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bent out of an old Y frame mtb

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bent out of an old Y frame mtb

Old 08-27-07, 10:30 PM
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bent out of an old Y frame mtb

im not sure where i should post this but im gunna put it here

while bulding my other bent i kept pushing a mtb aside to look for parts

then one day i flipped it over and thats when it hit me

quick overview.....20" forks and front tire(had brake mounts already)

rear part of mtb(had brake mounts already)

cut off lower part of the Y and welded it up front

flipped the what was left and now the old seatpost tube is the new head tube and the old head tube was welded to the rear section........i just cut the tubes longwise and kinda wrapped them around the other tubes and welded them

i let the old frame dictate all the angles as they were (was easier than cutting new fishmouths and fitting everything)

im kind of a short guy......5'7 3/4" with a 28" inseam so this design may not work for taller people

next is the seat..........then the cogs and chain.......and might have to raise the bars more....figure that out after the seat

im pretty happy so far..........what do ya think?

p.s......thats my new 5x10 shed/bikeworkshop i got for free off craigslist........woohoooo.....no more weldin in the kitchen






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Old 08-27-07, 11:30 PM
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Bravo!
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Old 08-29-07, 08:22 PM
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Looks like a great start. I think you are going to need a riser and some different handlebars to get proper knee clearance though.
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Old 08-30-07, 06:15 AM
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Very nice!
Here's a place dedicated to projects like yours (in case you don't know about it) :
https://www.bentrideronline.com/messa...splay.php?f=12
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Old 08-30-07, 08:11 AM
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cool..........thx for the comments ............and the link
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Old 08-30-07, 08:54 AM
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im kinda stuck on the seat part..........i got some door covering plywood......thin stuff........used gorilla glue...........but i may have over soaked the wood cuz the glue didnt work so good.........i got some info from that link and i might need different plywood and glue

cant do much more without a seat.......but the jig i made worked out good and i got the curve i wanted........so it went half good
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Old 08-30-07, 09:11 AM
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i also have some glass weave left over from a dagger board project......but id have to get some resin........and that gets messy........i figured the plywood would be easier.......im not givin up yet on the wood
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Old 08-31-07, 10:10 AM
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Originally Posted by JunkyardWarrior
........i figured the plywood would be easier.......im not givin up yet on the wood
JW, I might be able to give you some pointers regarding the seat. Send me an email.
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Old 08-31-07, 01:00 PM
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thx AB.....for now ive givin up on the wood...........maybe when i get more extra cash...............for the time being i went with some aluminum sheet metal... .080 i think.........it feels good and i'll glue padding from an old camping bed roll............was alot easier to get the curve...........i didnt have a piece long enuff and ended up lapping 2 pieces which will give me more stength in the mid back area......its also thinner so the only flat top bolts i had will work..........off an old sat dish i think

so for now the seat is done

im gettin ready to finish up the riser and im gunna leave the bars for now..........i wanna see how they feel when i ride.....i'll have to tuck in my elbows but thats what im trying to get......i have another plan if they dont feel good.............just make em wider

this weekend im gunna try to get the drivetrain on it

i'll get some pics of the seat later today

thx again for the help

Last edited by JunkyardWarrior; 08-31-07 at 01:01 PM. Reason: mispelling
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Old 08-31-07, 02:27 PM
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ok heres the pics

still no drivetrain...............plenty of room behind the seat for a pack of some sort...........not sure what catagory it fits in so im not sure what to call it............i like sitting up a bit more




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Old 08-31-07, 02:51 PM
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Excellent! That's a really great use for a cheapo Kwalmart MTB, and it turned out much better than I expected from the earlier pics. Category? I'd call it a SWB 26/20.
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Old 08-31-07, 03:07 PM
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Nice work JunkyardWarrior.

