Parts for sandblasting

Today I took the front hub ( Which will become the rear hub ) apart as it needs to be sandblasted before it is re plated in brass to match the front hub and I have taken apart the MKS 3000 rubber block pedals, some of the parts will be re used such as the main housing for the ball bearings and a section of the end plates. These parts also need sandblasting before they will be nickel plated. I am getting new end plates laser cut to a traditional pattern and these new end plates will be fitted together with the MKS pedal parts along with some traditional high wheel pedal rubber.

Pictured above is a photo of the parts to be sandblasted and plated, I have found by past experince it pays to take a photo of parts sent to a plater so you can check them off once the work is finished.

Pedals & hubs

Today I received a package containing what will be the pedals for the slotted cranks & the rear hub.

The pedals which I will be converting to high wheel bicycle pedals are the Japanese MKS 3000 steel ball bearing pedals. I have used this pedal for several years on my own bicycle as well as others and the great thing about them is that they are very strong, well made and they are serviceable i.e you can take them apart to re pack the bearing cones and the end plates are bolted on which makes it easy to re fit them with a more traditional end plate profile. I will design a traditional end plate profile which will then be laser cut from 2mm steel plate and once nickel plated that will be bolted on to the MKS pedals

The front hub pictured above is a traditional heavy duty 32 hole front hub from a delivery style bicycle. It's very strong and has a nice traditional profile. The reason I chose this hub is that it's steel so it will be able to be re plated in brass to match the front hub which is now being made in Australia which has brass flanges. Even through high wheel bicycles never had brass hubs as far as I'm aware some of them did have bronze flanges which are of a similar color. Most high wheel bicycles only used 24 spokes in the rear wheel and today many replica high wheel bicycles use 28 hole rear wheels. But I have decided to use 32 holes for the following reasons, first of all the bicycle I'm building is not a direct copy of any one model but will use elements of high wheel bicycle design that I like, secondly it is not being built as a light weight racer but as a solid touring bike able to withstand heavy loads e.g a loaded M.I.P bag and the rider standing on the step for extended periods and braking with the right foot upon the wheel if required. Therefore I'm sure the steel 32 hole hub which will be laced into a steel rim will be incredibly strong.

Building your own bicycle

While there is much debate over originals vs replica's, I'm not keen to get into that in depth discussion on this blog as the fact of the matter is many aspiring riders can not afford to purchase an original bicycle therefore building there own bike or purchasing a replica is the only way they will get to ride a high wheel bicycle. In my home country New Zealand most riders have built their own bicycle with parts supplied from Oamaru, the center for replica ordinary bicycle construction since 1994 and home to the now famous annual NZ penny farthing championships. Apart from that NZ is also home to one of the most authentic replica builders around, Robin Willan of Christchurch whose fantastic replica's are highly sort after from collectors in NZ and abroad.

SUPPLIERS OF PARTS:

Oamaru Cycle Works - located in Oamaru , New Zealand
suppliers of solid tire - American style 3/4 inch wired on type
wire tensioning device for fitting the above tire
Custom made ss long spokes
steel tapered backbones

For more info please check their website which is listed below
http://homepages.ihug.co.nz/~gsimpson/supplies.html

Brett Richardson - located in Bracken Ridge Queensland , Australia
supplier of Steel & Alloy rims
hubs, spokes, backbones, cast steering heads, bearing castings and other related parts

For more info please contact me and I will send you a copy of his current price list


If you are interested in building your own bike the first thing is to figure out what size bike would fit you and if there are other riders of high wheel bikes in your area they could offer you some advice re what size to ride but the best way is to measure your leg length and that will determine the size wheel which you can ride with ease.

Early in the New Year I will be building a 52 inch replica for a Japanese rider and once the parts that I have ordered are here I will be posting my progress on this blog, which will give anyone wanting to build their own bike an idea of how to go about it.

Pictured above are some examples of replica's and parts

Penny farthing's in Karuizawa ?

