Cycle Speedway Thing

GarethPJ

I like building bikes out of old clunkers, I also like things to be simple. Having built many road going fixers and single speed MTBs things I've been looking for something new. I really get bored with people assuming that every fixer I've built is supposed to be a track bike anyway. So for a while I've been considering doing something different. I've had a weird old Coventry Eagle branded MTB sitting in the garage for ages, got it from freecycle and I've been wondering what to do with it. So I've started building it into a cycle speedway lookalike, but it's going to be a road bike.

I think the rugged simplicity will make it a great hack/pub bike. Just like a fake track bike brakes would spoil the look, so I'm trying to find a coaster hub so it won't appear to have any brakes. I know two brakes are a legal requirement, but it seems every BMX and jump bike I see in town has no brakes at all so the law can't be too bothered. Out here in the sticks just hacking round the village and lanes with one brake shouldn't be a problem. No doubt the ramblers will complain, but they complain about every bike that doesn't have a bell so there's no pleasing them. If anybody has an old 36 spoke coaster hub around the place I'll be happy to buy at the right price.

Anyhow it's going to keep the 559 MTB rims for now, but I'll probably swap it to 590s later. Pictures to follow once I've hacked, erm carefully removed, all the braze ons.

There's even a track a few miles away, I might have a go at cycle speedway for real - minus the brake obviously.

GJ

stickman

Chain reaction sell a wheel with Shimano coaster, they it as an Electra wheel, 26in.

GarethPJ

Thanks for the tip. They're out of stock at the moment, and I'm not sure that seventy quid isn't a bit steep considering that so far the build has cost nothing and also the fact that I intend to swap to 590 rims in the future.

SJS used to do a nice cheap hub, but the law that is sod dictates that they don't stock them anymore.

And you know the thing where you have a roll of brown paper cluttering up the cupboard for years, so you throw it out and a week later you need to send a parcel and remember that roll of brown paper? Well up until I moved house I had an old shopper sitting in the shed complete with a perfectly serviceable Shimano E110 hub at the back. When we moved house it was one of the things that got chucked. SJS sell those hubs for 45 quid. There are days when I could kick myself.



Oh well I'll just take it out on the braze ons in the morning.

stickman

I know that feeling! I sold a road bike a few months before I took up cx, so then had to buy another! (which I adapted for cx)

unscarred

This thread is getting a little stale, but I thought I'd bring it back - I've been thinking about something similar for a bit, just to have something different really!

I found this:

http://www.bikeworldusa.us/HUB-Coaster-Brake-KIT-ETYPE-36Hx80G/M/B00164FCUM.htm?traffic_src=GB&utm_medium=CSE&utm_source=GB&id=uk

"HUB Coaster Brake KIT E-TYPE 36Hx80G WITH TRIM KIT" - $16.99 from an American website, so you probably have to add taxes and postage to that.

Alternatively:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=170480509502&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT

"Velosteel Coaster Brake Single Speed Back Pedal Hub NEW"

£19.50 plus £4.50 p&p (London based seller)

It's not as cheap as free, but it's not bad either.

GarethPJ

Thanks for that. I'd seen the one on ebay, but I'm a little cautious about the fact I don't recognize the brand. Annoyingly I missed out on a Shimano unit that went for £20 plus P&P.

unscarred

Quick Google brought up this:

http://www.lfgss.com/thread5007.html

Users seem pretty happy.

GarethPJ

Decent reviews, but I'm a little concerned about the one that mentions it's not powerful enough to lock the rear wheel. The crappiest brake I've ever used was enough to lock the rear. The old Shimano E110 could certainly do it. Maybe it's the gearing they use. High gearing would certainly make the brake less effective. This thing is liable to be running something pretty low.

Rindle

depending on how good your french/german/dutch is have you tried looking on the continental ebay sites? I got a shimano coaster brake posted from french ebay for about 25 euros a couple of years ago.