'86 Jamis Boss "Double Phat"

[chattymatty]

The stating point, a 1986 Jamis Boss:

The Phat theme's pretty obvious when you ponder that 1 1/4" top tube, the double part, well you'll see. Machine Age Victim raised the bar pretty high on his build http://ratrodbikes.com/forum/index.php?threads/2000s-jamis-boss-cruiser-into-26-bmx-cruiser.79231/ so I know what I have to shoot for.

Step one is complete, the removal of the chainguard tabs derailleur cable guides. Gunna be a NS/OS BMX mash up, so no need for that pesky dingleberry. Should be back from powder this week. Stay tuned sports fans...

 

[LukeTheJoker]

Should be cool, love those frames! Love anything looptail actually!

Luke.

 

[Araya51]

Also a Jamis owner.. I'm going to follow this build..

 

[chattymatty]

And today's visit from the postman betrays the 'double' theme. Have to wait till payday to order the Redline Double Pinch cranks (poverty sucks) but at least the theme is taking shape. Tell you what, Nitto is making these stems out of some SERIOUS stuff- the stem weighs more than (twice?) the bars (the Al's aluminium KOS variety).

Ordered red as I originally planned on going candy red metallic on the powder, but when I got to my coatings guy there was a shaft of light beaming down on the candy burgundy and I just couldn't resist a sign from the universe... only to get half a mile away and realize I'd have to strip a brand new stem as the lighter anno would likely clash. Imagine my glee when I open the box and the stem is a nice DARK red, almost burgundy itself. I was tempted to have a second bike powdered in the burgundy color just to have an excuse to do the stem, lol.

And the forks are these PHAT (1 1/8" legs) heavy duty cromo maulers custom made by/for a shop in LA.

 

[Araya51]

Nice.!!!
Those forks look beefy.. So you bought 2 forks.?

 

[chattymatty]

No, but I should have. My thoughts for one of those 5 DX frames I picked up was a "DX-S" build in full X-S Six-Shooter battle dress... Cruise-O-Matic seems to be the only name Schwinn didn't license when they were in their powermatic/hydramatic/supermatic phase and it kinda fits a 26". And despite a soft spot for Studebakers, I'm Ford guy when all's said and done.

But don't tell the guys at that other site, I'm blowing the cover on my winter build off schemes

 

[Bicycle808]

Super-hot foundation for what's bound to be an excellent build I'm definitely jealous of your BOSS frame, and I wanna know more about those forks....

 

[Araya51]

Man I need to step up on my game with my Jamis Earth Cruiser.. I've been laggin but I've also been playing with my other projects..

 

[Bicycle808]

Earth Cruisers are rad, too.... you got a build thread for yours, Araya51?

 

[Araya51]

Yeah.. It's under "Earth Rat Cruiser"..
http://ratrodbikes.com/forum/index.php?threads/earth-rat-cruiser.85018/#post-835020

 

[chattymatty]

Hit ePay for "bomb proof 26" (or if you're in Los Angeles their shop is JustRideLA). They have 1" threaded and 1 1/8 threadless. Dunno the whole story, whether they bought out manufacturer stock or had them made for themselves or whatever, but they are full cromo and HEAVY. Made from some seriously think-walled legs, and have a nice taper, at blowout prices. The trouble with the Jamis, as you guys I'm sure have discovered, is the 4" head tube- the threaded version of the fork had plenty of threads way down low and would have been fine, but I've had my eye on that Nitto stem and just needed the right ride to mix it up.

The headset is a hybrid from Paul at Atomic Cycles (rev106), also a very nice piece.


Tires should arrive tomorrow- Stolen Joint 2.20 skins:

due to be stretched over some Ukai 2.125's laced to Suntour Sport XC high flange hubs:

Got some polishing in my future, and then it's on like phat on a pig. Phat phat phatty phat! (but not obese like those bikes with elephantiasis of the tires).

