Classic & Vintage - Presto! Alakazam! or pulling a bike out of a hat

So it was asked of me that I produce a bike for someone in need, being the good person that I am I waved my magic wand and produced the only bike I had in this person's size. I decided that I would enjoy the build as much as possible and try to make it look as good as I could. I had to keep the costs minimal as my bike fund is depleted after vacation and buying that Gitane :innocent:

I wasn't going to build this frame as it's a dept. store bike, but I'm glad that the person it's going to will have transportation, and it'll get some good use which beats rusting out behind my barn.

Ladies and Gentlemen, may I present to you

... Shemp



http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f223/BigPolishJimmy/shemp/painting_shemp.jpg

...how not to paint a bike



http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f223/BigPolishJimmy/shemp/shemp_front.jpg

new cables and tires

http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f223/BigPolishJimmy/shemp/shemp_side.jpg

added chrome fenders and a rack so he can commute to work/carry groceries and stay a bit dryer when the weather is moist

http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f223/BigPolishJimmy/shemp/shemp_name.jpg
giving the bike a name sorry inside joke


http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f223/BigPolishJimmy/shemp/shemp_rear.jpg

working reflectors all the way around, added another wheel reflector after taking this pic.


Have you ever had to pull a bike out of a hat when you wern't prepaired to do so? If so, lets see them.

Bike Forums Message

Invalid Attachment specified. If you followed a valid link, please notify the administrator (http://www.bikeforums.net/sendmessage.php)

Looking for the u-lock videos? Visit http://www.bikeforums.net/video/.

ok, I wasn't sure the forum images were going to work. I'm uploading pics to photobucket now and will link to them. It'll take a few because I'm on dial-up.

Show the Gitane, please.

I should have taken 'before' pics, this bike was pretty bad off. Oh, and the Gitane was posted before in a "how much is it worth" in the other forum. If you click on my name you can dig up the link, it was only a couple of weeks ago. It's just an InterClub, nice, but not super nice.

Nice work.

thanks for the Gitane tracer. I just have a weakness for classic French girls...

I wonder what "Moe", "Curly" and "Larry" would look like.....:D:twitchy:

Chombi

I wonder what "Moe", "Curly" and "Larry" would look like.....:D:twitchy:

Chombi



Moe would be a 3-speed, Curly a fat-tire cruiser, and Larry would be sportin sissy bars, but Iggy would be a dirt bike and covered in peanut butter

you're forgetting Joe....


pretty forgettable though.

That's cool, I have had a couple of tricks up my sleeve in the past and have pics of one. Started out when my best friends wifes bike that I built her got stolen when her son took it without her knowing and left it unlocked. I didn't want to build her something of real value just in case it happened again but I didn't want to give her a dog either and this is what I came up with. It started life as a aluminum 18 speed Huffy MTB with a pogo stick front fork that weighed a ton,the wheels were toast and the one piece cranks and FD were junk.

I installed a set of aluminum wheels that I cleaned up real good for my bike but didn't work out, they have 2 coats of epoxy black paint and clear coat ( 2 yrs and no paint loss from braking yet ) along with a set of street tires. I then replaced the junk front fork with one from another huffy, I decided to junk the one piece triple crankset and FD and replace it with a 3 piece single speed crankset. The blue paint is Suzuki blue frame paint I had left over from a motorcycle I built years before. I installed a Shimano sis RD and grip shift with a better set of brake levers and installed a set of riser bars. I installed a nice seat post and a seat from a huffy beach cruiser. Overall this came out very nice and rides great, it is very lite weight compared to what it did weigh.The only new part I used was the chain everything else came from the parts bike pile and used parts bins.

http://i299.photobucket.com/albums/mm319/Glennfordx4/huretderailleur474.jpg
http://i299.photobucket.com/albums/mm319/Glennfordx4/huretderailleur476.jpg
http://i299.photobucket.com/albums/mm319/Glennfordx4/huretderailleur475.jpg
http://i299.photobucket.com/albums/mm319/Glennfordx4/huretderailleur487.jpg
http://i299.photobucket.com/albums/mm319/Glennfordx4/huretderailleur486.jpg

Nice work, reminds me a bit of a hybrid.

nice transformations! Love the single chainring/no front derailleur action on the Huffy; that's my kinda deal.

that looks like a great commuter for up there in Kalamazoozoo. I hope your friend enjoys it and apprecitates all the hardwork you put into it.