Tank bike: a heck of a way to treat a vintage MTB
#1
Cottered Crank
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Tank bike: a heck of a way to treat a vintage MTB
Ross Mt. Hood MTB:
SRAM S7 Rear Hub
Sturmey XF-DD Front hub
Alloy Northroad bars
Planet Bike MTB Fenders
Kenda 838 slick tires
Busch und Muller Lumotec Plus Halogen mit Standlight (I'm too cheap for LED's)
MKS 3000R rubber-block pedals.
Other bits and parts and racks and bags from all over.
Weighs a TON. Rides really nice. No hills here in Chicago
#4
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The stem is like 12" long. It's shoved into the steer tube as far as it will go without hitting the narrows at the bottom. It's firm and strong -plus it is STEEL (and real.)
#5
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I really like how the head badge came out.
#6
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Nice job, man. I dig bike "trucks".
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#7
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The air brakes on the front of this bike sure STOP! I didn't think it was possible to improve on the massive Dia Compe cantis with the motorcycle-like dogleg levers but this thing is like a motorcycle now. Stoppies are not out of the question -and they weren't before. Now they are just easier.
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How to you like that S7 hub? Does it downshift well? I built a townie for my gf using a S7 as a rear hub, and she complains that it's slow to downshift under pedal pressure. I tell her to ease up on the pedals when she shifts, but when riding behind her, I do see it takes a second for the gear to engage. Wondering if that's common with the S7, or if it is particular to her hub.
#9
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I doesn't downshift with any pressure at all. You have to back off (not necessarily coast) between downshifts. I can see how that would really suck in hilly terrain but here in Chi-town we don't have those things. The place is as flat as a billiards table. I've got it geared between 30 gear-inch in 1st to 90 gear-inch in 7th. There's a big jump between 1-2 and again between 6-8. They are basically bail-out gears. There could probably fit at least one more gear in between there on both sides but I understand why SRAM did it that way. They basically have a 10-speed here butt missing those 3 gears in between 1 & 2 and 6 & 7. You have to make a few sacrifices -it's a compromise.
It shifts OK going up but not with too much pedal pressure. You can put some in but it won't shift if there is too much until you let up a bit -then it shifts. It doesn't shift as smoothly as an old Sturmey-Archer 3-speed AW hub but it is similar in having to let off. Every once in a while it feels a bit "iffy" but I just bought one of those plastic washers that goes between the twist grip and the stub of the grip at the LBS. Rode home the 1/4-mile from there and it seemed much improved. Had to make dinner so I didn't get much more riding on it. I"m hopeful it will make shifting much more pressie. I've got it already adjusted in 4th so the clickbox is dead on the mark. I think my issue was more with friction at that grip junction which hopefully is fixed now.
I got the hub used off of a forum member (who, in turn, got it used from another forum member) but I won't name names So far I like it other than having to rebuild the twistgrip once when the plastic junk number strip ripped and balled up inside. It makes for a good tranny for a tank.
It shifts OK going up but not with too much pedal pressure. You can put some in but it won't shift if there is too much until you let up a bit -then it shifts. It doesn't shift as smoothly as an old Sturmey-Archer 3-speed AW hub but it is similar in having to let off. Every once in a while it feels a bit "iffy" but I just bought one of those plastic washers that goes between the twist grip and the stub of the grip at the LBS. Rode home the 1/4-mile from there and it seemed much improved. Had to make dinner so I didn't get much more riding on it. I"m hopeful it will make shifting much more pressie. I've got it already adjusted in 4th so the clickbox is dead on the mark. I think my issue was more with friction at that grip junction which hopefully is fixed now.
I got the hub used off of a forum member (who, in turn, got it used from another forum member) but I won't name names So far I like it other than having to rebuild the twistgrip once when the plastic junk number strip ripped and balled up inside. It makes for a good tranny for a tank.
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Thanks for the input! I think she just has to adjust to IGH shifting. Also, very nice build. I've been thinking about a similar build for my beater hybrid.
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pretty
#12
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Where do you put your coffee cup?
I love it!
I love it!
#13
No one cares
i dig it. I think the only thing it might need is a front rack.
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#15
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I dig the color scheme, Amesja. Black and various degrees of shiny.
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#18
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i also have a Ross Mt Hood (converted to an xtracycle), but instead of the lovely chrome that yours has, mine is more of a tacky 80s/90s light blue splattered on dark blue look. luckily i've sort of just blended them in my mind so it looks like a medium blue.
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Ha! I made the exact same bike but in the exact opposite color scheme. Mine is black with chrome fenders and trim versus yours in chrome with black fenders and trim.
It is a very cool bike.
It is a very cool bike.
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#22
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#23
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This is how I painted my motorcycle.
See a pattern?
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sweet! A Trek 950, with the purple-fade to green paint, just followed me home and I was deciding what to do with it. I think I have an inspiration..