Nine Over Six +

As I explore designing bikes with mismatched wheels, I have discovered certain issues that impede performance and reliability. 

On the Orange Dream bike, the short chain line makes for unreliable shifting of the front derailleur.

The “Custom” (see previous projects), has a propensity to wheelie when a lot of force is applied to the pedal from a standing start, due to the short wheelbase where the rider’s weight is almost directly above the rear axle. 

With most of my designs that sport a 20-inch rear wheel, high quality wheels, hubs, and freewheel are limited as I don’t build my own wheel sets. Instead, I rely on what can be found on existing 20-inch wheeled bikes. Usually kid’s bikes, cheap folding bikes and low-end BMX bikes I find at thrift stores and yard sales.

I know what you’re thinking; I need to learn to build wheels with components that are compatible and specific to my designs. But that just opens up the Pandora’s box of pricey elements for my designs. Spending money I don’t earn goes against my design philosophy. 

Maybe someday, bikes like mine will be produced by companies with marketing departments that feel the consumer wants and shall have high-end componentry that puts them in a price point into the thousand$. That is so not me. So, instead of chasing the “small wheel in the rear” concept, I thought I would try something different but still the same.

How about a larger wheel up front with a more “normal” sized wheel on the rear?

I have found that affordable, quality rear wheels with sealed bearings and free hubs are plentiful starting in the 26-inch range. Couple that with a 29er front and voilà, my concept, scaled up.

I found a 29-inch front wheel with a 3.0-inch wide knobby at a local swap meet for 18 bucks. Widest tire I have so far but not a “fat” tire and not a fat rim. In fact, the hub is not sealed and of a normal width, so it must have been from a low-end 29er mtb.

I started to gather components to create a bike that would perform as well as any in my collection.

First hurdle was the fork. I could not find a 29er fork through my usual channels, so I had to make one. I selected a segmented crown that had the widest clearance between the vertical tubes, which I raided from a department store steel suspension fork.

Segmented crown freed from the suspension tubes

I was ok with the relatively short, threaded steer tube. Next I had to come up with the extension arms and dropouts. I had two, near identical post-war seat posts that fit nicely inside the crown’s vertical tubes. Dropouts were cut from scrap stock. 

Once the fork was fabricated, I was well on my way to “connecting the dots”. What followed was a geometry that seemed to fall into place as I easily solved each issue that arose. 

Fabricated fork and truss rods

Short Nishiki MTB frame

Down tube extension from top tube scrap

New head tube from large diameter EMT

Zeroing in on head tube angle

Raiding brake posts for the fork

New sloping top tube for a comfortable stand-over height

Test assembly to check angles and clearances

A paper template was made to cut gussets from an old saw blade

Gussets strengthen the head tube and covers the spliced down tube welds

Ready for prep and paint

Rattle-can Rustoleum Satin Nickle

Maxxis Hookworm 29x2.5 in the front and 26x2.5 in the rear really make this bike look like it means business. The ride is smooth, stable, and efficient. The only real issue that I have not yet solved is the plus sized rear tire intruding into the chain line at the lowest gear combination. 

The remedy is simple enough. I need to use a longer (wider) bottom bracket spindle, and find a high quality free-hub wheel. Then, I’ll rearrange the cogs and spacers of a 9-speed cassette, possibly editing out a gear or two closest to the spokes, making it a 7-speed with 9-speed spacing. I’m using friction thumbies, so indexing will not be an issue.

The ease in which this project came together, surprised me. 

I now have a 29er...or half of one anyway.

Making a Useless Bike Useful

A while ago someone gave me a new Schwinn Drifter department store cruiser with a springer fork.

The donor never rode it and it was just getting in his way. After I took it home, I let it sit around for a while before I started to raid all the parts from it. Eventually, all that was left was the frame and the very sub-par springer fork. 

I disliked the frame because it has an oversized downtube which suggests it is a newer mass produced bike. Since it's a steel frame, I had thought of cutting off the downtube and replacing it with a straight 1 inch. But for what? To have a better looking department store cruiser I won’t ride?

So I decided I would to turn this useless bike into something I can use and always wanted, a Cycle Truck. I felt I could do this with minimal effort.

A Cycle Truck, for those that don’t know, is a cargo bike with a smaller wheel in front to accommodate a large oversized basket affixed to the frame, not the handlebars.  With a lower center of gravity, one can carry more cargo safely and they’re really cool.

The first step was to find all the basic elements for the design. It is important that the front fork be of some decent quality. I used a heavy BMX fork and 48 spoked wheel I had as a leftover from a previous project.

Next was to lay out the elements to get some sense of what I had to work with. On a flat and level surface, I set up the frame vertically on wheels setting the bottom bracket height using dial angle finders and bubble levels to mark key reference points. 

