Macguyver909

In the machining world, the quick and dirty (which is most definitely what we want here) rule is .001" per inch of diameter interference for a press fit, and the the opposite (clearance) for a snug slip fit. So if your headset measures 2.000" internal diameter and you want a press fit the cups should measure 2.002"

.020" press will not work, crumpled tubes, splits, general mayhem will ensue.

AdventureManCO 

Thank you for this, this is very useful info. My hands will continue to file away at these adapter rings and suffer, all for the sake of this garbage bike


Here are the rings, and what they measured after I did a bit of filing -




Here is the head tube measurement -




Right now, the rings are somewhere around 1.33" to 1.36"-ish, so I still have a little ways to go.


These rings are one of the last pieces of the puzzle. I needed something that could interface between the Le Grande's head tube and the Campy Super Record headset, and this is what will do the trick. Much more work lies ahead. I don't think anyone (especially me) realized just how much doesn't work, regarding sizing, fitting, etc. 'Oh yeah I guess I'll just get a BB adapter and be all set hur dur!' <--- that was me about 1.5mo ago. I have aged at least 30yrs (in bike yrs) in the last month alone on this project. So I know that we are 500+ posts in (and yes, that is ridiculous) but it is not without reason. Nothing, save for the rear Record wheel, has been able to fit. And oh, that was such a nice feeling, seeing that wheel just effortlessly slide into those oversized, chintzy dropouts!

Still have a ways to go, with shims and adapters and whatnot. I still need to make a seatpost. But the end is in sight. There is a light at the end of the tunnel. It's just 1000 miles away and it must be a really bright light!

AdventureManCO 

Aren't those where U-brakes are located? I played around with some BMX bikes that had brakes at that spot and couldn't stand it. For all this bike's useless proprietary pointlessness, I'm at least grateful the brake mount is not on the underside of the chainstays

AdventureManCO 

To get anyone of 'esteemed' status near this one would require substances so powerful it would render them completely cognitively incapacitated, thereby defeating the purpose of me taking it to them in the first place.

I think I am going to go 'he-man' on it; a certain picture of a certain gentleman with a certain frame, trying to fix a certain crinkle comes to mind.

RB1-luvr

How one knows the world is coming to an end: when the word "tolerances" is used in a thread about a Huffy bike.

pastorbobnlnh 

The red lining on the "H" cut into the BB shell is just b***h'n! This detail alone will add at least a 10% performance upgrade.

AdventureManCO 

Hah! I mean, we could be talking about really really really really really bad tolerances which, in fact, is what we are talking about!

Although I’ll give it to you, I never thought we’d be discussion ‘thousandths’ of an inch off. That was surprising. I was expecting more of ‘thousands’ of inches off

AdventureManCO 

I was really hoping it would make me faster but a certain person with a penchant for putting holes into components for the dramatic, artisanal effect assured me it will not

cudak888 

"Tolerances" has been used many times in relation to Huffy bicycles. Just usually singular, with a different meaning.

-Kurt

AdventureManCO 

Also: I reached out to a couple of bicycle decal companies to see if it might be possible to get some of those sweet ‘Huffente’ logos. I think that is what we are deciding on. A couple of hurdles remain, at least for going the ‘legit’ route:

1. I don’t have a really good, clear rendition of the Confente logo to work from, or the legit file or a font package.

2. I don’t know what file extension these logos are usually in for the high quality prints. In my head I’m thinking they are probably some vector art type of file, and I have little to no experience with vector art.

3. if I find a decal company to work with me, I need to see if either they would let me use their file for modification or I would need to start from scratch

if I start from scratch, we might be looking at an 80-85% quality option, which isn’t bad. I maybe could just run with a png file and call it a day.

The ideal scenario would be one in which a bike decal company might say, “”Hey Mr awesome we saw your project and want to offer our services! We have these Confente decals, and have the entire font package for it so creating one with custom letters is no prob! If fact, we’ll do it free of charge and heck, here’s a thousand dollars to help with the little unforeseen moments in your build! Good luck!”





See what the Huffy is doing to me???

