Tall bike

[redvirus217]

Does anyone know a way you can make a tall bike with very little to no wleding involved?

[phidauex]

I've seen it done, but it really isn't safe... The problem is that the entire bike's two halves are connected at only two points, the bottom bracket, and the extended head tube. You have to weld the extended head tube on, and weld an extension on the steer tube. I can't think of how you'd avoid that problem. Then the bottom bracket needs to be welded. I've seen even welded BBs break, so we gusset all our bottom brackets for extra strength.

So basically, I don't think it can be done completely weld free, and even if you had the steer tube welded for you, the rest would be highly questionable.

Just find someone who's got a welder who'll teach you. Its really not hard, and it opens a huge set of doors for mutating bikes. Welding is really par for the course. People keep looking for a 'weldless holy grail', but you aren't going to find it, welding is a basic and fundemental metalworking skill.

peace,
sam

[garden_lark]

agreed. ive bolted together bikes with zero welding, and i've built tall bikes, but i don't mix the two.

if i was going to try, however, i'd be drilling holes all over the thing and bolting support struts everywhere they'd fit.

also, rather than try to use two bike frames strung together, i'd make a bike out of something wacky, like a door or a bed head or some gym equipment.

the national penny farthing championships in Evandale, Tasmania, Australia have a bike made from an old brass bed head. it's called the Evandale nightmare, and looks like it came from a haunted house. it was built by peter matthews, a tallbike trick rider from Dublin, Ireland. (pictured mounting the bike, and also in evandale with my sister)

[sardine]

dear all,I am new,come from china,thank you.

[Johnny Payphone]

http://www.johnnypayphone.net/tallbikes/popularmechanicsapril64.jpg

[Johnny Payphone]

Other than the classic method pictured above in Popular Mechanics April 1964, bolting methods have always focused on overcoming that bottom bracket connection. The steer tube is easily bolted in the brake mount, which is what people do when they want to collapse their tallbike to take it on a plane (along with a seat post welded to the bottom bracket and inserted into the bottom frame's seat tube with quick release). Build a big rack, basically, then bolt it behind the bottom bracket or at the back dropouts of the top frame- in some versions of this I've seen, the bottom bracket itself is hovering above the bottom frame. Also consider making a bolt-style chopper fork, but one that runs up and down both frames.

Remember that what's "safe" is pretty irrelevant if you're doing something inherently stupid. I wouldn't be crosscountry touring unless my bolted tallchopper was real solid, but then again look at ole Jon Brown up there riding in the snow with a joystick and a "force fit" steer connection. That guy's gotta be 90 by now, you gonna let him show you up?!?!??! ;)

[Johnny Payphone]

the national penny farthing championships in Evandale, Tasmania, Australia have a bike made from an old brass bed head. it's called the Evandale nightmare, and looks like it came from a haunted house. it was built by peter matthews, a tallbike trick rider from Dublin, Ireland.

That's great! A tallbike and a bed in one. Here are other bedframe bikes:

Chicago 1930:

http://www.johnnypayphone.net/tallbikes/steindreammachine.jpg

Rat Patrol UK:

http://www.rat-patrol.org/RPUK/MartinBed.jpg

Justin Pogge (?):

http://www.fixedgeargallery.com/2005/dec/JustinPogge-1.jpg