A Zombie Reborn - the build thread

[OddJob]

Thanks John! The comparison to the Pilot is cool too.

Your Zombie kind of reminds me of the Electra and Felt lines of hot rod cruisers; only in a cool steel framed , custom painted, one off kind of way!

 

[SkyknightJohn]

Thanks OJ.

I'm pretty happy with it. And, most importantly, happy with the ability of the frame jig to produce a straight and true frame. I think I met most of the goals of the build: ride/seat height & reach (I'm not a fan of leaing foward to the bars anymore), and the potential of a future electrification, wrt straight, true, and stable at speed.

The paint turned out well, too. I did the MetalCast on Blue Bomber Curb Hopper two years ago and fell in love with it. As others have pointed out, pics don't do it justice. In person it is a marvel.

This year, I tried the 2K clear coat for the first time. I'm now a big fan. A little more pricey, and Take all the precautions needed, but the cure time is so much less and the hardness is so much more.

For looks on the Zombie, I know I could slam the seat, slap a straight bar on, and other stuff, but I'd be riding with my knees in my armpits and a hunch in my back, so I'll be true to the apocolypse, where the needs of the road take precedence over appearance, where confidence in your ride strikes fear in the hearts of all those who oppose, where the red of the stricken sky is reflected in the bones of your ride.

 

[Karate Chicken Industries]

That's a whole lotta effective top tube.

 

[SkyknightJohn]

Short stay home this week, and found a flat tire on the bike. I knew the tube that came on the wheels had been patched, but hoped it was good. It wasn’t.

So while I had the wheel & tire off anyway, I thought I’d swap out that QR for the new solid axle. Looks like the bearings needed a good clean, anyway.

Shoulda taken a side by side on the table comparison, but here you can see the axle length difference. (though angled, the ‘top’ end of the axles are aligned.)

And here the axles in the forks. FULL engagement. The QRs barely allowed space for half the fork leg to perch on. I feel much more secure this way. Besides, the QR lever doesn’t work well with this fork.

Back on the road tomorrow. More greasey action on the rear next time! and other stuff.

 

[OddJob]

Bring 'er on home, John!

 

[Ulu]

The flashy blue and yellow paint scheme is just killer, dude.

 

[SkyknightJohn]

The flashy blue and yellow paint scheme is just killer, dude.

Thanks! Still one of my favorite and go-to rides. Those early-mid ‘90s steel Specialized & Treks make the best commuters: light, durable, versitile & fast.

 

[SkyknightJohn]

Bring 'er on home, John!

Just returned home yesterday and rested up. I should have the majority of the loose ends tied up this week with another set of days home before the deadline for any last minute finishing touches and final photos.

 

[SkyknightJohn]

Weeeeellll... I dunno what it should take to disassemble an axle. I mean, I've done it before with just a wrench or two...

[rant]
But today, trying to replace the rear QR with the new solid bolt-on, I used: wrenches, vise-grips, screw-drivers, channel pliers, a hack-saw, a drill, a 3 lb mallett, many other tools, and a lot of colorful words.

Yet,
I still don't have one of the bearing race/nuts free from the QR axle.

I think somebody must've used epoxy.

Why?

Or maybe it's just fused. I dunno.

But my other race nuts are not the same pitch/diameter and don't seem to work with this wheel/bearing set.

TWO hours I worked on this and shoulda been done on on to the other bits.

WASTED time and probably now have to buy or build another wheel.

eh hmmm....

[/rant]


Tomorrow is a new day.
The sun will rise.

 

[SkyknightJohn]

Well, I guess it was like a new pickle jar.
Yesterday I loosened it up, today it came free.

It was press-fit, which of course I considered, thus the hammers graduating up to the 3-pounder.

Couple of quick taps today and ¡viola!

New axle in… on to other things.

 

[SkyknightJohn]

Brakes fully installed and adjusted.
Rear derailleur & shifter on.
Chain is used and was ridiculously greasy, so I cleaned it.
Waiting for it to dry, then wax, then install.

Prime coated a bathroom.

Some decals arrived today.

The dog gets surgery tomorrow.
The bathroom gets paint.
The bike gets work in what time remains.

No pics today.

 

[SkyknightJohn]

Ok. A couple pics.

 

[Pondo]

Awesome build! Love the frame jig and the paint rocks!

 

[SkyknightJohn]

8 Gears-a-Blazin’!

Chaing waxed and intalled. First test ride today. Plenty of range without the front D. I’ll either a.) leave as-is; b.) remove the smalles and largest chainrings; or c.) get a true front single. Not a funcational issue as the chain stays put through all 8 gears with no issues up front. So, no hurry.

Need to tidy up the cables rather than keep the blue painters tape. Probably find a different saddle. And one or two odds and ends.

 

[kingfish254]

Cool comfy riding geometry. The forks and overall shape are so cool.

 

[SkyknightJohn]

Hood Ornament Work:

Started with drilling progressively larger holes in the stem, up to 3/16”.

Then rounded off the nut so it would seat in the round chamber of the stem and give max thread engagement.

And here is the outcome:

Now off into the wild in search of a good fountain (and other backdrops) for some final pics!

 

[SkyknightJohn]

Some contenders:

#1

#2

#3

#4

#5

#6

#7

 

[SkyknightJohn]

Some close-ups.

 

[SkyknightJohn]

The requisite fountain pics:

 

[Captain Awesome]

Some contenders:

#1
View attachment 207263

#2
View attachment 207265

#3
View attachment 207262

#4
View attachment 207264

#5
View attachment 207266

#6
View attachment 207267

#7
View attachment 207268

I know all those spots!


If you could get #5 at less of an angle perhaps. It's definitely a hard one to photograph with the tall front end and the black components. Needs just the right background and angle. Also hard to capture the hood ornament and other fine details all in one glamorous shot