Welding in the kitchen? - I must admit I've never done that ...... yet
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Old 08-31-07, 07:56 PM
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Is that rust on there? Are those tubes steel?!
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Old 08-31-07, 08:39 PM
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rust?.........yup.........all my stuff comes with some rust......lol...........what tubes do you mean?........the furthest back that are holding the seat up are aluminum i think...........they are old crutches..........the frame is steel

heres the makeshift drivetrain..........took it for a quick test drive and it works.......its only one speed right now so who knows what will happen when i start shifting

i think im over steering cuz im used to the MBB and the steering is kinda touchy.................should get better once i can relax..............but everything seemed to be lined up good and ran fairly smooth even though one of the chains were very rusty...........it'll smooth out eventually


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Old 09-01-07, 07:29 AM
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Good job...and that seat is nice too. You may have to get some stronger idler wheels; what liittle I have used derailers lets me know that they are not much when you put a lot of strain or pull on them. once you get used to the steering you will enjoy the ride.
peace
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Old 09-01-07, 09:14 AM
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thx floyd.............yea i wasnt sure if they were gunna break right off or not...............they held pretty good..........i have some aluminum ilders on my mtb derailer and i was thinkin those might hold up better than the plastic ones...........but i hear real idler wheels for bents are fairly cheap so i can always switch em out later
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Old 09-01-07, 11:59 AM
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You may be able to simplify the power side of your chain run. Lots of lowracer SWB bents seem to use this. Green is power, yellow is return. Two idlers side by side under the seat, a single by the head tube, and a low-friction pad on the shoulder of the fork.
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Old 09-01-07, 04:10 PM
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wow........after a good night sleep and the addition of rear shifter and front brakes.............and a little more wd40 on the chain...........im amazed

its so much better.............no offence to the MBB but the FBB is way better............dont get my wrong, they'll always have a fond place in my heart cuz they got me into bents..................but once i got comfortable it was great................arms are to my sides like i wanted............steers great.........nice and compact...........no heel kick issues

only 2 bad things.............the chain is right next to my leg and will get my loose shorts dirty..........but i still have my bike pants and they're black so who cares...........i guess thats why i see chain tubes

and.........about a doz rusty links that rumble every time they go thru the rear derailer..............not bad tho.....i can fix that

and the old derailers i used for cogs are working great........... i even melted one or two of em while i was welding............ooooops...............another reason for cool colorfull aluminum ones

no more pics cuz im not changin a thing............oh yea..........the pack...........well when that gets done i'll have a few more pics
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Old 09-01-07, 04:11 PM
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oh yea pup............my brakes are right at that spot on the fork.........no disc brakes............yet....lol
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Old 09-01-07, 07:37 PM
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Originally Posted by Recumbomatic
Is that rust on there? Are those tubes steel?!
Originally Posted by JunkyardWarrior
the frame is steel

Wow. The reason I asked is because those are some massive tubes! I always assumed those Y frame MTBs were aluminium, guess I was wrong. Cheap bike, so I'm thinking high tensile steel, but if its cro-mo...damn, talk about a sturdy frame!
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Old 09-01-07, 08:12 PM
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yea my nice Y frame mtb is aluminum..............this was a cheapy one.............i got it at goodwill for $10 cuz it didnt have a seat.........the tubes are wide but thin(oval) and the wall isnt very thick.....sawzall goes right thru it.......i have no idea what its made of..........but it welds good.......lol

even kid bikes have the oval tubes nowadays...............must be the new style

my buddy just got a wirefeed/mig/aluminum welder so if i find a junky aluminum Y frame mtb with the cranks on the Y (sometimes the crank is on the rear part) at goodwill cheap then i might end up with an aluminum one

after a quick ride over to my buddys im extremely happy with the bike...............enuff to strip the levers/brakes/shifters off the first one i built...............but seeing as i already used the drivetrain from it.....and seeing as how i can only ride one bike at a time

im even happy with the colors so im not gunna paint it.........i like that you can see all the welds..........then people will know for sure that its homebuilt

i can see over the handle bars too.....................thx again for all the pics and inspiration everyone

just for the record.......when i got my schwinn spoiler i saw a bent sitting outside the LBS........first one i ever saw up close................told my friend it looked like a death machine.........lol.........now i cant get enuff of bents
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