This round of pre-visualization allowed me to zero in on more accurate and final measurements to set the critical angles that make a bicycle ride normally.

Once I was comfortable with the overall plan, I started to fabricate.

The most critical part of this build was the extension of the steer tube and fork tube. Rummaging through my boxes of scrap and finding the right steel to make this a strong and precise fit took some time and I was able to avoid purchasing new steel.

The cargo platform was made entirely by repurposing the suspension fork tubes (with the exception of a pre-bent EMT 1/2 inch). I chose to sacrifice the fork because it is not the same quality as Schwinn’s earlier version. They look identical on the outside but when you take them apart and compare them you will see that on the older version, the pivots on the fork arms are solid and threaded, but the newer cheaper one is hollow, thinner and the hole will elongate and start to rattle after a few short rides. The more you try to tighten it, the more you are likely to crush the tube. 

IMO these newer springers are inferior and should never be used as forks but with some modifications, they're perfect for the cargo platform.

I didn’t feel the need to strip and repaint the entire frame because I didn’t want to invest the time or money on a department store remake. Instead, I removed paint from only the areas I would be welding. Once the welding and grinding was finished, I epoxied over some welds for a smooth appearance, masked off most of the frame and spot painted the modified areas to blend (from a distance) with the original paint and preserve the warning stickers. I re-affixed the Schwinn head badge under the KG logo and even kept the “Made in China” sticker at the bottom of the seat tube. I have no intentions of passing this Frankenbike off as anything other than a modified department store bike and I liked the fact that I can demonstrate that such a bike, no matter of its' country of origin, can be modified to have that "cool factor" that many riders want.

This bike is intended to be a bit of a beater so the visual imperfections were expected, considering the rush build and desire to reuse everything.

The bike now performs better than it did when it was originally purchased. The "Beer Bike"  (as I now fondly call it) can carry 4 cases of beer safely and more, if one dares.

Cheers!!!

Thanks Buddy

P.S.

Another important thing to point out is how all these components source out. Most of the elements of this project were given to me at no cost. The bike itself (Schwinn Drifter) was given to me by a gentleman named Ron.

The Ursus Jumbo center stand and the growler cage were provided by Josef of Flying Pigeon LA , the rear twin racks were found atop a garbage can in Portland Or. while participating in a “move by bike”. The handlebars were given to me outside the Community Cycle Co-Op in Portland (I offered to buy them but the donor insisted that I take them and others if I could use them). The grips were bought from inside the co-op on another trip. The 36t chainring was given to me by a bike polo enthusiast and fellow fabricator Steve of Steel Fabricated Arts in LA . Single piece crank, pedals and BB set are from a swap meet in Pacoima, a leftover fork and 20 inch wheel from another project and an old wire dairy crate I used to hold some power tools and I still had to play musical parts with some of my completed bikes for all the rest.

I Sing The Bike Electric

Now that I am getting up there in age, I have become intrigued by e-bikes and how I might benefit from having one in my collection. I’ve read many reviews and test ridden a few e-bikes of late. Bikes with integrated systems that have a throttle and bikes that are purely pedal-assist. Some are direct drive with regenerative braking and others with geared motors that freewheel when coasting and don’t regenerate. There are many who love them and many who hate them. Then there are those of us somewhere in the middle. I think the biggest misconception regarding e-bikes and conversion kits is the notion that they will turn your bike into an electric motor-bike. So not true. What it does is it turns your pedal-only bike into a hybrid. That means it requires a shared input of your muscle power and power from the electric motor. It will not pull you up a hill. It will help you pedal up a hill. The more you help it, the longer your range. The more it helps you, the shorter your range. If you ride on level ground, you will probably get the range as advertised. If you ride steep inclines, you will not get the range as advertised. Simple, right? When we understand how these things work, then we can sort though the many e-bikes and conversion kits that are available and make the right choice for our own purposes.

There are kits and components that are of such high wattage (beyond the allowable lawful limits) that they will indeed pull the rider up a hill without any assistance. These components require lots of power and can drain a battery in minutes. Bigger battery, you say? Fine. More weight and more expense for a few more minutes. I am not interested in the unlimited category of electric cycles for there are, I’m sure, electric machines that can scorch a quarter mile track quicker than many internal combustion powered machines. I am more interested in kits that are street legal, widely available, and backed by the retailer.

The point of this discussion is to realize that there are limits. Limits to the application, limits to our equipment and limits to our pocketbooks. 

