National Bicycle Day!

[Davey Do]

I love bicycles and bicycling and could bore you to tears recalling voluminous stories of my many bicycles, accessories, trips, and adventures. I would bicycle everyday if I could, and do so in reasonably good weather.

Several years ago, Belinda and I took off at 6am, rode our tandem bicycle  65 miles on a round trip, returning home at 3pm. On one Dead of Winter vacation, we rode our folding bikes from one hotel in South Beach to another on Key Biscayne.

Even though I continue to regularly bicycle, last Summer my longest round trip was 15 miles and I believe Belinda put less than 20 miles on her bicycle.

Old age and past injuries have caught up with us.

Soooooooooo...

I decided to motorize my old single speed bicycle that has been hanging in storage for years. I took it apart and did some maintenance to it, readying it for the build, attaching the frame and one wheel to supports. I kept parts that will be used later in an old milk crate:

 

 

This is the kit which is scheduled to arrive today:

I plan to report on the progress.

Isn't this exciting?!

Happy National Bicycle Day!

[Kitiger, RN]

On 5/1/2021 at 7:52 PM, Kitiger said:

I stopped a 10-speed once using the front brake. I went over the handlebars, and I don't remember how I got home. ?

And this was back before bike helmets came out, at least for the general public. I remember riding in cars before cars had seatbelts, too. 

I use the safety equipment now.

Davey, you do wear a helmet, don't you?

[Davey Do]

12 hours ago, Kitiger said:

Davey, you do wear a helmet, don't you?

In years past, I only wore a helmet when going on long bike rides or riding in traffic. But next to never if I was on country roads or trails.

Then, back in 2017, at the age of 60, I was going to go for a short bike ride- only about a mile- after working my three 12 hour MN shifts. I wore no helmet and a big dog ran out in front of me, I hit it and flew over the handlebars and landed on the asphalt on the right occipital lobe of my head.

I still remember the sickening sound of my head meeting the pavement.

I have a pic of my injury somewhere that I'll load up when I find it that looks like a photo from the Kennedy assassination autopsy.

No kidding.

I will now not even sit on a bicycle without a helmet. You know, Gary Busey suffered severe head injuries after falling off of his motorcycle while sitting still.

I am very safety conscious now that I'm an old man and realize I could be injured at any time doing anything. I am terribly uncoordinated, but live to be active.

When I am no longer able to be active, I no longer want to live.

Thanks for your submissions and interest in this thread, Kitiger. It's nice to be able to chat about a favorite interest with a virtual friend.

[Davey Do]

4 hours ago, Davey Do said:

I will now not even sit on a bicycle without a helmet. You know, Gary Busey suffered severe head injuries after falling off of his motorcycle while sitting still.

I've decided to upgrade this motorized bicycle as I have learned there are safer, more quality parts.

The bike pulls the biggest hills relatively well and travels at speeds that are much faster than I allow on a bicycle. But I've decided that I would much rather ascend the hills with more power and travel flat plains at a slower speed. So I'm going to substitute the 44-tooth sprocket spoke attached sprocket with a 50-tooth hub attached sprocket.

This is the BikeDingleBerry spoke-attached sprocket:

This is the GasBike hub-attached sprocket:

This is the BikeDingleBerry idler:

 

This is the GasBike Spring tensioner:

As you will note, Gasbike uses all metal parts at power points, whereas BikeDingleBerry uses rubber and plastic parts. For about $100, I will have better quality parts which will make this old man feel safer as he put-puts over country hills and dales!

 

[Kitiger, RN]

9 hours ago, Davey Do said:

I've decided to upgrade this motorized bicycle as I have learned there are safer, more quality parts.

The bike pulls the biggest hills relatively well and travels at speeds that are much faster than I allow on a bicycle. But I've decided that I would much rather ascend the hills with more power and travel flat plains at a slower speed. So I'm going to substitute the 44-tooth sprocket spoke attached sprocket with a 50-tooth hub attached sprocket.

This is the BikeDingleBerry spoke-attached sprocket:

This is the GasBike hub-attached sprocket:

This is the BikeDingleBerry idler:

 

This is the GasBike Spring tensioner:

As you will note, Gasbike uses all metal parts at power points, whereas BikeDingleBerry uses rubber and plastic parts. For about $100, I will have better quality parts which will make this old man feel safer as he put-puts over country hills and dales!

 

The only piece that I recognize there is the shoe horn. ?

[guest1163268]

I've heard of dingleberries but only associated with bike saddles ??????

[Davey Do]

[Daisy4RN]

25 minutes ago, Davey Do said:

Yea, Looks like you made it!! 

My husband and I both have beach cruisers that are over 40 yrs old now. They need some updates and work. I like the idea of motorized bikes. How do you like it? Hard to ride?

Kitiger, I did the same thing on my 10 speed, ouch!

[maryellen12]

On 5/1/2021 at 8:15 AM, Davey Do said:

 

 

 

I like this bike stand

 

[maryellen12]

On 5/2/2021 at 10:52 AM, Davey Do said:

 

This is a good place to stop for now.

 

Cool dude on a bike

I have 2 kittens climbing over me looking for a place to settle. Both purring loudly.

[Davey Do]

22 hours ago, Daisy4RN said:

Yea, Looks like you made it!! 

My husband and I both have beach cruisers that are over 40 yrs old now. They need some updates and work. I like the idea of motorized bikes. How do you like it? Hard to ride?

Thank you Daisy. I did make it! The first thing I did when I got to Walmart was to take a pic for this thread.

Thank you also for the questions, for I immensely enjoyed building the motorbike and riding it is truly a trip! I just got back from a trip to the parts store and Subway, which, by other country roads, is 6 1/2 miles from my place. It was cold, cloudy and windy and I was only wearing my bibs and a long sleeve T-shirt, but felt exhilarated! I got more looks and smiles on my motorbike than I get when I drive my '51 Chevy pickup down the road.

Those single speed beach cruisers are simple and a joy on which to work. I just learned about the most complicated part of my single speed, the rear hub, as I was building my motorbike.

I am somewhat  mechanically inclined but it's all a learned process. Three of the most influential men in my life, my Dad, best buddy Rad, and old friend Jed, are mechanical geniuses. They can, or could, fix or build anything mechanical just by sheer innation.

I mention my learned mechanical abilities because I had to learn from ground zero and am good at explaining the process. Dad, Rad, and Jed could also, but they were like Einstein explaining quantum physics to Hawking.

So, if you and your husband are into DIY updates and work on your bicycles, I volunteer my knowledge in assistance.

Thanks again Daisy! 

 

[Davey Do]

22 hours ago, maryellen12 said:

Cool dude on a bike

"Cool"? Really? A fat, greasy (literally) old man on a motorized bicycle is cool?

Bless you and your kittens hearts, maryellen!

Oh- And thanks for liking my Davey Do rigged bike stand!

[Daisy4RN]

21 hours ago, Davey Do said:

So if you and your husband are into DIY updates and work on your bicycles, I volunteer my knowledge in assistance.

My husband is the one who is mechanically inclined but has only worked on cars, not sure if they are at all similar. Thanks for the offer, when we get around to that we may take you up on it!

 

21 hours ago, Davey Do said:

Cool"? Really? A fat, greasy (literally) old man on a motorized bicycle is cool?

I think you look cool too! Us old cool people need to stick together right, LOL?!