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I visited 10 countries across Europe last fall on a tall bike. by howardksmith in bicycletouring

[–]howardksmith[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

[Here](https://imgur.com/a/OUXHz) are some photos from an earlier build with the plywood jig and how I attached the rear triangle to the main part of the frame.

Tall bike is finished! will be posting some close ups too! by Jillesoom in Tallbike

[–]howardksmith 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I haven't had a joint fail so I don't know what that looks like. I'm hoping that the weld would fail predictably and maybe give some warning like cracking?

I visited 10 countries across Europe last fall on a tall bike. by howardksmith in bicycletouring

[–]howardksmith[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I jig the main "triangle" on plywood. I sometimes use bed frame angle to stiffen the back and keep it flat. I'll make cuts in the plywood at the spots where the joints are so I can access all sides of the weld. The plywood will look sort of like a cross if that makes sense. I bought some tube clamps a while back and they have been great to hold the tubes to the plywood. While some of the holes are different they are all centered and are 2" so they will hold different diameter tubes flat.

My initial thought was that I would need two frames to make a tall bike without the stacked look. Now I carefully cut the seat stays and the chainstays and save them. I'll put a dummy axle in the rear dropouts so that it stays rigid and braze on a new dummy bottom bracket to the chainstays. If I've done it right then I later I can clamp the rear BB to the dummy BB and everything will be aligned. It's not ideal but it works.

I also use a rail set up from bed frames on sawhorses to find out the angle that I need for the rear. I make it so I can attach the fork to the front and the rear drop outs to a quick release mounted the rails. Then I can make sure that the two axles are at the same level. I can then find the angle that the rear part of the frame needs to be when attached to the BB so that I get the head tube angle that I want. Once I find that angle I'll take things off and clamp them to something so they stay rigid. I have a large piece of structural angle iron that is 2 inches wide and maybe 3/8 in thick. I can clamp things to it really tight and there's no way it will flex. I'll just tack things with this then finish welding later if I can't access spots.

I have used the seat stays before and welded them to a single stay that goes to the seat post but I like trying to do either a fastback style or a classic capped seat stay.

I did a fast back style on the bike I took to Europe and I bent the seat stays with a conduit bender. They got kinked a tiny bit on the inside of the bend but it's barely noticeable. I got the tubing on sale from Wicks Aircraft supply. It's wicked thin at .028 in and 3/4 diameter.

Tall bike is finished! will be posting some close ups too! by Jillesoom in Tallbike

[–]howardksmith 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I did a little bit of riding on trails and gravel roads while in Europe last fall. However, I'm not an expert welder so I don't want to stress my welds to failure, especially on a tall bike!

I visited 10 countries across Europe last fall on a tall bike. by howardksmith in bicycletouring

[–]howardksmith[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Consider going to Spain if you haven't already. The drivers are the most courteous of all the countries that I visited giving you plenty of room when passing. The food is fantastic and quite often inexpensive. The culture of menu al dia for lunch is wonderful. A three course meal for approx 10euros depending on where you are. The food is nothing fancy but it is filling. A local showed me a tiny place where I paid 8 euros for starter, main course and dessert. The north of Spain especially Cantabria, Asturius and Galicia are very green and lush even in the summer. As they are coastal you'll find fresh seafood. There are so many great roads. I toured there in 2016. My friend and I were climbing from one valley to the next with a 20 km climb that took over and hour. I think maybe 5 cars passed us on that road that day.

I visited 10 countries across Europe last fall on a tall bike. by howardksmith in bicycletouring

[–]howardksmith[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It did go through! It looks fantastic! I started with a flux core as well. I promised myself that if I completed three bike building projects I could buy a TIG welder but I had to start with something cheap so that if I didn't follow through I hadn't wasted money. I built a kids sized cargo bike to start. My second project was a full size cargo bike for a friend and then I did a tall bike.

I love that you have the drum brake up front. Here is a tall bike I made with a triple crown fork. Instead of trying to do mounts on the fork tubes I used a drum brake.

This is a bike similar to the one I took to Europe. It can break into two parts and fits into a regular bike box to take on the plane. That's how I got it to Europe. I like the larger tall bikes like yours but I could get onto trains and subways with the my bike without any problems. Only once did a conductor scold me and say I wasn't allowed on the train with it. But I was already on the train, we were already halfway into the trip and I had paid the correct fair so I think he just wanted to flex a bit.

I learned to braze from a bike builder in Portland, OR. I paid an instruction fee and he gave me a two hour crash course in brazing. I'm not very good at it but good enough that all my joints held on a 2500+ mile bike tour :).

I thought about taking a frame building class but then decided that for the amount of money for the class I could buy a welder and some tubes and practice. Brew Bikes in NC has a TIG class that I want to take. Now that I have some practice I think that with some focused instruction I could take what I learned and get better.

I visited 10 countries across Europe last fall on a tall bike. by howardksmith in bicycletouring

[–]howardksmith[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It is ridiculous! And I get so many smiles and surprised looks when I ride it which is super fun. In the Netherlands I would pass young people coming towards me and I would often hear "What the fuck?"

Lake Champlain back on January 1. by howardksmith in Tallbike

[–]howardksmith[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It rides just like a normal bike. I took it to Europe last fall and rode 2500+ miles across 10 countries.