AdventureManCO 

Ooh good one! Those types are very small indeed!

Hondo6

Now aren't ye a wee bit auld t'be a believer in Leprechauns, laddie?

Eric F 

Nonsense. It's obvious that removing a large slab of steel from the undercarriage of this frame will dramatically improve the w/kg numbers, resulting in a significant increase in velocity. Ludicrous speed, I predict.

jdawginsc 

I still think cutting the kickstand plate into gentle, elegant curved but still attached pieces would create an airfoil effect, thus forcing air upward, thus lightening the bike by .34%.

AdventureManCO 

Well...aheheh, since we are talking about streamlining the bike and really cutting down on the weight, I just had to weigh this thing after doing the 'H' cutout to see where we stand -



As you can see, the bike will soon sprout wings and fly. We lost an astouding 8g for hrs and hrs of work. You know how the weight weenies do something like a cost per gram as they are changing around their bike?

I would estimate that I spent probably around 8-10hrs on the cutout, so thats at a cost of about 1gram per hour. So, if that remains the avg, we'll probably have to spend about 1000 hours (or 125 days if this was my full time job) on the bike to get anywhere meaningful. I'm betting we'll be somewhere around post 24,000 in this thread by that time


I like this idea, but .34%??? Let's not get carried away We might be able to get there with the helium in them tires lol

Eric F 

The added sexy factor of the red-trimmed cutout was worth it, IMO.

Pro Tour teams would be all over a .34% weight loss equivalent.

jdawginsc 

I think he meant I was exaggerating, and pulling that number from my buttocks. Which I was.

I, too, love the H cutout, but I think you likely put two grams of paint back into the mix.

I wonder how many holes you can drill in Huffente tubing before it becomes structurally unsound.

AdventureManCO 

Given that it is structurally unsound as it stands, probably very few.

The paint, unfortunately, was not the ultralight red. It was the heavy-as-lead red. I should have known!!! Even the paint is a setback!

AdventureManCO 

Never ah been too auld fer such things, mah lahd!

I be a the believin' sert. I should knoo, fer I already found me pot o' gold!

Eric F 

This makes the assumption that it was previously structurally sound. Can we go there?

dddd

Great progress, keep in mind that the lower-modulus aluminum headset adaptors may shrink (ID and OD) a lot more than the head tube expands, when pressed in.

I cast my vote for using the Huffy name, this being such an effort that the real maker's name be revered, not heckled.

My selfish interest here is that I, too, need decals for my chromed Huffy frameset, and whatever you come up with for yours should be good enough for mine.

AdventureManCO 

We are keeping all decals. Loud and proud.

However. That lowly (literally?) downtube is missing out on the party, and needs some action. It is just a little too bare, and that is where the 'Huffente' comes in...which is both a little wink to Confente and a bit of a mental challenge for anyone who dares accept it: can a Huffy be a grail bike?

thumpism 

Huffy and puffy?

AdventureManCO 

This post is for the dear friends/curmudgeons who may, at times, have doubted the sincerity of my intentions -

Finally got my Jantex tap for the Home Depot tubs which I'm hoping will look real nice on the Super Record wheelset.




Also, got some Campy decals in...






Also, can I just say these are HUGE! I thought they were going to be smaller. I was sort of looking for a fun one to put on the chainstay - I think the smallest ones will work. The big ones are enormous. I think I may just put them on a plaque and hang it around my neck on rides.

AdventureManCO 

stoneageyosh dddd Mad Honk jdawginsc

So I haven't touched the rear brake bridge but I've had an idea kicking around in my head. It was based on some ideas that were thrown around earlier in this thread.

I sketched out the design I had in my mind, and was curious to get the collective critique on it, and to see how it jived with any of y'alls designs as well.

Good news is that I have the material on hand for it - just some 1.5" aluminum angle, it's basically a drop plate utilizing the stays as support, and also uses the 90 degree drop as a 'lock' in-between the stays to correct any of the lateral movement we've been talking about. Also don't mind using a couple of small pieces of leather between it and the stays to keep it from marring that gorgeous quality finish.