CycleryNorth81

The French bike manufacturers used individual component makers to equip their bikes before “groupsets” became popular . A French bike might have a Stonglight crank, Normandy hubs and Mafac brakes. Is this a Franken bike?The Japanese bike used individual component makers too. A Japanese bike might use Sugino cranks, Sunshine hubs and Dia Compe brakes. Is this a Franken bike?

Aubergine 

clubman 

I consider any frame built up with offbeat parts bin components and looks like it, to be a franken bike. And then there's this.

cinco

I don't really associate the term with original as-specified parts however odd the mix may seem, though it could certainly be applied. To me it's reserved for parts which have been swapped seemingly at random without any apparent rhyme or reason. Probably the funniest example I've seen recently was a Columbine with Accushift downtubes adapted onto what I suspect were Shimano bar-ends, a modern Campagnolo rear derailleur, a modern Shimano hub/cassette, a '70s Suntour front derailleur, and modern dual-pivot brakes with '70s Weinmann levers. It felt like a glimpse into the Lovecraftian horror which the owner must be living through every day.

randyjawa 

The infamous Frankenstein was a human made up of bits and pieces from other humans. A Franken bike is much the same and can be an assortment of junky but working parts, or an assortment of top of the line stuff. A Franken bike can be a vision of beauty or a frightening thing to behole.

A Franken bike is one made up of assorted components, few of which match or even belong on the bike. I am lucky enough (I guess) to have owned the ultimate Franken bike...


The above picture depicts the ultimate Franken bike and you won't see many of those. More often than not, this is what a Franken bike will look like...


The Empire Professional was found at the dump with a missing front wheel and badly faded paint. I built the bike for my son, using mis-matched brake levers and calipers. The rear derailleur is not original issue, nor is the front, nor are the bars, or saddle, or seat post or...

A Franken bike is one built up for very little cash outlay and with little fear of loosing to a thief. I have owned several of such bikes, over the years, including this Specialized that I should NEVER have sold...

dabac

tyler_fred

Pompiere

Johnny Cash's "One Piece At A Time" comes to mind. https://www.letssingit.com/?a=www_pl...ong_id=2qjpbcd

T-Mar

My definition of a Frankenbike is one whose components have been changed from OEM spec. The exception to this rule are consumables (chains, freewheels, cables, brake pads, tyres, etc.). Consumables have a higher wear rate and are expected to replaced over the life of a bicycle.

since6

This is a good question, which asks another question: Is a bike to be used or to be displayed? I have one of the latter and several of the former.

To me a vintage bike is to be ridden, used. It is the experience along with the art and soul of the builder that draws me to this hobby. But at 66, 52T chain rings with freewheels that stop at 19/22 are a non-starter and thankfully you can find vintage parts that allow you to solve these issues, but you've changed the OEM of that bike (and yes I still keep all the parts removed for display with the bike). While a frame may fit its stem and often very narrow handlebars don't again vintage or modern (the Nitto lugged stem comes to mind) can dial in fit for hours of riding. What to do about the tubular tires, there are very nice vintage styled NOS rims and the quality of modern tires vrs. tubular TO ME (not seeking a debate or fight here) are as fine as I've ridden and require little time new skills sets to use. Lastly with a pending back surgery toe clips and the risk of hanging up in the pedal, maybe not an issue for many, but one I've had it happen and fallen a BIG no no now, means SPD pedals that are bomb proof to get in and out of.

Then there is the other issue, to repaint/powder coat or not, to touch up chips and nicks or not, to just clear coat over the chips and nicks or not? I have done each with my four vintage bikes, one a total rebuild of a frame/fork only bike, one a clear coat over the nicks and chips, one a touch up of the nicks/chips and one just as it is with good car wax.

So when I'm done I have one vintage race bike I can ride on the flat only that is OEM and three that I can ride pretty much anywhere, though if big hills then a triplizer will be added to save knees.

In all cases change has been thought out and worried over, too much, the right changes, do no harm? But it was always so that I could ride the bike, and that's where the doubts go away.

DrIsotope

The half-NEXT half-Eclipse Park Hound is absolutely amazing. The implementation of the throttle rod is ingenious.

Salamandrine 

In common usage, yes. At least that's how I've usually heard it used. To modern ears, it means any bike that has parts from different groupsets.

