Italuminium

Some people view this contest to how low you can go down to 0$ with a cap at a 100$, others try to hit the 100$ as close as possible to get the nicest possible bike. Both are good fun, obviously. I'm making good headway on my build now, the only niggle left is a stuck bb, but I should be able to solve that with a some chemicals, curses and buying more tooling (not included in the price, right? )

rhm

Speaking of which, did you get yours yet? Fnot, should come today or so.

Daveyates

Ok if the caustic soda works on the seat post the bike is back in.

non-fixie 

Thanks, I'd like that.

Daveyates

Cheers!

So wish me luck i'm going to get the soda tomorrow and try and melt that sucker out lol

I've removed 95% of the chrome now and have started polishing up the bare metal and cleaning up the paintwork.

IknowURider

1999 (I think) Tomassini Prestige. Free. muahahaha.

(ignore the other bike in the thumbnail . I will never understand this uploader.)

IknowURider

Oh man I thought my rescues were gnarly. OMG please PM me when you get this one done. There's yeast growing in the BB shell.

IknowURider

Ok never mind the Tomassini. 1975 Motobecane Mirage. Free. Japanese upgrades were stuff I had in my piles.

trailmix

Anything with a baby seat that came out of a dumpster gets crazy points. That dumpster monster will be hard to beat if it makes the 100k.

Picked up my entry today. 1990 (I think) Diamondback Apex-$65 but the frame is a bit small. Too dark when I got home, I'll post pics tomorrow.

Lascauxcaveman 

Not yeast, just good ol' Pacific Northwest rust, and some of the original factory grease. Back a page or two, I showed a shot of the cups (surprisingly A-OK, once cleaned up) and the spindle (eh, probably usable) and they are both back on the bike now. You know how sometimes a worn out bottom bracket can sometimes feel like it crushing gravel? This one feels more like it's crushing very fine grain sand. So it's going to stay that way until at least the 100k is done.

Here's that crankset:


I stripped off the powdercoat with chemicals to find the alloy surfaces had severe pitting, and thinking I could polish the whole business, hacked away at that for 15 minutes with 80 grit sandpapaper on my electric orbital sander and got approximately nowhere. Never mind moving on to the finer grits. So it goes back on the bike as-is. Good news is all three chain rings are straight and in good shape, all ten ring bolts came out, got derusted and went back in nicely, and I found an old chain the perfect length in one of my junk boxes. Waste not, want not.

Since I didn't feel like blowing a whole $.98 on a new rim strip, I used some high-tec mending medium to repair the one that broke when I cleaned the inside of the front rim. (Yes, there was dirt, mud and rotten tire bits on the INSIDE of the rim.)

trailmix

Please tell me that you are leaving the baby seat on!!

Well, here is a picture of the Diamondback I picked up last night. Not the best pic (and non drive side to boot) but I took it during a tornado watch so I was in a big hurry. I almost feel bad mentioning that it doesn't shift perfectly after seeing Lascauxcaveman's mess. Oh well $65 and I am in. I think this is around a 1990, does anybody know for sure?

rhm

Okay, I have a frame! I actually got three replies to my plea for a 23" beater frame, all Raleighs. The first was an offer from forum member r0ckh0und, and I accepted this Raleigh Olympian frame, ca. 1985. He even threw in this excellent pair of chromed steel fenders (not to mention three ruined leather saddles, for which I will have to compensate him)! With the obligatory apologies for the crappiness of the cell phone photo, here it is:



Subsequent to this I received two offers of Raleigh Record bikes or frames, which I had to decline (but thanks, gentlemen!).

A previous owner removed some of the graphics, most of the gold paint on the head tube, and painted the fork. This is clearly the correct fork, but perhaps not the original fork. Very odd. I have a can of blue rustoleum paint somewhere, and some black, from which I'll try to mix up something close enough to match. The head tube and a panel on the seat tube will be turning silver or white, or perhaps a cream color.

The parts bin has already coughed up a 26.6 mm SR Laprade seat post, junk stem and handlebar (probably not the ones I'll use), Dia-Compe 500 sidepull brakes, a pair of 27" wheels, a crank, and a Greenfield luggage rack (no classy Pletscher rack for this bike, no sir!). I want to change the Normandy hub in the rear wheel to a Sturmey Archer AW, which may entail the purchase of spokes.

Cost to me, so far, $zero; but I will have to compensate Mr. R0ckh0und with trade goods.

edit... my son, the intended recipient, has suggested we paint it red and black. School colors. Hmmm.

Italuminium

Cool score, the tires even match. The thing I really don't like about these early MTB's are those ridiculously upward-pointed stems, I fixed that with a road bike stem and riser bars for my own build. Other than that, it looks good to go!

Kobe 

Would that be the Scarlet Knights? Do you plan on keeping the reaming decals in the repaint?

This should be interesting with a 3 speed hub.

rhm

No, not the Scarlet Knights. Go Big Red!

If I was going to go whole hog on crazy decals, it would be difficult to resist faking these graphics:

RobbieAG

I've had a great time reading through this thread - what a great idea! I'd like to join in but it seems people are delusional on CL with what they're asking for bikes lately. I may have to check out some thrift shops but I've rarely had any luck there. My best shot probably is a 90s mountain bike which I've done before, buying them for $5, $10, and $20. I think my budget needs to top out at $50 for the bike. If I can get a road bike for that great. Slim pickins around here.

non-fixie 

Right. I need some assistance, if you please.

What, exactly, is the difference between 'parts bin' and 'junk pile'?

This is important, as stuff from the junk pile seems to get on the bike for free, whereas stuff from the parts bin will be appraised at Fair Market Value.

(BTW, my parts bin only contains a lonely NR derailer, but I've got a huge junk pile )

jeremyb

As mentioned there are those too good to be true deals of NOS bikes that your neighbor gave you or you found at your grandma's house ----- but that's not a clunker or a beater.

I think what would help is more judging criteria. As mentioned, the litmus test should be would you care if it was left in the rain cabled to a fence next to a bus stop for a week?

Here are some additional opportunities for bonus points:
-rust
-ladies bike
-no name brand


What else am I missing?

non-fixie 

Of course I would. It will be a $100 bike. And a nice one at that.

jeremyb

$100 is the max not the requirement ----- this is getting confused with the objective of the Velo Cheapo competition that took place before.

non-fixie 

You're right. Let me be more specific: mine will be a very nice bike, worth at least $100.

As for the confusion: see post # 170.

jeremyb

It doesnt make sense to me that if someone can buy a pristine Colnago bike complete for $10 from a garage sale and that's fine but I have to take fair market value for an old Suntour derailleur VGT Luxe I have in my parts bin (eBay price is about $20) so my bike cost more than the Colnago**********

A nice bike isnt a clunker or a beater!

non-fixie 

Exactly! That's what this challenge is about. What will weigh heaviest with the jury: your finding this pristine Colnago for $10, your riding a POS garbage find for 100 km's or the amount of elbow grease you put into your €40 Atala to make it into a nice rider within $100?

In 92 days we'll find out.

trailmix

I think you are missing the point. I don't think the goal is to "win", it is to have fun with an old bike for less than $100.

trailmix

In my opinion, my bike will never win because it took little to no effort on my part to get it roadworthy. That isn't going to stop me from playing.