Blue Mach2 with Rack

Okay ... I like how it rides so far.  However, I had no way of carrying anything with me.  So, I added a water bottle holder on the steering tube.  Then I custom made a rack for the back from an oven rack.  And attached a refrigerator basket to it with cable ties.  Also put some clip-on pedals  on it.  I think I may change the front wheel to a 24" one ... which will give my pedals more ground clearance. (meaning I won't occasionally scrub my heels on the ground)

The custom rack made from the oven rack

basket attached to rack with cable ties

side-view of the whole bike

I finally attached the long cables to the rear and now have dual brakes and a wide range of gears.  I had to re-work the welds on the steering bar.  And I admit that I probably bent the front forks too much ... it sits just a little bit low to the ground ... I know this because my heels occasionally scuff the ground.  It is quiet, rides nice, and I'm just going to be happy with it as it is.  Too many problems to change it now (I'd have to re-work a whole new front fork).  I'll be aware of that on my next bike.  In the meantime, I'm riding this bike almost every day.  I'm willing to take on hills and longer mileage.  The goal this summer is to work up to 30 to 50 miles a day.

UPDATE:  You'll find that I later re-worked the front fork ...

Mach2 in Blue

       Once upon a time at D.I. in St. George, I bought a "Giant" mt bicycle.  Eventually I cut it up and welded it into a Mach2 frame.  A.D. Carson's Mach2 Instructions
       And then it hung on the wall in the shop for a long time.  So, the other day I decided to cut apart the rear end of my TE Clone and straighten the angle of the rear wheel.  Which means I needed to pull down the Mach2 and throw it together so I have a LWB recumbent to ride.  Anyway, at the moment I scrounged up enough long cable to connect the front brake and the front derailleur ... still need some really long ones for the rear.  That means I only have a 3 speed (the one tiny one on the rear, varied by the 3 crank rings on the front.)  It's not really up to hill climbing yet.  But I'm having a great time racing around town on it.  Foto follows:

It has a sticker on it from when it was registered in SLC onetime.

(Just back of the upside down word "Giant".) 

Not Much Different ... But Changes

The Mach2 doesn't really look much different from last time ...
Still waiting on cables ...
Having ridden it several times ... I made some small changes
that are important to me.

It seemed like a good idea that the steering could be moved up and down ... But after riding it several times ... all that movement really irritated me. So, I pulled out the delrin (plastic) plug and cut the middle out of some funky handlebars. This foto shows that piece welded in where the delrin used to be ... and clamped solid at a good ride-able height. Just one less moving thing ... and it rides better because of it.

Even though the seat support bracket was hose-clamped to the main tube ... it tended to rock from side-to-side. If you off-balanced, it would roll to the side (like a horse saddle that wasn't properly cinched) ... and down I'd go. I centered it where it felt right ... then tack-welded it at the corners so it wouldn't move anymore. Way much better!

Mach2 - First Ride

At this point I finally put a chain on the Mach2. There's also a skate-wheel idler roller (red) to keep the return chain from flopping. I finally rode it for the first time. I like the way it handles.

No brakes ... No shifting gears ... Still waiting on cables so I can connect those up. I have some issues with the front forks ... may change them for another set. I'm going to make the steering solid so it doesn't move up and down. The seat base needs to be welded to the main-tube.

Its currently only for flat-ground ... no hills ... no speed ... yet. :-)

Mach2 - latest changes

At this stage ... I have a different fork on the front ...
Not sure if it is raked too much ... have to ride it and see.
I used an adjustable angle pyramid neck.
And I stuck a seat on it.
I need to throw a few more parts on it, ride it, and see what to do next.

Rather than 90° bending a tube ...
I heat bent a "U" which connects thru a delrin plug/tube.
That's a 1" EMT tube welded to it.

At the top end of the steering tube ...
I inserted a smaller tube with an inside diameter of abt 7/8".
So I could insert the steering gooseneck and handlebars.

Here's a sideview of that front fork ...
I'm still thinking about that ...
may go with a different fork ... we'll see.

Fotos for A.D. Carson

A.D. Carson sent me an email requesting some better fotos of the Mach2 ... particularly of the welding on the bottom tubes. The lines of the bottom tubes looks pretty good. My welding is NOT all that great. All I can say is that I manage to stick things together. And use a grinder to smooth the mess out ...

This is where the bottom tubes connect to the Bottom Bracket.

Needs more grinding ...

Topside view of bottom tubes connecting to the rear triangle.

Bottom view of the bottom tubes connecting to the rear triangle.

Side view of bottom tubes connecting to the rear triangle.

I like the way the lines flow without too bulky connections.

Mach 2 Update2

I welded on the bottom tubes ...
This is an indoor shot at night so it isn't well lit and I couldn't reall get back far enough to get a good side-view shot.

This is a shot of the front end.

I ground off the stubs and welded the bottom tubes directly to the BB
This gives a cleaner line directly back to the rear.

I did some hacksaw cuts so the tube ends would overlap the portions of the rear forks. This made for a cleaner looking transition. Also tacked the seat tube to the bottom tubes.

Slow Progress ... Mach 2

Several years back, I cut up this bicycle to make a Mach 2 designed by A.D. Carson. It's kind of like a Tour Easy clone, but with a lower frame profile.
Anyway, I've finally started to work on the frame ... It was all kind of rusted and such ... so I've sanded, still have to grind the welds, and add the bottom tubes. Then I'll make a seat for it ... bend up some EMT tubing and weld it together. Then I'll have to seriously experiment with USS (under seat steering).

This is the view from the end ...
It's not too far out of whack ...
I'll tweak it some more before I weld the bottom tubes on.

Here's a look at the front triangle.
You can see that I ground the former bottom tubes off the bottom bracket (BB). At the moment it has a Schwinn front fork which has been modified for a 20" wheel. And, from the decals, you can tell that it used to be a "GIANT" bicycle. The Salt Lake City registration decal reminds me that I bought this bicycle from the D.I. Thrift Store in
St. George, UT. As I progress ... I'll show more fotos.