omah garsh freakbike fantasy

BOB's BIG WHEEL S.C. (shoppin' cart !! )

noreply@blogger.com (Robert Stapleton) — Tue, 24 May 2011 18:07:00 +0000

Want a multi gear recumbent trike but ya aint got no dough ???

Silverton Freakbike Class- We's all done and had tons'o' fun !!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Robert Stapleton) — Sun, 27 Jun 2010 05:07:00 +0000

It was a lot more work than I anticipated but everything turned out GREAT !!!! Andrew,Cayman,Colton,Dustin,and Wyatt are ALL great guys and it was a pleasure working with them. I think I learned more from them than they learned from me !! I'm missing a few pictures,but I'm workin' on getting them soon.3 choppers ,2 steering wheel tallbikes,and a whatchamacallit ( Coltons 26x16 wonder!! ) in 5 days !!! The Avocado tallbike (Holy Guacamole ) is the one that will be raffled off at the Silverton Art Festival in August,git yer ticket(s) !!!!! We might be doing this again in August so stay tuned !!!

Silverton,Oregon freakbike building class !!! Who's the teacher ??? IT'S ME,IT'S ME !!!!!!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Robert Stapleton) — Thu, 20 May 2010 06:28:00 +0000

Dat's right ladies and gents,yours truly will be assisting 10 parent/kid teams in making MAGIC from a big pile of old bikes/parts. This will be made possible by the wonderful people at the Silverton Art Association http://silvertonarts.org/ ,Sylvia,Moises,and volunteers. We will be making bolt together choppers and trykipedes AND a combined class project will be a steering wheel tallbike !!!! YEEEEHAWWWWW !!!!!!!! Each team will be taking home a chopper or trykipede that they built THEMSELVES,and the tallbike will be the grand prize for a raffle at the art fair !!!!! How cool is that !!! This is like a dream come true for me,freakbikin' just seems to be a PERFECT activity for family participation and FUN !!!! Both the parents and the kids can learn so much and everyone will benefit from working toward a common goal. I hope that for some this class will be the spark to light the fire of a life long passion for biking AND art !!! The class will start on June 21st ( 1pm to 8pm ) and last for 5 days,maybe longer as I intend to work with each team to make sure their projects turn out well and function properly. That dude you see riding the tallbike INDOORS is Cayman " lightnin' " Goin,he is my niece Chelseas son,he is a great guy and has the "Right Stuff " to be an excellent new generation freakbiker. Also the kids and I are going to ride the finished project bikes in the Homer Davenport Days parade !!! Very cool !!!!!! I haven't ridden in a parade since 1967 in Cottage Grove,Oregon,the town where my mom popped me out !!!! This is gonna' be GREAT !!!!!!!! NOTE : the trykipedes we will be building may be different from the ones shown here,call or E-mail me ( Robert Stapleton ) with any questions you may have. 503-232-1131 , http://omahgarsh@gmail.com

MINI 5-SPEED STEERINGWHEEL TALLBIKE FOR SALE !!! $120 for a 20"x12" bolt together WONDER bike !!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Robert Stapleton) — Sat, 01 May 2010 21:14:00 +0000

YUP !!! Another totally unique Omahgarsh creation. 20" BMX bottom frame,18" BMX large tube top frame with the top bar removed for easier mounting/dismounting. This bike was made specifically for smaller riders,say 5' 2" to 5' 8" . The steering wheel is adjustable,for both angle and height. The seat can be adjusted DOWN a whole lot from what you see in the pics here. The 5-speed derailer setup really works great,something you rarely see on any tallbikes but mine.It,s direct drive, like it should be, not a compromised 2 chain setup. Those are 6 1/2 " cranks and a 50 tooth chainwheel, you can get this little booger going pretty fast if you should choose to !!!! A great ride for only $120 !!! If you are one of the doubters of my designs or just bolt together tallbikes in general,come by and ride THIS one ,it will change your mind GUARANTEED !!!!! 503-232-1131,e-mail omahgarsh@gmail.com

COULD THIS BE THE ULTIMATE CARGO TALLBIKE DESIGN ???!!!!! or a 4-wheeled clothesline ??!!

noreply@blogger.com (Robert Stapleton) — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 22:25:00 +0000

Ya know...the more I looked at this picture,the more ideas started to form in my already tortured gray matter. How about a cargo platform mounted low and in between the 2 talls ? You could also put a small bench seat there too !!!! WOW,cargo AND/OR passengers !!!!!! Also the usual ills of tandem riding would be virtualy eliminated. It's a 4 wheeler,so NO BALANCING !!! The 2 separate drivetrains won't ever have to synchronize !!!! 4 wheels can handle more weight than 2 or 3. 4 brakes are better than 2 or 3 !!! 1 person could still ride it like a regular tandem....but on the side of their choice !! Look closely at the picture,there is a tie rod between the 2 steering couplers ( probably adjustable too ),so the front wheels stay in sync when turning,hope they used the Ackerman steering principle, if not things might get a little squirrely !!!! A builder might also be able to fashion a system where all 4 brakes could be actuated by either rider. I think it would be fun to build a couple of my bolt together steering wheel talls and siamese twin 'em together like this. Then my wifey ( she won't even consider riding a tallbike....sadness ) could go tallbikin' wiff mEEEE !!! Yessssssssss !!!!!! AND as with all tallbikes there is just so much space and AREA available for extra baskets,hooks,ladders,artwork,etc. One of my crazier ideas was to put a swing in between the two talls !!! Maybe use the motion to propel the contraption !!!! Yeah... I guess that's nuts,but it IS fun to think about !!!!!

