PART 1, The Idea:
Hello folks, I’m a bit late but here to stay until the end. My project was born out of necessity but also to create a functional and visual exercise. I mentioned after last year’s contest (where I entered “Lady Luck”) that I wanted a diamond frame buildup. I need something to pull my baby’s trailer since both my roadbike and my full suspension rig are clipless equipped; and something my wife can use since she doesn’t have a bike now. My old cruiser buildup is too heavy and with just one gear to pull the trailer (and the park close by has some steep hilly areas).
I love military machines and always wanted a military looking bike. However to me a military bike is not an olive green burrito with a white star; but something that actually looks to have been developed and used by the military.
And last but probably more important, I’m developing a “bike and hike” concept. There are countless beautiful places here in AZ to hike but sometimes the trailheads are a long walk away. I hate to waste time and do long walks just to get to the real trail (since I’m used to more speed with my mountain bike) so my solution is to ride a bike as far as it can go, then drop it and leave it in the desert; chained to a cactus, tree or something, camouflage it a bit and go hiking and camping. The idea of leaving my $1K+ full suspension all-mountain rig behind and come back and find it gone because some *expletive deleted* took off with it is a no-no; so I need a cheap bike to do it. This bike won’t be a show-off, it will be pretty in its own Humvee-like purposeful look but it has to be fully functional and durable so I’m not stranded with it in the middle of nowhere. So mix all this together and the result will be the Desert Stormer; a military looking, utilitarian beast.
I’m inspired by bikes like the Fahrrad 93 used for years by the Swiss military bike division, quite pricey to get in the US (only 7 speeds and heavy, like 60 lb.):
The Montague Paratrooper is too expensive for my project (around $500) and I don’t care about a folding bike (online reviews say the ride is not that good). There would not be much to do to it anyway.
A couple months back I went to a military vehicle show held at the Mesa Air Museum, there was some inspiration to be found there:
A picture of a militarized Kawasaki KLR, there was also a beige version for desert environments:
I spent days checking ads on Craigslist, visiting pawn shops (just overpriced stuff) and swap meets to find a bike.
Hello folks, I’m a bit late but here to stay until the end. My project was born out of necessity but also to create a functional and visual exercise. I mentioned after last year’s contest (where I entered “Lady Luck”) that I wanted a diamond frame buildup. I need something to pull my baby’s trailer since both my roadbike and my full suspension rig are clipless equipped; and something my wife can use since she doesn’t have a bike now. My old cruiser buildup is too heavy and with just one gear to pull the trailer (and the park close by has some steep hilly areas).
I love military machines and always wanted a military looking bike. However to me a military bike is not an olive green burrito with a white star; but something that actually looks to have been developed and used by the military.
And last but probably more important, I’m developing a “bike and hike” concept. There are countless beautiful places here in AZ to hike but sometimes the trailheads are a long walk away. I hate to waste time and do long walks just to get to the real trail (since I’m used to more speed with my mountain bike) so my solution is to ride a bike as far as it can go, then drop it and leave it in the desert; chained to a cactus, tree or something, camouflage it a bit and go hiking and camping. The idea of leaving my $1K+ full suspension all-mountain rig behind and come back and find it gone because some *expletive deleted* took off with it is a no-no; so I need a cheap bike to do it. This bike won’t be a show-off, it will be pretty in its own Humvee-like purposeful look but it has to be fully functional and durable so I’m not stranded with it in the middle of nowhere. So mix all this together and the result will be the Desert Stormer; a military looking, utilitarian beast.
I’m inspired by bikes like the Fahrrad 93 used for years by the Swiss military bike division, quite pricey to get in the US (only 7 speeds and heavy, like 60 lb.):
The Montague Paratrooper is too expensive for my project (around $500) and I don’t care about a folding bike (online reviews say the ride is not that good). There would not be much to do to it anyway.
A couple months back I went to a military vehicle show held at the Mesa Air Museum, there was some inspiration to be found there:
A picture of a militarized Kawasaki KLR, there was also a beige version for desert environments:
I spent days checking ads on Craigslist, visiting pawn shops (just overpriced stuff) and swap meets to find a bike.