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July 2000 R.D. says: The Alley Cat was started 1n 1999 when I cut the rear chainstays off of a Fuji Road bike. Then they sat in a closet for 10 months till I drew this sketch and talked the wife into funding for the bike building project. |
| I have long admired Rob Wood's bike designs. This bike is based on his Projectile 2.0 bike. It doesn't have the suspension system his bike has, but the rear wheel stay acts as a cushioning spring and the Garrie Hill carbon fiber seat rides on soft rubber isolators. |  |
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The rear rim is an Odyssey T-1000 tied to a Shimano Nexave hub w/roller brake and HG Megarange 8 spd cassette. Enough IG narrow chain for three and a half wedgies travels through a Nexave derailer to a modified Suntour freewheel used as a two speed mid drive. Then travels on the power side through two declawed ACS Claws BMX hubs to a Shimano 50ll Biopace chainring. This is controlled with rapid fire shifters. |
| This picture show the front of the bike with Nexave roller brake and hub. 138mm and 140mm spokes hold it in a Weinmann 305mm rim. The Tange one and an eight inch fork for a MTB was cut down and welded back together six inches shorter. A one off set of handle bars are attached with an inverted Azonic stem. Don't forget the Aheadset to complete the steering. This is the third wheel I've built and the first that I figured the spoke length on. Both wheels were laced with a 3 forward 3 reverse pattern. |  |
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The front tire is a Schwalbe City Jet 80lb 54-305. The rear is a Maxxis Hookworm black wall 110psi 53-406. Should I shred a tire in town Walmart stocks tires for these rim sizes. This bike supports a 200 lb engine, so narrow tires are not an option. The bike weighs in at 35lbs fully dressed. |
| If you look real close the adjustable boom clamping bolts, the safety bolt is visible. Not as easy to see is that the frame is adjustable for wheelbase and front seat height with the same type clamps and safety bolts just behind the rear tire. The frame is 4130 chrome moly .058" wall thickness. Paint is rustoleum gray primer. Then shot with metallic and dusted top and bottom with black and coated with acrylic clear coat. Yes, it is as much fun as it looks. Named the Alley Cat after a type of racing that bicycle couriers in New York sometime participate in. It is not the bikes fault that it can be found at the rear of the pack at HPRA events... |  |
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January 2002 Ray got rid of the tiller steering, which he was finding unacceptable by adding a short remote steering linkage. he says it feels much better. |
| March 2002 Here's the AlleyCat 7.0, with skinny tires, mid drive under seat removed, remote steering installed, mighty mid drive-over drive unit installed on boom. Ray says the new bike weight 38 lbs, the new motor weight 165 lbs, which is a 1 lbs gain for bike and 50 lbs reduction for motor. This equals a negative 12 lbs bike! Um... Ray, what's that aero looking object behind the bike? |
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