** BILLET BULLET ** RRBBO#4

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Joined
Apr 2, 2009
Messages
1,810
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23
Location
Eindhoven, Holland.
mix_142.jpg

mix_149.jpg

^ The finished bicycle

...but this is how it all began:

mix_herr_rudolf_1.jpg


Hey everybody!
I've decided to bite the bullit and participate in this Build off. I was planning to resurrect this bike in the near future, so why not enter it in the build-off and start right away. Lately my parents' shed had turned into a real dump with stuff everywhere. Real messy with mice-droppings and sawdust in every little crack and hole. I knew there had to be some bikes in there below a pile of cartboard, foampanels, and what not, so I started diggin'...

This is what I found:

schuur_3.jpg

schuur_4.jpg


Right there all the way in the back (ofcourse...) I saw a strange looking blue frame with probably some decent hardware...

mix_7.jpg

mix_herr_rudolf_2.jpg

mix_herr_rudolf_4.jpg

mix_herr_rudolf_3.jpg


I can't remember ever having seen such frame. That is, not before I discovered this forum. I now know this frametype is called 'Mixte' but don't know where that name came from. (anyone?) However it does read 'MIX' on the seattube. And the 'headbadge' is just a cheap sticker withe the name 'AVANTI' . Maybe I'll do some research. The bike is fitted with the usual decent shimano parts and some japanese stuff. I'm planning to keep most of the parts that are really essential on the bike (rear brake for instance) rather than trying to search for better parts. Alot of it is aluminium an I like it, so I guess the few parts I'll be making will be aluminium as well. Hence the name of this thread. I have some experience making aluminium fenders which came out pretty succesfull, so I'l try and make it work on this Mix.

In the meantime I was able to do a first clean-up, and the bike came out nice. Ofcourse a lot of parts are rusted but I'll try to do some magic with a wirebrush and some steel wool. I was hoping to keep the original paint but it's damaged too much, and has baremetal rustspots everywhere.

And I hate rust... ;-)



Good luck everyone, and have fun!

(..oh, and I hope me using the 'b-word' in the title won't disquallify me instantly... ;-)
 
Re: BILLET BULLIT

You've got parts for maaaaany builds in that shed!! :shock:

Good luck with the build!
 
Re: BILLET BULLIT

Galtbacken said:
You've got parts for maaaaany builds in that shed!! :shock:

You can never have enough parts, that's my story and I'm sticking to it!
You are doing a bold build here bro. You have the source of parts and a wild eye for the other bikes.
I was thinking of doing this build but couldn't come up with a frame that I could agree with. This
build would be harder for me than cutcutcutting frames :shock: .
I'm keeping an eye on you, maybe I'll toss my hat in too!

GL
 
Re: BILLET BULLIT

Like I said: I cleaned up my soon-to-be Billet Bullit and it came out pretty okay. The first thing I did was fitting a fatter tire in the back and hoping for a quick build. That did not happen... The racey 28inch frame is not wide enough to house a smaller 26inch wheel with a fat tire like this Schwalbe Returner:

mix_18.jpg

mix_19.jpg


As you can see, the whitewall is rubbing the fork... Therefor the Schwalbe is going back to the ATB and I have to search for some other rubber candidates for the BB. After stripping the bike and removing all of the parts I REALLY did not want on the bike it looked like this:

mix_4.jpg

mix_5.jpg

mix_6.jpg


And I must say, the racey-look of this bike is really starting to grow on me. I love the 1 inch wide backtire but will install it in the front. I'm going use a regular 28 inch tire from an ordinary bike in the back. I'm hoping for a subtle hotrod big'n'little effect on the tires. I fitted the cheap alu pedals I bought new for my ATB. Did not use them after concluding the ATB had different size crancks... Ah well, they do fit the BB much better anyway :)

Today I made some new fenders. Pics will follow soon...

---

Galtbacken said:
You've got parts for maaaaany builds in that shed!!

Yep. A big pile of parts and/or potential builds. At first glance. At second glance however... I like to do a build on the mountainbike, but it has a bent front fork... I'm looking forward to get started on the silver sportsbike. Would look good in a old timey racer-guise.

Graylock said:
You have the source of parts and a wild eye for the other bikes.
I was thinking of doing this build but couldn't come up with a frame that I could agree with. This
build would be harder for me than cutcutcutting frames.
I'm keeping an eye on you, maybe I'll toss my hat in too!

Just do it. Any frame is possible in my opinion. As long as it has good lines, straight or bent, it can be build into something beautiful with the right parts and attention to detail. It is not so much 'a wild eye' for the other bikes, it's just extremely hard to find cheap original american iron over here in the Netherlands. On the biggest Dutch internetmarketplace I found a build Schwinn (from a fellow ratrodder, if I'm not mistaken) but don't remember if it was really old. I did find two or three of the newer Schwinns which ironically looked more like Electra's to me... It's almost impossible to find a classic(looking) cruiserframe for under 100 bucks.

bikeriderx said:
Cool bike! I dig that rear fender-side pannel thing...

I remember: Those skirts were the first thing you got rid off when you got your new bike... But nowadays, I do see some potential in those things. I've made a painting of a typical Dutch 'Grannybike'. Chopped 'n' channeld into a nice custom using scalloped 'skirtguards' front and back. However, the skirts you see in the pic ended up on the city-scrappile. The plastic was damaged beyond repair.
 
