Long weekend...Stevegor away...touring....on his motorcycle

However, touring on a R20 is brilliant, especially with a SA 8 spd hub, Jur will agree on that one.
As for heel strike with the "P" rear rack and panniers, I've not had that problem, then again I don't have clown feet

Phatatude is right, I have a new project ready to go, what with all these posts on R20s lately the inspirational juices are starting to flow again, unfortunately the money ones aren't, but you guys have convinced me to proceed with the R24 tourer ASAP.

Yep.

I have so got to do something like that.

https://toronto.en.craigslist.ca/tor/bik/657508184.html

omg, opinions asap, hinge looks to open sideways, bike looks in great shape

EDIT: Im meeting the seller on Sunday, is there anything I should look out for in particular when it comes to a folding bike? Anything with the hinge, stress points to be concerned about?

How can I tell if it can handle my 185 pounds, with 50 odd pounds of my crap?

If anyone has any suggestion (including "wtf that things a deathtrap on tour") please make it

I traveled down that path not a year ago- I wanted a twenty, and ended up buying a Nealeco Bianchi Aquiletta. It was an entertaining project, but *no way* would I try and tour on the little beast. Here are some of the problems:

- First off, the frame and hinge and everything are just not as strong as the twenty. It's a heavy little gaspipe monster, and I think going over a large bump would bend it irreparably.

- The headtube is quite funky, not a standard diameter. The threading on the fork is 24 tpi, so parts of a new headset worked OK, but I really would have liked to have a completely new headset.

- The crank in mine is a 2-piece thing that once worn out, will be a monster to replace. If the bottom bracket shell were threaded, it would be standard Italian sized. But it's just 2 cups pressed into an unthreaded shell. "Badmother" has an even worse one on his little U-folder, which is a 40 mm shell (too small for BMX and too big to take threading). He ended up cutting the BB shell out of a wrecked bike and epoxying it right inside the old one.

- The stem is 21.1 mm daimeter, so you're stuck with chromed steel parts.

- It still had the steel rims and crummy brakes and all the other problems the twenty has, and none of the benefits.

I would advise you to have some patience. I found my twenty for twenty bucks on craigslist a couple of months ago. Granted, it didn't have a fork or useable wheels, but I was planning to replace them anyway- all I really wanted was the frame.

Here's the Bianchi: I gotta admit, it *is* a pretty little thing, but I just don't know what I'm gonna do with it...

Why did you do that me. Now I want to build my girlfriend a bike, AND get me a twenty when one comes up. That bike is seriously gorgeous.

OMG THATS AN AWESOME IDEA!

Its definately not what I want for my folding trip, however it sounds like it would suit my girlfriends needs. Which would consist of a ride about the park or trail once or twice a month. And keep me from getting an itchy buying finger, to prevent me from buying a mediochre twenty. So then, I shall continue waiting for the twenty and will probably be giving my girlfriend a big "present" soon. =D

The Bianchi is beautiful... Nice nice resto!

Thanks, li'lp'el, coming from you that means alot to me!

Here's the "before" pic:

Young man, I`m a "she" not a"he"

Beautiful bike by the way. The green colour is beautiful. I`we been thinking of something just a little bit darker for my nrw project:

Struggeling with an old computer that refuses to "speak" with our mobilephones, so no pix at the moment. The small beauty I made that "trick" with the BB is now black and fast. 10 gears (5 cog + 2 in the front, no front shifter so it is done "by hand"). My son decided it is his bike. The other day he was out testriding with a "Dart vader" helmet/mask and a long black robe I made for him. Riding fast as hell just after sunset, the robe standing out in the air behind him. Made a small video from it.

Started on one for myself. Got two 20" folders (approx 40 yrs old) and one 26" folder(!) Last time I went to look for bikes. One guy at the recykeling place had keept them for me, helps to be a "gal" some times

One of the small ones the frame was bent, but I needed some spares from it so I did not mind. I am going to ask for one or two more (since he asked if I needed more..) later, need some time to build.

Put a shimano 7 cog and shifter on the seat tube. This becouse it is not a folder, it can be separated totally, and any cables could be damaged fast.


Posting a picture of one just the same, just mine is (was) purple. I`we decided to finish making it work well before painting it, the oposite of what I did on the black one..

shouldnt a bianci be that nice pale blue?

think Ive got a frame like that some where.

going to make it into a Pantani replica

No, Norwegian made, they made a lot of them. Still many around. Name is
DBS, Short for "The Best Bike". Exactely same as this one:
https://www.denrustneeike.no/home.asp
(Need a lot of work that last one..). They came in 20" and 24" Wheels.

Little Pixel

Fantastic idea! I always wanted to convert a R20 frame to a Mountain Bicycle and I was just about to ask for advise from you fellas. This picture removed many of my doughts. Disk brakes might be a good option for a R20 MTB but I suppose all rear disk hubs are 135 mm, or am I wrong?

