# Friday show/tell: 36er!



## Walt (Jan 23, 2004)

http://waltworks.blogspot.com/2009/01/rest-of-story.html

Happy New Year, everyone!

-Walt


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## Thylacine (Feb 29, 2004)

Hang on, I'll get my clown suit....


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## CheeseSoda (Jan 8, 2007)

Is the plan to use some of those big ol' unicycle hoops on that bad boy?


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## pvd (Jan 4, 2006)

Uh oh..


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## Schmucker (Aug 23, 2007)

It looks goofy, but it's hard to tell without it built up. I like it. I want one.


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## G-Live (Jan 14, 2004)

I saw a post from a guy who is 6-10 or 6-11 about his custom 29er that is being built. Maybe the 36er would be more appropriate at that height?

G


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## Walt (Jan 23, 2004)

*Yes, it's goofy*

This is a project that I initially did not want to take on - I spent an hour talking to the customer, basically stating variations on the "This will probably suck to ride, I have never built a 36" wheel bike, if it sucks it's not my fault, I recommend you not do this" theme, and he finally convinced me by basically saying that this is something he wants just for sheer weirdness. He knows it'll be slow and heavy and handle like a tank, and he's ok with that.

So yes, you can get out your clown suit, Thy. I spent a lot of time yesterday just staring at the frame and giggling. It's that weird.

-Walt


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## themanmonkey (Nov 1, 2005)

I've got one in the planning stages just for fun. I rode something called, I believe, The Monster Bike about 10 years ago and it was totally fun cursing around Eugene on one. Freak bike for a freak town. I just want something for town cursing so I can retire my '53 Schwinn Corvette from that duty.


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## dbohemian (Mar 25, 2007)

I even drew one up once. Stupid, yes...seems kind of fun to do in a weird way.










Dave Bohm
Bohemian Bicycles


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## DWF (Jan 12, 2004)

dbohemian said:


> I even drew one up once. Stupid, yes...seems kind of fun to do in a weird way.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Me too. I drew up a fairly conventional one a few years ago when Ben first showed his, then after riding James Bleakley's at the RMBS I drew this one up. Not happy with the seat tube but I got lazy since I already have a 11.5" radius, 1.25" roller mandrel.









Can't tell in the drawing, but I figured to buck & form the top tube and seat stays into one piece out of 4130 flat stock. Same with the chain stays. Hot rod style.


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## shiggy (Dec 19, 1998)

Dave & Don, those both look great. Hope to see them in metal someday.


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## dbohemian (Mar 25, 2007)

I think yours looks cooler:thumbsup: 

Although I think I would need to have you modify my jig so I could build a front center that long.

D Bohm
Bohemian


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## DWF (Jan 12, 2004)

dbohemian said:


> I think yours looks cooler:thumbsup:
> 
> Although I think I would need to have you modify my jig so I could build a front center that long.
> 
> ...


I don't think so. FC is only about 29.5". Top tube length is ~23" effective. Your fixture has the head tube height ability too.


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## DWF (Jan 12, 2004)

shiggy said:


> Dave & Don, those both look great. Hope to see them in metal someday.


Thanks & btw, thanks.


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## DWF (Jan 12, 2004)

Walt said:


> http://waltworks.blogspot.com/2009/01/rest-of-story.html
> 
> Happy New Year, everyone!
> 
> -Walt


Cool. You need new handles. Why don't you sell that one and get yourself one of the new Type 2 JMans? Have your people contact my people. And dust that thing off once in a while! Lemony Pledge works perfectly and gives nice Martha Stewart feel to the shop.


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## DWF (Jan 12, 2004)

Walt said:


> snip....He knows it'll be slow and heavy and handle like a tank, and he's ok with that....
> -Walt


You know, they actually ride pretty well and can feel pretty snappy. Keeping the wheelbase short (relatively) like you did helps and lots of offset to sharpen up the front is good too.


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## Walt (Jan 23, 2004)

*Someday...*

This fixture has to last until Sarah finishes grad school and gets (ahem!) a job, hence relieving me of some of the burden of paying all the bills and such.

I'm guessing I'll be talking to you and your "people" in about 2 years, barring Sarah's latest NMR project bogging down like the last one. Then I'll sell this baby to some local, move to our new abode sans fixture, and buy a new one.

At least that's the plan right now. And you're right, I do need new handles. They are mostly trashed. What can I say? After about 300 frames, she's bound to show some wear and tear.

BTW the wheelbase on the 36er is about 47.5", fork rake is 80mm, and trail is 74mm. Should be about as snappy as something with 4# tires can be.

