Sixty Fiver

Yep... was trying to cut back on weight... lol

Seriously... took the upper guide off to mod it out a little and ran the bike without it and aside from a little chain rub when I am in the high low it isn't really needed.

It's quieter, there's no chain slap, and no chain suck... my chain is set a little shorter for a little more tension (that big/big combo is a no go) but I run off the middle and low end of the cassette and middle ring 95% of the time.

I might look at using a chain wrap as people use on recumbent bikes to protect it from the elements... we'll see.

I find that my long bike descends like it's on rails and is very stable... I have a slacker steering angle than what the bike came with due to the lower position of the extension and that helps.

corkscrew

Mine does fine, but that little "woops" going around a gradual corner was enough to make me keep a closer eye on things. My steering angle is also a wee bit slacker than the factory settings, so not sure if it was a design defect on my part or me forgetting that I wasn't on a road bike.

Sixty Fiver

Update:

Replaced my (cheap) chain today and although I don't have an odometer figure I have run the bike for 3000-4000 km since last May and most often with some serious loads of as much as 300 pounds when I had the trailer on.

The bike has not caused me a moment of grief and has had no downtime save for when I was playing with new parts or experimenting with new ideas.

A little inner tube wrapped around the seat stay eliminated that little chain rub/ rattle I was experiencing.

New chain is KMC btw... it's as smooth as buttah.

Sixty Fiver

I had a quiet day at my shop yesterday and got to looking at the longbike and decided to play with a few more ideas and revisit an old one.

Added a couple of tubular braces (black pipe) that connect the respective seat stays of the donor bikes... these serve as a stop for the panniers, a place to attach bungee hooks, and seem to have stiffened things up just a little.

Installed another lower tensioner / guide in the form of a Shimano 600 just to see what that would do... it's quiet and the little added tension makes the shifting just a little crisper... that and keeping the chain a little higher in the winter is a good thing.

I am also in the market for a sewing machine (would like a vintage Singer cast iron model) as I would like to fabricate my own oversized sling bags from canvas.

Weighed the bike too... with the new braces and lights mounted it is 50 pounds but you would never know that riding it.

Singlespeed92

This is one of the koolest threads I've seen in a long time...and your build is one of the nicest I've ever seen! Sweet

Methinks since I can no longer afford an Xtracycle,I orta look through all that "junk bike pile" (as the wifey calls it ),and look deeper into this. Any advice for someone who's not the most mechanically inclined?

Sixty Fiver

The compliments are nice but I owe everything to folks like roughrider (and many others) who planted this seed in my head with things like this...

Jubal

you ARE going to post pics... right? =)

fiataccompli

OK....I was inspired and made some major headway on my project....here are some pics...














sorry if that's too many pics...i figured if y'all are like me, you might want to see some details to compare with your own ideas/project.

The report (just finished it today) is that it rides nice, feels solid, etc. Can't do a wheelie, but "stop-e's" are easy...lol

I put racks on it after I brought it back in the house and I'm wondering if they're going to ride too high...well, higher than I'd prefer for a heavy load....comparing to the other projects here, these look like they ride a few inches higher than they need to...and, so the bike would be a bit less stable, right?

Sixty Fiver

fiat - Nice job... and a nice colour match too.

What is that bar stock made of ?

I suspect it is aluminium and if it is, would advise replacing that with a steel brace.

fiataccompli

Y'know, I thought the same thing and even fitted a steel bar...but then I started thinking that if that section is loaded in compression then why not aluminum. Advice noted though...keeping a close eye + steel already fabbed and ready if needed.

And, no, I wasn't trying to shave off a few grams in the build

Sixty Fiver

We are gonna have to have a weigh in... mine curbs out at 50 pounds.

oldfool

This is my latest endeavor. I've reached the top load capacity of my 1975 Schwinn and need to pack more stuff so I have built this. The bike is pretty well finished except for some details. The rack is going to be a whole other project that I don't have all the materials for yet.

This bike was inspired by a young man (roughrider504) from New Orleans in January 2008 and I was impressed but did not think I needed a cargo bike. When I found out he was 16 at that time I was really impressed.



I have only been able to ride it for about 30 minutes in between rain squalls but it seems to ride very well. After thirty minutes I was as comfortable as I am on my Schwinn that has been tweaked to suit me so perfectly that I have seen no need for me to have another bike. That is until I ran out of room.

