rat bikes
03-08-10, 12:32 PM
#1
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rat bikes
is there any love for rat bikes on here? i was looking for a new bike and ended up going for a old diamond back for commuter whose ugliness is beyond mere words, and can only get better... previous owner did do a nice job at custom electrical tape grips but that is something ill have to change...once i get some spray paint over the 20 yr old stock job ill have to get some pics...now if only i can find a little more of a riser bar and some junked fenders...ill have a beauty
03-10-10, 02:39 PM
#2
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yes! i just finished one. while not the traditional black, i enjoy the crappy red paintjob that someone did before the frame came to me.
i definitely have an appreciation for bikes that look like they have been ridden into the ground and back again.
i definitely have an appreciation for bikes that look like they have been ridden into the ground and back again.
03-10-10, 11:19 PM
#3
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That is a beauty...i like tyhe drop bars though im trying to find risers for my ride
03-11-10, 01:54 PM
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pictures?
03-14-10, 12:21 AM
#7
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Sweet looking ride!! Has Character written all over it!!
03-14-10, 07:41 AM
#8
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Theres tons of love for ratrods from me, I cant stop loving them either. I dont know how many times the thought of ratting a new mountain bike(one im supposed to get soon) crossed my mind
03-27-10, 12:08 AM
#9
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Hey why not? If thats what you want to do , go for it!! I have all kinds of different projects going. I started to build my own bike, with ones I found in the trash!! I cut the rear off of some Mongoose mtb that has back suspension. I welded in some light sqaure stock, Im going to flip the back. I have a plan in my head. Next step is to get some more ideas out on paper. Who knows what this ride will turn out looking like. Trying to make it street friendly at the same time. All have a good one and happy tinkering, and building, and painting and.......
04-19-10, 10:03 AM
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Not your traditional Rat bike frame but it's what I had to start with.
70's Schwinn Collegiate was a $5 garage sale find.
Handle bars came from a garbage picked Schwinn Breeze. They had less rise / drop than the original bars, so I thought they would work better when flipped.
Original chrome shifter was retained. New gum wall tires were installed.
Six speed freewheel and Shimano derailer came from my scrap parts bin.
The bike rides really smooth!
70's Schwinn Collegiate was a $5 garage sale find.
Handle bars came from a garbage picked Schwinn Breeze. They had less rise / drop than the original bars, so I thought they would work better when flipped.
Original chrome shifter was retained. New gum wall tires were installed.
Six speed freewheel and Shimano derailer came from my scrap parts bin.
The bike rides really smooth!
04-19-10, 03:16 PM
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AlmostTrick, that is one good looking bike!.....So is there a "carcass" of a Raleigh buried somewhere?...Nicely done!
04-19-10, 07:03 PM
#13
Location: Canada eh?
Not your traditional Rat bike frame but it's what I had to start with.
70's Schwinn Collegiate was a $5 garage sale find.
Handle bars came from a garbage picked Schwinn Breeze. They had less rise / drop than the original bars, so I thought they would work better when flipped.
Original chrome shifter was retained. New gum wall tires were installed.
Six speed freewheel and Shimano derailer came from my scrap parts bin.
The bike rides really smooth!
70's Schwinn Collegiate was a $5 garage sale find.
Handle bars came from a garbage picked Schwinn Breeze. They had less rise / drop than the original bars, so I thought they would work better when flipped.
Original chrome shifter was retained. New gum wall tires were installed.
Six speed freewheel and Shimano derailer came from my scrap parts bin.
The bike rides really smooth!
I need to do this to oneof my bikes. I have a bike similar to that made by Venture. It has 26"x1 3/8" wheels. I believe it's a Canadian department store bike from the 1970's which has a sticker on the forks that reads: "Special X-Lite High Tension Tubing". It's a typical lugged frame. I really need to get to work on fixing it up. Your bike has given me some ideas. I think it might actually be my first project bike.
04-23-10, 10:02 AM
#16
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I love Rat Rod bikes. Here's my rat rod chopper with an 8-speed Sturmey hub:
04-23-10, 11:27 AM
#17
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By the way, the above Stingrays were found in the trash, side by side.
Since the Rat Ride rolls and handles so nice, I have little desire to straighten the fork. If anything it kinda adds to the beater rat image!
Last edited by AlmostTrick; 04-23-10 at 11:31 AM.
04-23-10, 11:30 AM
#18
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Funkystickman, was that made from a new OCC Stingray? I like it a lot, and may have to dust off the one I have that just sits there unused and give it a makeover!
Last edited by AlmostTrick; 04-23-10 at 11:34 AM.
04-23-10, 03:43 PM
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Yep. Funny thing is I never noticed until I took the pic and looked at it closely. One of the nearby bike shops has a bumper jack converted into a bicycle fork straightener. I used him once on a Schwinn Stingray Midget that had a bent fork that was very noticeable. He only charged me 5 bucks.
By the way, the above Stingrays were found in the trash, side by side.
Since the Rat Ride rolls and handles so nice, I have little desire to straighten the fork. If anything it kinda adds to the beater rat image!
By the way, the above Stingrays were found in the trash, side by side.
Since the Rat Ride rolls and handles so nice, I have little desire to straighten the fork. If anything it kinda adds to the beater rat image!
04-23-10, 09:19 PM
#20
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Thanks, and yes, it was the neighbor's throwaway OCC bike I rescued. I put quite a bit of work into it. This is what it looked like before:
08-07-10, 03:44 PM
#21
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08-10-10, 03:25 PM
#22
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We need to revive this thread! I'm seriously itching to take the 8-speed hub off the chopper and put it on a more traditional frame, and make a rat rod commuter/cargo bike out of it. How many rat rod cargo bikes do you see around? 
My chopper rarely gets ridden anymore, and since I'm not going to do a long tour with it again, I can convert it to a more traditional 1 or 3 speed rear with a wider rim for the 3" tire.
However, an 8-speed bike with the dual-top tube setup would look awesome, especially with old bits and some cream tires! Hmm...
My chopper rarely gets ridden anymore, and since I'm not going to do a long tour with it again, I can convert it to a more traditional 1 or 3 speed rear with a wider rim for the 3" tire.
However, an 8-speed bike with the dual-top tube setup would look awesome, especially with old bits and some cream tires! Hmm...
08-10-10, 04:59 PM
#23
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Ya know, now that I'm pedaling again on a new cruiser, I have the bug to try building something weird. I phoned home today and told Dad to take some pics of my old Sears Free Spirit, so I can post them here and i.d. the thing, because it has a twin top tube. I've never seen another one like it. I want to take it from being a 10 speed to a 2-speed, using one of the new Sturmey-Archer kickback hubs.
08-10-10, 10:35 PM
#24
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Not your traditional Rat bike frame
remember there is no such thing as a traditional Rat Bike---only rats of the same litter.So your Rat came from a diferent nest---Even Better
remember there is no such thing as a traditional Rat Bike---only rats of the same litter.So your Rat came from a diferent nest---Even Better
08-11-10, 01:17 PM
#25
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I would like to see a Dyno Kustom Kruiser built as a Rat Kargo Byke.
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