A while back I had the opportunity to test ride the very expensive $7000 Specialized Turbo, pedal-assist e-bike. I was impressed by the ease with which I could pedal uphill and pass traffic. I felt like some sort of superman able to pedal at 28 mph with as little pedal force as I would exert on a casual ride with my wife. This was both exciting and terrifying as I realized that I could go very fast with little effort, while I would normally work harder to go slower on questionable terrain (for a bicycle). This became very evident to me after I had purchased the more affordable throttle-only, $1200 msrp, front wheel Currie Electric Kit-3 with a brushless geared hub motor for one of my MTB frames which I had converted some time ago to a simplified and easy to use, single speed, coaster braked cruiser. I had further refit this bike with 26x1.50 smooth tread Panaracer tires, which I keep inflated to the 85psi maximum for efficiency, front and rear v-brakes, lights and wider handlebars for better leverage. This simple, throttle only 500w and 36v kit can take you to 20mph on terrain you would normally be pedaling at around 5-8mph. Potholed asphalt and loose gravel get real dodgy on a rigid framed e-bike even at 10mph.

As I use this kit on this particular frame, I am learning more about my own limitations as a rider as well as the limitations of the components. I have learned to use the throttle-only system quite effectively. Instead of letting a “pedalec” system do the thinking for me, where the onboard computer meters power proportionally to pedal torque and/or cadence, I do this simply by applying just enough throttle to make my desired cadence and pedal pressure comfortable. Then often times I’ll let the throttle go to zero or turn the unit completely off while I continue riding until I need additional assistance. This becomes second nature and I have been able to travel 35+mi with lots of power remaining in the battery. I have yet to get caught with zero power with miles yet to go.

I can climb moderate inclines at a respectable speed around my hilly neighborhood without much sweat, climbing long grades that would normally be too exhausting for me to ascend. The sweating begins on the downhill ride, coasting with it switched off. At a blazing 35+ mph on a rigid framed, 80s vintage chromoly MTB bike with all that extra heavy electrical equipment, coaster brakes alone are woefully inadequate and things can get rather crazy very quickly. Luckily the fork has bosses for v-brakes as well as bosses on the rear stays. Front and rear v-brakes are the very least amount of stopping power one needs to be safe. Anything less would be too dangerous.

I’ve been using this bike traversing the foothills on errands and cruising yard sales with a friend in my neighborhood. Without the power assist I would not be cycling around this area at all. Unlike my stronger friend with his tricked-out Salsa and single wheeled trailer in tow, using the La Crescenta foothills as treadmills for his daily workout, I reserve my local rides to the occasional electric joyride. When we do ride together, the incompatibility is apparent. On an uphill trudge, he will be in a low, hill climbing gear, slow but steady without the cares of running out of power, while my electric wheel needs more rpm to keep from bogging and draining the battery. Thus, our two rates of speed become incongruous with one another. This is mostly due to having only one gear and depending on the electric motor to compensate. So, I speed ahead to relieve my motor of the strain and heat build-up and wait for him at the top. I have tried to power-pedal up steep grades without electrical help, but the single speed gearing is too high to have the mechanical advantage for forward motion therefore impossible for me to accomplish. With that said, this configuration seems a good match because for the most part the motor negates the need for gears; it can carry a light load on the rear rack with side baskets, bike bucket or panniers and allows me to sprint up the final steep hill to my house (providing I have at least ¼ battery capacity left) and requires little to no maintenance.

This is the first of what will be many configurations before I am ready for other kits. The obvious next step was to put this kit on another bike with a multi-geared drive train, so I put it on an older 18-speed MTB and got better performance with the ability to use the “granny gear” with very little throttle input. My range is still great and the ride is very stable and comfortable. The thing is that, I have been hauling “stuff” on the rear rack using panniers and baskets. I’ve noticed the load makes the rear part of the bike very whippy or overly flexible.

My only option now is to design and build a lightweight cargo bike that will perform well with this particular kit. 

I considered a cycle truck configuration but my kit is a 26” front wheel model and a cycle truck uses a small front wheel to keep the load lower in a deep basket, rigid to the frame not the fork.

After making a few sketches, I decided to go with a long-tail, rear loader design based on a Peugeot mixte frame. I made a list of necessary features I found to be obvious. Lateral rigidity, low center of gravity for the cargo section, low cost to make, low maintenance and low cross tube design to help the rider control a heavier than usual bike.

I gathered components and elements to pre-visualize the overall shape and structure and laid them out on a full-size drawing. For days I would arrange and rearrange these elements, solving logistical problems and testing out each solution in my mind.