This is a dangerous thread...

Rear spacing on an R20 is 120 or perhaps 125 but you can cold-set the stays (ie carefully bend them) to accept wider hubs. I ran a 135mm SRAM S7 hub in mine with no problems so you could do it. As for how easy it would be to get disk mounts brazed - hmm. Probably best to get whole new integrated dropouts.

One problem I forsee with a MTB R20 is the quality of the 20" suspension fork, most are from inferior "kids"
el cheapo bikes so they wouldn't last long or have much suspension travel on rugged single track. There may be good quality forks available but they would be very costly, there's probably a better choice in 24".

Another problem I could see is the hinge and/or the bolt on the folding frame might not be strong enough for the MTBing that I normally do, so I would suggest using the non folding version frame instead.

If you go with disk brakes on the front then you can get a mid-range 26" fork and fit any wheel up to that size - so maybe do your 24" wheelset, remove a bit of lower headtube and you're away. What about a cool Cannondale lefty fork?
[edit - darnit - that would require a 1 1/8" headtube. Pfft.]

There must be ways of upgrading the bolts though eh? If it's a non-folder it kinda misses the point and might as well be a normal compact hardtail.

Lil Pixel, I can't wait to see what the current project will look like when it's done! Your mock-up is wicked-cool! (Sorry didn't read the entire thread--not sure if the brake-bridge grind is in direction of putting 26" wheels on it--?)

On the subj of touring on the twenty, I'm newly able to chime in as of 2 nights ago--did Critical Mass here in SF. Even in its fixie-form, was able to ride 4 hours straight on the thing! Though, granted, we didn't hit any major hills, and the ~5%-7% grades we did hit were all during the 2nd half when I was well-warmed up. 5 hours total, maybe not touring level, but surprised myself given constant maneuvering while clicked-into pedals among at least 500 other cyclists. Maybe lots more--the great weather brought everyone out. I didn't see any other 20s or fixie folders, but counted 20 other folders, incl Katherine R on her pink Bike Friday.

-Bryan

Ok - I think it should be made clear that if anyone is serious about this as a build idea that they should prolly be getting 24" juvenile Mtb rims and not adult 26" ones.

I was just playing around with the Photoshop again and while 26" might be something that'd work for a road machine, once you factor in the extra fork height for the suspension-travel, the angle of the forks starts to look distinctly 'Chopper' like and not a bike I'd wanna ride up the hills...

Here's a crap diagram with rims to scale. *RIMS* being the operative word; the outer edge of these rims is the outer edge of the rim - so a tyre would be as much again OUTSIDE the edge for a roadie wheel and 2-2 1/2 times that with a knobbly.



But I hope it makes sense. 26" with susp-travel rise would be too clownbike to be a usable machine, because you can't add rise to a 'hardtail' rear triangle.
But 24" might be ok;

You guys also be well aware that the WIDTH of your rim and tire in the rear is going to be one of the largest obsticles to be aware of. You would have to look at narrow rims ANd tires for this mod or maybe spread your seat stays towards the top. With a larger rear hub, you will gain some width, but not a ton so just measure and measure again. I recently cut out my brake bridge, and this is a really tempting mod

I think some one has already mention the width issue, but its worth mentioning again.

Lil' Pix... That is a flippin Mean lookin' Puddle Jumper you made there... I really wish Raleigh was lookin at some of your ideas. they'd definitely raise some eyebrows...


R-20 : Your mind is its only limitation...

come check the progress...
https://web.mac.com/phatatude/Green_S...enty_Blog.html

Huw,
I'm keeping my R24 more for the road and touring, so it's rigid forks for me...I'll use my XT Gitane hardtail for MTBing or save up for a "Rhino"

Hi suppose that by now we have high-jacked the thread! So here it is one more question for the vicious looking R20:

Any idea where can I get bulky BMX like (mountain, whatever) 451 mm tyres arround 50 mm wide?

speaking of off topic madness, I was biking by an undisclosable spot and saw an ooold skool cruiserbike! no rear wheel, but my parts bin has that covered. gonna be wickeeed.

i saw that folder, (i dunno if i mentioned) and I hated it. Its hyper squirrely, and the frame flexes and bows back and forth and uip and down while your ride. that wasnt happening. However a contact has raised some expectations of grabbing a twenty.

edit: whats that in imperial? sorry, too lazy to convert.

Heres my newly found R20 with a 24" MTB wheel in it.
It doesnt fit. Maybe with a 1.5 tyre.
Thats a 24X195 tyre on the wheel.



I tested a pair of 24 X 1 3/8" wheels. Was just the same.

wash. perhaps substituting a 24 fork for the front? it clears in the back, no?