Go Back  Bike Forums > Bike Forums > Alt Bike Culture
Reload this Page >

need info/ schematics/ advice on dutch bakfiets

Notices
Alt Bike Culture Chopped, dropped, stretched, lifted, and otherwise cut up and put back together. The art and science of choppers, cruisers, lowriders and the vast world of mutant bicycles.

need info/ schematics/ advice on dutch bakfiets

Old 12-03-20, 08:17 AM
  #1  
phile
Senior Member
Thread Starter
 
phile's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2019
Location: netherlands
Posts: 233

Bikes: van moof dropdown, btwin triban 100

Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 89 Post(s)
Liked 30 Times in 10 Posts
need info/ schematics/ advice on dutch bakfiets

so first off this is the patient:


it was a bike left abandoned that i will be working on to make it a bit of a summer shenanigans bike.

did some test rides and found out following:

need to somehow either move handlebars forward or saddle, as current riding position can best be described as t rex arms and is exhausting
need to somehow add a second wheel up front preferably side to side with first one to add more stability. adults very likely will be in front "bak" cause we're idiots
front brakes need to be redone as i have zero front brakes but do have back pedal brakes. would prefer to change to regular rim or disc brakes. thinking rim brakes would be easier
i believe all gearing is through internal hub, would like to get faster gears while maintaining the lower ones for climbing cause this thing is heavy

i am momentarily thinking chop frame somewhere in front of pedals and extend a bit to avoid those t rex arms but not entirely sure.

any help with any of the aforementioned observations or any resources on how these various parts work and how to upgrade would be highly appreciated
phile is offline  
Old 01-13-21, 04:49 PM
  #2  
63rickert
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2013
Posts: 2,068
Mentioned: 44 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1090 Post(s)
Liked 329 Times in 245 Posts
Lower the handlebar. These bikes have seriously good ergonomics. Use it as intended and you won’t have a problem.

Front brake is front hub. Find the arm, connect the cable.

When the handlebars return to earth the gear range will be more functional.

Bike was created in Holland where hills are scarce. Riding that up a hill of any size is not going to be easy.

You do know this beast retails for over $3000? Someone abandoned this? You are sure of that?
63rickert is offline  
Old 01-13-21, 06:23 PM
  #3  
surveyor6
Senior Member
 
surveyor6's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2021
Location: Houston area
Posts: 246

Bikes: 1961 Higgins Flightliner

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 68 Post(s)
Liked 101 Times in 70 Posts
That looks like a great bike for hauling the kids or grandkids.
-Replacing the handlebars with flat handlebars will help with the ergonomics.
-Adding a rear derailleur and wheel with cogs will help you get that truck moving.
surveyor6 is offline  
Old 02-01-21, 02:01 PM
  #4  
JIMKANE
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2021
Posts: 5
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
hmm... i don't think so
JIMKANE is offline  
Old 02-03-21, 10:56 PM
  #5  
StephenH
Uber Goober
 
StephenH's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Dallas area, Texas
Posts: 11,758
Mentioned: 3 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 190 Post(s)
Liked 41 Times in 32 Posts
"left abandoned" sounds an awful lot like "I stole this bike".
If it was out in a corn field or something, you might want to check with the police and see if it was ever reported stolen prior to that.
Handlebars/saddle- looks like a setup for a very tall person- you can possibly buy a shorter stem to drop the handlebars down a good bit. You can adjust seat fore/aft and there are some set-back seatposts made, I believe.
"Second wheel up front" sounds like a bad idea. One thing to check is if there is excessive slack in the steering mechanism, which would make it pretty wonky. You can get some reverse-tricycles (Worksman makes them, others as well) but they are heavier, geared more poorly than this, etc. And unlike you might imagine, two wheels up front does not help stability unless you are going very slow or stopped; otherwise, it hurts, as you can't lean the bike into turns.
Gearing for climbing with an adult up front is going to be a challenge. My suggestion is, run it by a good bike shop and ask "What can be done?"
Simplest solution is keep the existing gearing and use smaller chain ring or larger rear sprocket for lower gearing.
With a normal bike on a steep hill, you'll get down very near the point where you can't balance anymore. With about 2.5 times the weight, if you do get incredibly low gearing, you may fall over. If your passenger is not incapacitated, have them jump out and push would be the way to go.
Assuming that is a factory-made bakfiets, I would highly recommend against cutting it up and splicing more tube in, etc. If it doesn't fit, sell it and buy or build something that does instead of ruining a good bike.
__________________
"be careful this rando stuff is addictive and dan's the 'pusher'."
StephenH is offline  
Old 04-13-21, 06:26 AM
  #6  
phile
Senior Member
Thread Starter
 
phile's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2019
Location: netherlands
Posts: 233

Bikes: van moof dropdown, btwin triban 100

Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 89 Post(s)
Liked 30 Times in 10 Posts
Originally Posted by 63rickert
Lower the handlebar. These bikes have seriously good ergonomics. Use it as intended and you won’t have a problem.

