tashi

Wow. That Iron Horse is a beaut. Did you restore it or find it in close to that condition?

That had to be one of the nicest built horribly designed full-suspension frames ever. Those things had beautiful welds and annodizing, but falling rate suspension. Silly. Dave Cullinan didn't seem to mind though - his air over a bridge and between the chairs of a moving chairlift was a classic "stepping up" of the game of downhill racing at the time.

I always thought that the red ones looked better than the blue and purple ones that the team rode.

werks

My $30.00 RockHopper with $5.00 worth of take-apart sleeves


Homebuilt bicycle rack on the Aprilia


On the road .... I've ridden the RockHopper about 1,000 miles so far since taking a hacksaw to the frame


In the trunk ...

tashi

Those sleeves would scare me, good luck with 'em! Any creaking?

thestoutdog

Very nice, I like the option of suitcase or rack. Would you be so kind as to share with us just how you went about separation of the frame?

Kobe 

Wow! The ingenuity of people never ceases to amaze me.

How does it ride with the 2 sleeves on. I would think it would be a bit unsettling.

werks

No creaking, and no frame flex that I can detect. I put lots of strain on it, climbing and descending steeply here in the Rocky Mountains. After 1,000 miles of testing I'm confident this bumblebee can fly

tashi

All the best of luck with it then! I'd keep the slicks on it though, I've broken far less uncompromised frames with hard mountain biking.

werks

It's intended for road use only.... I've found that old non suspension mtn bikes have gearing and geometry well suited for climbing the passes near my home, plus they're cheap buys on Craigslist. My Specialized TriCross also rides on slicks.

I've got 2 1980's Jamis Dakota Mtn bikes with slicks ... also for road use. For mountain biking I ride a Specialized FSR XC Comp and an old Cannondale M900 ( front suspension only).

You can't have too many bicycles .... or motorcycles for that matter ... Tom

RockHopper (non folder) and M900 in the Aspen...


This setup always draws a crowd at the Nordic Centers. Two pair of skating skis on board.

werks

Not at all.... Once you get used to it.

Construction ....
I cut the top and down tubes with a hacksaw, fitted the aluminum sleeves, and drilled for 1/4" SS machine screws / locking nuts. The aluminum sleeves are 1 3/8" OD ... 6063-T832 X .055 wall thickness. I actually made second sleeves to cover the first using 1 1/2" OD X .055 tubing for additional thickness, but this proved unnecessary. The bike's folded size is 26" X 22" X 12" and easily fits into the rear trunk of the Boxster. The 26" wheels fit in the front trunk.

Assembly....
The sleeves slide forward on the top and down tubes to expose the cut for assembly / disassemby. If the car's trunk is small, like mine, the stem / handlebars can be removed in one piece by loosening and sliding out the stem. The frame sections are then folded over for storage. I may add cable splitters for ease of frame assembly as seen on many bikes with S&S couplers.

My next take-apart bike will use an insert and quick release on the down tube ( as opposed to a sleeve), with the top tube being cut off between the seat stays and seat tube. This will allow the top and seat tube to be connected via the seat post with a quick release much the same as found on various commercial folding bikes. Regards, Tom

For winter, the take-apart is assigned to trainer duty

Slackangles

Hi, my first post! Lovely bikes on here, I'll see if I can get one of mine up-mid '80s F W Evans/Saracen.DSC00082.jpg

Edit, how do I get big pic' up?

Rob Glatfelter

I had to bring this thread up now that it's all done.


I guess I've turned it from a V-MTB into a C&V Hybrid?

Also, the Tektro I have on the rear sucks pretty bad.
Does anyone have any recommendations for a good U Brake with out a lot of flex?
Preferably on the cheaper side of the coin.

The Golden Boy 

Have you tried the Suntour Roller Cams?

I think I recall seeing them for $10 for a pair.

Aemmer

I was thinking the same thing. Roller cams for style points. I believe you may be pressed to find them for $10 though. If not, I believe Deore XT or just plain Deore U brakes are pretty good. I have used the same XT U brake on the back of my tandem for over 20 years.

SPlKE 

Some aftermarket manufacturers also made (I'm using past tense since I don't know if they still make them) flat U-shaped pieces of steel which were marketed as U-brake stiffeners.

IIRC, I have on on my deore xt mudcatcher, er, U-brake.

jim-bob

My latest score came with rollercams front and rear.

Roger M

Ross Mt Rainier..age unknown(maybe 84ish), still sporting bull-moose bars. Original except the wheels/tires.

RB1-luvr

jim-bob, that kinda looks like a geared bmx bike

phoebeisis

Wow- very interesting DIY take down bike.
Looks like a good idea. Those frames- rigid cromo mtbs late 80's early 90's- are pretty sturdy, and riding it strictly on the road or light trail shouldn't stress it much.
Did you just over sleeve the tubes, or have you put some sort of "button" or inner sleeve/dowel on the open ends making them less likely to crush? Even a tight fitting wooden dowel slipped a few inches in would strengthen it even more.

Very clever, and those bikes are usually cheap-$75 in ride able condition here in NOLA.
Clever
Charlie

Grand Bois

Campagnolo Euclid.

Chris_in_Miami

Yep, very cool bike! I think that's an early Cannondale, the 24" rear wheel gives it away...

monsterpile

Here is a nifty Fuji BLVD XC I just picked up Sunday. I actually drove a ways to get this, but it was only $20 and I think it was worth it. It needs new tires because they are rotted, but everything else works great. This is just a "before" pic. I saw one of these much earlier in the thread when I was searching for info on the bike. I need to get rid of the big wide cruiser bars because they don't work for me on this bike. I really like the ratcheting action thumbshifters and its also interesting that the seatpost actually has numbers on it so you can actually measure how far up or down it is. It also came with some all metal platform pedals with pins which is an unexpected bonus imo. I am looking forward to shining this up.

surreal

When i worked at a shop, the BMXicans who didn't want to buy a Fly or Proper really liked the diatech fiesta:
https://www.danscomp.com/480004.php?cat=PARTS

Alternatively, try to score a deore mt60, used. The one on my miyata is truly awesome. I was expecting it to be kind of bleh.

I really like your build, even if it's not a mtb anymore. good luck with the brakes!

-rob

fuji86

Made me realize how gentle I am with my atb, which has never been that nasty in the elements. I do ride mine beachside and even though it doesn't ever get dirty, the salt air and sand are probably worse for it, or at least as harmful in a different way ?

tashi

Mud and filth and the associated cleaning are hard on small and moving components, but not so hard on major parts.

Salt air is bad for almost the whole bike in theory but I've lived near the ocean my whole life (until this year) and not once had a bike rust out on me. I hear it's worse other places - Hawaii for example. Dunking it, or never repacking the bearings would kill it though - so I guess as long as you're not totally foolish you're good!

These things were made for a thrashing! My DeKerf is a lightweight race bike and had been punished for the last 15 years and keeps on coming back for more.

surreal

that dekerf is awesome, but it made me realize that some ppl have a whooooooooooooole lotta post showing....

-rob =D