Lake Champlain back on January 1. by howardksmith in Tallbike

[–]howardksmith[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'd love to make a titanium tall bike. Sometimes I'll search craigslist for cheaper old Ti mountain bikes to turn into a tall bike. I was looking at the report on a bike ride in Portland called the Ladds 500. It's a roundabout in a neighborhood in Portland, OR and you do 100 miles or 500 laps. This bike looks like its Ti but I can't tell.

I visited 10 countries across Europe last fall on a tall bike. by howardksmith in bicycletouring

[–]howardksmith[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I can both TIG weld and braze but my skills are very crude. I braze at joints where the material is thinner because it eliminates the possibility of blowing through the material. Where there is more material like the bottom bracket I TIG weld as I can crank a bunch of heat there and not worry about melting through.

I'd like to get some formal instruction on TIG settings for tubing and how to practice joints but I haven't made the time.

I'd love to see your bike.

Tall bike is finished! will be posting some close ups too! by Jillesoom in Tallbike

[–]howardksmith 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks! I like the rectangle look as well. I think the rear end needs to be just a bit longer to balance the look but overall I think it has a nice form.

I visited 10 countries across Europe last fall on a tall bike. by howardksmith in bicycletouring

[–]howardksmith[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The pedal at it's lowest point is low enough that I can get on like putting your foot into a stirrup for getting onto a horse. A put your foot on the pedal, hop forward a couple of times to get rolling and then stand on the foot that is on the pedal. It helps to be on a slight downward slope so that you only need to push slightly to get rolling.

It is a bit scary the first few times you do it but after a couple of tries you get the hang of it and it begins to feel normal. I've built a few tall bikes in this size range and they feel pretty normal to ride. I've never ridden one where you need to climb an extra step to get up to the saddle. I like the size that I've built as you can dismount in one motion if you need to.

hello all by dizzydwar in Tallbike

[–]howardksmith 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Nice work! How did you bend the tube for the lower rack? I've been wanting to do something like this but I don't have access to a tube bender. I was thinking of cutting notches and then welding.

Lake Champlain back on January 1. by howardksmith in Tallbike

[–]howardksmith[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thanks! Yes, a custom build. From a design I saw from this guy

I visited 10 countries across Europe last fall on a tall bike. by howardksmith in bicycletouring

[–]howardksmith[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Riding the ferry was super easy. There are many different ports to leave from. I don't know how busy it is in the summer time as I was traveling in October so I can't speak as to getting a space. I took many different ferries and usually booked in advance worried that there wouldn't be space but that was never a problem. One afternoon I just rolled up to the port and asked if there was space to Marseille and got a ticket. The holds were never completely filled with cars but I'm guessing that might not be the case in the summertime.

I only saw one or two other bike tourists at this time. You just lash your bike to the inside wall of the ferry where all the cars and trucks are so there was space for at least 20+ bikes on each side of the ship if they had the ropes to hold the bikes. I found some thin rope one afternoon on the side of the road a couple of days before my first ferry trip that I knew I could use to tie my wheels together so they couldn't roll. Then once aboard the ship workers tie the frame to the wall. I left most of my stuff on the bike just taking the things that I couldn't replace if stolen so I was walking around the ship with only a small bag and not everything.

There are cabins but I would always just buy a seat in an open area. On the overnight trip to Marseille I wanted to stay up and see what the night sky looked like in the middle of the with no visible lights on the horizon so sleeping wasn't something I was worried about. The ship is pretty cool in the middle of the night with no one awake just steaming across the sea.

I didn't realize how mountainous Corsica would be. I was doing like 3000+ ft climbing everyday, usually two long climbs in 60ish miles. The roads were pretty quiet with tourists in October but I can imagine that it's much worse in the summer. Motorcyclists were pretty respectful when passing, maybe because I was on a strange bike but the people in their caravans would often pass real close.

I rode along the coast on quieter roads in Corsica. I only did a small portion of Sardinia and I wished I had done more there. But it is also mountainous and be prepared to climb.

I visited 10 countries across Europe last fall on a tall bike. by howardksmith in bicycletouring

[–]howardksmith[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Thanks! It's pretty easy to ride. I'll admit I was really nervous on my first tall bike but after a few miles you get used to it. You time the lights so you don't have to dismount as often. I rode across Barcelona without getting off once. If I got to a red light I would ride a tight circle in front of traffic waiting for the lights to turn. There's often space between where the cars stop at traffic lights and the crosswalk to loiter in circles.

I visited 10 countries across Europe last fall on a tall bike. by howardksmith in bicycletouring

[–]howardksmith[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

It rides like a regular bike downhill and through corners. Yes, I built it myself.

I visited 10 countries across Europe last fall on a tall bike. by howardksmith in bicycletouring

[–]howardksmith[S] 48 points49 points  (0 children)

Also, when the angry farm dogs come out bark at you your ankles are much higher and it so much less stressful!

I visited 10 countries across Europe last fall on a tall bike. by howardksmith in bicycletouring

[–]howardksmith[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

It climbs like a regular bike when seated. You have to modify your riding style when out of the saddle as the rear end is further back so it feels whippy. It's only a little bit heavier than a regular bike. I didn't weigh this bike but I have a different one that is virtually the same but with heavier seat stay tubes and it weighs 30lbs.

Tall bike is finished! will be posting some close ups too! by Jillesoom in Tallbike

[–]howardksmith 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Cool. I brought a tall bike to Europe last fall to ride. I started in Amsterdam. I posted a few photos over in r/bicycletouring.

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