By tree, AZ builders forum
I just spent around 6 hours in the garage, building a tallbike.
- Removed the cranksets from both frames.
- Cut the rear triangle off the upper frame.
- Lined up and welded the frames together.
- Removed (for salvage) the 3-piece crank of the lower frame and closed it up with an EMT tube (this is what took most of the time).
- Welded a piece up from a set of handlebars to allow the head tube bearings to be removed and serviced.
- Rigged up a rear brake.
- Put a chain together in the proper length.
I still need to refurb all the bearings and fine tune the rear wheel (a bit wobbly)
But it rides OK and is amazing fun!
At least a quarter of the time was spent cutting out a very nice 3-piece bottom bracket and replacing it with a 1 1/2 inch EMT pipe. I didn't want to waste it in a bike that it would never get used.
I'm hoping that I can ride it a bit in a biking event tomorrow in Madison. I'm not very familiar with riding tall bikes, so I'll have to be careful.
Earlier today, I re-greased the two head tubes and replaced the front wheel with a slightly smaller one with a good tire (the other tire was beyond shot). The last things I have to do before I'll feel comfortable riding it more than a few blocks is to true up the rear wheel, re-grease the crankset, and grind off a few remaining sharp bits of metal.
I'm gonna have some fun on this baby!
