Does anyone have any advice on the dimensions of bc wheel plates? Tomorrow I’m gonna make a couple of sets out of 1/4 or 3/8" steel plate using the ironworker, and I’d like to know how much I should have them slung under the axle and how wide (both dimensions) the platform should be. Also, what should the diameter of the hole be?
Thanks. I’ll post a couple of pics if/when they’re done.
I measured up my bc wheel plates. Here goes:
The base of the plate (where you put your foot) is approx 4"x4". From the axel down to the top of the base is 2.75".
I think the diameter of the hole is 5/8". This may depend on the type of hub/axel you get.
Those are the basics. Some people prefer a longer base so there is more area to but your feet on.
Good Luck!
even though gerbel hates me, i am making some full length bc plates with a front reinforcement wich makes them practicaly unbendable
The sizes of pedals are a good guide. The BC wheels that I’ve ridden have actually used pedals for the platforms. Usually they have been a couple inches below the axle. The lower the platform is from the axle, the easier they are to ride.
My experience:
My old BC wheel was made with moped pegs. Basically a cheap pair of motorcycle foot pegs. Too cheap though. Eventually they bent and deformed, and stopped being useful. But I never had a problem with the relatively small amount of contact point. They were about 3" wide and oval shaped, so not much foot contact.
But they were light.
Next, my friend Terrell Williams scavenged the old pegs, and welded on some steel tubing. I put some BMX handlebar grips over that and had a much better set of pegs. These still rode maybe 2" or less below the axle. Still worked great.
Next Zack Baldwin made me a pair of indestructable steel plates. They hang 3-4" below the axle, and have about a 3.5" x 3.5" foot plate (with grip tape on it). They work great, but they’re a lot heavier than the previous pegs. They swing around more, so it’s harder to get the thing rolling nice and smooth for jumping on.
The lower your platforms, the more they’ll swing around. Also, I think you will get more oscillation when riding. By oscillation I mean the wheel moving back & forth in relation to the plates. Keep the plates higher and this will be minimized.
I would like to play with a BC that has really low pegs, to see how it handles. I’ve also tried David Winston’s BC (many years ago), which has pedals welded on right at axle level. It was definitely harder to ride.
Conclusions:
You don’t need lots of plate under your feet. That mostly makes the thing heavier. Anything larger than a pedal is probably overkill.
For hang distance, I recommend keeping it relatively close to the axle. This will give you less swinging and oscillation, and make the wheel visually look more like its comic-book counterpart.
John, if you’d like I can make my bc plates hang low, and next time we meet you can try/have them (whichever you want…). I’m gonna make a beginner set (not intended for jumping, etc), so I think I’ll play around with 4" (I could always make it interesting and go as low as 7" for a 20" wheel) of hang below the axle, following the other dimensions given for the rest of the plates. I think I’ll do a 1/2" hole, and use 3/8-1/2" steel plate (whatever I can find in the rusty piles at the shop). It’ll be heavy, but whatever.
Evan, I honestly don’t see how what I think of you should have anything to do with what you are making. But regardless, why would I care what you are making? It’s not a competition.
Alright, I made a set of plates from 3/8" unknown rusty steel plate today. It took me all of 15 minutes, from the first scribe line to final bend. I’ll post a couple of pics later tonight.