TALLBIKIN' '63 !!!!! tallbikes,the STINGRAY,and Surf/Hotrod music !!!!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Robert Stapleton) — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 20:45:00 +0000

OH YEAH !!! don't forget Ed Roth monster shirts,the drag races,and sidewalk surfin' !!! What a great time period '63 to '66,for some of us..... it will never end.

CARGO TALLBIKES I'VE MADE !!! makin' use of all that SPACE !!

noreply@blogger.com (Robert Stapleton) — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 02:42:00 +0000

These are just the ones I have pitchurz of,there were more !!! Anybody else out there buildin' these ? Surely with all the freakbike builders and freakbike clubs here in Portland there's gotta be some cargo talls. Send me some pics !!!! I wanna see what ya got !!!!

SURF WOODY UPDATE #763 !!!! a little bit o' wood

noreply@blogger.com (Robert Stapleton) — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 22:22:00 +0000

Kinda' STOOPID callin' dis ting a surf WOODY if they ain't no WOOD on it !!! So I went ahead and put on a few bits here and there. Krazy package rack huh ??? It looks a little like cartoon insect wings. I found the old canteloupe crate behind the Citybikes Annex while talking to Tim Calvert.Tim is a good guy and a long time fan of my work,nice to have someone like him in my corner !!! I cut the crate down a bit and mounted it on the remains of an old bent up wire bike basket. Even mounted a drink carrier on there. Nope you won't see a PBR can in there,I quit drinking alky-haul and smokin' the loco weed a long time ago. Damn stuff never did me one bit of good but for some reason it took a long time to wise up to that fact. Bikin' and voluntary physical/mental impairment don't mix too well anyway. Kind of hard to tell in this town though,seems like almost EVERYTHING is connected with alcohol/drugs. I wish tall/freakbiking could have more of a family fun label attached to it instead of the drunken troublemaker face it shows. Oh well, I guess I'm part of the minority once again. Back to the WOOD !!! I replaced the screen in the grille with some little wood slats,I think it looks better with MR. TIKI. The temporary cargo floor looks like crap but it'll do until I can scrounge up the materials I really want to stick on there. Hey PORTLAND, where can a tallbiker get a luv-a-lee pair of coconuts in this town ( inner s.e. maybe ) !!!???? Gonna make headlights out of 'em !!!!

DEKOCHARI !!!!!!!! Super cheezey AND Japanezy !!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Robert Stapleton) — Sat, 17 Apr 2010 03:30:00 +0000

Ever wonder if they Freakbike in Japan ? Here's yur answer !!!!!!!! Yes they DOOOOO !!! They don't need no stinkin' tallbikes,choppers,or lowriders-NO !!!!! They got their own thing goin' !! This is one of about a buzzillion things I love about Japan and Japanese people,TREMENDOUS imagination,STYLE, and creative energy !!!!! Wanna know more about dekochari ? GOOGLE IT !!! Check the description on Wikipedia,There's more to it than bikes. Anyone in Portland building these ??? Doesn't Portland have an official SISTER city in Japan ??? (Sapporo )Are we just too cool to express ourselves in such an outrageous way ?? Hope NOT !!!!!

SURF WOODY UPDATE !!!!!!!! The cargo platform is on there for good !!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Robert Stapleton) — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 02:04:00 +0000

The platform is finally on there,YEEEEEEEHAAAAAAW !!!!!!!! All it took was one U-bolt,a pair of 3-speed roadster handlebars, two handlebar stems,and a coupla' hunks of tubing. I went out and test rode it to make sure it clears obstacles like curb cutouts,angled driveways,etc.,it seems to be just about right,NO scraping !!! Still have a long way to go,lots of fun detail work. Told ya this one was gonna take a while !! Stay tuned though,the best is yet to come !!!

