CLASS 1 VOTE HERE!!!! - CLASS 1 FINISHED BIKE PHOTOS BELOW POLL

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PICK YOUR FAVORITE BIKES

  • 1. A Missing Schwinn

    Votes: 13 7.5%
  • 2. Acetone

    Votes: 18 10.4%
  • 3. After Victory

    Votes: 17 9.8%
  • 4. Airman

    Votes: 35 20.2%
  • 5. All Downhill

    Votes: 3 1.7%
  • 6. American Muscle

    Votes: 14 8.1%
  • 7. Apache Drag Bike

    Votes: 10 5.8%
  • 8. ATOMIC Strand!

    Votes: 12 6.9%
  • 9. Beer Run

    Votes: 10 5.8%
  • 10. Black Magic

    Votes: 4 2.3%
  • 11. Blue Bomber CurbHopper

    Votes: 7 4.0%
  • 12. BM-Xray

    Votes: 16 9.2%
  • 13. Carcass

    Votes: 33 19.1%
  • 14. Coke krate

    Votes: 16 9.2%
  • 15. Deluxe Frankinspace

    Votes: 7 4.0%
  • 16. Dumpster Diamond

    Votes: 24 13.9%
  • 17. DURALIUS- 1936 Wards Hawthorne

    Votes: 58 33.5%
  • 18. Emsbroek & Poesse Pathracer

    Votes: 29 16.8%
  • 19. fly my zephyr

    Votes: 2 1.2%
  • 20. Full Monty Rides Again

    Votes: 34 19.7%
  • 21. Grammaw Patina Bike

    Votes: 9 5.2%
  • 22. Higgy-o

    Votes: 57 32.9%
  • 23. High Plains Drifter Custom 1962 Murray Sabre Challenger

    Votes: 14 8.1%
  • 24. Huff-n-Puff

    Votes: 3 1.7%
  • 25. I Can't Afford the Gas

    Votes: 17 9.8%
  • 26. ItzaRat - 1928 Schwinn Motorbike

    Votes: 35 20.2%
  • 27. Joe Exotic

    Votes: 9 5.2%
  • 28. Kamehameha

    Votes: 6 3.5%
  • 29. Mad Ratter

    Votes: 28 16.2%
  • 30. 'MeriCruiser

    Votes: 8 4.6%
  • 31. Mudd (my name is)

    Votes: 16 9.2%
  • 32. No Gas Money! (Who needs gas $$$ anyway)

    Votes: 11 6.4%
  • 33. No Mask Needed

    Votes: 7 4.0%
  • 34. Nouveau Style

    Votes: 12 6.9%
  • 35. Odyssey of Flight

    Votes: 22 12.7%
  • 36. Once again

    Votes: 3 1.7%
  • 37. Pandemic Road Missile

    Votes: 11 6.4%
  • 38. Poor manís Racycle

    Votes: 15 8.7%
  • 39. PunkYard Dog. If TankGirl had a boys bike

    Votes: 8 4.6%
  • 40. Ratcumbent

    Votes: 15 8.7%
  • 41. RatFink Supreme

    Votes: 26 15.0%
  • 42. RATMASTER

    Votes: 15 8.7%
  • 43. RaTs GaSs

    Votes: 57 32.9%
  • 44. Retro Ratpacker

    Votes: 7 4.0%
  • 45. Duplicate Entry - Please Ignore

    Votes: 3 1.7%
  • 46. Rusty & Krusty

    Votes: 18 10.4%
  • 47. Simple Green

    Votes: 14 8.1%
  • 48. Skidwell GTS

    Votes: 2 1.2%
  • 49. Speedster 26" BMX Cruiser

    Votes: 6 3.5%
  • 50. SPRING FEVER

    Votes: 21 12.1%
  • 51. SteamRoller - Elgin Twin Bar Churnin Urn of Burnin Funk

    Votes: 86 49.7%
  • 52. STIMULUS RATICUS

    Votes: 15 8.7%
  • 53. Stoked!!!

