-Bong-

I want to take a 24" cruisier...

And make it a 5 or 10-speed. Extra brake & street tires.

The cycle shop that would sell me the bike gave me an attitude when I asked about it. They didn't say no, but they acted like I had just asked for fries as a substitute for the baked potato.

Well?

waterrockets 

Drivetrain: If you go for an internal-shifting hub, no big deal. Just a rear wheel rebuild and running cable to the handlebars. If you go freewheel, you'll have to get a rear der. hanger added, which means a new dropout on the drive side -- plus you'll have to rebuild the wheel to get a freewheel or freehub hub in there.

Then you've got brakes to deal with. That's going to be a pain in the ass, likely requiring the frame to be welded/brazed. If you don't have posts for caliper/v-brakes, then you'll have to get cantilever brakes, most of which are road and won't clear cruiser tires. Cantilevers still require a hole in the fork and a brake bridge + hole in the rear. You'll also want to make sure the frame and fork can handle braking forces from the new brakes. It's likely that they'll be fine, but they're not structurally required to deal with those forces, and you could fold a fork or fold your seat stays.

Internal shifting hubs often come with drum brakes, which work just like your default cruiser setup:
https://www.xxcycle.com/php/boutique/...1&FROM=froogle

I think you should go for the internal shifting hub solution.

-Bong-

Thanks for the reply.

I'm not set on any particular bike. I don't need to have just this particular bike. It IS expensive, and I doubt its ready for modification (Redline Proline 24).

MattP.

True, but only if the frame is aluminum, but if he gets a steel frame he has another option. Spread the dropouts, add a claw type derailleur, and either rebuild the wheel or pick up another.

Mothra

Internal-gear hub is the simplest way to go. You can get those in 3 or 5-speed version with a pretty decent gearing-range.

CHenry

(Bolds mine)

Don't you mean centerpull caliper brakes? Those require a hanger, but one could be placed at the seatpost instead of brazed-on. Inline (V-Brakes) and cantilevers both require a brazed on pivot on the seatstays.

If you are going to run large balloon tires, then a disk or roller brake is worth considering. And if there is no hanger for a derailleur, going with an internal hub is also a good idea. Make sure the dropout width is adequate.

AnthonyG

I had a quick look at the bike online. It looks cool although despite its name its not realy about cruising at all. Its got LONG cranks at 180 mm and a high centrebracket.

Quick question. What do you want to acheive from modifying the bike and what sort of riding do you wan't to do?

If you realy wanted to fit gears then as others have said a multispeed rear hub is the go. Trying to fit derailers would also involve changing the cranks or the chainring at least and it would be difficult and a messy result. You could get another fork with cantelever/v-brake mounts but the costs are going up.

You know I've given the idea some thought myself before and the conclusion I came to is that the frame geometry of these bikes and in paticular their high centrebrackets doesn't lend itself to other uses.

Regards, Anthony

waterrockets 

Yeah, forgot about the hanger for the calipers -- I was just talking about the posts.

-Bong-

Not BMX, thats for sure. Neighborhood, park & industrial park cruising for excercise & pleasure. And I'd prefer something more durable than a thin wheeled traditional 10 speed, and not a mountain bike. I don't need 24 gears.

The idea of a small frame is appealing - and after riding the bike, it just felt more like I was RIDING a bike instead of just sitting & pedalling. FUN! Like I said - I'm not set on this particular model, it just so happens to be the only cruiser set up for test riding in my town. I have no intention of hitting jumps or any of that nonsense. I just want something smaller & manuverable (?) and easily carried & stored. 20" is too small. The fixed gear was OK - but since I don't plan on dirt, I got the idea of putting some other speeds on it to make it a little more practical for riding longer distances from my house. Not cross town mind you, but out of my neighborhood.

I'm not opposed to building from the frame up if I knew where to look. Are you saying its not possible?

Thanks for the response.

-B

demoncyclist

www.electrabikes.com

-Bong-

EGADS no!!!

-Bong-

What about this one?

DK General Lee 24

Retro Grouch 

It's possible to do because I've done similar projects. I understand your bike shop's attitude. I would never contract to do such a project for somebody else. Figuring out how to make everything work takes so much time that I don't have the heart to charge regular shop labor rates so I wind up loseing money on the deal. Also, while I can put everything together and make it work, it's beyond my skill level to make it look factory fresh so the customer is likely to be disappointed. It's likely to turn into one of those lose-lose propositions.

-Bong-

Alright

Thanks for being candid.

I'll just get a Sorrento.

lyledriver

BMX bikes generally have a rear spacing of 110mm..
So wedging in a 135 axle would be a real stretch.
I have converted a BMX to a 3 speed with an unbraked Sram hub. It was a tight fit, but it works.

Little Darwin

If I were to like the ride of that bike, and had your objectives I would:

a) get a front brake on it. (the majority of your stopping power comes from the front brake)

b) get a 24" rear wheel built with an internally geared hub... or buy one. For what you are expressing a 3 speed would be enough. In my high school years (many moons ago) I rode my 3 speed Frankenbike on numerous 30+ mile rides with no problems. However, a 7 speed hub would add the luxury of more gears.

c) have lots of fun riding it!

This assumes that my eyes don't deceive me... that these both have rear brakes.

A long reach caliper brake might work on the front, but you would have to make sure. I believe Sheldon Brown's site has info on checking brake reach needed etc.

-Bong-

Lots of great info here, everybody... THANK YOU!

There are a few shops in town that might be a little more willing than the original shop to give some input on building from the frame up. Not that I blame them, but they just want to sell bikes & parts - not too interested in "engineering", so to speak. I'm not worried so much about cost - but I do want something nice. I'll update what I wind up doing. Don't REALLY want a Sorrento anyway.

-PEACE

AnthonyG

Well if you've test riden the bike and your comfortable on it then that's half the battle already. You could fit a long reach caliper brake to the front wheel by the looks of it fairly easily but don't expect a lot of braking power from it. If you hands are strong enough it will work.

The rear wheel spacing is the first thing you need to check on. I thought they would be 120 mm but someone else with experience say's their 110 mm. Redline also do the MX 24 which has a full cro-molly frame which would be a better choice if you intend to spread the rear dropouts a little for a multi-speed hub.

On another note it is possible to get street tires for that wheel size too. The ISO diameter is 507 mm.

Regards, Anthony

Little Darwin

I wonder...

I know drop bolts can be used too, and I would assume they would have a little flex.

Would drop bolts and shorter reach brakes brake better than long reach brakes.

To bring it to another level of complexity, a fork swap could enable the use of v-brakes or disc brakes.

seely

Why not just get something like an Azonic Steelhead and built it up with 24" wheels. Its already got a derailleur hanger and brake posts for 26" and 24" wheels. It would be a lot less work. Build it with a single ring in the front, even use a BMX crank, and a 9spd rear setup.

-Bong-

NICE!!!

I'll be checking that out!!!

I've pretty much given up the idea of the aluminum framed Redline. Nice bike, but I'm going to keep looking.

seely

Here you go:

https://cgi.ebay.com/06-Azonic-Steelh...QQcmdZViewItem