-Walt



DWF said:


> Cool. You need new handles. Why don't you sell that one and get yourself one of the new Type 2 JMans? Have your people contact my people. And dust that thing off once in a while! Lemony Pledge works perfectly and gives nice Martha Stewart feel to the shop.


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## DWF (Jan 12, 2004)

Walt said:


> This fixture has to last until Sarah finishes grad school and gets (ahem!) a job, hence relieving me of some of the burden of paying all the bills and such.
> 
> I'm guessing I'll be talking to you and your "people" in about 2 years, barring Sarah's latest NMR project bogging down like the last one. Then I'll sell this baby to some local, move to our new abode sans fixture, and buy a new one.
> 
> ...


Tells you where I'm at, I thought she'd finished that already! You'll want to get one before I retire and I'll know next summer if that will be very close at hand or a very long time away. 

You going to be around my neck of the woods anytime soon?


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## Clockwork Bikes (Jun 17, 2006)

*36ers ar so last year*

36ers are so last year









-Joel


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## Thylacine (Feb 29, 2004)

Well, since we're all doin' it.....

No you're not halucinating, the bars _do_ attach to the fork.


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## cartographer (Jun 20, 2006)

It's like a freakin' confessional in here!


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## dr.welby (Jan 6, 2004)

Clockwork Bikes said:


> 36ers are so last year


Pschaw. If you're going to go big, you might as well sit inside of the wheel. And if you're going to sit inside the wheel, you might as well make it float.


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## Schmucker (Aug 23, 2007)

Walt said:


> I'm guessing I'll be talking to you and your "people" in about 2 years, barring Sarah's latest NMR project bogging down like the last one.


Ha, good luck with that. ****ing NMR. So useful yet so ****ing aggravating. Never have I used an instrument that wanted me to destroy it so badly as that ****ing thing. It was great when it worked.


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## Walt (Jan 23, 2004)

*Yeah...*

I get to experience the frustration second hand. But I think Sarah would agree with you.

My favorite thing is when people walk past the big yellow circle around the 800 and wipe all their credit cards because they forgot to leave their wallet behind. Good stuff.

-Walt



Schmucker said:


> Ha, good luck with that. ****ing NMR. So useful yet so ****ing aggravating. Never have I used an instrument that wanted me to destroy it so badly as that ****ing thing. It was great when it worked.


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## Smokebikes (Feb 2, 2008)

It all starts with a wheel............. This thread has inspired me to dust off this project. :thumbsup:


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## SuspectDevice (Apr 12, 2004)

You people are all crazy. Crazy. And you don't live in Western Mass. That's for sure!


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## themanmonkey (Nov 1, 2005)

SuspectDevice said:


> You people are all crazy. Crazy. And you don't live in Western Mass. That's for sure!


Does eastern PA count? Call me crazy all you like, just don't call me from a bar at 3:00 am.


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## benwitt11 (May 1, 2005)

Awesome. Every one of these I see makes me happy. Those curvy ones are amazing! I love what James did with his, really great stuff. 

I've been thinking of cutting a Nightrider tire tread down lately. You can make it look a bit like an Ignitor if you remove enough of the blocks. Hell of a lot of cutting though. Then again, it is almost -10 our here. Meh, not much else to do.


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## RustyKnale (Dec 13, 2006)

I cut some of the blocks from my Nimbus treads. It was the most tedious bike-related work I have ever done. The rubber around and under the blocks is way thinner than I expected, I guess because the tire is designed to ride on the blocks, not the surrounding rubber. At first I was trying to cut blocks off level with the surrounding rubber, but twice exposed the cords beneath. So then I started aiming to reduce the block heights by ~2/3. I do notice an improvement in traction. Here's a photo of the front tire -- stock on the left side and modified on the right side.


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## teamdicky (Jan 12, 2004)

I really wonder what the moon cheese would taste like on wheat bread.....

Meh.

Dreams that may never see fruition.
I still wanna do a hundie out west on big wheels, or one here on the right coast, or just go get a six pack from the corner store...

Did I already say "meh"?


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## dbohemian (Mar 25, 2007)

teamdicky said:


> Dreams that may never see fruition.


It's as simple as sending me a check and waiting a long time. Couldn't be easier....:thumbsup: Then the dream will see fruition.

Dave Bohm
Bohemian Bicycles


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## wadester (Sep 28, 2005)

Well, since I just got my rims last week - and have been toying with tube layout - I'll just subscribe now.


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## Smokebikes (Feb 2, 2008)

*".........and have been toying with tube layout" *

Just think about the ST angle and where the seat is gonna end up through very carefully. With the big wheel it is a challenge and unconventional to it's approach. More on this latter....:thumbsup:


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## cartographer (Jun 20, 2006)

Bump now that the builder had ridden the build:
http://waltworks.blogspot.com/2009/04/36-36-36.html

It was fun hearing Walt giggling as he rode.

