# Let's See Some Custom Parts



## eastcoaststeve (Sep 19, 2007)

I always enjoy seeing unique solutions and cool custom stuff...what do you guys have stashed away that fits the bill?

One to get started...

shortest stem ever?









Steve


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## girlonbike (Apr 24, 2008)

I had a stem like that once. Ibis for tandems!

Lemme dig some stuff up! Good idea, Steve!


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## girlonbike (Apr 24, 2008)

My Steve Potts modded Ritchey Force stem.  Not exactly cool custom stuff but I'm a Shimano person. I get to post before the DCs of the world take over this thread.


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## Repack Rider (Oct 22, 2005)

See the little barrel adjuster on the derailleur cable? It's less than a half inch long.










Let's go to the macro lens, which reveals details that are just short of microscopic on its three facets.


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## jeff (Jan 13, 2004)

girlonbike said:


> My Steve Potts modded Ritchey Force stem.  Not exactly cool custom stuff but I'm a Shimano person. I get to post before the DCs of the world take over this thread.


 Nice paint. What did he do to it?


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## GMF (Jan 10, 2004)

Repack - that is just cool. A great (and subtle!) place for a piece of art


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## girlonbike (Apr 24, 2008)

jeff said:


> Nice paint. What did he do to it?


Not much. Chopped off about 30 mm and gave it more rise. It started off me asking for a stem and then somehow I needed a donor wedge and then ta dah! Cheap Potts stem! I really should just just asked for a Potts P10.


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## Shogun700 (Jun 15, 2009)

Great thread.

I didn't make this, but thought it was very clever. Any guesses?


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## IF52 (Jan 10, 2004)

Cover for a roller cam?


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## Shogun700 (Jun 15, 2009)

IF52 said:


> Cover for a roller cam?


That's it-was it a common creation when chainstay brakes were the norm? It was on a donor bike and I was impressed by the simplicity of it....just a hunk of inner tube.










I'm currently working on this setup, Suntour XC shifters bolted to the levers for my dirt drop:










It works great, better than expected really, but in the middle gears the shift lever interferes with my grip in the drops-I need to make an angled base that allows the lever to swing a wider arc, or just space the shifter a few more mm away from the levers.

A repurposed V-brake noodle sorted my cable routing from the aero levers, the pull is smooth:


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## DFA (Jan 26, 2004)

Brake booster I made for my Rocky Mountain the Edge back in 94. It's been on a half dozen bikes over the years since then. Carved out of 7075 billet by hand on a Bridgeport. If you've never cut radii on a mill by hand, think rubbing your stomach and patting your head for 2-3 minutes at a time a couple of dozen times over the course of an hour or so.........without ever messing up.


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## pinguwin (Aug 20, 2004)

I've been doing some work on a bridgeport lately and that looks great for getting the curves by hand.


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## bushpig (Nov 26, 2005)

That bridge is cool.


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## DFA (Jan 26, 2004)

And no one noticed the uber rare 1st gen. Strange Cycles brake.

page de brake obscura...


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## girlonbike (Apr 24, 2008)

DFA said:


> And no one noticed the uber rare 1st gen. Strange Cycles brake.
> 
> page de brake obscura...


I'm only allowed to squint once a day.


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## eastcoaststeve (Sep 19, 2007)

Some great stuff so far...what else is lurking in in the VRC vaults???



****a blueberry crunch Clif Bar to the first one to tell me who made the stem I posted....



Steve


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## Rumpfy (Dec 21, 2003)

eastcoaststeve said:


> Some great stuff so far...what else is lurking in in the VRC vaults???
> 
> ****a blueberry crunch Clif Bar to the first one to tell me who made the stem I posted....
> 
> Steve


Salsa?


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## eastcoaststeve (Sep 19, 2007)

Rumpfy said:


> Salsa?


Good guess, but nope.....

Steve


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## stan lee (Mar 5, 2006)

eastcoaststeve said:


> ****a blueberry crunch Clif Bar to the first one to tell me who made the stem I posted....


Mark Nobilette?


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## eastcoaststeve (Sep 19, 2007)

stan lee said:


> Mark Nobilette?


Damn SL, you're amazing...what gave it away?

