Need help with a part!
 

G'day Folks,

I need to buy a new steering damper for the bakfiets...



...bakfiets? I hear you cry - what the %^&$* is a bakfiets?...


Freight bicycle - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


Anyway the bit that has died is a steering damper.

I need to replace it with one that has a closed length of about 30cm / 1 foot between the mounting centres.


Question =>


Does anyone know where I can find an online steering compents catalogue that specifies this closed length / other dimensions?

Bakfiets appears to be a generic term. What brand is the bicycle?

I don't think the brand of the bakfiets really matters... but here's the one we've got =>

Cargo Bike Johnny Loco Bakfiets - Johnny Loco Shop , alle modellen rijklaar thuis afgeleverd

The body has been made by some seriously competant people - probably in India.

Unfortunately the rest of the bakfiets has been assembled by over paid lazy coffee swilling morons here in Holland. If I have to do business with that company again I'll probably spit up blood.

I'd like to find my own steering damper that will last a bit longer than the last one - virtually all of the stuff they put on the bike was cheap junk (except the shimano stuff but even that was out of date bought on the cheap)

Bump!

Unfortunately the rest of the bakfiets has been assembled by over paid lazy coffee swilling morons here in Holland. If I have to do business with that company again I'll probably spit up blood.

Heh!

Come on now Army, what do you really think of them?:P

Any customisers / (motor) bike riders out there?
 

There use to be catalogues of tuning equipment about that actually had stuff other than purple exhaust pipe covers!

Does any one know of a supplier for something like this?

http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/...1&d=1329735953

It is very light duty - might be also be made for a caravan? Or door closing? I'm pretty sure it isn't custom made for this bakfiets.

Maybe you could get someone at Koni to rebuild it for you. Koni is Dutch, yes?

Hopefully Kuan will chime in.

I've got a bunch of machinery parts and warehouse catalogs here, I'll see if I can scrounge something up.

it looks like a very standard type of ram. A bit like an air cylinder on a rear door of a wagon.
Is one end a rod that comes out & in?
You should look up the brand name on a lifting ram on a rear door. A dead one with no gas in it would probably work.
Is there any brand on it?
Is there an engineering supply place near you? like where you buy wheel bearings?

Oh wow - I can't type in what I really think about them - I think that would be an instant life time ban!


I'm sorry to admit that I've really struggled with this (bicycle) bakfiets - it has sucked away many many hours of my life because of the cheap components on it. It is one of those bits of machinery where even a 1/4" socket set is far too beefy and strong for it.


(And for those who don't know me, take a look through some of the threads I've started and see what I've been up to with my W123 - I'm not totally incapable!)

Thanks

It is an oil filled damper - the ball joint ends are really loose but I think it was "meant to be" that way!

There are several engineering type supply places around here - I guess I'll have to start doing the rounds and pretend I am a company. Lots of places here only serve other businesses you see - that's why I prefer to shop on the internet...

Grainger Industrial Supply - MRO Supplies, MRO Equipment, Tools & Solutions should have something similar to what you're looking for.

Hmmm.
it's doubtful a steering parts source would be helpful.
I'd think they would all stock the style like what's on the 123's.
perhaps there is a machinery distributor that supplies stuff like for door closers, etc. that looks like a hydraulic unit, bleed control. the ball ends are unusual, makes it pretty fragile...

?
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