5-SPEED MINI TALLBIKE !!!!!!!!!!! ain't it CUTE !!!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Robert Stapleton) — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 23:32:00 +0000

How 'bout this sweet lil' booger !!! I have been trying to come up with new ideas lately,like the Trykipedes. I built 2 experimental models ( one of which was a tall trykipede ) that were total DISASTERS !!!!!!!!!!! Oh well,ya can't learn much of anything unless you at least TRY a few crazy new things.Even we alleged X-burtz make mistakes sometimes !!! I decided to calm down a little and go for a little less radical project. I have built a few weld together tallbikes with derailer drivetrains ( Blue Belle and the Schwuffman X-18 were both 18-speeds ). Also a couple of bolt together talls with multiple gear setups. Plus I always thought it would be fun to make a mini version of my steering wheel tallbikes,so why not combine the 2 things ??!!!! A derailer equipped mini bolt together steering wheel tallbike !!!! Well here ya go folks !!! It's not done yet,NO BRAKES !!!!!! I took it out and rode it anyway,IT'S GREAT !!!! A bunch-o-FUN !!!!! I used an old Huffy BMX frame turned upside down,cut off the dropouts,top stays and part of the bottom stays and adapted part of the rear triangle from an old 24" cruiser frame. That's a 20" 36 spoke aluminum wheel with 5-speed cluster from a mini mountain bike and an old shimano derailer. The bottom is made from a reversed alloy road bike stem,a cut down pair of 16" BMX bars,a cut in half pair of MTB bars and 2 sections of frame tubing. I drilled 3/8" holes in the rear part of the dropouts,and used a cut in half axle and several wheel nuts to space things out far enough for the derailer to clear. This is something I usually do to mount the double fork " backbone " on my bolt together tallbikes. I thought it might work for this type of setup too,and it does !!!! YEEHAWWW !!!!!!!! I used an 18" girls BMX for the top frame,it has nice big fat tubing and the whole structure is VERY solid. I used a 16" rim and tire for the steering wheel. It is adjustable as far as height AND angle !! The seat also has a lot of adjustment room too. I'm a little over 5' 9" and it fits me fine at the highest adjustment points.I intended this bike to be for smaller riders like maybe 5' 2" up to my size.Smaller people should be able to enjoy tallbikin' too ya know !!! Once I get the brakes on it and a chainguard,kickstand,paint,etc,it will be for sale for $120. How about that fat little 12" front wheel on the cut down 20" fat fork ??? I LOVE little bike stuff !!! It's just got a personality and appeal the big bikes don't have.

FREIGHT TRAIN,FREIGHT TRAIN-Who's luvvin' you now ????

noreply@blogger.com (Robert Stapleton) — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 03:12:00 +0000

This is the Freight Train. A bolt together tallbike I built specifically for scavenging runs around my neighborhood ( Buckman ). The bottom frame is one of those oddball stepthrough thingies with 3 sets of stays. This allowed me to mount 2 rear brakes.The rear wheel was an aluminum 26" with a Sturmey 3-speed hub and a derailer used for a chain tensioner. It had a cheapo triple chainring MTB setup up top and a front derailer. I flattened the end of a seat post and bolted that to the top fork of the backbone and used metal screws to attach the other end . This was to attach the front derailer at the right angle to function properly. VOILA !!! 9-speed tallbike !!!!! The front fork is from a road bike and carries a cast aluminum scooter wheel. The front "horns" were good for carrying wheels or frames. I once rode it to the Goodwill bins ( Springwater Trail ) bought 3 full size mountain bikes,disassmbled them,hung the parts on the Train and rode it home !!!!! I know what it's like to ride 5 bikes at once !!!! This bike is the one the "Monkey Tail" was made for ( ended up on the "Eyecatcha".This thing was one tough hombre,I also once took $40 worth of beer bottles to return to the store for deposit money,WITHOUT A TRAILER !!!!!!!! Anyway that was a kind of difficult time in my life,and the old train just reminded me of some sad stuff. So one morning I made the sign you see in the pics and rode the train down to Citybikes hoping it would find a new owner to enjoy it. I hope it didn't get scrapped,it was a pretty good workhorse.

BIGGY RAT CHOPPER FOR SALE!!!! $100

noreply@blogger.com (Robert Stapleton) — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 01:56:00 +0000

The BIGGY RAT 5-speed chopper is finished and FOR SALE for $100 !!!! I was checking out the http://scul.org website and I really liked the look of a lot of their work,especially the choppers made from old stepthrough type frames. There is a tremendous amount of bikes on their site,check it out ,a lot of great ideas there. I decided to do my own scul type chopper,it has a frame from an old french 10-speed. A 36 spoke 16" front wheel.A 26" aluminum rear wheel w/5-gear freewheel.A nice Shimano derailer that is operated by a stick-shift mounted between the handlebars (friction type).A nifty spring loaded "anti-flop" device (keeps the handlebars/fork from flopping over when parked,etc.). Dual brakes on the rear that work well even when it's rainin'!!!!An extended kickstand,medium hi-rise bars,a banana seat,and sissy bar.This chop rides great,steers well and is quite comfy too !!!! If you're interested E-mail me at omahgarsh@gmail.com or call 503-232-1131 to set up a time and day to come try it out.