PM me your address...bar's all yours :thumbsup:

Steve


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## stan lee (Mar 5, 2006)

Thanks Steve, I think I saw that same stem (or a very similar one) on his old site...I like Mark's work.

I live overseas right now so you can donate the bar to the local food bank


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## DFA (Jan 26, 2004)

I completely forgot about the full floating brake I made for my San Andreas DHS.


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## collideous (Jul 1, 2006)

Hubs I made in the mid 90ies. Still have them.


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## rudymexico (Aug 14, 2010)

collideous said:


> Hubs I made in the mid 90ies. Still have them.


Nice hubs, perfect


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## PedalFasterJonathan (Feb 6, 2012)

Wow, beautiful. You have some skills!


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## phoenixbikes (Sep 24, 2010)

Here's a set of brakes I cobbled together from 5 different (incomplete) sets.


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## Tripp88 (Feb 12, 2012)

phoenixbikes said:


> Here's a set of brakes I cobbled together from 5 different (incomplete) sets.


Holy duct tape!!:eekster:


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## proto2000 (Jan 27, 2007)

*Syncros thingy*

A few years back a guy was selling Syncros cranks on eBay but were missing the chainring thingy. I bought a couple of sets for real cheap and made the parts on my mill to complete them. I contacted the other winners and sent them the extra parts I made. It was something I needed and they would too, my giving back I guess. I had a set of the cranks that were complete so it was easy to copy after I drew it up on AutoCad.


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## girlonbike (Apr 24, 2008)

ebay was much nicer when you can see all the bidders.


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## classen (Oct 7, 2009)

DFA said:


> ... Carved out of 7075 billet by hand on a Bridgeport. If you've never cut radii on a mill by hand, think rubbing your stomach and patting your head for 2-3 minutes at a time a couple of dozen times over the course of an hour or so.........without ever messing up.


That is a perfect description. I can totally relate. Very impressive work on a hand operated mill!!


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## phoenixbikes (Sep 24, 2010)

*beers & drill presses*

This isn't 'machined' by any means but it was a fun project and works pretty well.
It's a freehub body cut down and attached to to the cranks with a drilled cog and a chainring. The (18T) cog is secured with the lockring and some loctite. This is my 'homemade' version of a mtn tamer triple.


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## Hurricane Jeff (Jan 1, 2006)

*1997 Vintage Hurrricane/ TNT cranks*

Had a few made, these are my only pair. I loved the color of this crankset.


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## David C (May 25, 2011)

*Hypodermic needle*

Trying to set up a good solution to depressurize and re-pressurize my SID rear shock for the full service I need to do. Managed to screw in a medical needle into a presta adaptor (which is threaded inside too) and then cut the plastic holder of the needle to make a tight and secure connection on my shock pump. Tested up to 200psi without problem. Now I need to make a needle installation tool, that will screw in the shock air valve to guide the needle and hold it in place while I operate the whole thing. Who has nitrogen for sale around here ?


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## proto2000 (Jan 27, 2007)

Nitrous Oxide would be more fitting.


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## David C (May 25, 2011)

proto2000 said:


> Nitrous Oxide would be more fitting.


Yeah, I figured that out on my researches along the way. I'm gonna use air and I probably won't even see the difference anyways.

Now I need to make a "needle installation tool" to hold the needle and lead it into the rubber pellet on the shock body... From what I can see on the Rock Shox manual picture, it's a hollow screw with some kind of silicon filled middle that you screw in after removing the valve screw and then insert your needle, so it's kind of a second protection and help the needle to stay steady not to damaged the rubber pellet during the process.

If anyone have a suggestion on what to do or what I could use already for this, let me know


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## Methuselah (Oct 23, 2010)

Rear disk brake mount, brake cable guide. Drill press, hacksaw, files, sandpaper, steel wool. After finishing the brake mount, I realized I could have made it so the brake attached directly to it, and dispensed with the IS adapter, shaving a few ounces. Oh well, I'll get around to it eventually...


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## Loey (Nov 19, 2011)

Does MacGyvered count as custom?


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## Medic Zero (Jun 8, 2011)

Loey said:


> Does MacGyvered count as custom?


depends!

