(thanks to Kemmer & roughrider504 & badmother for the great inspiration).
Notes: materials not shown (quick steel putty - AKA Fast Steel). 3/8 12" threaded shaft. A bunch of 3/8 washers and nuts. A few extra smaller nuts and bolts, a 3" 3/8 bolt. Some creative thinking. An old handlebar made of aluminum to build up some spacers for the new axle..
I must also thank my build team, John and Peter.
1. get an old mountain bike like this, made of steel. Try to find one with a flat handle bar (or as close to flat as possible). Front wheel not required.
Now, break out the quick steel and fill up all the holes, make sure that the axle does not have any play. I measured those spacers from an old aluminum handle bar.. filled it with quick steel and slipped it over the axle..
I found this old spring clamp plate and used it as a holder for the main support bar (made out of the steel handle bar that this old mtb came with..) eye-ball the location of the holes and DRILL AWAY !!
Seat post, saddle, cranks, chainring, chain, and fitted the rack - Made it out of an old lawn mower's handles. Easily clamped on and drilled some holes at the top and ran little nuts/bolts through to hold it... also, the bottom is slipped through the xtra-bikes bottom bracket !
I fasten it later with some wooden wedges and seal it into history using > ZIP TIES !<
I used two chain tensioners, one was from a dumpster bike (the upper made by KORE), and the lower is a GodSpeed which bolts to the deraileur hanger of the schwinn =)
I plan to add a plywood board (can be seen in an earlier shot behind the bike to the right) which attaches using wing nuts so it can be removed if desired.
I plan to add 2 additional support bars from the extra bikes basket eyelets upwards toward the rear of the platform. =)
Five miles to job site 1. picked up a 40lb box with a computer in it.. Bungee strapped it on .. Rode 9 more miles to job site 2 and delivered it. Changed and will work here the rest of the day... then its 7.6 miles back home with the empty rack.
The bike is surprisingly stable, and the speed is really good.
So far, my only gripe is the RD, I rigged up an old brake cable and locked it in place, but still allows adjustment via the tensioner screw that is built-into it... I've made adjustments, but I just think that my 1/8 chain could be the problem with it catching on the RD hanger...
I cannot change the chain, so I've got to find another way to prevent it from skipping around. Still it only skips once in a while and it is a mild skip - doesn't seem to slow me down at all.
I am so happy with this. I can't wait to build up the rear platform so I can move groceries with it.
roughrider504
01-16-08, 02:50 PM
Great idea using the handlebar! I may be building one for the bike project as a cargo/rescue bike and a handlebar would be something they would have.
knobster
01-16-08, 03:09 PM
Man, that thing is gheto.. Nice bit of engineering though. I bet that's how they xtracycle guys started. Keep refining it and I bet you could sell it as a knock off if you wanted.
fordfasterr
01-16-08, 06:45 PM
Man, that thing is gheto.. Nice bit of engineering though. I bet that's how they xtracycle guys started. Keep refining it and I bet you could sell it as a knock off if you wanted.
I have not reason to sell it considering that I can make good use of it.
- Thanks.
fordfasterr
01-16-08, 06:48 PM
ALSO, not shown in the pics (yet)..
I have re-installed the RD shifter so that I can change gears.
Surprisingly, it works quite well! (just hard to reach due to the fact that I mounted it in the middle way below the seat on the stress member (old handlebar)... )
mstrpete
01-16-08, 11:04 PM
Thanks for the step-by-step pics, too. This is a very worthwhile project.
CaptainCool
01-16-08, 11:16 PM
I was doubtful until I saw that rear platform. Very nice.
Got a plan for the rear brake?
fordfasterr
01-17-08, 06:11 AM
I was doubtful until I saw that rear platform. Very nice.
Got a plan for the rear brake?
I will add the stock brake to the rear at some point, but not right now... As long as the rim is dry, the front brake handles the stopping just fine (for flat Florida that is...)
I have been asking on the sticky thread, but I will ask here too.
Can you post close ups of the main bikes BB? I want to see how the support bar (flat handle bar) was attached to the primary bike.
thanks.
Wino Ryder
01-27-08, 09:22 PM
Man thats crazy as hell.
I like it. :D
neilfein
01-27-08, 09:29 PM
That is the coolest thing I've seen in a long time.
fordfasterr
01-28-08, 08:14 AM
I have been asking on the sticky thread, but I will ask here too.
Can you post close ups of the main bikes BB? I want to see how the support bar (flat handle bar) was attached to the primary bike.
thanks.
The orignial BB is not used to support the rear frame to the primary bike.
instead, I used the original pivot joint.
The pics are clear as to how I did it.
I used a 3/8ths threaded rod, and quick steel. I ran it through and stuff the quick steel in there to take up the slack. Then I did the same thing with the remaining spacers from an old handlebar. =)
diff_lock2
01-28-08, 12:07 PM
Do you really trust epoxy? I find it cracks too easily.
diff_lock2
01-29-08, 09:39 AM
Like this?
