Poor man's Silvio

This is my Cruzbike conversion. I took the kit off of an el cheapo Pacific mountain bike and put it on a kid's Trek mountaintrack 220. I'm running 650c wheels on it, 8 speed triple shifted by Shimano barcons on Paul Thumbies.







The rear brake mount is a temporary fix. It's a piece of aluminum strap that I bent to fit. It's bolted to the kickstand plate and through the mounting tab for a rear fender. It's a little flexy, but it works good enough, for now.

Mark

Mark
If you're looking for rear brakes try the Pauls Motolite brakes, I think they would fit. It's not a good picture but they worked with the 700c conversion on the Strada and Rans with plenty left over.

Yeah, but $125 a wheel makes me cringe, a little! Thanks for the idea, though!

Mark

R42Pilot wrote:Yeah, but $125 a wheel makes me cringe, a little! Thanks for the idea, though!

Mark

$99 and you only need the rear.

Good point. Where did you score them for $99? It's a good looking brake and Paul makes good stuff.

I'm having a more permanent fix made as we speak. One of the guys from the Cruzbike site has a mini mill/lathe combo and he's building us both adapters for similar bikes. But, that suuuuure it a good looking brake!

Mark

Ebay, price mo' better. They're on there from time to time.

I.M.Bent wrote:Ebay, price mo' better. They're on there from time to time.

Good thought, I'll peruse e-bay.

Mark

More on this frame.

I bought this bike brand new for my oldest daughter about 2000. She outgrew it and my youngest took it over. She rode it for quite some time and was even hit by a car on it, which tweaked the rear triangle. Forunately, my daughter was not injured. Even after she outgrew it, I still couldn't bear to part with it... I kept it around, half planning to weld a boom on it and make a RWD out of it. Then, along came my fascination with Cruzbike. This was the frame I eyeballed initially, but gave up on it thinking the cockpit would be too tight for my big belly and it was a rigid frame.

The bike just layed around, gathering dust. so I stripped the parts off of it. I threw a pair of 750c wheels on it just for fun, stood back and said, hmmmm. I knew 750s would never work, but a 650c with tire on is about the same as a 750 without tires.... This looked pretty cool! So, I stacked my Silvio alongside it, stood back and just stared..... This could work!

So, I Squashed the rear triangle together so a front wheel would fit into the dropouts. I started by squashing on the side that was not hit by a car, then painstakingly measuring the alignment until I felt I had it right and I feel confident I do have it right. I checked it by rolling through a puddle, holding the bike straight, then checking the trail left behind. One nice track!

This brings us to the present, with the Cruzbike kit mounted, tested and ready to be ridden!

Mark

I'm dangerously close to committing one of the Seven Deadly Sins regarding your mechanical skills, Mark. I wish I was that handy with a pipe wrench, or whatever.

Nightturkey wrote:I'm dangerously close to committing one of the Seven Deadly Sins regarding your mechanical skills, Mark. I wish I was that handy with a pipe wrench, or whatever.

Ain't nothing but a thing. I've been lucky to be around people willing to show me things. Most of it's being willing to throw caution to the wind and try stuff. Basic tools can be bought on the cheap, if you're willing. The Internet is full of how to information. The late Sheldon Brown's site is a treasure trove of information. Park Tool also has a nice how to section.

Mark

However, after all that I said above, I still believe there is voo-doo involved in wheel work.

Mark