Bikes 2017 and a build log for my Quadangle.

[AlienALX]

Luckily headsets aren't very expensive
Spacers are usually less than £1 each.

For a set of red spacers they want like £5 or more.

I think there's a Diamondback Aheadset on Ebay for like £13 atm. Ugly as sin though, might do some digging before I order. Won't be needing it for a few weeks any way as the frame etc all need doing beforehand.

These Snafu bars are mad light though. I guess that is what £60+ gets you. Thankfully they're in a weird colour so I paid half of that.

 

[SPS]

For a set of red spacers they want like £5 or more.

I think there's a Diamondback Aheadset on Ebay for like £13 atm. Ugly as sin though, might do some digging before I order. Won't be needing it for a few weeks any way as the frame etc all need doing beforehand.

These Snafu bars are mad light though. I guess that is what £60+ gets you. Thankfully they're in a weird colour so I paid half of that.

Hmm Diamondback aren't very good. I'd rather have this Blank one.
https://www.winstanleysbmx.com/product/46464/Blank_Aheadset

 

[AlienALX]

Hmm Diamondback aren't very good. I'd rather have this Blank one.
https://www.winstanleysbmx.com/product/46464/Blank_Aheadset

Will bear that in mind yeah the DB one is kinda generic.

So today was the first day I have sort of worked on the bike. I bought the stickers from Mike at a lower price sans the Landing Gear stickers because I wanted to make my own. First I drew up a couple of designs in scale.



And



Once I had my designs I got out the gear. I personally use cheap vinyl from the Fleabay. Note the kit, scissors squeegee etc.



Now with it being cheap vinyl it comes with some caveats. Firstly it's rolled up to within an inch of its life for cheap shipping and secondly it's usually dirty. So what I do is squeegee it out (lifting it up and squeegee-ing it back down)



And then clean it with isoprop. Once that is done I can feed it into the plotter..



And we are ready. Into the software we go.



One



Two



Snafu !



And mask and trim.



Will need to be trimmed a bit tighter, but I will do that when applying them

 

[AlienALX]

Not much to talk about today. Parts are mostly here now, with only a couple of finishing items left to come from HK (brake nipples etc).

The frame will be going for powder in exactly one week's time, so I am now planning the build itself. Not got any cash left (but man, so happy with my birthday presents.. I wanted this bike to have meaning and my whole family contributed to that !) so yeah I have a week to finalise the design and so on.

I spoke to my pal in MD yesterday and the grips that he had put on his watch list. He had totally forgotten about them so he has now ordered them for me.



Or more specifically.



So those should be here within a couple of weeks or so

 

[AlienALX]

Now ordered.



And.

 

[Greenback]

Is this to keep track of how many people you run into

 

[AlienALX]

Is this to keep track of how many people you run into

haha

It's an original 80s repop of Haro's plate. My other bike has the same one in red and white so I figured I would get one for this bike too. Doubt I will leave it on when I ride so it's just for show/photos

 

[AlienALX]

I just ordered some vinyl for the plotter.



And then I ended up poking around on Ebay. Note to self, don't poke around on Ebay when you are dead bored waiting for your wife's new phone to arrive.



I mean FFS come on ! yellow red AND black? They were a good price though. £14. They will just be absolutely perfect though. So I had to have them haha.

Does any one know what they would have been on originally? not as in "Landing Gear forks" but did any bike use that decal specifically? Will do some research now

 

[sheroo]

Lookin' forward to see all this come together.

 

[AlienALX]

Lookin' forward to see all this come together.

Me too

It's off for powder on Friday. I don't remember the last time I was this excited.

 

[AlienALX]

Some progress !

Time for the frame and forks to meet the heat gun and Isoprop.

This is what it looked like when new.



I must say whilst I absolutely love SE they really dropped the ball on these decals. Single colour, nasty looking crud. So I used my method. Lay paper towels over the gum and soak.



Then after lots of rubbing etc.



