Modified Soma Tradesman Cycletruck

The wheels are definitely the flashiest bit.

I fucking love older ratcheting friction shifters - When I bought these Barcons, the were a bit stiff and grimy. I pulled them apart, cleaned and lubed them, and now they're smooth and crisp - the ratcheting action is loud!

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This is going to look ace. Subbed.

After 3 attempts at lacing them up at home while high on a mix of cold meds and weed, I was able to bring them into the shop and do the final truing/tensioning first thing this morning.

Front - Schmidt SonDelux laced 2-cross to 32h Velocity Cliffhanger w/ Sapim Strongs
Rear - White Ind. CLD laced 3-cross to 32h Velocity Cliffhanger w/ Sapim Strongs

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Really nice!

Very nice indeed

Thanks. I knew they'd be shiny, but even I grinned at bit when they came together.

Subbed!

So nice to see this thread moving again.

Those wheels! Woof!

Next step, figuring out my BB/Crankset setup. I managed to snag a pretty fresh set of Sugino AT cranks. Along with being beautiful, I've also heard they were the first to set the 110/74 bcd triple standard.

They're an early MTB crankset from the 80s, so they were designed around an asymmetric BB. I want to use a modern cartridge BB, so it's going to take some finagling...

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Welp, after a couple of hours of tinking, I've determined the Sugino AT cranks aren't going to work for this bike:

For a 24t granny to clear the non-dimpled stays (seriously?), you'd need a 130.5 BB. I'd attempted to mount a 127x73 in conjunction with spacers, and while I was successful in getting the granny gear to clear the stay, it pulled the NDS crank arm it too close for comfort. Luckily I had a set of 110/74 Shimano cranks laying around.

Maybe I'll find something nice while working on the rest of the bike...

sugino ox601d polished up? :) or is triple a must?

sugino ox601d polished up? :) or is triple a must?

Triple is a must. It's very hilly in Seattle.

What about an ultra-compact double? 24/44 or something?

Edit: not that there's anything wrong with triples

Just get a double with a 22t inner?

what @Heldring said. Mtb doubles are great!

I'm not bent out of shape about the Sugino cranks - the Deore cranks I have will work just fine.

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Today in "Creative Problem-Solving"

The ST angle on the Tradesman is especially slack, and the mounting position for the kickstand is in the perfect spot to interfere with the F derailleur cage...

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Solution!

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Alright lads, I've just got another chunk of money to finish this out! More to come soon.

Looking forward to seeing more of this, it's going to be a fine cycletruck! ;)

This is very good.
Saw one of those bicycle SUVs recently and they look excellent!
And with those wheels. Whow.

Bits

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It's starting to look like a bike!

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Shame we don’t seem to be able to get Tioga Power Blocks in 26” over here. They look great in that size.

I got the bike technically ridable, took it around for about a 3mi ride. Needs a few modifications - pictures soon!