I hearby dub these builds in the Rat Rod Bikes Build Off 18 as the
"Most RaT-isfying Rat Rods"!
"Most RaT-isfying Rat Rods"!
These bikes, which have a combination of custom parts, RaT-ina, and cReATive compilation; epitomize the rat rod bicycle in my own weird RaT-ionalizations. Whether scratch RaT, pack RaT, or sophistic-RaT, they all have met my RaT-ionale for what is most RaT-isfying.
Each OddJob Award winner will be mailed a custom made, straight out of the BACK40, award formed from a gang utility metal box cover, magnets, custom vinyl graphics, and painted this year with the same RaT-ina scheme as my BO 18 entry, Midriff-ter MTB. The award will be accompanied by a Certificate of Autho-RaT-zation declaring these rat rod bikes as the BO 18 OJ winners!
And now, without further mt a'dew, the winners, in no particular order:
Retro Therapy GT by @Pondo
Every year we have one or two RaTs that have an off-road or mountain bike base. This year we had an abundance of MTB’s; and I ain’t complaining~! Coming out on top (mountain top, that is) in my estimation, was this beautiful mix of vintage mtb frame (1996 or earlier is considered ‘vintage’ in the mtb world) and very current drive train, 1 x 11 spd Shimano with a clutch derailleur and a narrow / wide front alloy chain ring. The choice of Rock Shox fork in white, and his ultra cool Meal Replacement Bars in moto-x stying, Oury grips, and Brooks saddle; along with multiple ‘bling’ bits in red anodize make this bike pop! Pondo has taken his bike building to new heights, literally and figuratively, with Retro Therapy.
You left a knobby tire track imbedded in my heart with this one, Pondo~!
Brazen by @metalchewy
A veteran of many a build-off, whether the Annual Summer BO or Muscle or Off-Road BO’s, metalchewy has a ton of experience building RaTs. So, what does one do to keep the interest and motivation level up? You do something you’ve never done before! He broke all the rules when he laid down some mind bending variegated gold leaf on his rims and cranks, and anything else that was left shiny! Mix in some awesome RaT-ina work on fenders and light, superb saddle covering skills, lacing up gazillion spoked hubs, and pushing his build level over the top.
If you are ever in Las Vegas, and you want to gamble; put your money on metalchewy, he’s a winner for sure~!
Acid. Reborn by @hbn
Sometimes when you enter into something for the first time, you kind of measure the ground, get a feel for the lay of the land. Not if you are a Swede that goes by hbn on RRB entering his first RRB BO ever. Wow! He took a mild mannered whimpy cruiser to this rock crushing, mud slinging, bump eating monster called Acid and blew our minds with sketchings and graphs and charts along the way like a MaD RaT scientist. Blending in parts like a car jack and springs and an extra fork to make that rear suspension, packing in 29er wheels and tires where only 26” feared to tread previously, an upside down and backwards rear derailleur idler pulley system…the list goes on!
Dude, you done crushed it~! CongRaTs hbn, my Swedish blood brother, on your first OJ!
Freight Train 1896 by @tanksalot
The first photo in his build thread grabbed me right away; an 1896 Barnes and Sterns rear steer racing tandem; this bike could be one of the oldest Build Off bikes in RRB history! When you start with something that rare, and high cool factor, the key is to try to not do too much. Sir Tanksalot made careful work of bringing back some of the original paint flavor with his ‘white wash’ of the frame, added some sweet wood grained steel wheels paired with old school Goodyear tires, vintage leather saddles, cork bar tape, and finishing touches to bring this antique bicycle back to life. He even used some 'period correct' tools to do the job. It’s hard not to be taken in by this, and be taken back to a time when bicycles were heading into their ‘golden era’ and making way for the first good roadways and their gas powered successor, the automobile.
Tanks-a lot for the ride through bicycle history~!
Middle Aged by @Brian macumber
Possibly the best autological named build in a long time…Middle Aged…the middle frame section of this stretch was left to its natural patina or aging that had taken place over the past 50 years! Two mundane bike frames were melded and welded together to make this well-conceived and designed stretch, so much so that it really defies the definition. Brian used his step-spline joining of the frame tubes for a seamless transition of the two frames, and then painted the tip and the tail along with some sweet pinstripe to create an eye catching and intriguing build. Class 2 was loaded with great builds this year, but I just kept coming back to this one when paging down the list! His custom bars made from a kids Dora bike bar and cruiser bar, emulate the victorious statue in the background…winner!
You made Class 2 proud, Brian. RaT oN~!
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CongRATz Y'All ! 
Love it man!