They are now ready to take for powder on Friday

More mid school goodness



Just bought that. I will use the Kashimax for photos but I don't fancy getting farmer giles so I will use that for riding. It's period correct too on page one there is a pic of an SE frame and fork set in red that has a red logo seat.

 

[AlienALX]

Man, grief.

OK so basically during the mid to late 90s some one realised that 10mm axles* (*I know they are not 10mm they are Imperial) were too thin and changed the whole thing around so that BMX bikes used 14mm axles. I guess it was to add strength for things like pegs etc. A good idea, but caused some headaches back then. You would either have to cut your frame or file the axles flat down to 10mm.

OK, so basically the bike I bought back in '14 that got nicked had 10mm dropouts. This is because most race BMXes did not need 14mm axles (and it added weight) so they stayed at 10mm. Only problem is the bike I bought (well the frame and forks) has 14mm dropouts.

Not a problem, I will just buy what I did before (Primo 14-10mm washers) and bolt the wheels straight on. Problem is Primo no longer exist and so anything custom made costs lots of money. In the end I decided to settle on some Diamondback 10-14mm screw on adapters. They are long enough so you can use pegs..



The only problem is they have a fat circular part that is flattened to use a spanner on. This extra width means the wheel axles are too wide if you just bolt them over your existing axles.

So basically I needed to remove the cone lock nuts and then substitute them with these axle adapters. Problem is some one obviously has air tools in China and they were done up by King Kong.

I started out with two spanners and managed to get one side off (but the lock nut refused to budge I had to take it and the conical nut out that goes into the bearings.

So you know what's next.. One side comes off, bearings all over the place and then the other side is locked tight. Trying to hold a greased spindle with a pair of pliers is hand damage. I don't have a cone nut spanner (I will order one tomorrow to nip them up) so I ended up having to hold the axle with a monkey wrench the right way so that it bit into the axle when I turned it.

Finally managed to get them off, adapters are now on. Will nip them and adjust properly when I get the tools.

Also. My friend went ahead and belatedly bought me the ltd ed Mushroom 2s for my birthday (quick reminder).



Frame goes to powder tomorrow. Really can't wait

Still waiting on a few items to arrive (number plate which I think is at the post office, fork stickers which should be here tomorrow, seat and brake parts from Hong Kong that are taking ages).

But yeah, this time next week I should have my bike back all ready to assemble

Oh yeah, the crank spacer is too wide (it's like a tube) so I gotta cut that down (oh what fun :S ) and I totally forgot just how many small parts there are when you just take a raw frame and fork and turn it into a bike ! it's insane..

Oh yeah last thing, tyres came today and they are amazing

 

[SPS]

Man, grief.

OK so basically during the mid to late 90s some one realised that 10mm axles* (*I know they are not 10mm they are Imperial) were too thin and changed the whole thing around so that BMX bikes used 14mm axles. I guess it was to add strength for things like pegs etc. A good idea, but caused some headaches back then. You would either have to cut your frame or file the axles flat down to 10mm.

OK, so basically the bike I bought back in '14 that got nicked had 10mm dropouts. This is because most race BMXes did not need 14mm axles (and it added weight) so they stayed at 10mm. Only problem is the bike I bought (well the frame and forks) has 14mm dropouts.

Not a problem, I will just buy what I did before (Primo 14-10mm washers) and bolt the wheels straight on. Problem is Primo no longer exist and so anything custom made costs lots of money. In the end I decided to settle on some Diamondback 10-14mm screw on adapters. They are long enough so you can use pegs..

The only problem is they have a fat circular part that is flattened to use a spanner on. This extra width means the wheel axles are too wide if you just bolt them over your existing axles.

So basically I needed to remove the cone lock nuts and then substitute them with these axle adapters. Problem is some one obviously has air tools in China and they were done up by King Kong.

I started out with two spanners and managed to get one side off (but the lock nut refused to budge I had to take it and the conical nut out that goes into the bearings.

So you know what's next.. One side comes off, bearings all over the place and then the other side is locked tight. Trying to hold a greased spindle with a pair of pliers is hand damage. I don't have a cone nut spanner (I will order one tomorrow to nip them up) so I ended up having to hold the axle with a monkey wrench the right way so that it bit into the axle when I turned it.