    Votes: 29 16.8%
  • 54. Teddy Ballgame

    Votes: 15 8.7%
  • 55. The American Gentleman

    Votes: 1 0.6%
  • 56. The Bluebird of Happiness

    Votes: 27 15.6%
  • 57. The Honey Rolla

    Votes: 6 3.5%
  • 58. The Lay-off Special

    Votes: 29 16.8%
  • 59. The Lean Mean Green Machine

    Votes: 33 19.1%
  • 60. The Silver Maggot reborn

    Votes: 5 2.9%
  • 61. The StRATo Flyer

    Votes: 22 12.7%
  • 62. Tierra Cruisera- a made over Jamis Earth Cruiser

    Votes: 12 6.9%
  • 63. Top CatAstrophe

    Votes: 6 3.5%
  • 64. Tornadic Activity

    Votes: 12 6.9%
  • 65. (Trike-Tor)...WAHA-SEDB-3

    Votes: 72 41.6%
  • 66. UK Triumph Rat renamed 'Triumph Blue Witch'

    Votes: 3 1.7%
  • 67. Ultra Blue

    Votes: 13 7.5%
  • 68. ZEN

    Votes: 23 13.3%

  • Total voters
    173
  • Poll closed .
I tried to keep the vote down to 10. I got it to 11, but I just got a skin graft and it is unpleasant, so that's my excuse for not having it in me to whittle it down further!

Got caught up in an electric kayak project (I hope that the remote trim mechanism 3.2 finally works out!) and several other things this year, but hoping to join in on next year's BO with an electric bike (I got a great deal on compact flat lifepo batteries, each pack with a built in BMS, some of which I'm using for the kayak).

I like that this is one of the few places I've found on the internet where small egos aren't attacking each other or yodeling in their echo chambers and I hope it stays like that. There's no shortage of other sites for that stuff. Plus, everyone's got full lives going on and not everyone can put in the time (or money) it takes to do the really impressive builds, but they want to participate. IME, even the simple builds end up taking more of both than expected (or I'm just bad at estimating). And it's not like I'm sensitive to criticism—I went to one of the higher end design schools and the brutality of critiques are almost the point (though the rule was that it had to offer suggestions for improvement, not just "that sucks")—but nobody here is competing for degrees or work, it's all in fun and with all the destruction in the world, I'm glad to see anyone creating anything that isn't used to do harm whether I personally find it inspiring or not.
 
Congrats to all this year's participants, despite what some will say I had a blast looking through the bikes and seeing that people are still fixing up derelict bikes that may not have had a second chance to be loved if it had not been for someone like us reviving them. They would probably end up as scrap, recycled into a Kia and anything that stops that from happening is fine by me. And no it doesn't bother me one bit that my bike is in dead last place... I don't build it for votes, I build it to be functional, practical, and for the pride in saying "I built that."

Just a thought but maybe for future builds we can choose two photos for each build in the voting thread (a before and after) so it better showcases the hard work each of us has put into this build off with every entry. Especially with class 2.
 
I'm likin your before and after shot idea but might be easier to put a link to the build thread under the final shot .
That way if someone hasn't been following the build off but is tuning in on the final shots and wants to know what went into a bike they like they can just go right to it .
But that could be a boatload of work and the guys that put this together already do a lot to make this happen .
 
I went to one of the higher end design schools and the brutality of critiques are almost the point
Yeah, I have a graphic design diploma. I remember critiques...

*Shudders, suppresses flashbacks.

We don't need that around here
 
I've been biting my tongue for days. To be honest I have been getting better at biting my tongue now for years. I do not think he means what you think he means. I remember the first bikes Kate and I built to take to shows. She dragged hers out of my parents barn with marshmallow tires and put it all together herself she wouldn't let me touch it.. Don't get me started on the mess mine was. They were still awesome. You should see the one my daughter built. Would it win in Vegas? No. Was that the point ? No. Did she enjoy it? Yes. Did I have to endure criticism to get better? Yes. Did I eventually win in Vegas? Yes. Do I like all of them in class I and II? Yes. Do I have my own opinion about them? Man you don't want to even hear it. I mean it is mostly uplifting but geez.
1_8R5bHfMt0ZbcUlRaPQ7BVg.jpeg

my bike was so lame, small pond though and it won a trophy
902521_615974401801117_1260513159_o.jpg

1094573_591500134248544_1768675959_o.jpg

Yes i helped a little but she designed it
1265703_615912515140639_1437388230_o.jpg1274981_615912565140634_1003744810_o.jpg614975_615912621807295_357446890_o.jpg
31895235_1900985046633373_4055528508540059648_o.jpg

I won with the same lame bikes that bombed in here as a matter of fact just better versions of them because people kept pushing me to try to catch up with them.
31933950_1900985146633363_3366497853114417152_o.jpg

So all of this to say I just don't think he means what you think he means. Am i on the verge of a nervous breakdown right now? Also yes.
 
