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Anybody else make their own bike parts??


Hendrik Petoors

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I get very frustrated when I want something done on a bike and nobody knows what I want or it does not exist. Some examples of what I have made:-

 

This is a brake attenuator that works on the same principle as the little pulley you see on Tandems. Both cables attach at different levels to a little lever that swivels on a pivot. It worked very well exept that you have to cut your brake cable. The forces generated are high and not only do you brake better but it gives you great feel end you can set the brake pad bigger. I have now discarded this and use the normal pulley type.

 

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Our road Tandem - el rapido, is a MTB framed tandem sucessfully changed to a road tandem. It originally had a old type Mafak Centrepull brake. When I won a set of XT Mtb brakes in a Cyclelab competition I decided I wanted them mounted on the rear as well. The rear of the bike has V Brake mounting bosses for a MTB wheel. I manufatured an inverted U from a solid peice of aluminium, that connects to the old centre hole where the brake mounts and on the old MTB V Brake bosses and made new brake boss mountings for the 700c wheel rim.

 

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I also made a new dropout for el rapido that I machined from a solid billet of aluminium. It works perfectly but was quite a task as I used a Emco Unimat 4 with a milling attachment. I also amde a pulley to operate a bottom pull Shimano 105 front derraileur. The bike is set up for a top pul as in MTB. It works perfectly and was made with a small piece of aluminium and a nylon pulley scrounged form a old photostat machine.

 

Old photostat machines are a wondefull scource for small screws and washers. I used one for a derraileu screw that got lost.
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Thats really cool making your own stuff. I wouldn't mind getting myself one of those hobby metal lathes and building some parts. Just a pity my parents thought Geography and History were more beneficial than woodwork and metalwork when i was in school. In fact, if i could do school again i would take computer science, metalwork, cooking and typing. I would then have all the skills required for my interests

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CAn see that you are an engineer. My efforts normally only include bloudraad and pliers.

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Velo, when I was still into the reloading of ammonition and the art of ballistics, I was a verrrry amatuer gunsmith. I bought the lathe with quite a few accessories secondhand from a Gunsmith who went bankrupt. I made uite a few revolver and pistol frontsights as well as small odds and ends including modified Mauser triggers.

 

Anybody can master the art of playing with metal. By following simple rules you can make anything. The size normally depends on the size of your tools but that is not the limiting factor. Everything I did above can be done with handtools.

 

Konafan you will be amazed to know how much can be done with a pair of pliers and a Vrystaat ring clamp!!!!!!!!
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