Just last weekend my wife & I took a trip to the mountain resort town of Karuizawa which is on the border of Nagano & Gumma. While trying to locate a long lost friend who rides a penny farthing replica I happened to spot the two bicycles pictured above. I have no idea why there is a giant penny farthing bicycle mounted on top of the building in the above photo and I forgot to ask the staff at the information center but the building is not a bicycle shop as you can see. The other photo is of a popular old replica that was made in Japan, I have seen many of these about the country and they were designed for kids but are made very strong. A few bicycle shops use them as a display item to hang on the wall.

Cycling alongside the Tama river

Just today Kas Kobari sent me the enclosed clip of him riding his 52 " RBR alongside the Tama river in Tokyo where he often goes for a ride

Kas Kobari - Japanese wheelmen

Not long ago I was contacted by Kas Kobari from Tokyo who rides a high wheel bicycle, I was very surprised to hear from somebody in Japan who also rides high wheels bicycles and not long after receiving the e mail, Kas drove up to Niigata to meet me one Saturday. It was easy to spot him as not too many people wear T shirts screen printed with an image of Thomas Stevens on it. We retired to a nearby coffee shop to chat about high wheel bicycles and I showed him some photos of the bicycles I had built in the past. He is a very keen cyclist and rides his 52" Rideable Bicycle Replica along the Tama river cycleway in Tokyo whenever he gets the chance. He's also built a rack that fits on the back of his car so that can transport his bike. In the future we hope to do some touring together once I bring my high wheel back to Japan. 

Pictured above are a few photo's  of Kas Kobari and his bicycle

Golden week tour 2000

In Golden week of 2000 I sent out on a 5 day tour starting from Shibata , upon telling my students of my plan to cycle around half of Sado Island they thought it wouldn't be possiable & that I was crazy - the 2nd part is probably correct but in order to find out for myself I sent out early in the morning on the 1st day of Golden week ( A Japanese public holiday in May ) to ride into Niigata City. The route I took bypassed the busiest roads into Niigata city but it was still rather busy and I received plenty of strange looks from motorists. Upon arriving in Niigata city I met up with my cycle companion &  fellow workmate Brian Southwick who was upon his modern MTB. Soon we were aboard the car ferry to Sado Island & within a couple of hours we had arrived in Ryotsu we were proceeded to our accommodation for the night in the village of Niibo. It was so peaceful as there is not a lot of traffic on Sado which makes it perfect for cycling. The next day we rode to the top of the Island  to Futastugami and down the other side of the island to our next overnight stop at Sotokaifu where we took an onsen and had a fantastic dinner at the Youth Hostel. The next day we pressed on towards Mano bay & the town of Sawata where we had reserved another Youth Hostel in the hills over looking Sawata. Along the way we stopped and checked out the villages that dot the roadside  and we stopped for lunch at a small camping spot by the sea  at Senkaku - wan bay that had the clearest water I've ever seen in my life. That night we headed downtown in a taxi to take a stroll around Sawata and have dinner followed by a few drinks at a cocktail bar that looked like it should have been in Tokyo. The next day we rode to visit a famous temple  called Myosen - Ji Temple a 5 story pogoda located between Mano & Niibo where I said goodbye to Brian as he headed back to Ryotsu to catch the late boat back across to the mainland. I enjoyed a fantastic meal and chatted to the other guests who were all Japanese including one old chap who had cycled from Tokyo and was keen to share his large bottle of sake with me. The next day I rode back in Ryotsu & caught the car ferry to Niigata and then proceeded to ride back to Shibata. In was a fantastic trip and it was a shame I didn't have more time. I hope in the future to ride around the other part of the Island as it's such a great place for cycling. 

Pictured above is a map of Sado Island - the route I cycled is coloured black with my overnight stops as red circles. The other two photos show me at the ferry terminal in Niigata City and in front of the Myosen - Ji temple