My series of impressions are here:
http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=495118


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## dru (Sep 4, 2006)

Walt, you look like a midget beside that thing! And you're 6' tall right?

Where'd you find tires for it?

Drew


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## Walt (Jan 23, 2004)

*Yep*

I'm actually not quite 6' tall, but I'm within 1/2".

Marcus is 6'4" or so, and he looks pretty silly. Looking at those pictures, I look like a complete midget. Hilarious!

Weirdly enough, though, it was astoundingly fun to ride. I don't know if the novelty would eventually wear off or not, but I suspect if I owned one of these, I'd actually ride it a lot.

Tires are (I think) from Unicycle.com? They're essentially really heavy, really crappy semislicks. But they're more than adequate for this thing.

-Walt



dru said:


> Walt, you look like a midget beside that thing! And you're 6' tall right?
> 
> Where'd you find tires for it?
> 
> Drew


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## TacoMan (Apr 18, 2007)

How well does it stop? Looks like a hell of a lot of leverage on those small discs.


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## Walt (Jan 23, 2004)

*Stops fine.*

I wondered about the same thing, but you can lock the wheels with one finger on the levers just fine.

Then again, I have strong fingers. But it's still not an issue as far as I can tell. Marcus feels the same way - it's got plenty of brake.

-Walt



TacoMan said:


> How well does it stop? Looks like a hell of a lot of leverage on those small discs.


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## smdubovsky (Apr 27, 2007)

Looks fantastic! The desire to build a 36er is actually what pushed me over the edge to start building bikes (that and the LOVE of fabricating anything.) I figured get a few 29ers under my belt and before starting the endgame.

Anyone thought of using a tire grooving iron to lighten/change the treads? Its done on auto race slicks all the time. Would be a whole lot faster than handcutting.
http://www.randysracemart.com/tirgroovir.html


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## cartographer (Jun 20, 2006)

My FS 29er hasn't been touched yet this year. I'm sure I'll take it out soon, but I'm still having too much fun on the 36er.

The tires, rims and spokes all came from unicycle.com.

The brakes seems to be quite effective. I'm a wuss, so there seems to be plenty of stopping power for what I've ridden so far. Maybe when I get on some longer, smoother downhills I'll find the limit.

smdubovsky,

That is a very handy link. I'm not surprised such a widget exists, but I haven't seen or heard of one till now. I will seriously consider that if I decide to start cutting. Thanks!


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## benwitt11 (May 1, 2005)

Walt and Marcus, that thing really turned out nice. I'm glad you are having so much fun with it. That is far and away the biggest impression I and many others have come away with, the bike is fun. It shouldn't be, but it is quite possible the most grin inducing thing I've ever ridden. The tire groover is a must. That's how we cut the first slicks into MTB 36er tires, and it would not have been possible without one. They are well worth the investment. I've been messing around with the new tire, and plan to cut an Ignitor type tread into it. At this rate though, the tires that are on mine are working fine. It may be a next winter project. Have fun!


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## Keener (Feb 25, 2005)

smdubovsky said:


> Looks fantastic! The desire to build a 36er is actually what pushed me over the edge to start building bikes (that and the LOVE of fabricating anything.) I figured get a few 29ers under my belt and before starting the endgame.
> 
> Anyone thought of using a tire grooving iron to lighten/change the treads? Its done on auto race slicks all the time. Would be a whole lot faster than handcutting.
> http://www.randysracemart.com/tirgroovir.html


I have that tire cutter. Works great on the TA tire. Does not work well for me on the Night Rider tire. The cold cut with dish soap has better control and no stink. The hot cut on the Night Rider just gumed up with to control. May be I just have no skillets.


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## benwitt11 (May 1, 2005)

Keener said:


> I have that tire cutter. Works great on the TA tire. Does not work well for me on the Night Rider tire. The cold cut with dish soap has better control and no stink. The hot cut on the Night Rider just gumed up with to control. May be I just have no skillets.


I got mine to work. I think keeping the blades sharp is that much more crucial on the Night Rider. I've just been too lazy to finish mine. Since my bikes were both built pre-Night Rider, they are scary close for clearance in the back. The new tires fit in the front, but I've been reluctant to take them apart for a redo. It'll probably be a winter project. I still have to swap out rims for both sets of wheels. They still work well, so again, I'm wondering if I should bother right now.


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## davidfrench (Jan 25, 2011)

All right digging more into old threads, but here's the link for the -maybe- new 36 tire : 
http://forums.mtbr.com/650b-69er-new-wheel-trends/poll-36er-tires-744828.html


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