PINK DRAGON TANDEM TRYKIPEDE FOR SALE!!! $100

noreply@blogger.com (Robert Stapleton) — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 04:51:00 +0000

The Pink Dragon is finally very very PINK !!!!! This articulated Trykipede has a 20" front wheel,a 16" coaster brake mag center wheel,and an 18" coaster brake rear wheel. It has 6 1/2" cranks on the front frame and 5 1/2 " cranks on the rear. Those are 2 2o" bmx frames,the ones I saved from the "Banandem". That triangle jobby on the rear is for connecting a trailer (with a Burley type hitch).Again it takes a little time to get used to riding it but once you do you'll LOVE it !!!! It's a lot of fun to play around with,would be great for a parent/kid togetherness type thing. If you're interested and have $100 cash money,E-mail me at omahgarsh@gmail.com or call 503-232-1131 to set up a time and day to come check it out.

TALLBIKES/FREAKBIKES FOR SALE !!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Robert Stapleton) — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 05:21:00 +0000

Great prices on some fantastic,unique bikes and trikes !!!!! These are well built,well engineered,arty,great riding FUN creations !!! The Tallbikes have 16" front and 24" rear wheels with coaster brakes. They are much easier to ride than most of their type AND prettier too !!! The Lime Truck "Trykipede" has a 20" front and 16" center and rear wheels,it's coaster brake equipped too. They're NOT built for speed !! Slow and easy cruisin' is what they're all about. The Lime Truck is $100,The Olive tallbike is $120,The red tallbike is $140. Prices will go up in spring and summer so come and get 'um NOW !!! E-mail me at omahgarsh@gmail.com or call 503-232-1131 to set up a time and day to come and see them . You won't find anything else like them anywhere else. My stuff is great,but find out for youself !!!

SURF WOODY PROJECT !!!!!! PART H: FREAKBIKE/TALLBIKE HOW-TO BUILD IT !!!!!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Robert Stapleton) — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 01:46:00 +0000

This post I'll be showing you how I built the "grille shell" and bumper overriders for the cargo hoop. This is an area where you might want to come up with your own design and maybe use different materials that you already have or have access to. I'm trying to mimic the look of model T and model A Ford grilles and bumper overriders on cars such as older VW bugs,Volvos,etc. STEP ONE- I first took a pair of small hi-rise bars from a 16" banana seat bike and cut the tops off. Then added about 4" straight extensions made from frame tubing. I flattened the ends with a mini-sledge. STEP TWO- I then centered the grille on the front of the cargo hoop and using a 1/4" drillbit drilled 2 holes on each side and bolted it down. STEP THREE-For the side pieces I used a pair of 3-speed roadster bars,cut in half. I flattened both ends of each half,lined them up evenly and bolted them to the grille and the joints in the cargo hoop where the rim bolts to the side rails. STEP FOUR- For the rear I used another set of cut in half roadster bars and a length of electrical conduit bent to the same arc as the rim half on the back of the cargo hoop. I also used 2-2" long pieces of handlebar tubing to reinforce the spot where the uprights will bolt on to the rear overrider. These slide over the conduit center piece and the bar halves slide over each end as shown. STEP FIVE- I then flattened the bottoms of the bar halves,drilled 2 1/4" holes in each piece and bolted the ends to the joints where the rim joins the side rails as in the front. STEP SIX- I then cut the curved tubing from 2 fork legs, flattened and drilled each end with a 1/4" drillbit,and bolted them on the rim and the reinforced area of the conduit as shown. ALL DONE !!!!! They turned out just like I Imagined AND they're quite strong too !!! In PART I , I'll show how to make the side braces that tie into the frame.

THE LIME TRUCK !!!! In-Line Articulated Cargo Trike !!!!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Robert Stapleton) — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 23:18:00 +0000

It's a cargo haulin' TRYKIPEDE,that's what it is !!!!!!!!

WOW !!! What a difference a little paint can make !!! Since the last post I added a trailer hitch. That's that triangle thingy on the back,it's made out of pieces of a rear frame triangle and a large flange road bike hub. It works great,already made a few grocery runs with it !! I also replaced that doofey bungey cord with that nice little rubber strap you see in the middle there.It works great too,and looks a lot better. I added a chainguard just before painting,adds a little more style and personality and it's a functional piece too.This thing has about the same riding position as my stretch cruiser Greenbean,it just FEELS cool to ride on it .I think this trike is AWESOME !!!!! It's FOR SALE !!!!! How about it Portlanders,gimme a HUNDRED BUCKS and take this sweet trikey home witcha' !!!!!! Remember it ain't a kiddy bike NO MORE !!!!! I'm 5'9"-210 lbs. and it fits me perfect. Interested ??? E-mail me at omahgarsh@gmail.com or call 503-232-1131 to set up a time to check it out. Prices go back up in the spring and summer so come an' git it NOWSVILLE !!!!! I'm putting the finishing touches on the tandem trykipede,you'll get to see it later on this month. By the way,Godzilla is a good buddy of mine,and if anybody tries to steal the name TRYKIPEDE I'll send him to your house and he will eat you like a breakfast burrito !!!!!!!

