Ill-advised Hutch Exel update (freestyle, BMX, '80s content)

So, in this thread over here I asked GRM for help thinking up a sort of BMX "resto-mod" thing. The general consensus was that old school stuff just isn't that functional compared to new stuff, but there was also a certain amount of resonance with the je ne sais quoi of old school frames and Tuffs and so forth...

So with all that in mind (or pushed to the corner of my mind), and knowing that I may be setting myself up for a good Nelson...

...I've decided to plow ahead.

A swap's worked out with another GRMer, and the trials bike is no longer taking up space. In keeping with my tendency to get ahead of myself, while waiting for the bones of the Exel to ship, I've already visited the sites of Planet BMX and Dan's Comp, and ordered up some white Tuff IIs, matching brake pads, a fresh chain, a nice, big 18t freewheel in keeping with my playing-in-the-yard BMX/trials type riding...

And parts have started arriving... Tires!

Some Avid levers with adjustable cable pull...

... because, not certain what brake I'll run on the front yet, but I'm going to use this plate from Dan's Comp:

to mount a V-brake on the rear. Hoping the extra braking of the V-brake and the sucky friction surface of the Tuffs even out to "pretty good with decent modulation". We'll see. I was hoping they'd have something more clever than hose clamps for steadying the arms; Ditchdigger cleverly suggested split collar halves to replace those; I'll be checking McMaster-Carr... Apart from that, hoping that if I run the adjustment to minimum pull, they'll work with a sidepull or 990 on the front; if there's clearance and the V/Tuff thing works out, I may put one on the front as well.

That's it for parts so far. The Planet BMX order should be here Monday, at which point I will have a tiny tires-on-Tuffs party, and that's pretty much it 'til the frame turns up. Maybe I can turn my attention to the garage and the website I need to wrap up for my BIL in the meantime

Or maybe I'll just sit around and try to come up with a palatable cocktail involving this bonus stuff that came from Dan's Comp...

(If anybody's actually reading this and finding the huge images annoying, let me know; 'til then I'm not going to bother downloading, shrinking, and re-uploading my phone photos...)

Those huge images are simply too clear and detailed! How could you do this! You should warn people before they are smacked with clarity like this....

Oh sweet! I just noticed that the versions I nabbed off my google+ account are scaled! I was looking at the info for the originals that had them something like 3500px on the major axis... I thought the GRM forum was just squishing them to display this size but loading the monsters.

Woohoo! I've been waiting for this box...

Yeah!

Of course, in classic non-bead-hook-having rim form, it's going to take some doing to get those to sit true on the rim... I have the traditional "whoop" where the tire sits an eighth inch or so low.

...and some other bits...

deflate the tires and index the "intense" to the valve stem. ;-)

In reply to AngryCorvair:

I've got my own bike shop religion
Tire pressure stamping goes at the valve stem! (Never mind that it says 110psi which is probably, um, inadvisable on hookless plastic rims, and a lot higher than I'd ever want to run them anyhow...)

Though you're right, the freestyle aesthetic focus would have the more visible label carefully aligned...

There's still some snow on the ground, but FedEx says the box is on a vehicle for delivery, and they're still estimating today...

I'm a little excited.

Info on those wheels please! How much do those run if you don't mind me asking?

Can't wait to see the tuffs on the Exel!

In reply to Jarod:

The white ones are on sale for $85/pr freewheel...

In reply to DILYSI Dave:

Me neither! I'm sure I'll have photos up not too long after the box gets here

Give it a bath first. There's quite a bit of basement dust that was included for free...

In reply to DILYSI Dave:

Will do! How much extra did you end up paying to ship the dust?

Man, every time the dog gets up and walks around downstairs I think FedEx is here...

2:13 pm Delivered Portland, OR Left at front door. Signature Service not requested.

Go check the front porch!

A little windex or 409 sprayed on the tire bead where it sits low will allow it to pop into place once inflated. May still require a little muscle for truly difficult tires.

DILYSI Dave wrote:

2:13 pm Delivered Portland, OR Left at front door. Signature Service not requested.

Go check the front porch!

It's here! It's here!

I actually grabbed it off the porch closer to real time, but have had a flailing work afternoon and was going to wait to post 'til I got it dusted off and took some pictures.

Sorry to keep you waiting for pics, but the frame is resting on the Tuffs in my basement right now, and it looks very, very right. I'd be building it up right now, but I'm just taking a quick break from finishing up some side work...

BTW, I'm floored; You had real-world mayhem for serious; it would have been totally understandable to just shrug about the shipping delay. Throwing in the General was an incredibly nice thing to do, way above and beyond. Once again, GRMers prove to be beyond stand-up. Hoping I can get Ditchdigger to build it up so I have someone to ride with sometimes. Actually, with Burrito Enthusiast we almost have a gang, spread out over 120 miles...

In reply to EastCoastMojo:

Thanks! I'll give it a shot!

At the shop where I used to work we had these crazy, wide-jaw cast-aluminum pliers for working the bead around on non-hooked rims, but I haven't been able to find reference to such a thing on teh Googles. I wonder whether that was their real origin...

Figured you would put it to better use than I was.

http://www.parktool.com/product/tire-seater-PTS-1

In reply to Rad_Capz:

They do exist, or at least a comparable item! Hopefully I can get by with ECM's Windex trick... These should continue to be the only hookless wheels I own for the foreseeable future, and probably the rest of my life. As much as I love specialty tools...

It's baaa-aaaack!
From the shop, that is. Had a fresh headset and bottom bracket put in, since I don't have any sort of tools for the pressing...

Next up, reassembly!

F5.....F5.....F5......F5.....

She cleaned up pretty good!

In reply to DILYSI Dave:

Yesindeed! Got a lot of attention down at the bike shop, and at least one request to bring it back by for show and tell when it's built up.

Tonight through Friday evenings are booked up, but hoping to take it to The Lumberyard this weekend... I'll try to get some pics with the Tuffs on before then, though

/me raises hand- white t2's and a sky blue hutch and you didn't go with white skinnies?