Finally managed to get them off, adapters are now on. Will nip them and adjust properly when I get the tools.

Also. My friend went ahead and belatedly bought me the ltd ed Mushroom 2s for my birthday (quick reminder).

Frame goes to powder tomorrow. Really can't wait

Still waiting on a few items to arrive (number plate which I think is at the post office, fork stickers which should be here tomorrow, seat and brake parts from Hong Kong that are taking ages).

But yeah, this time next week I should have my bike back all ready to assemble

Oh yeah, the crank spacer is too wide (it's like a tube) so I gotta cut that down (oh what fun :S ) and I totally forgot just how many small parts there are when you just take a raw frame and fork and turn it into a bike ! it's insane..

Oh yeah last thing, tyres came today and they are amazing

I feel your pain. I remember trying to fix a loose rear hub/axle and I took the nuts off and the tiniest bearings in the world just fell everywhere.. Having to regrease and a new set in was so stressful.

 

[AlienALX]

I feel your pain. I remember trying to fix a loose rear hub/axle and I took the nuts off and the tiniest bearings in the world just fell everywhere.. Having to regrease and a new set in was so stressful.

Thankfully I had some vaseline kicking around. But yeah, not a fun job and now I stink of grease even after repeatedly washing my hands

I have found the proper cone nut spanner I need to nip them up nice and tight, will definitely be getting one as I have never had one before and have had to mess around for hours with axles.

I'm half tempted to drop a nut and buy a set of new wheels. Problem is they are all like 9t cassette so would not work with my chain ring. Well, they would, but going from 24t to 44t you would need muscles like Hercules.

If they do annoy me though (come loose or what not) I may drop down to the 24T sprocket that came with the crank.

 

[SPS]

Thankfully I had some vaseline kicking around. But yeah, not a fun job and now I stink of grease even after repeatedly washing my hands

I have found the proper cone nut spanner I need to nip them up nice and tight, will definitely be getting one as I have never had one before and have had to mess around for hours with axles.

I'm half tempted to drop a nut and buy a set of new wheels. Problem is they are all like 9t cassette so would not work with my chain ring. Well, they would, but going from 24t to 44t you would need muscles like Hercules.

If they do annoy me though (come loose or what not) I may drop down to the 24T sprocket that came with the crank.

Yeah god you wouldn't want to run 44 to 9. You can definitely get wheels with 14" axles with 16t freewheels for instance (second hand Mongoose offerings for example). I would personally want to run 24T to 9/8T because cassettes sound much nicer and smaller sprockets are always less in the way. However, you're trying to create a retro looking bike so larger sprockets were more common.

 

[AlienALX]

Yeah god you wouldn't want to run 44 to 9. You can definitely get wheels with 14" axles with 16t freewheels for instance (second hand Mongoose offerings for example). I would personally want to run 24T to 9/8T because cassettes sound much nicer and smaller sprockets are always less in the way. However, you're trying to create a retro looking bike so larger sprockets were more common.

Me being me if I buy wheels I will basically drop a nut lol. Thankfully there is no real reason to buy any really. Will list the parts I bought in a sec, but you will note a cone spanner.. Only problem is I think I dropped one of the bearings in the hub so will have to take them apart again but it shouldn't be too hard and at least now I will have the right tools

My last Quadangle had Peregrine Super Pro sealed 48s in chrome. They cost me over £300. Then got stolen lol.

Any way the "hopefully" final order is in. Here is what I got.








Lubrication.





CT/Chain





And I spent quite a lot on some brake levers. Kinda got buyer's remorse but they were half of the price the KR label denotes.



I should now have absolutely everything to make a complete bike. He said, hopefully...

Still got buyer's remorse over those brake levers. They were £38 shipped (£29, then £9 shipping from Sweden) but they are gorgeous. If I hadn't bought them I would have forever regretted it and if I do buy them I get buyer's remorse and the old "WTF? £40 for brake levers?!?!?!".

