ChiapasFixed

oh, and here´s a pic of my longtail in the jig:

Allen

Spectacular, Chapaneco!

Did you bend the twin top tubes?

ChiapasFixed

actually, d. strictus almost always grows with a slight curve, and all culms usually have the exact same curve! I just selected two even sized ones and took advantage of the natural bend. I have tried bending d. strictus using a strong camping stove, the same one I use for "combing", it is VERY hard to bend! much more so than the phylosyachys.

howz your bike coming along, have you sorted out the front brake yet?

Allen

I'm still waiting on the cable stop to come in, and I've been waiting for it to arrive before I take it to the LBS and have the bottom bracket set. Those are the only two things that need to be done on it though.

Work has been getting in the way a little bit.

sk0tt

Awesome looking bikes ChiapasFixed and AllenG! You both did great jobs.
I would love to make one sometime.

wakamole if you do make one, be sure to post pics and info on where you got the materials from.


Scott.

ChiapasFixed

hey Scott and Wakamole, i will be spending a couple of months in Darwin this summer. i would like to make a bike or two while there. Please keep me posted on bamboo in AU, and lets stay in touch!

wakamole

Skott
I'm in Perth too - if I get my act together you can come down and check it out - I'm having trouble finding appropriate bamboo - I may have to get it from SE Asia...

Allen

I've thought about that. I'm afraid it would rot away at the tip too readily.

Allen

Had some time away from work today.

I've had a little trouble with the rear brake mounts. Alining them was troublesome and they slipped on me a few times. I removed the first set and replaced them with the ones that were on my mountain bike (took the canti mounts off of a disk brake fitted frame).

I also had difficulty with the rack mounts. They are small threaded donuts that I countersunk into the seatstays. They were too slick for the epoxy to grip them. I replaced them with nuts, and they are holding fine.

I have the shifter and the brake lines installed, they both work. I also have the headset in place, but I'm missing the cranks because I don't have the right wrench to install the bottom bracket. I'll take it into the LBS on Monday and should be riding this coming week.


The canti brake mount I was using.


The ones I'm using now.


All but the cranks.

Tomorrow I'm going to cut some forms and make a jig for constructing the fenders.

flyingcadet

Wonderful thread! I'm planning on building a bamboo bike in the next year or so.

Where did you get those special canti brake mounts?

flyingcadet

Allen

Snagged them off of my mountain bike, a Voodoo.

flyingcadet

thanks, now I know who to bug and annoy to get some.

flyingcadet

ChiapasFixed

Hey Allen, are you making the fenders out of bamboo? i am just now working on laminating some iron bamboo and bending some fenders for the cargo cruiser. this particular bamboo is really thik and laminates very well. how are you making yours?

Allen

I don't have the stock to make them out of bamboo. I'm going to be using some redwood that I salvaged out of the barn and cut into 1/8 inch veneer strips.

I'm cutting arches whose diameter is one inch larger than my wheels out of 1/2 inch MDF to make a form. I'll stack and glue them together to make an arch 2 1/2 inches wide. I'll use spring clamps to hold the veneer strips to the arch form, and a heat gun to help bend them.





The bike is now at the LBS getting the bottom bracket installed. I'm swamped with a print job so I may not be able to pick it up until the weekend.

ChiapasFixed

ok, heres some pics of the finished cargo cruiser. i went with alleng's idea of using hemp twine, although i first wraped each lug in pure sisal fiber, as i feel that the twine does not absorb the resin into its core. so the twine is partially esthetic, although i am sure it adds strength to the lug as well.

a closeup of the hemp lugs:

both bikes can now be seen at work on the streets of san cristobal

wakamole

Those look fantastic Chiapas
How's the ride?
How heavy is that cargo-cruiser???
Looks like it could haul a truck!

Allen

That is truly astounding. Beautiful bike. I'm in awe.

How does it ride? And how does it compare to the first one?

ChiapasFixed

the ride is nice, i really enjoy the coaster brake and the high-cadence spinning! we have tested it with upards of 150kg on the rack (two big guys, plus rider) and it still handles well, although if it had that much dead weight youd have to be careful not to tip it too far to one side and not be able to controll the weight. Still, 60kg of dead weight can be esaily managed. unloaded, it handles alot like a mounain bike, and is surprisingly fast (if you really spin the 32 tooth chainring). The bike itself weighs around 15kg, or 34lbs, but this will be reduced by changing the cheap-as-can-be rims, which we will soon.

Allen

Chapaneco,

I posted a link to your long bike in the Utility sub-forum's homemade Xtracycle thread. You should post some images of it there, it's getting a great response.

Allen

I got my bike back from the LBS today (did not have the right tool for chasing & facing the bottom bracket shell). It's complete and rides wonderfully. Hasn't made any noises as yet, but it still has less than two miles on it. I'll post some images of the complete build after my camera charges.

I'm going to sum up the build this way: It was a profound learning experience, I enjoyed it enough to do it again. My next frame will be built mostly the same, but there will be several changes as well. It is my first frame and I'm proud of it, but it is not a perfect bike. I'll tentatively say so far it is adequately built, but no problems have cropped up. I expect it will show its faults as it ages and its final fate will probably be to hang on the wall, but I hope to get a couple of good seasons from it.

My next frame is going to be a double top tube road bike, I'll document its construction more closely than I did with the bomber.

Chapaneco, appreciate you for letting me share this thread. You've given me a lot of inspiration, and I thank you for that.

--A

ChiapasFixed

hey allen, no problem. im glad we can share experiences. funny you are planning on building a double top tube bike, i own a couple of them and my original plan was actually to copy one for my first bamboo frame. i later abandonded this idea and built the two bikes you have seen (the first one stopped creacking after a couple hundred k's by the way, and has not made anoise since, the cargo cruiser does not creack at all!).
anyway, i look forward to seeing pics of your completed bike, and heres a pic of my favourite double top tube fixie:

Allen

My bike now has about 20 miles on it and I had a few of my friends give it a spin around the farm.
There is some flex in the rear triangle, it's not too bad though you really only notice it climbing.

The wheels are still on it, and we gave it a bit of a thrashing today.

Forgot to charge my camera, too excited.

Allen

Sweet bike. That is exactly what I had in mind for the next one.

Allen

Done.
Almost, I'm going to change the cable guides out for a different kind, the white tape is there to bother me so I will change them out and not learn to live with the ones that are on there. They currently cause some friction on the shifter and brake cables.

Allen

Chapaneco,
Do y'all have induction loop traffic lights (metal detectors imbedded in the road that change the lights)?
My bike does not trip the ones we have around here. Curious if you ran into a similar thing.