 

[Araya51]

Sorry Chatty.. Didn't mean to crash your party, just sharing the Jamis love..

 

[chattymatty]

Not at all, conversations keep threads alive when I drain my wallet and have to wait for parts

 

[Araya51]

Ain't that the truth.!!!
My wallet is tapped out for now.. LOL
Been working on 3-4 bikes at a time.. I've lost interest in my car project thats been waiting to be worked on for some time now..

 

[Bicycle808]

So you're going 1.125" threadless on the BOSS? That should be rad. I got a Retro Ryder headset from Paul; I think it's just a NECO headset, with the cups turned down in a lathe. Test-fit before you commit; mine fit snug'n'tight in a Chicago Schwinn, but was loose-as-a-goose in a Worksman frame. I ended up doing some other Frankenstein stuff to make it all happen; I still have Paul's cups lying around for any Schwinn that I build up threadless.

Speaking of threadless, where did you find the threadless Nitto bmx stem? I've been eyeing up the 1" quill version on planetbmx.com....

And yeah, thanks for the lead on those bomber forks. They look awesome. Plenty of room for fat tires in'm too, right?

(Holy crap; they're so danged CHEAP! I'll have to get one for my polo bike....)

 

[chattymatty]

Ordered it through ePay just 'cause the watch list is easy, and building and deleting watchlists is cheap entertainment. It comes from Natsukashi in Japan. Dunno if he follows this site, but he's Moonster over on the museum. Was planning on ordering a set of the Nitto Cruiser bars from them just to be different but I liked that Al's were aluminum and I have a hook up with a polisher so I went that route. I need to get some hoops anno'd anyway and need to get up over the minimum.

I was house-sitting in LA a couple weeks back and stopped by Paul's shop and BS'd a little about the headsets, and you're right, they're an existing set machined a little to fit. Fine by me. Dropped the frame off for powder before it arrived so I couldn't test fit, but (now that you scared me) I did a test fit on a '48 Schwinn and the Boss cups are a looser fit than Paul's, so I think I'm good.

The forks are pretty wide, I don't think a 2.5 would be a problem, but I don't know if you could get away with a 3" on a 26... 24 maybe.

 

[Bicycle808]

Re: Nitto Stems/ Al's bars: you can't go far wrong with any of that stuff. I'm about to pick up a steel set of Al's fake KOS bars... seems like the best deal for American-made cruiser bars with the "proper" bend to them. I'm running some S&M Cruiser Slams; the quality is there 100%, but the bend doesn't have "the look".... Nitto Bars and Stems look hot; I think I might have to buy one of their quills.

Moonster never seems to show up here, but I have seen his posts over on the museum a bit. He's importing Nitto bmx stuff, I take it?

Re: that headset and fitment: You'll probably be OK. There's a million work-arounds on these old frames. Paul has always done right by me; I got an Article 1 frameset that I'm slowly building up. The welds look primitive, but everything is straight and they got good penetration, etc. Got an S&M fork to go with it' it's going to be pretty much all high-end stuff, except the seatpost, when I'm done.

Re: tires: I was thinking 2.5" Hookworms. If they fit, it's all good from there.

 

[chattymatty]

I don't that I'd say importing, in the sense that they are warehoused here- he shipped from Japan but as I understand it he runs the Natsukashi site. They have the new Tange 125's in stock I hear... now I have to talk myself into not needing one of those too.

 

[Bicycle808]

I don't that I'd say importing, in the sense that they are warehoused here- he shipped from Japan but as I understand it he runs the Natsukashi site. They have the new Tange 125's in stock I hear... now I have to talk myself into not needing one of those too.

Oh, my. I never saw the natsukashi site, until now. You seem like a nice guy, but I'm sure my wife will hate you forever b/c now I'm gonna be spending more $$$ on bike parts....

 

[Araya51]

Chatty.!!! Don't you have forks with that frame you have already.? Just asking..