Front brake is front hub. Find the arm, connect the cable.

When the handlebars return to earth the gear range will be more functional.

Bike was created in Holland where hills are scarce. Riding that up a hill of any size is not going to be easy.

You do know this beast retails for over $3000? Someone abandoned this? You are sure of that?
over here if a bike is left unmoved for over a certain period (usually months) they get a sticker attached to em sayign first warning move bike, if still nothing they get a second red sticker sayign on this date the city will pick up this bike and sell it.

it had red sticker and the front wooden "bak" was broken which i jerry rigged into semi working shape
phile is offline  
Old 04-13-21, 06:29 AM
  #7  
phile
Senior Member
Thread Starter
 
phile's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2019
Location: netherlands
Posts: 233

Bikes: van moof dropdown, btwin triban 100

Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 89 Post(s)
Liked 30 Times in 10 Posts
Originally Posted by StephenH
"left abandoned" sounds an awful lot like "I stole this bike".
If it was out in a corn field or something, you might want to check with the police and see if it was ever reported stolen prior to that.
Handlebars/saddle- looks like a setup for a very tall person- you can possibly buy a shorter stem to drop the handlebars down a good bit. You can adjust seat fore/aft and there are some set-back seatposts made, I believe.
"Second wheel up front" sounds like a bad idea. One thing to check is if there is excessive slack in the steering mechanism, which would make it pretty wonky. You can get some reverse-tricycles (Worksman makes them, others as well) but they are heavier, geared more poorly than this, etc. And unlike you might imagine, two wheels up front does not help stability unless you are going very slow or stopped; otherwise, it hurts, as you can't lean the bike into turns.
Gearing for climbing with an adult up front is going to be a challenge. My suggestion is, run it by a good bike shop and ask "What can be done?"
Simplest solution is keep the existing gearing and use smaller chain ring or larger rear sprocket for lower gearing.
With a normal bike on a steep hill, you'll get down very near the point where you can't balance anymore. With about 2.5 times the weight, if you do get incredibly low gearing, you may fall over. If your passenger is not incapacitated, have them jump out and push would be the way to go.
Assuming that is a factory-made bakfiets, I would highly recommend against cutting it up and splicing more tube in, etc. If it doesn't fit, sell it and buy or build something that does instead of ruining a good bike.
please look at my previous response for explanation on abandoned, definitely sure this was abandoned.

i am currently waiting on my bike shop to give me a budget on changing gears etc since i wanna know just how expensive its gonna be. that said since this post all gears have died and it is currently a single speed bakfiets
phile is offline  
Old 04-18-21, 12:42 PM
  #8  
homeless in ca.
Full Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2020
Location: Longueuil, Quebec
Posts: 218
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 131 Post(s)
Liked 53 Times in 41 Posts
Originally Posted by phile
need to somehow either move handlebars forward or saddle, as current riding position can best be described as t rex arms and is exhausting


Search "verstelbare stuurpen" of gewoon stuurpen op Marktplaats, Bol, enz.

Wish, Alibaba has adjustable quill stem too but might not fit Dutch spec bike so measure the original with a caliper to make sure what you have.

Good luck removing old stem from abandoned bakfiets. RJ the bike guy has a good video on how to do this. You can ruin the fork if you're not careful.


Originally Posted by phile
need to somehow add a second wheel up front preferably side to side with first one to add more stability. adults very likely will be in front "bak" cause we're idiots
Three wheeled vehicle traveling at high speed will roll over in a turn unless you incorporate some sort of independent suspension that allows both front wheels to tilt in the same direction.

If you're going for speed you can adjust the steering response by moving the steering rod further/nearer the column.


Originally Posted by phile
would prefer to change to regular rim or disc brakes. thinking rim brakes would be easier
i believe all gearing is through internal hub, would like to get faster gears while maintaining the lower ones for climbing cause this thing is heavy
The internal hub might be worth a few bucks. Maybe you can trade it or score another old bike with a wider range of external gears.
homeless in ca. is offline  

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off


Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.