IN-LINE ARTICULATED TRIKES !!!!! FOR ONE RIDER OR TWO !!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Robert Stapleton) — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 04:37:00 +0000

Howzabout it folks ??!!! Are these babies freaky enough for ya ??!!!! This is an idea I had about 6 years ago,I had intended to build one but never really got serious about it 'til now. I saw a guy riding something similar,it used 2 short wheelbase 16" bikes. You sit on the seat of the rear frame while pedaling and steering the front frame.I liked the simplicity of it but there are some problems with the basic design.#1-Any time you build a bike with a recumbent or semi-recumbent seating position you HAVE TO have a solid back rest to push against. If you don't a good portion of your pedalin' power is wasted AND you will keep pushin' yer butt off the back of the seat !!!! NOT GOOD !!!!!!!! #2-If you DO have a backrest on this configuration,when you apply pressure to the pedals and the backrest ( when taking off or going up a hill) it causes the 2 frames to arch up in the middle and unloads the weight on the center (drive) wheel and causes it to spin !!!! AGAIN,NOT GOOD !!!!! #3- on a 16" frame w/ 16" wheels you have to use small cranks,4 1/2" or 5 1/2" at the most. Not very efficient,there's just not enough leverage there,PLUS you have to pedal like CRAZY ALL THE TIME to maintain any kind of speed. AGAIN,NOT GOOD !!!!! #4- When making tight radius turns the rear frame can actually fall over flat because the rear fork can pivot TOO far back.One more time !! NOT GOOD !!!! After working my poor little pea brain to it's limit,I came up with solutions for all 4 problems. I used a 20" frame on the front ( the tandem uses 2-20" frames ) .This allows you to put the seat on top of the fork of the rear frame so you have adequate leg extension AND your weight keeps the drive wheel planted solid to the pavement at all times. I used a 20" fork on the front frame along with a 20" wheel. This gives just enough clearance to use 6 1/2" cranks so you can get the thing MOVIN' a lot better !!!! To keep the rear frames fork from rotating too far,I added a bungey cord,it provides enough tension to keep things under control. I will be replacing the bungeys with the stronger,thicker black rubber cargo straps though,I think it will work better and not look so hokey.Okay so NOW you can put a backrest on the thing and it will IMPROVE the performance of the trike instead of causing problems. Oh yeah I also made some long handlebars so you don't have to lean forward so far to reach them. They look pretty wacky don't they ??!!!! They serve their purpose quite well though. The bars on the single seat cargo trike are inverted steel dropbars with a set of low rise MTB bars ( cut in half ) hammered on to the ends for extensions. They're bolted in place too so they can't pop off !! I used 3-speed roadster bars on the tandem with the same type of extensions. They work great and provide a very comfortable riding position. I LOVE these trikes !!!!! They are a lot of fun to build and ride,I will be building more of them in the future and selling them too. The ones you see here will be for sale after I finish them and paint them. I will also be experimenting with different sized wheels,multiple gear setups,and larger non-recumbent style tandems,so stay tuned and see what I come up with !!! ( The single seater is a 20"x16"x16",the Tandem is a 20"x16"x18" !!! It's also 2 wheel drive w/2 coaster brakes !!!!!)

SURF WOODY PROJECT !!!!!!! PART G: FREAKBIKE/TALLBIKE HOW-TO BUILD IT !!!!!!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Robert Stapleton) — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 21:26:00 +0000

In part G I will be showing you how to make a neato and very useful cargo platform. I have made similar platforms in the past but they only went from the front of the rear wheel towards the front of the bike,this one surrounds the entire bike. This is really simple to make but it might challenge your scrap hunting skills just a tad !!!! STEP ONE- You wiil need to find a handlebar stem that fits up into the seat tube of the bottom frame. I am using a short necked stem from a kiddie bike with a 22.2 stem. You may have to make a split tubing spacer if your seat tube is larger than 22.2. STEP TWO- Grab a rusty old rim from a 26" mountain bike wheel and cut it in half. These will be the front and the rear of your cargo platform hoop. This is one of those times where you can use damaged or crappy parts. RE-CYCLIN' ROCKS !!!!!!!!!! STEP THREE- Now take the rim halves and position them on the ground where YOU think they should go. Make a measurement between the front and rear halves and add 3" . This is the total length your side bars will be. STEP FOUR- Now you will have to scavenge up some scrap tubing to span that length. I used 3 hunks on each side put together telescope style. Some frame tubes,a couple display rack legs,just use whatever you can get your hands on as long as its not super thin wall wimpy stuff,GET THE PICTURE ??!!. STEP FIVE- Measure 1 1/2 " from each end of your side bars and flatten them down to that mark with a hammer. I use a mini sledge for this, a hackers friend to be sure !!! STEP SIX- Take your rim halves and using 2 pairs of channel lock pliers,bend the rim sides open until the flattened ends of the side bar tubes will fit flush against the inside surface of the rim. STEP SEVEN- Using a 1/4" drillbit, drill 2 holes in the end of each rim half AND the ends of both side bar as shown. Bolt them together. STEP EIGHT- Now lay the hoop on a concrete floor and using a mini sledge, hammer the rim edges back to their original shape. O-TAY, yer hoop is DONE !!!! STEP NINE-Now you need to find another piece of tubing that fits into the clamp part of your h-bar stem and 2 90 degree bends that fit inside OR outside of that tube. I used an old table leg with a 90 degree bend on one end and a 90 degree hunk of handle bar tubing. You're making the piece that connects the sides of the hoop with the h-bar stem in the center of the frame. STEP TEN-Assemble the center tubing pieces into the h-bar stem and hold the hoop in place to mark where your bolts will go. Remove the center piece ( w/the h-bar stem attached ),drill out the holes ( 2 on each side as shown ) and bolt it all together . YER DONE,for now that is !!! PART H we will be making " Bumper overriders for each end of the platform hoop,STAY TUNED !!!!!!!!!