Specs and more pictures at my website: www.oldfool.org

Thanks to roughrider504 and all others that have given me so many good ideas.

HSean

A weigh in? I think mine takes the cake on that. I have no clue how much it weights but it's a pain to lift off the ground and takes alot to get it going a good speed but once going its a great ride.

It also has snow stuck allover it.

Also Fiata the racks you used on the back, make sure they are steel not alloy, I took a sharp turn with a heavy load and both racks ripped off the bike lol. However I have safety bike chains holding the racks. I thought in advance!

Jubal

nice build oldfool. the ladies frame allows a nice easy step through.
I especially like the handlebars

whats your plan for the rack?

Sixty Fiver

Our first real snowfall came a little over a week ago... the bike has been sailing through it all with flying colours.

oldfool

Ladies frames are the only thing I build or ride now. We called them girls bikes when I was a kid and since there were no small bikes in them days all small kids learned to ride on one. I find that now most of the time I need the step through. I never cared for the nut-buster bar anyway.

Originally I was going to build a rack from ¾ x ⅛ 316 stainless bar stock but finding the materials here has become a problem. Now the plan is something like Sixty Fiver has done. Updates to follow.

The handle bars came from my 1975 Schwinn Suburban. A girls bike but the best bike I have ever ridden. I fits me. When I dutchified it the stock bars did not come back far enough so I replaced them with something that did. They really work well here.

I'm still getting used to riding this one and it has already dumped me once but the blood doesn't show on the red paint. I made the first store run on it yesterday with a makeshift basket, my black knickers and new red knee socks. Traffic gave me a wide berth. I guess I was just too weird looking to squash.

HSean

I also like the look of a Step through frame longtail. it is aloso easy to mount in some siduations like when you have tall cargo being hauled. A great shot!

my Current longtail is chilling out in a snowbank in my yard. only problem i'm having is the drivetrain is Sometimes very slow reacting of froozen solid, thats do to the 20- weather we get somedays though.

oldfool

Here is an update on the long bike. The first store run was a test with only a front basket and a single rear rack just to see how it would work out. It was good so I gave everything a good once over, put the back fender on and transferred the rack and folding Wald baskets from the Schwinn and rolled it out for a test cargo run.

This is ready to roll to the store. It weighs 46 pounds at this point which surprises me. I expected more. The Schwinn with a that rear rack and basket and a front basket weighs 45 pounds.

The dog pack and their cats need fodder but I just kept piling it on until it was full. There is only between 40 and 50 pounds and room for more but unlike I usually do I decided to not overdo it.
It rode perfect and I was pleased.
I worked today on a side loader on the right side so I can carry a propane tank and I'll post an update as soon as I have tested it. The baskets are probably temporary as I am looking for some canvas to sew some bags. I have an idea that I think will work. I have a rack for the front in due time.
More updates as they happen.

fiataccompli

Hey, what is that kickstand you're using? That looks ideal for one of these bikes when loaded.

Sixty Fiver

Sean - I really like the longtail and the step through... thinking that my girl would like to have one of her own and that she would really like this set up.



K

oldfool

It's a Sunlite Double by Pyramid that I bought from Amazon.com. It's some kind of alloy and looks heavy but it's not. It hangs down kind of low and scrapes in even a moderate turn. Raising the bottom bracket one inch would pretty much take care of that problem but what do I care? At 8 mph it's not much of a problem.
The only other thing is the rubber tips where it contacts the ground fell off at first usage so I'm going to glue them on.

michael k

This is really cool and had to give it a try.

I think I'm at about 5 hours into it.

I modified a kickstand bracket then welded the bolt and bracket to the tube.Then the tube to the frame.




The rear axle from the donor was used.
I was able to press in flat washers into the little tube to keep the axle stable,Larger washers on the outside.



This is where it at now. Wheel base is at 58"s.

Sixty Fiver

Michael - That is some really nice work.

Makes we want to tear mine apart and rebuild things to make them prettier... I do have a new rack and deck assembly in the works so might just do that.

Sixty Fiver

This reminds me that I should take some updated pics to show the braces...

Building a bike this really does not require advanced mechanical skills unless you are looking at welding... with basic repair skills most folks should be able to cobble together a really decent long bike and if you run into problems we are always here to offer advice.

I am finding that the longbike is the best for real winter riding...

michael k

Thanks! Sixty Fiver...This thread was a great help!

The close up pictures really helps eliminate the guess work.