No:
- duct tape
- baling wire 
- chewing gum

Yes:
- hack-sawed
- filed
- re-purposed

? zip tied


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## rigidftw (Mar 21, 2010)

here's a brake booster i made for my cx bike out of a 28t steel biopace charinring. wasn't really necessary, but certainly looked the part


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## rev106 (Jul 9, 2009)

Here is a head set I make that allows you to run an 1 1/8 non tapered fork in a 30mm head tube 1" American standard like on a Schwinn.


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## GMF (Jan 10, 2004)

rigidftw said:


>


This I like very much. :thumbsup:


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## jogger (Mar 6, 2012)

nice!!!


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## FairfaxPat (Jan 29, 2008)

Here's a custom seatpost off a bike I'm working on. It uses a Campy head with an H shaped 4 rail adapter, the post was turned from 7075 bar stock, with the inside relieved for lightness- then an aluminum collar was used to join the two with a press fit and bonding agent. Retro points to anyone who can identify it and it's builder!


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## Boy named SSue (Jan 7, 2004)

rev106 said:


> Here is a head set I make that allows you to run an 1 1/8 non tapered fork in a 30mm head tube 1" American standard like on a Schwinn.


I may have asked before but could yo give details of what headsets you used to do this? Cheers,


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## TheMachinist (Feb 24, 2007)

I just made a bunch of BB spindles for a guy who is selling the complete bottom bracket for running Cook Brothers cranks on a BMX cruiser. Sort of a new old school part, I guess.


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## DoubleCentury (Nov 12, 2005)

FairfaxPat said:


> Here's a custom seatpost off a bike I'm working on. It uses a Campy head with an H shaped 4 rail adapter, the post was turned from 7075 bar stock, with the inside relieved for lightness- then an aluminum collar was used to join the two with a press fit and bonding agent. Retro points to anyone who can identify it and it's builder!


Joe Breeze


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## jeff (Jan 13, 2004)

Is that a stock seat sandwich?


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## FairfaxPat (Jan 29, 2008)

DoubleCentury said:


> Joe Breeze


Very good eye, DC-it's off a Breezer Series 1- number 5.-------It is set up for a 4 rail Brooks saddle.


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## rev106 (Jul 9, 2009)

Boy named SSue said:


> I may have asked before but could yo give details of what headsets you used to do this? Cheers,


I used to cobble together headsets to make this happen, but no more. This is a modified headset that was machined to fit in a Schwinn, I've been running them for months now and it's been all good! Not an adapter, but an actual threadless headset. So nice. I made 20 of them so if you want one, you can go here and check out more pics and information:

Genuine Bicycle Products


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## Boy named SSue (Jan 7, 2004)

rev106 said:


> I used to cobble together headsets to make this happen, but no more. This is a modified headset that was machined to fit in a Schwinn, I've been running them for months now and it's been all good! Not an adapter, but an actual threadless headset. So nice. I made 20 of them so if you want one, you can go here and check out more pics and information:
> 
> Genuine Bicycle Products


RAD, just bought one. Cheers.


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## -Anomie- (Jan 16, 2005)

eastcoaststeve said:


> shortest stem ever?
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Here's something similar, but even more obscure. Three PowerBar wrappers to the first to figure out what it's for.


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## David C (May 25, 2011)

Steering tube extension ?


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## -Anomie- (Jan 16, 2005)

Nope! I'll give you a hint: It's for a crazy one-off test bike built by one of the founding fathers of mountain biking.


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## DoubleCentury (Nov 12, 2005)




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## hollister (Sep 16, 2005)

DoubleCentury said:


>


that one has no offset and the salsa decal is upside down on it


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## David C (May 25, 2011)

-Anomie- said:


> Nope! I'll give you a hint: It's for a crazy one-off test bike built by one of the founding fathers of mountain biking.


The only other thing that comes to my mind would be to fit on a tandem bike. Sorry if I don't know much about bike history, I wasn't there yet when it all started


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## FairfaxPat (Jan 29, 2008)

I rode that bike back when it was new-78 or 79 degree head angle. Really quick steering!


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## eastcoaststeve (Sep 19, 2007)

Anomie, where did your pics go?


Steve

.