SURF WOODY PROJECT UPDATE !!!!!! Let the RRRRUST begin !!!!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Robert Stapleton) — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 20:56:00 +0000

It's been raining quite a bit here in Portland,Oregon so I put Old Surfy outside for a shower !! I spray it down with vinegar every once in a while to jump start the "Rustomization" process. Things are startin' to get real ugly real fast !!!I love the look of the dirty white parts against the rusty metal. It makes it look ugly and dangerous,AND because of the vinegar, It STINKS TOO !!!! A FABULOUS combination for a FREAKBIKE !!!!!! I replaced the bungy cord on the "steering wheel center return device" with a black rubber version, a converted cable stop clamp,and some white electrical tape,pretty SNAZZY huh ??!!!! The keen circular chainguard is plastic and from a kiddie bike. I like to use these whenever possible for 2 reasons. #1- They look cool, #2- They are MUCH SAFER than any other type of chainguard for a tallbike,you DO NOT want to get your clothing or shoelaces caught in the chain on this type of bike!! On a regular bike you can just stop and free yourself,with a tallbike you don't have this option, YER GONNA CRASH !!!!! I also added a pair of my wheeldiscs to spice things up a bit,I like the severe contrast of the bright colors against the rust and white. Another thing I like about using white parts on a RUST bike is that the rust bleeds onto the white.It's disgustingly cool,I LOVE IT !!!!! YUCK-O-LICIOUS !!!!!!!!!

SURF WOODY PROJECT !!!!!!! PART F: FREAKBIKE/TALLBIKE HOW-TO BUILD IT !!!!!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Robert Stapleton) — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 22:48:00 +0000

WHOA NELLIE !!!!!! THROW ON THEM BRAKES !!!!!!!! In this post I will be showing you how to mount brake levers on your steering wheel and how to put dual brakes on your rear wheel. I use the old style horse shoe shaped brakes because they are the easiest to adapt to odd applications such as this. STEP ONE- Get a pair of brake levers as shown,these are the type found on low buck 3-speeds and mountain bikes. Remove the h-bar clamps and flatten out the mounting brackets as shown. STEP TWO- With the tire of your steering wheel still in place,sit on the bike and determine where you want your levers to be. Mark the spot on the rim closest to the mounting brackets on the levers. Remove the tire and tube. STEP THREE- Get a length of 1/8"x 1" steel flat stock,cut two 5" pieces. Make a mark 2" from the end of each piece. Put them both in a vice and bend them 90 degrees. Holding the L-bracket up to the mark on the rim with the short side up,mark 2 spots where the bracket touches the inner face of the rim ( where the spoke holes are ). Using a 1/4" drillbit,drill out the 2 spots. Now hold the L-bracket in place on the rim and using the holes in the bracket as a guide,drill through the rim. Bolt the bracket down. STEP FOUR-Using the same drillbit,drill a hole through the bottom of the L-bracket where it touches the outer edge of the rim,AND drill through the rim.Now bolt the inner side of the brake lever bracket in place with the head of the bolt on the inside of the rim.Drill another hole through the L-bracket at the hole in the brake lever bracket and bolt it down. STEP FIVE- Mark the excess material on each end of the L-bracket and disassemble it. Cut off the excess and smooth off the edges,then re-assemble. I cut a couple of pieces of an old handlegrip and hot glued them onto the exsposed tops of the L-brackets so they wouldn"t damage the tire when inflated. Put the rim liner,tube,and tire back on and re-inflate. STEP SIX-Mount 1 of your brakes in the original location on the frame.Notice that BOTH brakes are mounted on the BOTTOM frame !! STEP SEVEN-For the other rear brake I used the remaing portion of the HUFFY kick stand bracket and drilled a 1/4" hole through it to mount to. You might have to get creative here if there is nothing there to work with. An oddball but SUREFIRE solution is to cut the tubular brake mount section from another frame and attach it with small automotive hose clamps !!!! This might seem kind of screwy,but I have done it many times and it always works !!!!! It's adjustable too !!! Just leave a couple of inches on each side if the brake mounting tube and put on those hose clamps !! Check the illustration. STEP EIGHT- Now you can install your cables, I usually drill holes in the frame where possible,and run them through there to keep everything a little cleaner. You'll have to decide for yourself just how you want to do this part.You will probably have to use the long TANDEM type brake cables for 1 or both of the brakes. It's a LONG WAYS from the steering wheel to that bottom brake !!! OKAY!! Now just do the usual adjusting and take it out on a test run !!!!! I have been having FUN riding my 3-speed version,hope you like how yours is coming along. PART-G will deal wth the beginnings of the cargo platform,this is where things start to get REALLY INTERESTING !!!!! Any questions,comments,criticisms ( positive or negative ),Please E-mail me at omahgarsh@gmail.com I'd love to hear what you have to say!!!!!!!!

