Steel vs original front wheel.

[minidaz]

Apologies if this has already been asked, but what are the positives / negatives in swopping the original front wheel for a steel one ?

And if swopping over, is 12" the standard size to go for ?

Daz

[Karl]

Apologies if this has already been asked, but what are the positives / negatives in swopping the original front wheel for a steel one ?

And if swopping over, is 12" the standard size to go for ?

Daz

My own view is that the only negative in changing to a steel wheel is loss of orginality, thats why "Voodoo" and "Moneypit" both have steel front wheels. The advantage becomes apparent the first time you grab the front brake going downhill and notice a lack of "plastic burning" smell from the front end    It gives you far more confidence in the front brake , with no fear of the rim disintegrating and ejecting the front tyre and tube.

You are right about the size, a 12" wheel from a kiddies bicycle will do the job.

There did use to be a topic on this, must have been on the old forum - coz I can't find it here 

[minidaz]

The annoying thing is i recently sold a childs bike with 12" wheels down the cat boot 

Sounds like a worthwhile swop though.

[Nitrowing]

I've just fitted a black alloy rimmed wheel to mine.
The most noticeable difference was tyre fitment - I pulled the tyre off the C5 wheel with my fingers... putting the same tyre on the new wheel took me bloody ages!

I'm now contemplating whether to have a roller hub brake or disc brake 

[Karl]

Either sounds really cool, why not go for top bling and do a twin front disc brake conversion...I dont know of anyone doing that before 

[Retro Andy]

As i,ve said before as i only have one C5 i try to keep it as original as possible, but i would like to get another and upgrade the motor, gears and brakes for a bit more fun.

Retro Andy

[Karl]

As i,ve said before as i only have one C5 i try to keep it as original as possible, but i would like to get another and upgrade the motor, gears and brakes for a bit more fun.

Retro Andy

I think that "modding" a C5 is the way forward, especially as original Sinclair stuff becomes more scarce and therefore increasingly expensive. It would be a shame if we ended up in a scenario where loads of C5's become museum pieces because people are afraid to use them for fear of breaking unobtainable components. So finding cheap and readily obtainable alternative parts may be the only way to go to keep them all running.

Once project C5 has finished the hill climb challenge, I think continuing to look for a cheap and reliable gearbox solution will have to move up the "to do" list. If that can be sorted, it opens up the chance to use a full power 24v system (..off road of course  ).

Now that would make next years Brooklands race far more interesting 

[Nitrowing]

As i,ve said before as i only have one C5 i try to keep it as original as possible, but i would like to get another and upgrade the motor, gears and brakes for a bit more fun.

Retro Andy

I think that "modding" a C5 is the way forward, especially as original Sinclair stuff becomes more scarce and therefore increasingly expensive. It would be a shame if we ended up in a scenario where loads of C5's become museum pieces because people are afraid to use them for fear of breaking unobtainable components. So finding cheap and readily obtainable alternative parts may be the only way to go to keep them all running.

Once project C5 has finished the hill climb challenge, I think continuing to look for a cheap and reliable gearbox solution will have to move up the "to do" list. If that can be sorted, it opens up the chance to use a full power 24v system (..off road of course  ).

Now that would make next years Brooklands race far more interesting 

I agree.
If you have an immaculate C5 then fair play to you wanting to keep it like that.

I bought mine as a rescued one from C5Martin so it already had the scuff and scrapes.
It's not a museum display item nor practical transport, I constantly worry about it being stolen or vandalised when it's out of sight so that leaves it as a toy.
All my toys get fiddled with, modified and improved!

[Umpa]

I'm a keep it original as much for as long as you can guy. Although as karl has said, when parts become to expensive and thus unobtainable I will have to start looking for 3rd party parts.

For me though there is a big difference between fitting aftermarket and moding.

[Karl]

For me though there is a big difference between fitting aftermarket and moding.

Quite right , and it is great that there are so many people interested in both/either. It's what helps to keep this forum alive.

I've just got back from working on the project c5 , which is quite far removed from standard but has been so much fun to build. This has been put together from parts that were in a poor state to start with, so its a good use of parts that couldn't really be used anywhere else (apart from the front wheel shroud... ).