A MOUNTAIN RAT BMX

[Shrunken_Head_Pedaler]

It looks like Harpy motors agreed that they did not send me the correct color. I received a surprise in the mail yesterday. I purchased the paint through Amazon and had messaged them with some photos of what I received. No response other than another can of paint! I wish I could thank them. I hope the color is a hit this time. I hope I have enough to cover. I appreciate @Ride 'em High and @OddJob for helping figure the issue out. I thought a couple layers would bring out the Khaki, but no dice. Either way, the bike will be in paint by mid week.

 

[user 35233]

Good stuff! I'm mesmerized by the info on these labels like detailed ingredients and the hour that KathyReplace was up hustling. Sleuthing about hints at this being a one man distribution without producing so I'd love to know who's mixing and canning these. Or rather how hard it is to become a small independent paint brand like this. Looking forward to seeing your results.

 

[Shrunken_Head_Pedaler]

Good stuff! I'm mesmerized by the info on these labels like detailed ingredients and the hour that KathyReplace was up hustling. Sleuthing about hints at this being a one man distribution without producing so I'd love to know who's mixing and canning these. Or rather how hard it is to become a small independent paint brand like this. Looking forward to seeing your results.

Yeah it’s pretty wild and an unknown. No email responses makes me wonder if they speak English, but these are made in the US. Where I really messed up, is that I totally forgot about local ppg paint stores. This would probably have been cheaper and less hassle. Not sure what I was thinking. And I cannot count the times where i have reordered house paint from Menards, Home Depot etc, that doesn’t match the color it’s suppose to. Lazy human errors such as not checking pigment levels and not recalibrating the machines, causes tons of issues. For these rattle cans, at 40$ a pop, they can just quietly send me another, no problem. They’re making a killing when they sell these. Just kicking myself now since I know I have a ppg store very close to home.

 

[Shrunken_Head_Pedaler]

Waited through the longest line to see The Cure. Saw them 7years ago and was sold out l, but no long line. Pre pandemic days.

 

[Shrunken_Head_Pedaler]

Picked up a couple of forks from the Goodwill for 60$ including shipping. The left fork is a Suntour XCT 100mm. The right fork is a COMP Manitou. I couldn’t pass them up and give them a try on something. I know the Manitou forks are rather expensive.

 

[MattiThundrrr]

Xct is the low end of the suntour line. I've got a couple in the fleet, they're pretty basic. Coil spring and a preload adjustment knob, but I never really felt any difference... Basically it bounces around. Smooths out the ride on a gravel road, but lack of damping fights against you when pedaling. I've done some stairs and rocks and stumps and fallen logs with mine, and it held up to my 200 pounds.
I don't know what level of quality that Manitou is, but it looks decent. Pretty much all of their stuff is rebuildable with kits available online. Condition looks pretty good too.

 

[Shrunken_Head_Pedaler]

Xct is the low end of the suntour line. I've got a couple in the fleet, they're pretty basic. Coil spring and a preload adjustment knob, but I never really felt any difference... Basically it bounces around. Smooths out the ride on a gravel road, but lack of damping fights against you when pedaling. I've done some stairs and rocks and stumps and fallen logs with mine, and it held up to my 200 pounds.
I don't know what level of quality that Manitou is, but it looks decent. Pretty much all of their stuff is rebuildable with kits available online. Condition looks pretty good too.

Hey @MattiThundrrr thank you for some info on these! I did a quick search to find out about them. Really picked up the pair for the Maintou fork. I hope I didn’t spend too much on them. Good to know the manitou is rebuildable. Thread-less is a new thing to me, so I’ll get a learning experience out of them.

 

[Shrunken_Head_Pedaler]

The 1.5 inch ID padding came in and I can start making the BMX rack pads. I have some padded headliner material that will be used to pad the stem. Just need a bit of .850 ID pad for the bit of bar padding needed. I can source that from local hardware stores. The 1.5 ID padding I found is for trampoline cage protection from Amazon.

