Charlie don't bike!

At long last here it is (you can settle down now ink1373):
side view
front view
drive train
front wheel
seatpost and saddle
artsy shot
only at a university!

Components:
Haro Group 1 Race frame in chrome
long seatpost from an exercise bike paired with old sissy bar and an extra saddle rail clamp
selle italia gel saddle
unmarked tall stem
unmarked headset
zoom handlebars
shadow conspiracy 'Ol dirty grips'
no brakes
Kashimax toptube protector

miche bb
truvativ bb adapter
campy Gran Sport strada cranks 52t
shadow conspiracy interlock chain
wellgo pedals and clips

Normandy rear hub laced to unmarked alloy 20" rim (built by George at parts unknown... It took him FOREVER!)
GT front hub laced radially with I think around 72 spokes to an unmarked 20" rim
kenda kwest 20x1.5 tires
cheap stamped 15t cog (changing this to 16 or 17. pm me if you have extra cogs!)
dura ace lockring

I'll probably be switching out the bars and stem at some point because I don't like the stem much and I still need to work on the fitting. Probably either a BMX style with cross supported bars or track drops like johnny skidmark's bike (wil be much harder to pull off). Right now the seat is set back behind the BB more than I am used to making it damn hard to skid without really throwing yourself forward. I'm going to bend the seatpost a little to make it more upright and find another slightly longer sissy bar (the one I'm using it at its max). The gear ratio also makes skidding hard so I'm going to need to step down the gearing a little.

Other than that its a blast to ride. It turns wickedly fast and when I'm cranking its almost like the front wheel is just skimming over the road. I have got into a couple close calls with the no brakes but the turning power is pretty much as good as braking power for keeping you out of trouble and avoiding peds. This isn't exactly the kind of bike I'd want to ride all the time but for my short commutes its awesome and people (cyclists rather) are always rubbernecking to see it. Plus the guys at the LBS think I'm insane now.

I had a load of fun building this up and I would reccomend a project like this as long as you've got another bike to ride as well. As always I went way over budget but what are you gonna do?

EDIT: I still need to put a Kashimax top tube protector on it... Can't forget that.

nice bike. It looks like 52x15 with 20" is only about 69 geat inches, that's not really that high...
How's the cornering-pedal clearance?

crazy-looking ride you have there :-D

not to be a d!ck, but shouldn't this be in the pics sticky?

well, not only is it a bike, it is a concept. I thought that we could engage in a lively debate about the merits of messed up frankenbikes.

Bostonfixed, I was thinking the same thing, but the gearing does feel stiffer than I'm used to. Maybe I'm just a wimp! Pedal clearance is fine with the 170 cranks but I gotta have my feet in the clips otherwise they scrape the road.

you know, I fixed up my old haro sport for my nephew a few months ago who, at about 5'6", is just a smidge shorter than me, so I maxed out the (origional) seat post and took it for a test ride around the block. It was nice and light and fun to ride but I felt a little under powered with the gear ratio and the fact that I couldn't get anything like full extension on my legs.
So the kid come's over and test rides it up and down the block and before he leaves has me drop the seat down as low as it will possibly go! When he rides off his knees were up higher than his elbows. he insisted he was going to ride it to school (about 4 miles) but only did so once.
so my advice to you is, if you want to look cool to the kids, better drop that seatpost back down, or cut it in half.

oh, and good job with the seat post and sissybar support. A little wonky but way safer than that guy that used the pieces of conduit and hose clamps. I'm a big fan of safety.

Luckily I have never been considered cool. Last time I rode a bmx with regular seat height I couldn't steer because I kept bashing my arms with my knees (I am 6'2") and I eventually high sided myself and broke 2 fingers! That seat is only gonna get higher!

I'm about to embark on my frankenbike as well. I'm using an old rockhopper (with small but horiz dropouts) and my goal is to use a BMX block stem and a handle bar from a 24inch BMX cruiser. The idea is to try to build a bike with just what I have already in the garage. If this stays true then it will be a SS but if I can swing it, I'll fix it. This will strictly be a bar bomber. I'll post pics when I get some parts together.

i just threw up in my mouth a little

no, i'm half kidding. that looks like a lot of fun to ride and the chain is awesome. good job.

that sissy bar looks like it could buckle right where the holes are drilled, it's already got a slight bend to it...
i'd find the perfect seat height then just weld the post in place (to the frame) and canabalize longer chain stays from another bike and weld them directly to the post... that's sort of the design of cheap, older step-through road bikes.
Looks cool though, looking at that makes me think of this website https://www.vintagebmx.com/

Theres not really a huge chance of the sissy bar failing. Its not pretty, but its thick steel and really hard to bend. I have a feeling that any kind of force that would hurt the sissy bar would have already exploded my ass into tiny pieces. Maybe I could get a long bolt or a QR skewer to put between those holes for extra strength.

I'd also feel kind of bad hurting the frame. Its a part of bmx history!

a free ice cream if i spot you on the street with that beast.

ok its about time for a true 20" wheel track frame...whos gonna build it?

You, silly!

it's been done: https://www.hhracinggroup.com/track/pista20.htm

but these are sized for children.

oh shiit! we need like 5 people to get these and we can start a trend like those stupid baby-motorcycles:

they are sized for children. so are most bmx bikes. what's your point?

hehe. It's so cute, I just wanna put it in my pocket...

my point is a regular fitting frame with 20" wheels, sort of what Shiznaz did with that BMX frame (with the extended seat post). I just wonder what a chain stay that short would feel like in terms of acceleration, but maybe it'd be set off by the small wheels? I dont know, I have no point!

i getcha. actually, i'm thinking about doing the bmx fixie for my summer barbike, but i think i may go with 24" wheels.

Dang Shiznaz...that's....quite a bike. The setup you got there for the seat is crazy. Way to be creative man.

this was run in the t-mobile race in sf last year.
also:


<edit>actually... can you get 20" tubulars?</edit>

fsnl
sparky

I saw an Araya 20" tubular rim at the shop that laced my wheel. He said he had had it for over ten years and had never seen a 20" tubular tire for it.

what about a cruiser class bmx bike? those would accept much bigger wheels. I don't know if you guys know what I'm talking about. But there is a class in bmx racing for bikes with bigger wheels. . . I forget what size but they're a lot bigger than most.

I wonder what it would be like if I put a 22" wheel in the back and kept the 20" in the front. I guess it would partitally fix my ass positioning behind the BB problem and steepen the headtube even more (for ultra twitchy steering!)