As you point out, vintage bikes were nearly always frankenbikes under this definition. Most components didn't belong to a groupset, though there were some typical combinations. The main exception to this was a full Campagnolo bike, which was about .001% of bikes sold. BTW people used to say "gruppo", because that's what Campy called them.

John E

I like the non-OEM component substitution definition, although I think it should apply only for anachronistic and/or wrong-continent parts, e.g. my 1970 UO-8 with late 1980s Sugino cranks, SunTour derailleurs, MKS pedals, etc.

desconhecido 

But some things seem to be ok. Suntour barcons on British/European bikes seem to be OK. Sun CR18 and M13II rims seem to ba tolerated. But, I understand the fetish. Recently bought a Motobecane GR on ebay and I knew it had a Suntour VX rear derailleur on it. Couldn't wait to get it in my grubby hands and replace it with a NR. Could barely sleep in anticipation.

rhm

At any rate it's a derogatory term applied to bikes bought on Craig's List and pulled from dumpsters, whose owners didn't share the pure C&V aesthetic. We don't use the term to refer to MTB drop bar conversions or 650b conversions, or over the top restorations.

agmetal

"Stupid Franken-3-speed" in its original incarnation:


That concept has since been taken apart and rebuilt a couple different ways, and is currently split into two separate Frankenbikes:

Current version of the STI-controlled drop-bar 3-speed:



The Franken-5 (aka, ****-Weather Bike). This one will be getting generator-powered lighting in the next few weeks, before winter hits.

due ruote 

mstateglfr 

Totally disagree that its a term for bikes which are no longer OEM.

its a derogatory term and should only be used when a bike visual looks like a hot mess.

- a vintage bike that is nicely changed from shimano to SunTour is not a frankenbike.
- a frame that is nicely built up with modern components is not a frankenbike.


a bike built up with random available components from a bin or bike collective is a frankenbike. Something that has a simplex derailleur, swapped drop bars for north bars, different brake calipers on front and rear, one bar shifter and one downtube shifter, bar tape instead of grips, and cables routed poorly.
something like that is a frankenbike.

rhm

well we agree, other than that I'm​​ gradually working my way up to having all my bikes with one bar end shifter and one down tube shifter, both on the right hand side. My drive train may consist of Microshift, Shimano, Simplex, SunTour, and Stronglight parts, but they all work in perfect harmony. Needless to say all my bikes are thoughtful, practical upgrades, not frankenbikes.

A charactersticof the frankenbike is that the components have been downgraded; but mine have only been upgraded.

mstateglfr 

ha, yeah when I typed that I thought about a couple posters who have this set up(not you, so I guess its now a few).
lance did it.

anyways, it was more of an attempt at creating a visual visual than anything else. One of the guys who posts in the touring forum sets his bikes up like you. Frankenbike isnt what comes to mind with his either.

Fahrenheit531 

This is probably the key. An unconventional component selection, done well, is just an eccentric or purpose-driven build.
It's only when the end result looks like a bunch of stitched-together corpses that it becomes a frankenbike.

Wileyone 

What about a Bike that was originally just sold as a frameset?

Or is it the "law" to build it up with fully matching parts?

Oldairhead 

I was searching some old threads for the definition of a franken-bike and came across this one (below) which seems to me to fit the best. Is there any new thinking on this definition?

I am inquiring because I am doing an unconventional build right now but I don't think it will be a monster.

Kabuki12

I used to think it meant that you start with a frame and put non original parts from your bin to make it a bike. Now I refer to them as outlaw bikes. Outlaw was a term we used when we would put non original parts or modifications on a vintage Porsche, usually frowned upon by the “keep it original” guys. To me a non original bike is not a Frankenbike because I have built a couple and they are an improvement over what was original. A bike that would be nonsensical would better describe the Frankenbike, but hey , a Fanny for every saddle.

Jeff Neese

I think you hit the nail on the head - preferably harvested from other bikes. The original Frankenstein's monster was assembled from parts of different bodies, all scavenged from graveyards. If you purchase brand new, non-OEM parts, it's just called a "build". To be a Frankenbike it has to be assembled from more than one dead (unusable) bikes to assemble one working bicycle.