Junker to JumperHunter Flowers

Building a Dirt Jumper Bike

My Project My project was to build a dirt jumper

bike using new and old parts. I refurbished the frame and assembled

all components.

Project Selection I have always enjoyed jumping my bike

at Valmont Bike Park and anywhere I could find a jump.

I wanted to further extend my knowledge of how bikes function and how they go together.

Jumping at Valmont

September Met my mentor, Sean James, and

planned out my project. Saw what parts I already had and took

measurements for parts I would need to buy.

Sean James

October Attended VeloSwap to purchase

additional parts I needed. Gathered all parts by the end of the

month.

VeloSwap

All parts ready to be assembled

November Sanded down the

aluminum frame with a drill head and low grit sand paper.

Masked off the threaded holes and applied two coats of primer.

Masking off parts of my bike

Sanding my bike frame

Spraying primer on my bike

December Applied one coat of

fluorescent green paint then lightly sanded the frame.

Sprayed on final coats of paint.

Spray painting my bike

January Applied several layers of clear coat to

the frame. Removed masking tape from headset

and threaded holes.

Refurbished frame

Clear coating

February Met with my mentor at Golden Bear

Bikes to begin assembling my bike in their repair shop.

Assembled many parts such as the handlebars, front fork, front and rear disc brakes, bottom bracket, and chain guide.

Workbench at Golden Bear Bikes

February Pictures

March Went to Golden Bear Bikes to finish

assembling all parts. Had a fully-functional bike by the end

of the month thanks to the guidance of my mentor.

April I tested my bike and made the

necessary adjustments to ensure that it was a comfortable ride for me.

I put together a video of me riding my bike at some local dirt jumps to prove it works. (Video will be displayed at the Open House Night)

Roadblocks Some roadblocks were finding the

proper parts to complete my bike and getting my seat post to fit.

Also, sanding the entire bike was very hard work and was very time consuming.

Seat post

What I Learned I learned about the complete process

of refurbishing a bike frame. I also learned how to disassemble and

assemble all parts, along with how they all work together as a whole.

Will I Expand I found myself really interested in

building my bike. I see myself continuing to expand upon

my knowledge of bikes and hope to apply what I learned to situations later in life.

What I am Most Proud Of First, I am most proud of how smoothly

my final bike rides. I am also proud of how clean and

professional the bike looks.

Works Cited

Allen, John. "Bicycle Frame Refinishing." Bicycle Frame Refinishing.   N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Dec. 2013.   <http://sheldonbrown.com/paint-prep.html>.

"Bike Painting Tips." Instructables.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Jan. 2014. <http://www.instructables.com/id/Bike-Painting-Tips/>.

Blk Mrkt Riot Dirt Jumper Build - Time Lapse with Canon 5D Mark II. YouTube. YouTube, 12 Dec. 2010. Web.   23 Sept. 2013. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hvFUNpnWtwc>.

Build My Bike + Bikecheck. YouTube. YouTube, 23 Jan. 2012. Web. 23 Sept. 2013.   <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=affByT9XHyQ>.

Erik, Service Manager. "Bike Build Questions." Personal interview. 25 Feb. 2014."How to Paint a Bike." WikiHow. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Jan. 2014. <http://www.wikihow.com/Paint-a-

Bike>."How to Spray Paint a Bike Frame." YouTube. YouTube, 12 May 2011.   Web. 01 Dec. 2013.

  <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BmOU6S05xfY>.James, Sean. "8th Grade Project Questions-March." Personal interview. 25 Mar. 2014.Kopecky, Greg. "Bottom Bracket- How to." Slowtwitch.com. N.p., 12 Sept. 2012. Web. 28 Feb. 2014.

<http://www.slowtwitch.com/Tech/Bottom_Bracket_How-To_3069.html>.Methven, Sean. "Cannondale Chase." Top Stories. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Oct. 2013.

<http://www.dirtragmag.com/reviews/cannondale-chase>.Mtbr Forums. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Feb. 2014. <http://forums.mtbr.com/forum.php>."Repair Help and Education." Park Tool Co. » ParkTool Blog » Chain Length Sizing. N.p., n.d. Web. 25

Mar. 2014. <http://www.parktool.com/blog/repair-help/chain-length-sizing>."Repair Help and Education." Park Tool Co. » ParkTool Blog » Pedal Installation and Removal. N.p.,

n.d. Web. 24 Mar. 2014. <http://www.parktool.com/blog/repair-help/pedal-installation-and-removal-pw-3-pw-4-pw-5-hcw-16>.

Saracen ALX Build with Lance McDermott. Youtube. N.p., 17 Dec. 2010. Web. 24 Feb. 2014. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CE0LilaJEI8>.

"The Fix Bicycles." The Fix Bicycles. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Sept. 2013. <http://www.thefixbikes.com/>.