 

[Shrunken_Head_Pedaler]

Found some mojo, and time from the rainy/cold days to get some paint on the Mongoose. The second can of paint was a winner. Whoever was up in the early am to remix my paint did a great job. I appreciate the hustle. The first can did not have the gold pigment, and the company quietly surprised me with a replacement, with a newer recipe. I chose to use the silver metallic as a base coat and topped it with the khaki metallic. It has a vibrant gold color in the sun and a silver metallic color in darker light. I hope to get a clear coat on everything after the Independence holiday and start assembly. The wife surprised me with a bike stand for my birthday. It was something I needed but wouldn’t buy for some reason. Nice to have. Even has a magnetic tray with a beverage holder.

 

[BobbyStillz]

Found some mojo, and time from the rainy/cold days to get some paint on the Mongoose. The second can of paint was a winner. Whoever was up in the early am to remix my paint did a great job. I appreciate the hustle. The first can did not have the gold pigment, and the company quietly surprised me with a replacement, with a newer recipe. I chose to use the silver metallic as a base coat and topped it with the khaki metallic. It has a vibrant gold color in the sun and a silver metallic color in darker light. I hope to get a clear coat on everything after the Independence holiday and start assembly. The wife surprised me with a bike stand for my birthday. It was something I needed but wouldn’t buy for some reason. Nice to have. Even has a magnetic tray with a beverage holder. View attachment 238903View attachment 238901View attachment 238902View attachment 238904

I bought my first bike stand 4yrs ago. Immediately regretted not buying one 24yrs ago

 

[Shrunken_Head_Pedaler]

Got back from a fabulous Independence Day party at my uncles house in Mulvane Kansas. Lots of family traditions of softball, trap shooting and a fireworks display. Got back to thinking about this bike. Decided to make some waterslide decals for it. I may add the older Mongoose logo for a head badge. They will get sprayed a clear coat for protection and then I’ll figure out where I want them. Then a clear coat over everything and it will be ready for assembly.

 

[Son of Kradus]

im with everyone on the bars, they look great! Hmmmm that color, looks real different on the jeep! ive not seen it before!

 

[Shrunken_Head_Pedaler]

im with everyone on the bars, they look great! Hmmmm that color, looks real different on the jeep! ive not seen it before!

It’s light khaki metallic. Original Jeep TJ color. The company I ordered the paint from, didn’t mix it right. The second can that came to replace it was very close. I used the first color as a base and used the correct paint on top. Underneath is a silver metallic and khaki metallic on top. Out in the sun it compliments the Jeep well. Still needs a clear coat.

 

[Shrunken_Head_Pedaler]

Working on some water slide decals. Then a clear coat to seal them in. I should have some bmx pads made up by the end of the week. The paint was a fair color match to the Jeep. Happy with the build so far. Hope to finish.

 

[user 35233]

Then a clear coat to seal them in. The paint was a fair color match to the Jeep. Happy with the build so far.View attachment 240450View attachment 240451

I think the clear coat will bring it together even closer but its looking professional.

 

[hbn]

I think the clear coat will bring it together even closer but its looking professional.

That’s my experience also. Very nice

 

[Shrunken_Head_Pedaler]

I think the clear coat will bring it together even closer but it’s looking professional.

It was a really nice paint and sprayed very well. It is acrylic urethane and an impressive single stage. I cleared the painted stem and it is looking good. Needs to dry. Making sure my clear is compatible by spraying a small part first.

That’s my experience also. Very nice

Thanks! Ready to get the decals and clear on. Times a ticking.

 

[OddJob]

Paint match is spot on!

 

[Shrunken_Head_Pedaler]

Started working on the BMX pad covers. The tedious pinning of fabric is the laborious part. One of the best skills my mom ever taught me, was how to use a sewing machine. Once I have hemmed all of the edges of the material, the top and canvas back will be fused together, then sewn together. Once the pieces are mated, Velcro will be sewn on. I used fusible vinyl to make one pad waterproof, and the others will get sprayed with waterproofing. The clear coat on the waterslide decals has dried overnight and I should have them on the bike today. The clear coat on the stem looks to have been compatible with the base coat, so I can continue clearing the rest of the painted parts.

 

[Shrunken_Head_Pedaler]

The first of three pad cover set is made. Took a while to dial in the machine to get a good stitch. Still have some small finish work to do in them. Also making a small pad for the handlebars. Found some areas on the bike that didn’t get good paint coverage, so I’m hoping that last bit of paint left in the can will be enough. Hoping for no splatter . Waterslide decals will be positioned soon.