A Winter Project for Jack. | SouthernPaddler.com

A Winter Project for Jack.

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oldsparkey

Well-Known Member
Aug 25, 2003
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Central , Florida
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Jack likes to bike all around town which is a lot of fun and good exercise. SO , Why not in the winter on frozen lakes , roads , sidewalks , anything with a coating of ice. .
Jack , I would like to help you but things don't freeze over down here.
Here is how to do it. ( step by step process )

You can pick up some spare change sawing wood for folks in the area.
 
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Kayak Jack

Well-Known Member
Aug 26, 2003
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Okemos / East Lansing Michigan
OUCH! Wouldn’t want to get my toes caught in the spokes of THAT bike!
I compliment his thinking ability. He screwed up on only one point. Whereas the teeth on the rear wheel (a driving wheel imparting thrust BACKWARDS onto the ice to propel the bike forward, the front wheel (a driven wheel) should have the teeth contacting the ice pointing FORWARDS. When the front brake is applied, the teeth will just slide along. Turn that wheel around, and there will be traction (resistance) to slow down the bike.

And - he has the devil’s own torture when it comes to restringing those spokes from scratch!
 
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Kayak Jack

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Aug 26, 2003
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Okemos / East Lansing Michigan
When fully assembled, from the manufacturer, the spokes look so logical, so easy. Whoever figured them out the first time was a bloody genius! Orville? Wilbur?
The weight of the bike hangs on whatever spokes are above the axle at that time. Not supported by the spokes below. The exact opposite of the forerunner wooden spokes. So, the inventor of wire spokes had to do a lot of mental rearranging. And then figure out how to fasten each end of the spokes - completely differently from (1) each other, and )2) from how wooden spokes were secured!
Not a project for just one Saturday afternoon.
 
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PeteStaehling

Well-Known Member
Aug 23, 2020
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Tallahassee Florida
An entertaining but rather stupid project. I suspect the sole purpose was to get YouTube hits and make money. At more then 37 million views I'd say it was successful at both. As far as it making any sense or wanting to ride it, I'll pass. I'd rather put some sheet metal screws in the knobs of some knobby tires on my mountain bike or buy studded tires for my road bike.

Still it reminded me of my younger days of motorcycle racing when we'd ride on frozen lakes with my race bike for fun. I did the same with my mountain bike. We either went super low traction and slid around like crazy or put short hex head sheet metal screws in the tires as makeshift studs and slid less. I never got into organized ice racing but there were two kinds. In the US they raced dirt track type bikes with studs and there was loose traction. In Europe they hard a sport with big long spikes on what looked like speedway bikes with 100% traction. They probably still do the same these days but I am out of the loop.

I have not used them, but they have studded manufactured bicycle tires that are supposed to give decent traction on ice, not like dry pavement, but decent. I don't need them in Tallahassee at least not so far.
 
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PeteStaehling

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Aug 23, 2020
146
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73
Tallahassee Florida
Lacing up bicycle wheels is actually a pleasant relaxing task once you learn how. I still need to have text directions or pictures in front of me when doing it, but find it enjoyable.
 
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Kayak Jack

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Aug 26, 2003
13,976
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Okemos / East Lansing Michigan
I’ve done a lot of dirt bike riding, but not racing. A gaggle of motorcycles would form on my lawn on Saturday mornings. We’d strap on a thermos of coffee, pack of ramen, and a sandwich. We’d spend all morning riding strange territory to get lost. Stop for lunch. And spend the afternoon trying to find our way home.

On my last ride, I never did find my way back. Was lost, ran out of gas, and died out there - somewhere.
 
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oldsparkey

Well-Known Member
Aug 25, 2003
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Central , Florida
www.southernpaddler.com
All of my bikes were cruisers except the 1st one. The 1st one was a 2 cycle 5 H.P. and lots of fun for a kid. Guess I got my liking for cruisers from the folks , Mom had a Harley 45 and Dad rode a 74. He had it made , as the C.O. for the base he had a Captain working for him by the name of Captain Davidson. Even Dad's brother working as a M.P. in Hawaii rode a Military Harley Davidson.
 
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PeteStaehling

Well-Known Member
Aug 23, 2020
146
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73
Tallahassee Florida
I started out building makeshift motorbikes as a kid with bicycle frames, lawnmower engines, and small rear wheels. They had a centrifugal clutch if we could get one, but most often were just direct drive. I had to hide the projects from my parents since that activity was forbidden. Later as an adult I had a few street legal Yamahas ranging from 250cc to 500cc. Later yet I raced. I dabbled in hill climb, moto-x, flat track, enduro, and hare scrambles, but only really had any success at hare scrambles. It seems the longer the event the better I did and these races were at least two hours and sometimes as much as 8 hours over two days. Another format was 100 miles in one day. I owned a long list of race bikes from 175-400cc mostly Japanese, but a few European models as well. I was pretty poor at the time so only three of the race bikes were new.
 
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oldsparkey

Well-Known Member
Aug 25, 2003
10,479
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Central , Florida
www.southernpaddler.com
My 1st was the little J.B. Then over to BSA scrambler , Triumph speed twin , Ariel 500 cc single lung and finally 750 Honda's. The sweetest ones were the Triumph which was equipped with every thing ( windshield , bars front and back , extra [fog] lights , bags , mirrors ) and later the Honda's.
 
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oldsparkey

Well-Known Member
Aug 25, 2003
10,479
123
Central , Florida
www.southernpaddler.com
Kayak Jack said:
I found riding dirt trails safer than paved roads.
Click to expand...

The way I survive the hard pavement ... I think that every driver is stark raving crazy and out to get me.
The 2nd thing that gets most folks is when they think they are the boss and the bike isn't , it will prove you wrong every time. I always thought the bike was the boss , not me.
I've seen to many hot dogs get hurt or killed when they thought they were in control. Had one a couple of years ago right here by the house. Two guys in ATV's were racing and at the end of the street they kissed a couple of the trees. One dead , the other survived and went from a ATV to a wheelchair. A couple of the trees were damage but are still here today.

Those 2 thoughts worked for me all those years , never had a wreck.
 
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Kayak Jack

Well-Known Member
Aug 26, 2003
13,976
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Okemos / East Lansing Michigan
Most of you don’t know about Grandpa Paddler some things that I know about him. F'rinstance, he’s a skier. In fact, for hears he served on the ski patrol. Only the best skiers are ski patrol.

When we inexperienced guys go bumbling down a hill and make fools of ourselves, guys like Jon come haul us out of the snow pockets that form under trees, peel us off the sides of trees, etc. When an avalanche traps skiers, most folks head away. Jon headed in, to find and rescue us. A heck of a good guy. My hat’s off to him.
 
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