SURF WOODY PROJECT !!!!! PART E: FREAKBIKE/TALLBIKE HOW-TO BUILD IT !!!!!!!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Robert Stapleton) — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 23:32:00 +0000

This installment will cover the drivetrain AND building a wild new type of bike steering wheel. STEP ONE- Install your cranks,pedals,and chain. I am using 6 1'2" cheapo MTB cranks,a 32 tooth chainwheel, and an 18 tooth rear sprocket on a 3-speed hub. It may be necessary to grind away part of the top frames bottom bracket ( I had to do this on this one ),it depends on what type of chainwheel/sprocket combo you're using.STEP TWO-Cut a 1" long,1/8" slot in the front of each side of your upside down fork as shown. Now get a pair of dropdown bars and cut them in half. Using 2 frame seatpost clamps,loosely fit the bar halves into the fork as shown. STEP THREE-Get a 20" rim,tube,and tire and install the tire on the rim.Now,while sitting on the bike,hold the wheel up to the handlebar halves to get an idea of where it needs to be to be comfortable to you. If it needs to be farther forward,rotate the bars in toward eachother,if it needs to be further back,rotate the bars outward,GET IT ??!! Now find a piece of tubing that fits snug over the bar ends. Cut it to fit the length of the gap between the bars PLUS an inch on either end to slide onto. Now put that tube in place and recheck the fit of the wheel. Does it touch the rounded edges of the bars like mine does in the picture ? If so tighten down the 2 seatpost clamps and move on to step 4. If not keep adjusting until you get it right like you want it. You may have to make several center pieces of different lengths to really dial it in. I had to use a bent tube for mine to fit,just keep at it !!!!! STEP FOUR-Now remove the tire and tube from the rim. Holding the rim in place ( make sure the valve stem hole is towards the front ), using a 1/4" drillbit, drill a hole from inside the rim through the handlebar where the 2 touch,like the picture of mine shows. Now get 4 bolts,nuts,and lockwashers ( 1 or 1 1/4" long shaft ),and install 1 in that hole and tighten it down just enough to keep the rim in place. Repeat on the other side. then go back to the first side and repeat,get it ?? Just do one at a time on each side until you have all 4 in place like mine.Tighten them all down,cut off the excess bolt ends and file them smooth. STEP FIVE-Now you will need to make a front brace or braces to finish it up. I used an old package rack and a kiddie sized chainwheel on mine. Feel free to improvise here,just keep in mind that you don't want to use any thing that's really heavy. Most of the strength is in the part you already made,so go light on the materials and you should be okay !!! I usually use the rear stays and dropouts off a cheapo MTB for this but I wanted to try something different this time.I have also used pieces of old crutches too. These work great and are very light. Let your imagination run wild here but make sure everything is tightened down and solid before you take it out on a test ride !!!!!!! Okay you're done with this part and hopefully you have a wacky wheel that you're happy with. You may have noticed the bungy cord attached to the steering coupler and the frame.This is an improvised "steering wheel return to center device " !!!! My wheel is offset so far forward that it would flop to the side when I parked the bike with the kickstand !! The bungy set up keeps it from doing that AND it doesn't effect the steering while riding,I'm kind of proud of this little innovation !!! I think I'll replace the bungy with 1 or 2 rusty metal springs once I find the right ones. That would definitely fit with the RUSTOMIZED look I'm going for here !!! PART F will be dealing with BRAKES !!!! Now that she is capable of GOING,we need to figger out how to STOP 'er !!!!!!!!!!! Any questions,comments,criticisms ( positive or negative ) please E-mail me at omahgarsh@gmail.com I'd love to hear what you have to say !!!!!!!