Mind you I have spent closing in on £60 on stickers. So I guess do it once, do it right..

 

[Warchild]

Mind you I have spent closing in on £60 on stickers. So I guess do it once, do it right..

When you love something, its always worth it.

When I built my comp bike, I bought Hope Mono 6Ti brakes front and back, each one costing £230 at the time. Didn't regret it one bit, and were best brakes i ever had to this day.

enthusiast hobbies can be expensive, but if you truly enjoy it then the expense is not a factor.

 

[SPS]

Still got buyer's remorse over those brake levers. They were £38 shipped (£29, then £9 shipping from Sweden) but they are gorgeous. If I hadn't bought them I would have forever regretted it and if I do buy them I get buyer's remorse and the old "WTF? £40 for brake levers?!?!?!".

Mind you I have spent closing in on £60 on stickers. So I guess do it once, do it right..

I've spent more on 1 BMX brake lever, that's not so bad

 

[AlienALX]

When you love something, its always worth it.

When I built my comp bike, I bought Hope Mono 6Ti brakes front and back, each one costing £230 at the time. Didn't regret it one bit, and were best brakes i ever had to this day.

enthusiast hobbies can be expensive, but if you truly enjoy it then the expense is not a factor.

Thanks man. Yeah, I completely agree. Just a bad month is all. Couple of Bdays came up then the Microwave had rust in it so it has to go and we wanted some retro thing that was £150..

I've always treated my bikes (and my body parts !) with the highest level of respect tbh. I've always tried to get the best parts possible.

I've spent more on 1 BMX brake lever, that's not so bad

Yeah it was a great price tbh. On the packet in one of the pics there is a price in Swedish KR. 695 or something, which translates to well over £60. And they are NOS, so that could well have been a long time ago. No doubt now they would cost considerably more than that...

I did do some Googling but it seems there is no info available at all. So they could be from the late 90s, before every one had a digital camera and the internet.

Yeah I'm glad I got them. I do rely on my brakes a lot. Most riders now are going with no brakes etc but 95% of my trick inventory relies on brakes haha. Old skool fool me

I have my eye on a set of four pegs. They are like nylon (so light) and would aid with some flatland stuff. I've tried to build the bike to conform to DSR as much as I can (Dirt, street, race) because my other bike is alu so anything reasonably hard is out of the question.

Pegs are fun. I love surfing on them.

 

[AlienALX]

Fun with pegs.

Having a Cro Mo version of the Quadangle is a bit of a catch 22. On one hand it's going to weigh a ton compared to my old alu Quad, but on the other it will be stronger and I will be able to have some fun on it should I choose.

My first foray into the world of pegs was when I bought my Schwinn Powermatic in 97. I did not grind with them but the fun one could have with them was undeniable. In the end I discovered that if I jumped over to the left side of the bike and put my right foot on the left side rear peg and left foot on the front side left peg I could surf the bike. I adjusted the seat so that it met the side of my thigh and would go to an area locally where there was a hill about a mile long and surf the whole thing. Such fun. One thing I did love about London was that it was fantastic for literal free style riding.

So yeah, I've been humming and harring as to whether or not I should fit pegs to this bike. And again, given it's a bit of a mutt I decided that I would like pegs on the left side. I started looking around but got a bit of a shock. FFS, since when did a decent quality peg cost £25 each!?!?!

I also had a bit of a dilemma. I wanted pegs but I also wanted to use my chain tensioners. In the end I found the best of both worlds.



Pegs with tensioners ! saweeet. Only issue? the place I found them only had them in left side. And you can only use them on the left side rear, sort of. I decided to buy two given they cost £4.99 each in the sale in yellow and I will then modify the front peg by literally grinding off the chain tensioner part. They are 7 series alu, so shouldn't be very hard to sort out.

I looked around the internet and it seems these were originally made in 2009. So pics are a bit hard to find but I did find this.



Now I ordered them in yellow, so I have no idea whether they will arrive like that ^ or, in the gold colour in the first pic.

Bit of a crap shoot but for a tenner I could not say no