Kanadian Kustomizer, Mike Watson, Builds 'Em Strange. |
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This chopper is based on a '71 CCM Mustang frame (sold by Canadian Tire under the name Super Cycle). The front end was lengthened using a girl's BMX front section inverted, over a foot. The front fork length was determined by what was required for a bottom bracket height, wanted to use 6 ½ inch crank instead of the stock 4 ½ inches. The bottom bracket height is 12 ½ inches, more than enough. I hate hooking pedals on the ground. For the fork, I wanted something that |
wouldn't bounce when I'm standing on the pedals. BMX forks tend to be weakest at the unicrown bends so I built a triple on the fork by adding two tubes on the top of the unicrown bends and a plate on top with three holes to unify the steerer and the two tubes on each side, which braces the fork. Adding more beefiness is a 1 3/8 tube below the steerer ending at the brake bridge and some cross bracing along the way. A pretty stiff fork. The three speed hub is shifted using a suicide stick on the extended down tube, the handle was made from a section of broom stick and a rubber grip. The seat post was lengthened and has an adjustable lean- ahead section to mount the seat with a T at the back with two sissybar pinch units with four bolts tapped in. The sissybar pad was built by a buddy of mine I gave him a beater mountain bike for it. The finish is Chrysler 'mini van red' on powder white primer; other parts are gold lacquer. Everything was sand blasted down to bare metal before painting. I bit the bullet and bought new Kenda freestyle 1.95" tires for both ends for an easy roll. I can pull some good wheelies in 1st and 2nd gears. |
Tallbike number 2: the ultimate sport utility of bicycles. Mountain bike wheels, 18 speeds, with a pseudo suspension fork, it has flex stops front and back to cope with the |
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This bike is "Crusty the Rat Lowrider" based on a Raleigh BMX frame. 12-inch wheel on the front with a cut-down fork. Built a layback-seat post, braced with band-steel connected from seat hardware to the back axle. The back axle has standing platforms. The giant ape- hanger bar was made from a high-riser bar extended and braced with furniture tubes that I salvaged. The mirrors are tapped into the bars. The front end has been dropped 8 ½ inches and the bottom bracket was lowered so much I had to use 5 ½ inch cranks with a 32-tooth chain wheel. Handling is surprisely good, but razor-sharp, due to the 82-degree head angle: a little spooky though. Brake levers are old, under- the-grip-mount-two-finger-MX levers. |
I just cooked up a kiddie's chopper with 16-inch wheels and a chopped frame. All the cutting and filleting was done with a hand grinder. The front center is forty inches, chainstays 11 ½ inches. The slack head angle is bound to develop massive upper-body strength in the pilot. Soon to be painted. |
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The double-front-wheel trike is a trike you can pull a wheelie on. It has lots of traction on ice because of 13-inch chain stays and a 16"wheel. The only problem with the design is that the more weight is on back, the lighter the front end is, and tippier the trike is. |
On pavement, I can bank it around corners like a bike, or hang out the inside of turns like on an old skidoo. The double front wheel required an Ackermann linkage because the inside wheel on turns has a smaller turning radius than the outside. No spherical rod ends were used, only holes in flat plate with nylon washers and bolts, in the steering linkage. |
flex big bumps and putting the front brake on hard causes. The fork is also a triple tree with a three hole plate across the top held down by the head set nut, short sections of tubing are used to brace things up. The key to tallbike operation is the mounting pegs about 22 inches off the the ground. The mounting procedure is both hands on the grips, stand on the left side of the bike away from nasty chain rings, right foot up on the peg, two or so hops and pull yourself up, stand on the left pedal which was placed in the 9 o'clock position to drive the bike forward, swinging right leg over the top tube of frame and right foot on the pedal, sit on the seat: you are now freaking people out! |
Tallbike1 is based on a freestyle frame; extending the front triangle 8.5 inches. This I did for comfort to suit my height. I extended the front forks two feet and beefed up the unicrown with an added center tube and a bridge and two short tubes bracing between the bridge and the curves at the crown. The back of the frame was jacked up two feet using another BMX frame. It's a little spooky riding in snow when forward progress is slowed and the front wheel gets that surfy feeling. |
Kanadian Kustomizer, Mike Watson, Builds 'Em Strange. |
