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I acquired a Columbia Coyote 20" frame, visited the parts department, and started assembling a bike for my grandson. My goal was to get it on the street for him to test ride and talk about appearance later. One modification was a smaller chain ring to more closely match the gear ratio on his...

All good thoughts, but let me add another. If the head tube isn't that much shorter, you may be able to increase the curve of the truss rods with a tubing bender and get them to fit without cutting any off the end. That may look cool on a "bit of a ratty build." Have fun!

Dr. Ssg: Excellent innovation! I'll try to remember that next time I run into that problem. If it doesn't happen for a while, however, I may not remember. Sometimes I walk into another room and don't remember why I went there. Have fun!

Good idea! Does the fork have to be pink to work properly?

Curb-find identified by wife while she was walking. She's a good woman. Ross Eurotour 5-speed. What happened to the rest of the kiddie seat? Did Rerun fall off in the bushes?

Let's hear it for Good Vibrations, both the song and the bike! This one is a 24-incher with BMX handlebars, layback seat post, freewheel, front and rear caliper brakes, alloy rims, and longer cranks. One of my most comfortable, favorite rides.

Welcome to the Mos Eisley cantina, stranger. My name is Flyer. Western Flyer.

For example, drying rack for beach towels (Huffy Good Vibrations 24"). Well, the colors kinda go.

I don't know the answer to the question on the tires, but in regard to cable housing, it seems to me that 1960 cable housing is the same as 2021 cable housing except for the newer, longitudinally-reinforced shifter housing. Except for finicky indexed shifters, spiral-wound housing works for most...

Uncle Matti: You're right about the relative aesthetics of metal vs. plastic; however, there is a reason that they are called dork disks.

When my younger brother Len was about 12, his muscle bike (I think it was a Sears) was stolen from the local swim club. A couple of days later, he saw it chained to the rack at the swim club (another example of a not-too-bright thief). Len went home, got a hacksaw, and started sawing the chain...

To further this discussion, I think we should be more specific, There are at least three types of fasteners that can be used for head badges: rivets, drive screws, and self-tapping screws. And these come in some different styles and in different metals. Some newer bikes have head badges...

Brother wvoldguy: Cap'n Pete Culler, extraordinary boat designer and builder, said "Experience begins when you start." After all, learning to lace a wheel isn't like learning to juggle chainsaws. You can always try again. Have fun and let us know about your progress!

Did the test subject has a little pebbly texture or was that from the flat black?

Sheldon Brown: What a guy!

We are in agreement except I have to wonder whether the matte lacquer is really necessary. I've seen cars with a primer finish that stayed that way for years. Please post pics of the project for us.

Primer typically comes in black, red, gray, or white. Hot rods often ended up painted with these (except white) either because the owner liked the look or he never got around to the finish coat. The look is very matte. The advantage is you never worry about the finish. If it gets scratched, hit...

Steel wool with some kind of cleaner is OK on whitewalls, but DO NOT use steel wool on aluminum. Clean aluminum with Scotch-Brite and non-abrasive cleaner. To do a good job, you probably should take the tires off the rims and clean them separately. Have fun!

Dear Mr. Stuff: Hard to respond more specifically without some numbers. But here is a photo of a recent fix adapting a newer seat (7/8" clamp) to an older seat post (5/8"). Intervening piece is a shim made of 1/16" aluminum. Have fun!

Uncle Wvoldguy: That is crazy talk. Do we have to do an intervention? You may be able to work with a 19" frame. The seat tube length is only one part of the geometry and shorter frames can be adapted by use of longer seat posts, layback seat posts, and various stem and handlebar combinations to...