Loose on Tucson

Hi, folks. I just finished a skinny wheel build over there on the other side, and thought I'd give the "off road" side a shot. Hopefully, this will be quick and easy, which is just the way I like my projects to go. I recently purchased a Monty Amsterdam off the Tucson Craigslist. What intrigued me about it was the double top bars. One little feature like that, and you know how it goes; I wanted it. It's built in Spain, and is equipped with cruiser handlebars, front and rear caliper brakes, a springy seat (leather,) 26 x 1 3/8 (590) tires, chain guard, rear rack, little prongs on the second top bar which can hold a pump, bell and fenders. In other words, it came to me perfectly equipped for riding past the tulip fields and window shopping in Amsterdam. I have other plans for it.




What made me think this could be a good candidate for an off-road bike was the double top bar, strongly lugged frame:




Solid lugs, right? But I'm not too sure about the fork up front and the kinda puny seat stays and chain stays.




I can replace or reinforce the fork. The stays, I'll just have to live with. Hey, I'm 73 years old. I won't be riding any terrain that'll break these stays in any way.

OK. Let's remove the superfluous parts and attempt to fit fatter tires to this frame.

Here it is, as bought, but with the grips removed.

It certainly was a full Monty (Dad joke,) with all those unwanted (by me) parts; so out they went! Or should I say they "went loose on Tucson?"


YESS!!! Nice fat 26 x 2.125 tires on a three-speed wheelset from an Electra cruiser fit nicely, front and rear!

OddJob said:

Great project start! And you have me laughing with your literary repartee ! I can almost hear you saying the words.

Click to expand...

Thanks, bud.

Yesterday, seemingly in a matter of minutes, I had put together a fairly complete bike. It went so quickly, I didn't photograph each step. Here's what I came up with:

I wanted to use the braced handlebar, but knew it would cramp the cockpit, so I used a long neck to minimize that. It still felt cramped, so I added a setback seat post. It worked, but it didn't feel or look right to me. I'm gonna change that. I added truss rods from the same Electra that donated the wheel set. Thanks for the donation, Carmen! (another Dad joke; they get worse.) Admittedly, the truss rods don't do much in the way of beefing up the fork, but I like the look. Those cylindrical braze-ons that originally held the brake cable now guide the shifter cable. Right now I'm thinking I'd like black BMX bars and a black straight seat post. The good news is that I have them both in my inventory.

I was wrong. I did not have a seat post of the proper diameter in my inventory. No problem though: I'll just head down to BICAS, Tucson's premier non-profit bike cooperative. It's a wonderful place where downtown lawyers and bankers mingle with students and homeless folks, brought together by one common interest; bicycles! One can buy new and used parts, rebuilt or raunchy used bikes (I prefer the latter,) rent some shop time, and get unbiased advice there. I think most of you guys would see this place as one giant candy store.
Here are two shots of the inside:


I found the bin right away and, not to my surprise, I found the perfect one dollar seat post. All it needs is some black paint.


Of course, I bought other much needed items while I was there, but they don't pertain to this build.

Here it is, all ugly and in need of paint:

Here it is, painted up and hangin' on the old dryin' post, protected by a scary skeleton:


So this skeleton walks into a bar and says to the bartender "Gimme a beer . . . . and a mop." (Dad joke.)

Meanwhile, back in the garage, I did find the perfect BMX bars for the Monty:



The "m" once stood for mongoose.

But also lurking in the garage is a sweet Worksman frame and an equally sweet Girvin fork. I just rebuilt the fork with a $65 replacement spring (gasp!) It about killed me. It darn well better work perfectly. The frame and fork go together so nicely. My Adult ADD mind keeps focusing on the Worksman. I really have to focus on the Monty right now.

Right now, I have to wait for the seat post paint to dry. Once it's dried, like tomorrow, I believe I can finish "Loose on Tucson" and start ridin'. Or start on the Worksman. I also just received a slight bit of "bling" for the Monty, which I'll share with you soon.

I forgot to show you these old school axle wing nuts, which came with the Monty. They fit the axles on the new wheel set, so I kept them.

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The seat post paint dried enough for me to stick it in the seat tube and tighten it down. I also added a chrome frame pump, instead of cutting off those two prongs. I think it adds just enough bling. I do remember how useless these pumps were back when I was a kid. Maybe they've improved them.


I pretty much like everything about the bike. It fits right, has a no-nonsense look about it, and it's a far cry from the original. I'm gonna call it quits right now. Nah, just kidding, I'm still gonna call it Loose on Tucson. Final pics some time before the end of winter.

That bike is almost too pretty to change.