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## 1 cog frog (Dec 21, 2004)

rev106 said:


> I used to cobble together headsets to make this happen, but no more. This is a modified headset that was machined to fit in a Schwinn, I've been running them for months now and it's been all good! Not an adapter, but an actual threadless headset. So nice. I made 20 of them so if you want one, you can go here and check out more pics and information:
> 
> Genuine Bicycle Products


I did something similar, but I had the LBS ream the headtube to accept a 1 1/8 headset cup. Don't remember the exact amount, but the tube thickness was plenty to ream out and not risk breaking anything.

Both great solutions to run modern forks on these old frames! :thumbsup:

frog


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## Boy named SSue (Jan 7, 2004)

1 cog frog said:


> I did something similar, but I had the LBS ream the headtube to accept a 1 1/8 headset cup. Don't remember the exact amount, but the tube thickness was plenty to ream out and not risk breaking anything.
> 
> Both great solutions to run modern forks on these old frames! :thumbsup:
> 
> frog


IIRC, the difference between 1" BMX and 1&1/8" standard in 0.060". Not much at all.


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## 1 cog frog (Dec 21, 2004)

Boy named SSue said:


> IIRC, the difference between 1" BMX and 1&1/8" standard in 0.060". Not much at all.


That sounds right, so you are really taking .030" off the wall on each side, which is just less than 1/32".

I remember the Owner at the LBS telling me he had done the same thing to another frame, which is what gave me the idea. He had to take it slow, and he told me before-hand that he couldn't guarantee it would last forever. I have been riding it for the last 3 years with no issues.

frog


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## rev106 (Jul 9, 2009)

Some 13/16 seatposts I just did for Schwinns and early bmx:


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## terra_firma (Jun 19, 2009)

Christopher Igleheart welded this disc brake tab on a new Kona P2 1" threadless fork for me. I fell back in love with rim brakes before I had a chance to outfit this '96-ish IF Deluxe with disc stoppers.










This $70 fork replaced a ugly and shot Judy.


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## David C (May 25, 2011)

Here's some custom made spacers for my rear shock mount. Not pictured is also an internal threaded steel shaft that goes all the way in and replace the typical shank bolt with two M6 bolts on each end.

The spacers are made out of very light aluminum grade and even tho I decided to have fun and make them lighter. Put the spacer in a vice and there goes the press drill. Saved about 6g each, so 60% weight saving right there. Nothing fancy since it goes on a rather inexpensive build, but it's always fun to waste time with small parts. Plus I practice for the future projects 


Still has to sand down and polish them to remove the scuffs.


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## DFA (Jan 26, 2004)

Cable grub screw thingy for 1st gen Moon Unit cable hanger. OEM on left. Mine on right. The head scratcher is I don't have a lathe.










Step down ferrules for XT Deerhead levers.










Not MTB, but 2 wheels none the less. Scott steering damper handlebar clamp to fit Pro Tapers on a CRF 450 triple clamp holding Marzocchi Shiver (moto Shiver, not MTB Shiver) fork legs. Was going to run it on my Supermoto bike but abandonded the idea..


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## Loey (Nov 19, 2011)

DFA said:


> Cable grub screw thingy for 1st gen Moon Unit cable hanger. OEM on left. Mine on right. The head scratcher is I don't have a lathe.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


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## DFA (Jan 26, 2004)

Cut hexes out of billet 6061 with wire EDM.










Put hexes in 3 jaw chuck in spindle of Bridgeport and lathe toolbit in vise. "turn" diameter by feeding quill vertically manually, sizing with X axis feed of table. Where there's a will, there's a way.










Which reminded me about the custom billet GoPro mounts.......


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## girlonbike (Apr 24, 2008)

super awesome guys! That's some fantastic stuff!


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## Methuselah (Oct 23, 2010)

Some of you may have seen this in another thread, but I made an improved bake mount for my STS...


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## Loey (Nov 19, 2011)

> Put hexes in 3 jaw chuck in spindle of Bridgeport and lathe toolbit in vise. "turn" diameter by feeding quill vertically manually, sizing with X axis feed of table. Where there's a will, there's a way.


That's pretty much a lathe. An awkward one but a lathe none the less.
That wire edm looks like a real time saver. Gotta get one.

Great results!


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## eastcoaststeve (Sep 19, 2007)

Bumpity.


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