SURF WOODY PROJECT !!!!! PART D: FREAKBIKE/TALLBIKE HOW-TO BUILD IT !!!!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Robert Stapleton) — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 20:18:00 +0000

It's BACKBONE TIME boys and girls !!!!! In this post I will be showing you how to make the backbone that ties the frames together at the rear. This is the same backbone that I use on all my bolt together tallbikes. STEP ONE- get an axle from an old 6 or 7 speed freewheel hub. You will also need 2 of the thin lock nuts that fit the threads of your axle AND 6 regular axle nuts as shown. Cut the axle in half and clean up the threads so you can easily put on the nuts. STEP TWO- Now take a look at your dropouts,if they are the kind that already has a hole in them,skip to step 3. If not ,then using a 3/8" drillbit,drill holes in the center of the dropout as shown. STEP THREE- Now put your axle half through the hole and thread one of the thin locknuts on the inside of the dropout. Next take an axle nut and put it on the OUTSIDE of the dropout and tighten it down. Next take another axle nut and thread it on backwards as shown. Tighten it up against the previous nut.Now put another axle nut on the end but don't tighten it down yet. STEP FOUR-Get a 26" MTB fork that has fork tips like the ones shown. This will be the bottom of the backbone. Now pull the fork blades apart until they are wide enough to fit on your dropout studs. Be sure that they are even on both sides relative to the center of the fork.Now put the fork on the studs BACKWARDS as shown. This is done so you will have enough clearance to remove the rear wheel. STEP FIVE- Find another fork that is the right length to fit between the bottom fork and the seat post clamp on the top frame.This will be the top of the backbone. Bend this fork inward so the gap between the fork tips is the same width as your seat post clamp. STEP SIX- Holding the upper fork to the side with the holes in the fork tips lined up with the seat post clamp holes,mark the handlebar stem tubes of both forks approximately 1/2 way down each one. Using a pipe cutter,cut the h-bar tubes at those marks (this is only an approximation, you may have to cut one of them again for a good fit). STEP SEVEN- Now get the center bolt and nuts from an old seat,and put the stud in place of your seat post bolt. Attach the upper fork with washers and nuts as shown. Now if it fits and lines up with the bottom fork,measure the distance between the fork crowns,add 1/8' and cut a piece of tubing to that length. The tubing should be just large enough to slide over the fork tubes. STEP EIGHT- Put the tubing in place and make sure everything fits well,the tubing is 1/8" longer because it will crush onto the forks when tightened down. STEP NINE- Get another axle, 2 more thin locknuts,2 washers,and 1 regular axle nut. Install the axle and hardware as shown in the drawing,with the 2 thin locknuts at the bottom. Tighten the top nut until the tubing crushes snugly in place. Cut off the excess axle and file it smooth. STEP TEN- Now tighten the nuts on the dropout studs and the seat post clamp at the top and your done !!! Okay the frame structure is finished !!! Oh yeah,if your using a banana seat mount the sissy bar on the studs NOT the rear wheel !!! You can use 2 extra axle nuts to tighten it down but DON'T cut off the stud excess just yet !!! Part E will be about making an extremely FUNKY new kind of steering wheel!!! Any questions,comments,criticisms ( positive or negative ) E-mail me at omahgarsh@gmail.com I'd love to hear what you have to say !!!!!!!!!!!

CHRISTMAS SPECIAL TALLBIKE SALE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Robert Stapleton) — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 20:26:00 +0000

Christmas is comin' fast !!! Do you have a silly cyclist in your family ??? Someone who loves tallbikes but doesn't have one yet ??!! Well you've come to the right place !!!! Starting RIGHT NOW and until December 24th these 2 jewels will be selling for $125 each OR $200 FOR BOTH !!! Can you believe it !!!! That's a STEAL for such stunningly beautiful AND well engineered hunks of rolling art such as these !!!!!!!! AND they even come in festive christmassy colors,how cool is that !!!! Step up or step back !!! NOW'S the time to get the coolest christmas gift you've EVER given !!!!! Even SANTA can't get THESE babies !!! GET'EM NOW WHILE THEY LAST !!!!!!!!!! Ya gotta come to PORTLAND,OREGON though,NO SHIPPY !!!!!!! E-mail me at omahgarsh@gmail.com or call 503-232-1131. Any questions,comments,criticisms ( positive or negative ) E-mail me at omahgarsh@gmail.com I'd love to hear what you have to say !!!!!!!!

EYECATCHA !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The one that started the bolt together revolution !!!!!!!!!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Robert Stapleton) — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 19:44:00 +0000

This is the EYECATCHA,this bike is the first of my bolt together steering wheel tallbikes that uses all the tricks I learned from my earlier attempts. Although it is kind of wild looking it is a very solid easily rideable machine. This bike is made from bike parts that other folks TRIED to throw away !! Huffy mountain bike frames,wheels + tires from cheapo MTBs and BMXs,handlebars,frame scraps,etc.,etc. It uses a 1-speed coaster brake rear hub w/26" rim + tire,it's geared low for slow cruisin' and E-Z take offs !!! The MONKEY TAIL was made from a cut off handlebar stem and dropdown bar chunks and some more frame scraps,it looks comical but is actually a useful gadget !! The EYEBALL is made from an old Schwinn generator taillight housing,a plastic green bloodshot eyeball from my goofy toys junkbox,and the eyelash is cut from a beer can.Check out that crazy cool offset kickstand mount ( if you want to keep yer tallbike upright when parked,there's no better way to go !!! ). I sold this bike a while back and I miss it. Oh well, I can always just build a clone if I feel like it because the individual parts are pretty common.Check out my previous posts for more about this and similar tallbikes. If you want to buy one OR build one,this is the place to come !!!!