getting used to the steering and ride (which is rather odd). Despite the huge wheels and tires, the bike seems to turn much faster than my normal comfort bike. I dressed it up with a set of high quality vinyl decals from Do It Yourself Lettering. Creating a custom design on their web site was a snap. I'm still looking for a brass plate that I can use to create a custom head badge appropriate for the project.
I am looking forward to getting the bike out on some of the easier woodland trails around here this weekend. I'm no mountain biker, but there are some beginner trails that should be perfect. All photos were taken with the X30.
TT
One of the biggest errors I made was not taking into account that The Beast was a coaster brake only machine; ergo, there were no brake bosses on the frame. I somehow managed to find the only set of Fat Bike wheels designed for rim brakes. Rather than incur the considerable expense of sending them back for a set of wheels designed for disk brakes, I chose to soldier on. After much head scratching and scouring of web sites, I found bikeman.com, and a set of clamp-on brake bosses from Carver Bikes. I still had to shim the mounts to get them to snugly fit my bike frame, and a bit of garage engineering was involved in getting the cable runs to clear the monstrous tires, but the brakes work (see subsequent post at end). I also discovered a 1.125" alloy seat clamp works a treat in topping off the steerer tube, adding extra clamping pressure for the very old-fashioned quill stem.
Final assembly and adjustment of the 7-speed derailleur took place over the last two evenings. I've had the bike out riding it up and down my short suburban street as I tested the gears (which shift smoothly), getting used to the steering and ride (which is rather odd). Despite the huge wheels and tires, the bike seems to turn much faster than my normal comfort bike. I dressed it up with a set of high quality vinyl decals from Do It Yourself Lettering. Creating a custom design on their web site was a snap. I'm still looking for a brass plate that I can use to create a custom head badge appropriate for the project.
I am looking forward to getting the bike out on some of the easier woodland trails around here this weekend. I'm no mountain biker, but there are some beginner trails that should be perfect. All photos were taken with the X30.
TT
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