I have found this to be the most effective way to achieve the intentions of my mind’s eye when using only scrap parts and materials from previous projects. So much of even the most unusable bit and scrap sometimes becomes the solution to a design conundrum. Therefore, I never throw anything away and have accumulated several boxes of scrap metal of all shapes and sizes. A curved section here, an odd shaped piece there, or the tiniest of trim piece, usually rescues me from having to create much needed gussets, braces, extensions or details needed to make a design come together. Even though my bikes might be considered Frankenbikes, they don’t look like they are made of several bikes mashed together. Instead they look like unique production builds. It is only when I point out to someone that I used cut up fork sections for a chainstay and headtube brace, that they see it. And even then, some still have difficulty seeing the ‘Franken-ness’ in my approach. That is the payoff of pre-visualization and thinking things through. It is also a luxury to build non-commercially without regard to anyone else's vision except my own.

Head tube extension to raise the front and keep fork angle correct.

Finally I reached the point at which I started to fabricate. As I used only recycled and repurposed materials, I knew this prototype would get a bit heavier than an ideal scenario of ‘super light Reynolds double or triple butted, drawn over mandrel, custom made to length tubing’ that could cost more for one seat stay than I spent on the entire frame. I’ll leave that kind of obsession to the artisan that makes multiple frame sets at $5000 a pop. I am only interested in prototyping my own concepts. Any version of my designs or prototypes that are made lighter can only be an improvement.

Another jig-less build.

Making sure the bottom bracket height is sufficient.

A temporary axle is used to keep the dropout width within specifications.

Soon, it all came together and a new configuration was born.

I have tested this bike out quite extensively and found I get 30mi+ range while carrying all my stuff and then some.

Good gear range and simplicity makes the Nexus 7-speed internally-geared rear wheel the most important component for reliability. Front and rear v-brakes (I swear by them) allow me to have absolute control and stopping power. Fenders front and rear allow me and my cargo to stay clean on wet or dry pavement. Comfortable riding position reduces fatigue and allows me to ride long hauls. Versatile cargo station allows for baskets, panniers and boxes all on the same load. A heavy-duty center stand keeps the entire package rock solid while loading and unloading and a spring stabilizer at the fork keeps the front wheel from flopping from one side to another while elevated.

All this on a cargo bike makes the riding experience very pleasant. It doesn’t feel heavy, awkward or unstable. Instead, it’s fast, tight, light and nimble. One of my favorite designs to date.

There are smaller, lighter, less expensive kits but they cannot do the job required for my use. They might be good for someone with bad knees who still wants to get out there and ride or a commuter who uses a bike for transportation on relatively flat terrain and needs just a little help to justify not using their car and get to their destination without being drenched in sweat. 

As you research and explore an electric option for yourself, you will soon realize that the quality of the kit is essential and a battery of sufficient size and capacity will be the most costly and heavy component. I do not need an electric kit to enjoy bike riding, but if I plan to ride up hills for errands in my neighborhood without feeling like I’m about to have a stroke, then this kit is working for me.

P.S.

Now that I’ve been an owner of an e-bike kit for almost two years, I have come to a rather disappointing conclusion about them. Most kits have limited warrantees on them due to the fact that many of the lithium batteries used are only good for two (my case) to four years or max number of charge cycles which ever comes first, until the chemicals within go bad and render the battery useless and become toxic waste that needs to be dealt with properly. So for another $800 (again my case) to $2000 or more, you must purchase another battery pack to keep your e-bike an e-bike. For a couple of hundred dollars less, you could hack the battery pack and replace the cells yourself, if you know what you are doing. Or find someone to do it for you and you’re back up to spending retail again. Not to mention the motor itself. Plastic, composite or nylon gears are used because they don’t require lubrication as they are considered self-lubricating. But they will wear out eventually and require some service. Relatively inexpensive compared to batteries. Some would-be hotrodders will use these motors in conjunction with higher voltage power supplies to get more speed but soon find out that higher speeds equal more friction and heat, wearing out the gears sooner and turning the gears into a mass of “plastic peanut butter”. But I digress.

Imagine any regular bike with a shelf-life causing you to reinvest hundreds or thousands of dollars every two to four years (whether you ride it or not) just to keep it a ‘bike’. You probably wouldn't own one. I certainly wouldn’t.

Although as time goes by, battery technology continues to advance and prices fall a bit still, companies that produce these kits and e-bikes need to either have a buy back or trade-in program for batteries because many of us now, and many to follow, will have a very rude awakening. I for one, cannot recommend ownership of an e-bike. The battery technology is too expensive and too temporary. Instead, just rent an e-bike for the thrill of it because they are a lot of fun. 

Then walk away.

As for my custom e-bike build, eventually I will simply replace the front wheel with a stock rim, remove the battery and in its place make a locking trunk box for spare tubes and tools and still have a great everyday cargo bike. When and if battery technology allows for dramatically lower cost and much longer life, then and only then will it be restored back to an e-bike. 

I designed it for that eventuality.

KG