This won't be a true build post as I've finished the bike before starting the post, but I did take some shots along the way and will post some now. I put this together for one of my nephews. I did another one a few years ago for a different nephew and he's really into the bike so hopefully this will be loved also.
I started with a postwar 16" Higgins that had been repainted. I kept the repaint as I really like old repaints quite a bit.
This has to be the heaviest little bike I've had. I've always thought of the Higgins as a lighter quality bike but this frame is a real tank. The forks aren't so great though.
Here are a few shots of the bike broken down. I ended up using some different parts, the rear hub, pedals and seat are different from what I started with, and I used new forks as the originals were not salvageable.
The smalls. Super beefy and cool little dogleg crank.
Frame cleaned up good enough for me.
I went with a 20" fork, both because I had one and because I would have loved that when I was a little kid. And got some new rims and had them powdercoated as the old rims were for solid tires.
I found a large headbadge that just barely fit, and added a little "T" dart on the fork. I think I'm too old to learn how to pinstripe BTW.
And some finished shots.
And a test ride before it ships off.
I started with a postwar 16" Higgins that had been repainted. I kept the repaint as I really like old repaints quite a bit.
This has to be the heaviest little bike I've had. I've always thought of the Higgins as a lighter quality bike but this frame is a real tank. The forks aren't so great though.
Here are a few shots of the bike broken down. I ended up using some different parts, the rear hub, pedals and seat are different from what I started with, and I used new forks as the originals were not salvageable.
The smalls. Super beefy and cool little dogleg crank.
Frame cleaned up good enough for me.
I went with a 20" fork, both because I had one and because I would have loved that when I was a little kid. And got some new rims and had them powdercoated as the old rims were for solid tires.
I found a large headbadge that just barely fit, and added a little "T" dart on the fork. I think I'm too old to learn how to pinstripe BTW.
And some finished shots.
And a test ride before it ships off.
