Build #2: Rat Rod Chopper/Bobber

[gumby_mac]

I started my second custom bike build a few weeks ago. If you remember my first try at custom bike building, it was the lime green chopper looking bike. It was a fun bike to ride, but I kept getting the nagging feeling that something wasn't quite just right. I think it always felt more like a lowrider bike than a real chopper.

So that's why I'm trying again. This time I'm going to bring up the head tube and move it closer to the rider. This will lessen the rake a bit giving me better control. It'll probably end up making it more of a bobber-style than chopper, but I like the look a lot more.

I've got another 72 spoke coaster rim ordered and I'm planning on getting a 3-speed shimano hub and one of those slick new adapters from Chopperdome to lace the two together, though someone over on Freak Bikes pointed out that those hubs are fairly wide and might not fit between the "forks" of my rear end (boy does that sound painful! ) I'll paint the rims red and the frame will be satin black. Do you think a 24x3" Fattie-O would fit in there?

I started with an old 26" Wal-Mart Roadmaster bike and a couple of discarded forks. As you can tell from the photos below, I still need to figure out what I'm going to do with the down tube. I don't like the look of the bottom bracket just hanging out in space, but my initial thought was not to cut the down tube off the head tube since it was already pretty strong. If I could just get one piece of 1" tube rolled into a nice radius and connect the two, it'd be perfect.

What do you guys think?





And here's what the finished bike will (hopefully) look like when I'm done:

[Rat Rod]

Wow...cool use of forks for the rear drop out!

The finished design does look sweet.

[BrigmasterA]

Lookin' sweet. I like the use of the 2 forks on the back. Can't wait to see it done!

[gumby_mac]

Thanks! I can't take credit for the tail/fork design though. I got the idea from the "Highlander" bike featured in the fabulous Atomic Zombie's Bicycle Builder's Bonanza book. Got if for Christmas and there's lots of great info in there. I'm planning on building the Kool Kat after I finish this chopper.

The problem I had with my very first chop was that I took the bottom bracket and back (seat and chain stays) from a donor bike and grafted on a new bottom bracket way forward. I had a hard time designing around the extra BB. I need it kept the frame strong, but it looked odd. Here's a pic:

[Pawel]

if I ever get around to building a bike Ill have to "barrow" your idea with the dual fork rear

that green bike is really cool looking, i love that shade of green to be honest reminds me of MONEY!!

And is it alot of bondo work to blend the chopped bikes into a seemless look?

[KOTA]

Try this. From a hardware store, I bought plastic handles for a closet (the kind that are recessed), they fit PERFECTLY into the bearing cup. Then I just added a reflector.

[elvis51]

what size wheels does this bike your building have on it? and where did you get that fork at? nice lookin ride man! really inspring me to change the way my burrito looks...

Easy E

[gumby_mac]

My current project is going to have 24" wheels. My first chopper had a 24" rear and a 20" front but it looked a little too comical. I almost went with 26" wheels and this one but thought they might be too big.

I love my front fork. It's a 1" threadless triple tree that I bought from bicycledesigner.com. That's also where I got my wheels and stuff. I also recommend Choppers US for great goodies.

KOTA: thanks for the idea on the BB. I'm going to try and track some of those down! I think I'll turn my old lime chopper into a lowrider/scraper - i.e.: http://www.slownlow.com/

[rick74304]

Just to give you an idea of what it would look like with 26 inch wheels;

Those look like they would fit your green chop, but unless i'm mistaken, you're using 20 inch bmx forks on the new build, so I doubt you will be able to fit a 26 inch rim in there without a re-design.
Hope that helps,
Rick

[gumby_mac]

Actually I'm using a 24" BMX fork and a 26" MTB fork for the rear end. Sadly, it looks like I won't be able to use the 3-speed rear hub I had my eye on... and it was such a good price! Turns out there's only 100 mm or so of clearance between the fork mounts in the rear, and according to the Shimano website, that hub needs 127mm of room minimum. Oh well, good thing I ordered a 24" 72-spoke with a coaster brake. Guess that's one of the drawbacks of using front forks as a rear end.

[gumby_mac]

Didn't get as much work done this weekend as I would've liked... it was 60º so I just HAD to get on a working bike and get some exercise. I chopped up the donor cycle I got a the local thrift store and turn the down tube into a seat tube for my chopper. I also toyed with flipping the top rear fork to see what it would look like. I took some profile pics to show ya'll and see what you guys thought.




And with the seat installed:


I know it looks kinda odd with the clamp and duct tape, but the tube has been fish mouthed and I just wanted to see what it looks from a distance.

[aka_locojoe]

I like the geometry of this bike. It's similar to what I was going for here http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m170 ... h_chop.jpg

[ponytailmike]

i really like the look of the first pict with both forks pointed up...
looking good... can't wait to see her done...

ponytailmike
mike

[gumby_mac]

I can't decide which version I like most. On the one hand, I like the first one as it kinda makes the rear end taper down to the axle, but I think it's show too much of the seat post or put my butt in the tire tread! The second version still looks kinda choppery and it the fork dropouts line up better (more metal to weld together), so it might win out. I have another 24" fork off a donor bike that looks more like the blue fork. I think I might see what that would look like in place of the brown forks.

I'm SO ready to strip it, weld it, and ride it! It's another beautiful warm day here in 'Bama, 71° and sunny... in February!

[gumby_mac]

The 24" rear wheel I ordered from "Cruisin the Low Life" or masterlowrider.com arrived today and you won't believe how they shipped it:



Seriously? I paid $12 shipping for someone to wrap my chrome wheel in shrink wrap and slap a Pitney Bowes label on it? I was more shocked than angry, but I've yet to unwrap and it see what shape it's in. It was only $38.99, about $10-15 cheaper than elsewhere, but still.

I'm sure with 72-spokes it's probably still pretty true and if not, I guess I was going to dismantle it to paint the rim anyway, so I can't get THAT mad.