More Thoughts

I never revealed my true real-world intentions with this project. Do I want an exact replica museum piece? Do I want a nonassuming(yeah right) everyday-use moped? Who do I think I will fool? Where do I think I can ride this? What cop wouldn't pull me over? Ultimately, I want a discussion piece. I enjoy people saying, "What is it?", "Where did you get it?", "How did you do that?" "Why is this sitting in your house?" This is a huge reason we are into cafe racers - well, not the last one. I'm not near dillusional enough to believe I will have a bike that will keep up on today's roadways. I also doubt I will actually be able to pedal it far - the tubing alone weighs a ton. I am crazy enough to think I will learn more than I want to about making it work and learn how better to use my tools to make other bike projects. I need to get some rest but I forgot some pretty relevant info. This project is actually going to be about 1/93 scale. This is for several reasons. Cost is the ultimately consideration no matter the project or compromise considered - cost in time, cost in patience, cost in materials - all weighed against the usefulness of the end product. The cost of perfection is often not ever completing the project. Otherwise, do what Brodie did. Skill may be my greatest downfall there. 26" bike parts, new or old, are cheap. Cheap compared to motorcycle parts (and who has heard of a new 26" or 28" motorcycle wheel?) and certainly cheap compared to authentic antique motorcycle parts. I came up with 93% by first deciding to use a 26" wheelset. That left me with a standard or scale to use to extrapolate from an image of a true BTR. This gave me a place to start - What would the wheelbase be? The trail? Head angle? Chainstay angle? Dropout plate dimensions? About how much tubing would I need? Bla Bla Bla. This does nothing to reveal structural considerations - elasticity, yield strength, deflection..... I'm pretty much limited to what they came up with back then. I'm basically trying to find out what geometry they used, not what I think would be good, that's all. The rest is only for discussion's sake. This is yet another reason I went with the heavy wall tubing. If I changed the geometry to support the load differently I would alter the overall appearance of the bike. I won't be using cast lugs either. Fillet brazing isn't the same but a better fit for the project. One real comfort is that not much has changed in the world of bicycle geometry over the past 125 years. I'll have to trust that the design and relatively crude construction methods used then will allow me to at least go around the block and stay upright. Check out this board track racing bicycle of the 1890s: Precious little has changed in road bike geometry. Okay off to bed. Tomorrow I hope to cut something metal!