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c346/diff_lock_cr-v_awd/howso.png
I am trying out a 1/2inch bolt, this is one thick bolt.
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c346/diff_lock_cr-v_awd/bent%20frame%20bolt/recumbent_bent_frame_bolt006.jpg
badmother
01-29-08, 11:28 AM
diff lock2. Your drawing and pix is good. This is how I did it.:D Pix tomorrow. Working on mine now to finish it. Brought it into the livingroom 2 days ago.:eek:
dcb
01-29-08, 10:45 PM
LOL, I love it, just grind the crank arms off, no time to unbolt 'em :)
diff_lock2
01-30-08, 08:38 AM
Well I wanted to remove the BB but I didn't have the tools, and the drive cranks had stripped threads (so I couldn't pull it off.
It took ONE hour of constant grinding to get through the sticky Aluminum. Then it just fell off, and I flattened the tappers on both sides. I should get a pic of the crank, so much work.
fordfasterr
02-01-08, 01:16 PM
Yup, thats basically exactly what I did to secure the old handlebar to make it into a support.
dcb
02-02-08, 10:02 AM
Wow, I imagined a cutoff wheel in an angle grinder slipped behind the crank arm. I WOULD like to see a picture of what was left after all that effort :)
http://velocide.com/images_old/2008_pics/Jan/x_tra_cargo_bike/cargo_bike_update-000008.JPG
I've been mainly lurking on this thread, but I had to express how happy this thread makes me. This picture in particular. :love:
fordfasterr
02-03-08, 06:41 PM
I've been mainly lurking on this thread, but I had to express how happy this thread makes me. This picture in particular. :love:
Thanks =)
I wanted to add my personal touch. That pic is in fact, my very first ever weld.
So I am planning to make another one. After alot of thinking I`we decided that at least in theory I like your way of joining the two pieces together (the long threaded rod) better than mine (using the axel of the donor). Terefor I would like to know if it is working ok? Acctually I am asking, Is the threaded rod bending in use?
I think the pix of your bike should be found in the "home built" sticky, becouse it is a sticky. This way it is kind of disappearing as time goes..
Hoping for more pics of homemade longtails, a lot of peopel was making them but then stopped posting. Is the longbike of "diff lock2" on the road yet? Did you see the Bamboo one? I guess it is light compared to what we are making.
I`we spent some time in the folder bike forum, and has restored a folder. Therefor thinking alot about wheelsize and wheel strenght. What about making a 24" longtail and just use a long seatpost and stem? Smaller wheels is stronger and weight should go down. Lower center of gravity.
Next is, what about a Bmx based longtail? Would be strong, made to take a beating. Short tubing= strong. Small wheels= strong and light, low c.o.g.
IT IS SPRING LONGTAIL BUILDERS, YOU SHOULD WAKE UP!!:D:D
badmother
04-07-08, 03:56 AM
So I am planning to make another one. After alot of thinking I`we decided that at least in theory I like your way of joining the two pieces together (the long threaded rod) better than mine (using the axel of the donor). Terefor I would like to know if it is working ok? Acctually I am asking, Is the threaded rod bending in use?
I think the pix of your bike should be found in the "home built" sticky, becouse it is a sticky. This way it is kind of disappearing as time goes..
Hoping for more pics of homemade longtails, a lot of peopel was making them but then stopped posting. Is the longbike of "diff lock2" on the road yet? Is "Sianelle`s" on the road?
Did you see the Bamboo one? I guess it is light compared to what we are making.
I`we spent some time in the folder bike forum, and has restored a folder. Therefor thinking alot about wheelsize and wheel strenght. What about making a 24" longtail and just use a long seatpost and stem? Smaller wheels is stronger and weight should go down. Lower center of gravity.
Next is, what about a Bmx based longtail? Would be strong, made to take a beating. Short tubing= strong. Small wheels= strong and light, low c.o.g.
IT IS SPRING LONGTAIL BUILDERS, YOU SHOULD WAKE UP!!:D:D
Novakane
04-14-08, 12:11 PM
Lastly, I have added the original shifter to the RD and attached it just behind the seat ... now I can shift all gears =)
Is there any particular reason you did not extend the cabling and mount the rear shifter on the bars up front?
badmother
04-14-08, 01:14 PM
Just know that I did the same for some time but found it difficult to ride. I guess you get used if you ride only one bike, but going from one to another is not good if they are wery different. I did it just becouse when making it I was not sure that the thing woul work, so i used old parts. Those are cut to a certain lenght, and therefor too short to reach from the handlebar all the way down to thw rear shifter.
Tandem cable can be used, but costing a lot and difficult to find. When I did the last tuning of my bike I actually just joined two shorter cables together, using a 4cm piece of thin alu pipe, and some epoxy innside. Then just flattened with plyers.
Also joined the cablehousing using right size alu pipe, put the ends of the old and the new half way in from each side, also some epoxy here. Cheap way to set it up until you know if you want to use the bike. I do not like the flat bars, so when I put albatross bars on a bike all the wires and housings need to be longer.