Vintage tracker Frankenbike tribute build

[MattiThundrrr]

Then if you lost it, at least it's not lost lost

That sentence is making me lose it

 

[Lostcause]

I can’t believe I’ve missed this thread, luckily for me I could binge it all at once. Excellent work and I agree totally with the missing fastener, weld it on approach. A farmer friend of mine uses this technique, with a mig welder and argon bottle. If the fastener doesn’t need a high torque, don’t use the argon. If it’s a critical component that needs a particular high torque then use the gas.
Coming from the UK, where you aren’t allowed to use a step ladder without a safety harness, hard hat, goggles and a respirator, I will follow this thread and every new instalment will fill me full of, “thank god , he’s still alive”.

 

[Nabeaquam]

I built the front wheel. I got bacterial pneumonia December 17 and ended out in the hospital for 11 days. I’m living with my daughter and son-in-law for a few months as I recover. That’s why there have been no posts for awhile. There are almost no tools here. I finally found a slotted screwdriver so I could snug up the nipples a little. I calculated the ERD by using wire. The hub hole to hole diameter was calculated using a school compass and a ruler. The OLD was found by eyeballing a perpendicular ruler drop from each side onto cardboard and measuring between pencil marks. I can’t true it as my truing stand is at our house 200km away round trip.

 

[PhillB]

Hope you are soon feeling better!

 

[Nabeaquam]

Second side laced. Spokes snugged up a little.

 

[Nabeaquam]

The rear wheel has two different sizes of hub flanges. Friday or Saturday we’ll take a trip home and get my calipers so I can calculate spoke length for the rear hub. I’ll try to true the front wheel then.

 

[Lucidone]

Hope your recovery is swift and full.
Great build and lots of learning here for me.

 

[Nabeaquam]

I’m experimenting with different ways to measure a hub. I want to calculate spoke length so I thought I’d look to see how close different ways are. First, I used a compass. It didn’t quite clear the face plate so I eyeballed it.
Then I used machinists mechanical calipers. There cleared the drum brake face plat so I didn’t have to eyeball it.
Next I compared both the compass and caliper gap using a ruler.
I then used electric calipers and the results were consistent. The electronic caliper wouldn’t fit around the axle so I couldn’t use it.
So, non drive side flange diameter is 103mm. Then I measured the OLD. I used the ruler and electronic caliper. The distance could only be reached by using machinists calipers. Before I went home and got my tools I eyeballed the front hub OLD by dropping a ruler from both the locknuts to cardboard and measured that distance with a ruler.
I measured the OLD with a ruler and electronic caliper and got the same distance, 117mm.
I love being retired.

 

[Synthiaks]

Great thread.....!

 

[Nabeaquam]

Oh boy, this always happens with spoke length calculators. The real simple ones are gone from the net. I always use two to see if they’re real close. If they’re not close I try a third or 4th one. Then what, average them? toss out the one or two that’s furtherest off? round the numbers that remain after the toss and use an average? Dah!