C5ALIVE Forum

C5 Help => C5 Support => Topic started by: Karl on 14, May, 2010 - 21:30:17

Title: Sinclair C5 "Tech Spec"
Post by: Karl on 14, May, 2010 - 21:30:17
From the official C5 large brochure type handbook;
(http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i257/1stbooboo/c5spec.jpg)

From the smaller handbook;
(http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i257/1stbooboo/c5spec04.jpg)

Title: Re: Sinclair C5 "Tech Spec"
Post by: MikeDX on 14, May, 2010 - 21:31:22
If those front brakes are "high performance" I'd hate to see the "standard" performance ones  ;D
Title: Re: Sinclair C5 "Tech Spec"
Post by: Karl on 17, May, 2010 - 08:38:19
If those front brakes are "high performance" I'd hate to see the "standard" performance ones  ;D

...don't forget, under hard use (i.e. downhill  ;D) ,they have been known to melt the standard Sinclair plastic front wheel  :o

Better brakes would only make this worse , so changing to a steel front wheel is possibly the best "mod" you could make.
Title: Re: Sinclair C5 "Tech Spec"
Post by: mike7201 on 17, May, 2010 - 10:20:32
I'll second that.  When going down a hill at about 25 mph, you soon apply the brakes.   Then comes the smell of burning rubber, then a buckled wheel, then 'BANG'!  The inner tube has burst.   :o

Steel wheel all the way!!
Title: Re: Sinclair C5 "Tech Spec"
Post by: magictimothy on 21, November, 2010 - 23:22:00
Where do you find a metal front replacement wheel, and are there replacement brake blocks for the front?
Title: Re: Sinclair C5 "Tech Spec"
Post by: Karl on 22, November, 2010 - 08:16:53
We tend to use steel wheels of a kiddies bike , although they are known as 12" in size, they are actually only about 8" ! Go by the tyre size.

Standard bicycle brake blocks as fitted to any eighties style caliper brakes (like those for Choppers,Grifters etc ) do the job.
http://c5alive.co.uk/ecommerce/product_info.php?cPath=19&products_id=122&osCsid=f0e8f1046dfaf70798c04e138b04d999
Title: Re: Sinclair C5 "Tech Spec"
Post by: aladds on 22, November, 2010 - 16:35:05
We tend to use steel wheels of a kiddies bike …

Did you all just buy kiddies bikes and cut them up? That seems to be the only way I can find such a wheel, but it just seems wrong to do something like that. There must be a supply of just the wheels somewhere, right?
Title: Re: Sinclair C5 "Tech Spec"
Post by: Karl on 22, November, 2010 - 18:00:08
Bit of both really, a local independent bike dealer was happy to sell us wheels at about £15 whereas the bigger guys such as Halfords tend to break new unused bikes for spares (for warranty claimes etc) as it works out cheaper for them to do so. If you're lucky they sometimes sell you the left overs.
Title: Re: Sinclair C5 "Tech Spec"
Post by: Retro Andy on 23, November, 2010 - 07:18:26
I know the front brake is pretty poor, but the original brake blocks lasted longer than the replacement ones I fitted, really shocked when I see how worn they were after only a short time.

Retro Andy.
Title: Re: Sinclair C5 "Tech Spec"
Post by: Nitrowing on 12, May, 2011 - 11:57:09
If those front brakes are "high performance" I'd hate to see the "standard" performance ones  ;D
Ah, the brake blocks are high performance - that's why they melt the wheel!!  ;D
Title: Re: Sinclair C5 "Tech Spec"
Post by: Karl on 13, May, 2011 - 12:07:20
Not if you have a steel front wheel  ;)

If you start to melt that then you've already got your hands full with a host of other problems   ;D :D
Title: Re: Sinclair C5 "Tech Spec"
Post by: frankev on 17, May, 2011 - 10:50:04
Strangely I had no prior knowledge or fantasy of the combination of Sinclair C5 and the smell off burning rubber!  ???

greetz Frank
Title: Re: Sinclair C5 "Tech Spec"
Post by: alecjw on 24, November, 2013 - 15:26:41
We tend to use steel wheels of a kiddies bike , although they are known as 12" in size, they are actually only about 8" ! Go by the tyre size.

Standard bicycle brake blocks as fitted to any eighties style caliper brakes (like those for Choppers,Grifters etc ) do the job.
http://c5alive.co.uk/ecommerce/product_info.php?cPath=19&products_id=122&osCsid=f0e8f1046dfaf70798c04e138b04d999

12"? I thought the front wheel was 16" (haven't measured it and I have no intuitive sense for lengths, diameters etc). What are the actual wheel sizes I'm after then, including widths?

Thanks
Alec
Title: Re: Sinclair C5 "Tech Spec"
Post by: C5 ENTHUSIAST + RESTORER on 24, November, 2013 - 18:14:40
Hi the front wheels at the front are 12"  ..If you type in 12" wheel you will get what you want bye Chas
Title: Re: Sinclair C5 "Tech Spec"
Post by: alecjw on 24, November, 2013 - 18:17:07
Hi the front wheels at the front are 12"  ..If you type in 12" wheel you will get what you want bye Chas

Thanks Chas. Are there not different widths though? I thought I had to specify two dimensions eg 16x1.75".
Title: Re: Sinclair C5 "Tech Spec"
Post by: C5 ENTHUSIAST + RESTORER on 24, November, 2013 - 18:23:24
Hi the width is only the tyre size they range from 12" x 1.5" to 12" x 2.25" same as a car the wider the more grip  ,
Chas
Title: Re: Sinclair C5 "Tech Spec"
Post by: alecjw on 24, November, 2013 - 18:25:00
Ah, I see. Thanks Chas!
Title: Re: Sinclair C5 "Tech Spec"
Post by: Retro Andy on 17, December, 2013 - 06:31:20
Yes the wider the tyre the more grip, and the more narrow the tyre is more speed (Like a racing bike tyre)

Retro Andy.