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Shorten Your Bike ] |
Shorten Your Bike
OK THIS IS A NEW ARTICLE DEALING ON WAYS TO MAKE YOUR BIKE AS SHORT AS POSSIBLE AND NOW THAT YOU HAVE A NICE AND LIGHT BIKE IF YOU FOLOW WHAT WE SAID IN THE LIGHTEN YOUR BIKE ARTICLE.
OK THE MOST OBVIOUS WAY TO HAVE A SHORT BIKE IS TO GET THE SHORTEST FRAME AS POSSIBLE AND MOST FLATLAND SPEC BIKES COME WITH A 19 INCH LENGTH TOPTUBE THESE DAYS BUT A FEW COME IN A 18 3/4 OR EVEN A 18 1/2 TOP TUBE BUT A SHORT BACK TRAINGLE WHICH IS THE LENGTH OF THE TUBE RUNNING FROM THE BOTTOM BRACKET TO BACK DROPOUTS ARE CHAINSTAYS AND THE TUBE RUNNING FROM THE SEATPOST TO THE REAR DROPOUTS ARE THE SEATSTAYS AND THIS MAKES UP THE REAR TRIANGLE AND THE SHORTER THE BACK TRIANGLE THE BETTER.
ONCE YOU HAVE THE FRAME YOU WANT AND HAVE A NICE AND SHORT FRAME THEN NEXT YOU HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT THE BACK WHEEL AND WHERE YOU WANT TO SET IT UP. MOST OF THE FLATLANDERS HAVE IT ALL THE WAY UP TO WHERE IT ALMOST HITS THE FRAME AND THIS IS TO MAKE THE REAR TRIANGLE SHORTER AND THE BACK OF THE BIKE SHORTER BUT YOU MUST WORRY WHERE THE 990 MOUNTS ARE AND IF THE BRAKES HIT THE FRAME,CHAIN ETC. SOME OF THE SMARTER FLATLANDERS HAVE THEIR WHEELS ALL THE WAY UP AND GRIND OFF THE HOUSING OR WHAT STICKS OUT TO THE SIDE OF THE 990 BRAKES SO IT CLEARS OUT THE CHAIN OR FRAME BUT AGAIN BE CAREFUL HOW MUCH OF THE HOUSING TO GRIND OFF OR FILE DOWN AS YOU MAY REGRET IT LATER. WHEN I SAY REGRET I MEAN IT MAY MAKE THE 990S OFF BALANCE AND THEY MAY NOT PULL RIGHT OR YOU MAY DAMAGE THE 990 SPRINGS BY GRINDING IT DOWN TO A CERTAIN POINT AND WE ALL KNOW HOW 990S SPRINGS ARE A PAIN IN THE ASS TO ADJUST AND JUST FIGURE IF YOU CANT ADJUST THEM RIGHT-TIME TO THROW THE BIKE AND GET FRUSTRATED ....RIGHT. SO DO NOT GRIND THAT HOUSING TOO MUCH AND JUST ENUFF SO THE CHAIN OR THE BRAKES THEM SELF CLEAR EVERYTHING.
IF YOU ARE USING BRAKES IN THE BACK OTHER THAN 990S THAN YOU MAY NOT HAVE THIS PROBLEM AND MIGHT BE ABLE TO GET AWAY WITH HAVING THE WHEEL ALL THE WAY UP AND REMEMBER YOU MUST GET YOUR CHAIN SHORTENED TOO WHICH MEANS GETTING A HANDY CHAIN TOOL OUT AND CUTTING OFF LINKS WHERE THE CHAIN IS TIGHT AND YOU HAVE THE WHEEL WHERE YOU WANT IT. OK CUTTING THE CHAIN DOESNT MEAN YOUR ALWAYS HAVE THE WHEEL EXACTLY AT THE PLACE YOU WANT AS IT DOESNT WORK THAT WAY ALWAYS AND YOU MAY BE A 1/2 LINK BACK WHERE IN THE REAR WHEEL BASE THAT YOU WANT IT TO BE AND THERE IS NOTHING REALLY NOTHING YOU CAN DO ABOUT THAT AS IF YOU TAKE A FULL LINK OFF YOU WILL PROBABLY HAVE ALOT MORE PROBLEMS IN HITTING THE FRAME OR SOMETHING SO A 1/2 LINK BACK TO THE MOST FOWARD POSITION IN THE REAR WHEEL BASE IS BETTER THAN WHERE YOU WHERE.
OK IN OTHER PROBLEMS IN DEALING WITH WHEEL PLACEMENT INCLUDES SPOCKET AND MOST OF US USE AN GRAVEYARD SPOCKET AND WE ALL TRY TO GET THE SMALLER ONES AS POSSIBLE AND SOME OF THE FRAMES HAVE CERTAIN SPOCKET SIZES YOU CAN USE WITH THEM BEFORE YOU HAVE THEM HITTING THE FRAME OR THE CHAIN HITTING THE BRAKE HOUSING ETC SO CHECK AND MAKE SURE THE WHEEL PLACEMENT,SIZE OF SPOCKET AND TYPE OF BRAKES WILL WORK ALL TOGETHER AS YOU REALLY DONT WANT A HEADACHE LIKE THAT AFTER YOU TRY TO SETUP YOUR BIKE AND I KNOW ALOT OF THE VETERAN FLATLANDERS OUT THERE HAS HAD THIS PROBLEM AND HAVE TO DEAL WITH THIS HEADACHE.
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