8Freight Cargo bike - restoration / project

[LunarBike]

So, a perhaps penultimate update:
A look at the stand dropping mechanism and a comparison to my orange bike that has a completely different mechanism.
The reason I am comparing them is because the black bike has a cable end point that suggests that the black bike had the stand actuation mechanism similar to the orange bike, confused....I know I am... Photos will explain!
Firstly: the mechanism that I have bodged for the black bike. the cable pulls a lever that causes the cranked kicker to kick down the stand. The gas strut keeps the stand up or down, because of how it is set up. The spring pulls the kicker back.


On the orange bike the mechanism is different:


The cable is at the front of the load area and the mechanism is independent of the wooden load plate.

The cable pulls a lever (Latch) and the gas strut drops the stand. The gas strut is always ready to drop the stand as soon as the latch gets out of the way. The latch is held in the way of the stand cam by a spring or reed made out of two little pieces of carbon fibre. A Burrows special I'd say.


The downside of the orange bike method is that if the mechanism isn't set up right and is too loose a bump can bounce the latch and dislodge the stand cam and the stand will drop because of the gas strut. But on the orange bike over the last 5 years of riding I reckon the gas strut has failed so it is only gravity acting on the stand and it drops nicely under gravity, so maybe the strut is overkill for this type! The yellow bike has only got the possibility to have the kicking lever. Of course you can use your foot to drop the stand with the kicking lever. But not the type on the orange bike.

I have managed to raise the stand while riding by wrapping my toe backwards. It's not too difficult.

Hopefully these photos explain what is happening, and will be useful to someone who has one of the 100 Burrows Engineering 8Freights out there! Or maybe the other 97 are all different too!

My next post might be the wrap up with some after photos, the bike works now!

 

[Jonny69]

I can’t remember if it’s been mentioned, but you can get those struts from RS and they’re not too expensive. They’re supplied with massive pressure in them and you carefully let some of the pressure out with a grub screw until it’s got the right amount of spring.

The specs are listed on the RS site but it’s probably cheaper to buy them elsewhere if you’re not a business. Probably cheap ones on eBay too, but can’t guarantee the quality or longevity of a no-brand one.

 

[LunarBike]

Finally, some photos with the mudguards fitted and original cargo canvas.
The bike rides fine, the only remaining issue is the chain rubbing on the front crossmember of the cargo box, the simple way to fix this is to remove the rear idler mount and move it to a point 2" forward of the one I am using at the moment. Something tells me this was an early experimental model.
Photos:

 

[LunarBike]

And more photos:





I'll leave it there now.
Photos of other 8Freights welcome!

 

[Joe_Rides]

What's going on with the bar stem arrangement?!

Really good to see it all up and running, you've saved it!

I've been using my bike trailer with the kids as planned.

 

[mynchiboy]

@LunarBike Still loving your work! The point you make about these being experimental is valid - pretty much all of the 8 Freights that MB made locally before outsourcing them were experimental in one way or another

The chain rubbing on the basket crossmember is a common ailment and I have seen a few of these do the same thing. Repositioning the pulley would certainly help.

Out of interest what size ring are you running up front? A smaller one would also help lower the chain but at the expense of gearing of course. They normally came with a 42 tooth ring from memory, but I have ran 48 tooth with no problems on some of these.

 

[mynchiboy]

I've started digging out a few pictures from my own archives, including the 'Black 10' that I used for a few years. Note that mechanical disc brakes were fitted rather than drums. It was running 10 speed XT as well but you didn't really need the extra ratios TBH.

You might recognise the yellow one! I did a London to Oxford ride during lockdown, very comfortable it was too.

The black one was my own personal ride, now replaced with the Ex-Outspoken orange version that I built with all the parts left over from our wrecked fleet

 

[Joe_Rides]

My thoughts on the chain rubbing was to (somehow) utilise one of these (singlespeed chain tensioner)

BUT, I suspect that you can come up with a better plan!

 

[Taonut]

Hi, what a great thread of info! It’s been super useful as I’ve recently bought myself an 8freight only to find that there’s very little info to be found on them regards to maintenance stuff.
Seems crazy they didn’t take off, as personally think being ahead of the cargo is the smartest!
But how crazy is this machine!! It’s almost like working on something from the industrial age and at tte same time so innovative!
Anyhow.. thought I’d share my machine with the thread and happy to answer any questions.
One last thing! What’s with the front forks!!! Has anyone decided which side the fork is supposed to be!? It’s like every pic I see is different… maybe universal to get best even wear from drum pads!?

 

[Aech]

What’s with the front forks!!! Has anyone decided which side the fork is supposed to be!? It’s like every pic I see is different… maybe universal to get best even wear from drum pads!?

Which way does the front hub retaining bolt tighten ? that should give you a big clue, on a Cannondale Lefty the bolt tightens clockwise (normal) so any drag from the wheel rotating tends to tighten the bolt rather than try to undo it, Unless you spend more time riding backwards

Also since it's a drum brake is it twin leading shoe or one leading and the other trailing ? If it's twin leading that would also be a good indicator of intended rotation, I've never heard of a twin trailing setup.