Re: BILLET BULLIT (pic-update: May 4th 2009)

JOScatRATrod said:
you've never heard of avanti? we've got oodles of them in New Zealand

Ah thanks! I've been doing a little research and I guess Avanti is an Ozzi-bike :) I got some info about the name 'Mix' and 'Mixte'. It's derived from French and pronounced 'meext', although the 'English 'mix-tee' is more commonly used by the companies building them.

This build is getting more fun by the minute!
 
Re: BILLET BULLIT (pic-update: May 4th 2009)

herr_rudolf said:
mix_herr_rudolf_1.jpg


The bike is fitted with the usual decent shimano parts and some japanese stuff...

Shimano is Japanese stuff! LOL- :p

Kool looking bike,man,this is gunna be interesting to see! :mrgreen:
 
Re: BILLET BULLIT (pic-update: May 4th 2009)

Singlespeed92 said:
Shimano is Japanese stuff! LOL- :p
Kool looking bike,man,this is gunna be interesting to see!

Muhaha, you've got me there! 8-D
Never thought of Shimano being Japanese. I know of the brandname since my childhood, but Japan didn't exist way back then, did it? It couldn't be... Next thing you tell me Suzuki and Toyota are Japanese also...
;-)

But seriously, besides Shimano, there are some other Japanese names on my bike like SAKEA, STARAL, SR. (Wheels, parts of the cranck, handlebar adapter)
 
Re: BILLET BULLIT (pic-update: May 4th 2009)

Sunday's progression.

Riding a bike in the Netherlands means getting wet half of the time and I don't want to end up with the infamous biker-skunk-stripe allover my body anymore. I want to be able to use my bike whenever I want to. Rain or shine... So, plans for some fenders were a-brewin'. I made some in the past from plastic and from aluminium strips (right from the hardwarestore). I once saw a tv-show where a carpenter was using it to simulate a 1950's diner. The ribbed material reminded me of custom car enthousiasts' favorite 'Briz-bumpers'! Very ArtDeco when used right. I've put them on my cruiser and a few months ago on my ATB, and it looks mighty fine! (will post pics of them later)

For my Billet Bullit I couldn't find the right width. All ribbed strips were much too wide for the skinny wheels I'm running... So I bought some plain and smooth alluminium strips in different sizes to experiment:

mix_8.jpg

mix_10.jpg

mix_11.jpg


^ The struts are easy to make. Bending around a heavy tube will do the trick. The only problem is getting them to fit just right.
The fender itself is a different story:

mix_9.jpg


^ Bending a bit too enthousiastically will result in many kinks instead of a steady flow... The best way probably is to clamp and bend it around a slightly smaller wheel. I used my knee, and had to work out many kinks... And then comes the endless road of, measuring/eyeballing, testfitting, drilling, assamble, disassemble, letting air out of the tire, and pumping it up again, and again, and...

Till it fits right.

mix_13.jpg

mix_12.jpg


^ Then it's detailing-time. This is the first time I made an effort to make the struts look beautiful on purpose. Rounding of the sharp corners and such...

mix_14.jpg

mix_16.jpg

mix_17.jpg


Current state of my bike:

mix_20.jpg

mix_22.jpg

mix_21.jpg


The frontfender came out perfect! with a gap of not larger then 2-3mm. The backfender was much more dificult , being longer, and requiring an extra hole for mounting it to the frame. The gap is a bit larger but than-again, It has some room for a slightly bigger tire...
;-)

Next stop: Sanding, brushing, and polishing the damaged aluminium seatpost ^
 
Re: BILLET BULLIT (pic-update: May 4th 2009)

Ace said:
I think those bikes are called Mixte because they are genderless. Might be a term of french origin ?

You're right Ace. As I posted just before you did: It's derived from French, and means 'unisex' more or less. It's pronounced as 'meext', although the 'English 'mix-tee' is more commonly used by the companies building them."
 
Re: BILLET BULLIT (fender pic-update: just now)

fenders look great dude!!! very original custom.

Easy E
 
Re: BILLET BULLIT (pic-update: May 4th 2009)

herr_rudolf said:
Singlespeed92 said:
Shimano is Japanese stuff! LOL- :p
Kool looking bike,man,this is gunna be interesting to see!

Muhaha, you've got me there! 8-D
Never thought of Shimano being Japanese. I know of the brandname since my childhood, but Japan didn't exist way back then, did it? It couldn't be... Next thing you tell me Suzuki and Toyota are Japanese also...
;-)

But seriously, besides Shimano, there are some other Japanese names on my bike like SAKEA, STARAL, SR. (Wheels, parts of the cranck, handlebar adapter)


Nope,I think Suzuki and Toy's are european,aren't they? 8)

The fenders look great,BTW! :)
 
Re: BILLET BULLIT (fender pic-update: just now)

deorman said:
If your 28" wheel is the same as I am familiar with, wouldn't a 700/40 tire fit?

I really have no idea, deorman... I guess 700/40 is a french measurementsystem of some sort. I don't have any experience with it. Although I did find a 700/X innertube in an old unopened package in the shed... I think the 28inch is standard for our standard Dutch bikes.

But a few years back I came across something that puzzled me to this day: I bought a new 26inch tire but it was way too big for my 26inch cruiser...
 
Re: BILLET BULLIT (fender pic-update: just now)

A tenant in my house owns a lovely Kettler with tires labeled 28"x1.75 which seems to have the same diameter rim as a friend's "29er" using 700 rims. May not be available there but I'm going to check it now for my own curiosity.
 

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