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I've been biting my tongue for days. To be honest I have been getting better at biting my tongue now for years. I do not think he means what you think he means. I remember the first bikes Kate and I built to take to shows. She dragged hers out of my parents barn with marshmallow tires and put it all together herself she wouldn't let me touch it.. Don't get me started on the mess mine was. They were still awesome. You should see the one my daughter built. Would it win in Vegas? No. Was that the point ? No. Did she enjoy it? Yes. Did I have to endure criticism to get better? Yes. Did I eventually win in Vegas? Yes. Do I like all of them in class I and II? Yes. Do I have my own opinion about them? Man you don't want to even hear it. I mean it is mostly uplifting but geez.
View attachment 138202
my bike was so lame, small pond though and it won a trophy
View attachment 138201
View attachment 138204
Yes i helped a little but she designed it
View attachment 138205View attachment 138206View attachment 138203
View attachment 138208
I won with the same lame bikes that bombed in here as a matter of fact just better versions of them because people kept pushing me to try to catch up with them.
View attachment 138207
So all of this to say I just don't think he means what you think he means. Am i on the verge of a nervous breakdown right now? Also yes.
Uummm, everything you said has me nodding my head, good family hobby! Cruiser Con? Never heard of it, I need to explore.
 
I think that little blue bike is awesome! Is the tank made of an oil canister?
it was a block of wood. her favorite color was Makita blue so she put the sticker from one of my battery chargers on it and nailed my tool belt to it so she could carry water and rocks and a frog or whatever chapstick probably
11084026_921321387933082_1376068096313945442_o.jpg

that ride turned out to be a lot longer than I thought it would be and I wound up with her on the tandem. I couldn't understand why it was getting harder and harder to pedal the closer I got to the end of the ride. The fender started rubbing on the rear tire after about a mile
FB_IMG_1597073086522.jpg
 
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Your daughter's bike is awesome! I tried to get my nephew into building a bike, but it doesn't come with an LCD screen, so he wasn't interested. Maybe the nieces in a few years—they seem more interested in mechanical stuff, anyway.
 
I think that little blue bike is awesome! Is the tank made of an oil canister?
I'm seconding that , the blue bike is cool as it has a reason , Its planting that seed of imagination . In many ways my old man was rubbish , but inadvertently by being a skinflint and particularly rubbish at taking an interest in me he planted the seed.
There's the tools , you broke it so you fix it , I'm off down the betting shop.
I learned to scrounge, beg, borrow, mix and match , all my bikes were dumpster bikes . If something I did failed, I tried another way . I learned not to think in straight lines , get the wrong part to do the right thing.
Its something that's stood well in my adult life as a maintenance guy . That little blue bike though. That's an investment in the future .
 
Just about 26 hours to go.


1599696511254.png
 
Let me start by apologizing to any and all I offended. 1st to Steve the site owner who had to deal with my poo in the pot, and 2nd to ALL the participants. And of course 3rd to those that gave me a good beating. We all make mistakes and I made a big one. Similar to sending an email you should not have and wish you could have taken it back. I was poorly crafted and did not belong anywhere in the voting thread. Also, for all those who finished, particularly 1st time builders, you all should be proud of yourselves for finishing, as few can put a bike together to begin with. Hopefully this heals some wounds and encourages even more participation on this site this upcoming winter. Peace.
 
Let me start by apologizing to any and all I offended. 1st to Steve the site owner who had to deal with my poo in the pot, and 2nd to ALL the participants. And of course 3rd to those that gave me a good beating. We all make mistakes and I made a big one. Similar to sending an email you should not have and wish you could have taken it back. I was poorly crafted and did not belong anywhere in the voting thread. Also, for all those who finished, particularly 1st time builders, you all should be proud of yourselves for finishing, as few can put a bike together to begin with. Hopefully this heals some wounds and encourages even more participation on this site this upcoming winter. Peace.

Well said SKPC. Build On! Ride On! Rat On!
 
Let me start by apologizing to any and all I offended. 1st to Steve the site owner who had to deal with my poo in the pot, and 2nd to ALL the participants. And of course 3rd to those that gave me a good beating. We all make mistakes and I made a big one. Similar to sending an email you should not have and wish you could have taken it back. I was poorly crafted and did not belong anywhere in the voting thread. Also, for all those who finished, particularly 1st time builders, you all should be proud of yourselves for finishing, as few can put a bike together to begin with. Hopefully this heals some wounds and encourages even more participation on this site this upcoming winter. Peace.

Props! :thumbsup:
 

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