Nothing like looking on the bright side there ChrisI’m not sure much use of a front brake is even advisable down hill on Dalby’s gravel fire roads, I’d think it might be more of a last-hope not to die against a tree kind of brake!
Liking those forks,in fact i want some,can you get large tyres between the blades?.IT should hopefully have a little more trail to help with stability.I wasn't really happy with my previous fork choice and was wanting something more in keeping with the Klunker ethos and hopefully a little stronger then the Raleigh fork. I think I may have found it a Humber Duplex fork, designed for 26" wheels with a biplane style crownView attachment 594928View attachment 594930
So had a little play at adapting the drum brake clamp to fit (which meant the chrome started flaking off...another thing to strip
Then started thinking how to attach the brake cable stop. My era of front drum brake does not have a cable stop so thought I was being clever adapting the mudguard eyelet
View attachment 594931...but no the cable is too kinked to run smoothly. So I need to make another clamp to attach it further up for a straight cable run.
View attachment 594932
The frame has had a few coats of filler primer and some touching up with zinc 182 to try and disguise some of the rust pitting. It looks better but is far from perfect but I keep having to remind myself that this is a Klunker and the paint should not be perfect but tough.
The 2.125" cruiser tyres just fit. Even if the sidewalls flex a little I think it will be OK
Get a tab welded on. I weld so I have done this several times. I have also welded a loop for the rotation stop to fit into. It will be worth the cost. Front drum brakes aren’t real powerful but they scrub enough off to go into corners faster. Even a weak front brake makes a big difference in ride enjoyment. That’s a heck of a nice bike your building. I want it. I race klunkers in mountain bike races. I’ve never had to drag feet but my legs get tired back pedaling on the coaster. My Bendix is easier on the legs to use when racing than my Morrow. A front brake helps keep the heat down. My coaster gets too hot to touch. For inspiration here is one of my klunkers with a front bolt on canti brake from the 1950s and an inch pitch Morrow coaster brake from the 1930s. Eighty year old stuff held up. I came in second to last in the single speed category. Your making great progress. There is always a lot of fitting and fabricating to get these things working.
Their so weak you can use them on long downhill areas. They help keep the coaster from overheating. They help going into corners as you can quickly give a brief punch to them faster than a back pedal, avoids hitting trees. You can ride faster and safer with a front drum. You just ride klunkers slower so a front drum can safely be used quite a bit. I have two klunkers with front drum brakes. On steep technical downhill areas you can’t use them, just like any front brake. I have used reproduction vintage motorcycle levers. They have lots of leverage, a long pull and are less expensive than vintage mountain bike levers. Gary Fisher used motorcycles levers on his drum brakes and claimed they made a big difference. Joe Breeze used motorcycle levers on cantilever brakes on his series 1 bikes as that was all that was available. I have not used motorcycle levers with drum brakes, but I used them on my Breezer 1 clone. if you don‘t have the cables attached real tight you can pull them loose. The down side is that motorcycle levers use larger cables so you have to make shims.I’m not sure much use of a front brake is even advisable down hill on Dalby’s gravel fire roads, I’d think it might be more of a last-hope not to die against a tree kind of brake!
I have 34x 26 for my low gear on my Breezer 1 clone. This is the original ratio on some of the series 1 bikes, they weren’t intended for much climbing as they were used for downhill. it’s no good for single track as it’s not low enough. I did race this bike with that gearing in a 55 K gravel race last June and it was fine. I had to stand on some hills but no pushing. You should be OK, better than a lot of klunkers. My TA triple has 53 x 46 x 34 chainrings. I would love to someday find smaller rings.
Knowing you I don't know if this is an obscure Dental film reference or a genuine enquiry for my safety
