Girthy Gerty

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Started the day off right shopping for new parts at the Monroe bike swap meet. I've already changed my plans and starting bike from a Huffy Sportsman that I picked out of a junkyard to this Hawthorne frame. I dressed it up to ride around the swap meet today, but the only thing that's going to remain for my build off attempt is the frame. Still have a few more hours at the meet, then a two hour drive home. But the picking was most excellent, and got to meet a few of my friends today
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Looking forward to your madness.
What kinda truss rods are those?
 
I got some parts today at the swap meet that are gonna spice up my build.
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Sadly, the Springer fork steer tube is completely shot and the fork legs are bent and cracked. What I'm going to do is cut the dropouts and the spring mounting pad off of this fork and weld then onto another very similar fork I have. The glass fuel filter and siren will add to the steam punk/cyber punk-ish vibe I have in mind, and the drum brake is just the icing on the cake
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Yikes 😳😬 no bueno! Hope you weren't hurt too bad
Well, it could've been a lot worse, but I got banged and scraped badly enough that I could barely work on my bikes for the following 2 months after the crash. The scrapes healed up fast enough, but it took at least 2 months before my wrists could handle any twists, weight, or pressure again. My hands broke my fall, so it's no surprise they took the worst of the damage.
 
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Okay, hear me out. The voices. Usually they have pretty good ideas, some a little more extreme than others. They said use the Hawthorne frame because it looks cool, sporty, and a little ratty. We have that tank that should fit with just a little modification.
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Then the one in the back said buy this wrecked fork, because we have a similar replacement and can get it working again.
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Then the shy one said that fork looks like the unknown pre war bike. So I humored it and put the fork next to the bike. Then... Then… Dang it, they all agree. This is the frame we should be building
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Not only that, the absolute repop Columbia tank fits this pre war bike even better
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Side by side comparison
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So, since I haven't officially changed frames for the build off (even though I did change frames the day before), if the judges allow it, I'm going to change. I even mocked up the wheels and handlebars and if we do say so, it looks darn good together
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Wheels are 26x80mm, the rear hub is a Nexus 3 speed with coaster brake, the front hub is going to be changed to a drum brake
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That means that in both categories, I'm going to have a bike with a skip tooth ch... Wait, spoiler alert
 

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Is there room for tires on those 80mm rims? Looks a little tight,and the tires typically stick out past the edge of the rims.

I like the second frame choice.
 
Is there room for tires on those 80mm rims? Looks a little tight,and the tires typically stick out past the edge of the rims.

I like the second frame choice.
There's 1/2" of room in the back and on the truss part of the fork. I'm going with 26x 2.5" tires, so they'll stretch a bit and won't go over the rim much. Plus, that back tire is going to slide just a little further back before I'm done
 
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2.5 tires will look great on 80mm rims.

No serial number on that frame? I'd like to figure out what it is.
 
2.5 tires will look great on 80mm rims.

No serial number on that frame? I'd like to figure out what it is.
Me too. I'm scared to scrub off the patina. It's absolutely perfect. I might have to though, because not knowing is also driving me crazy
 
Oh, Woe is the one who must decide between two such frames!
Both are great, and since you’ll be in both categories…
Well chosen!
 

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