** BILLET BULLET ** RRBBO#4

[deorman]

Re: BILLET BULLIT (fender pic-update: just now)

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

Apparently Dutch bikes are 700B, bead seat diameter 635mm and the ones I was familiar with are 700C, bead seat diameter 622mm. Too bad. They used to sell fractional 26" here, larger diameters than decimal wheels. Pretty much obsolete, although some people on this site are using them.

 

[herr_rudolf]

Re: BILLET BULLIT (fender pic-update: just now)

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

Apparently Dutch bikes are 700B, bead seat diameter 635mm and the ones I was familiar with are 700C, bead seat diameter 622mm. Too bad. They used to sell fractional 26" here, larger diameters than decimal wheels. Pretty much obsolete, although some people on this site are using them.

Never heard of a 29inch bicycle wheel... I do have a very nice 27inch bike waiting to be fixed-up but it wil be a problem getting tires for that one. I hope I can change the rims, or maybe complete wheels to the more common 26 or 28inch.

Btw, I think the nos 700/x tube IS a 700C... I'll have to check it tomorrow.

 

[deorman]

Re: BILLET BULLIT (fender pic-update: just now)

700C is used here on old 27"'s. Good luck!

 

[herr_rudolf]

Re: BILLET BULLIT (fender pic-update: just now)

fenders look great dude!!! very original custom.

Easy E

Thanks Easy E! I was wondering if you are building a bike for this build-off. I've seen more new names and bikes in the last few days than I can keep up with...

 

[herr_rudolf]

Re: BILLET BULLIT (fender pic-update: just now)

Sorry about the poor quallity pic, but I really wanted tot 'show and tell' ;-)

I've been busy scratchbuilding myself a carrier/rack out of aloy for my mixte. I usually don't like these things, but darn, sometimes I really REALLY NEED em. The rack is meant for show though, but there's a lot of 'go' in that thing. It isn't able to carry people around, but then again, that was never possible on my mixte. I'm happy that it came out FAR more rigid than I hoped for. As you've noticed it's very long, high, and slim, to maintain the bikes character.

^ Ohw, ...and now I have a place to put my lock 'n' chain!

I also have been experimenting a little with indirect lighting. When I was riding my cruiser I few years back I noticed the red refection on my ribbed aloy fender being VERY bright, but I was never able to figure out how to position the licht. I hope I will with this build:

Light shining down:

^Creating a small spot reflecting the light.

---
Light shining 'upskirt':

^ Making the rack almost light-up!

 

[deorman]

Re: BILLET BULLIT (fender pic-update: just now)

I've been busy scratchbuilding myself a carrier/rack out of aloy for my mixte. I usually don't like these things, but darn, sometimes I really REALLY NEED em.

I like it!
My strictly business 21spd has a rack. My old pre-21 spd bomber has a rack. My ten speed gathering dust in my parent's basement because it's never ridden has a rack. Even my motorcycle has a rack. The only thing even resembling a bike around here without one :lol: is my build-off bike!

 

[KOTA]

Re: BILLET BULLIT (pic-update: NEW RACK - may 6th)

That is some NICE work!......It really is great to see so many "skinny" tire bikes in th build off.

 

[aka_locojoe]

Re: BILLET BULLIT (pic-update: NEW RACK - may 6th)

Great work on the fenders and rack.

 

[ej599]

Re: BILLET BULLIT (pic-update: NEW RACK - may 6th)

That is some NICE work!......It really is great to see so many "skinny" tire bikes in th build off.

Yeah, what he said. Bike looks good!

 

[herr_rudolf]

Re: BILLET BULLIT (pic-update: NEW RACK - may 6th)

Thanks guys!
Maybe I'm going to change the rack a bit though. Don't know if I'm totaly happy with the 'bullit' side of it. I may be connecting the loose ends with a small strip of, surprise, aluminiun. Like the bend braces I made for the fenders. ;-) But first a short 'testdrive' and taking some better pics.

Yep, there are quite some skinny tire-bikes in the build-off. Great to see so many different projectbikes being build. Undoubtingly into beautiful pieces of rat. errrrr.... rta. errrrrrrrrr art!
;-)

 

[herr_rudolf]

Re: BILLET BULLIT (pic-update: NEW RACK - may 6th)

Promised pics of my rack in daylight and it's build-up.

^ Don't worry... Even though I really don't know were this build is going to, I'm NOT planning a 6 foot sissybar ;-) It's the first mock-up of the rack. Simple L-profile struts should hold the rack on it's place. But jeezzz... Those straight profiles look a bit too simple. Not ellegant at all. Definately not in character withe the bike and rack... I decided to make another fenderstrut on which I will be able to mount the rack. I found some curved restmaterial from my frontfenders. To my luck the curvature on the scrap-bits was near perfect:

^ Some brackets...

Yesterday, as I was toying with my ideas for the lights I really liked the redlight reflection in the tight curved alloy strips. So today I tried to make a full circle from that stuff. I don't know what's the right way to do it, but this is how I did it:

^ Aluminum has it's limit...
Also, bending the straight bars into a perfect circle was a real pain...

^ Overall, I'm happy with the outcome, except for the 'loose-ends'. Those will be reworked soon... The rack itself came out nicely. A bit long, maybe a bit too long. Am thinking of moving the rack forward. Depends on what I will be doing to the rest of the bike. My ideas keep changing while I'm building. Haven't made any sketches or drawings of the design so the result is gonna be a surprise for me too.

But some things that are on the list:
- small straight handlebars, maybe cut this dropped bar...
- rearbrake only
- 5 gears instead of 10
- a slightly bigger backtire and a new front racingtire.
- a racingseat
- fabricating a frontlight similar to the backlight like this:

Next stop: Attach the backlight-rim to the rack/fender. Disassemble, and clean and detail all the bits that I've been working on the last couple of days. Then try to come up with a sollution for my 'loose ends'...

I took the bike out for a 10 km trip today. The rack is promissing to be sturdy. And man, that thing is soooo shiny in the sun!
;-)

 

[deorman]

Re: BILLET BULLIT (update: NEW RACK/LIGHT - may 8th)

Personally, I think racks look better when level, like if it were lower in the back, although it would certainly affect your lighting scheme. All that aside, the only build that's likely to be as speed capable will be Galtbacken's. It's definitely turning out nicely so far.

 

[Singlespeed92]

Re: BILLET BULLIT (update: NEW RACK/LIGHT - may 8th)

:shock: :shock: :shock: Man!!! That's some excellent work/craftsmanship on the rack!!! :!: :!: :!:
I dig the effects w/ the lights too 8)

 

[sensor]

Re: BILLET BULLIT (update: NEW RACK/LIGHT - may 8th)

just wondering if you tried annealing the aluminum before bending it(when it snapped)?
if not try it it shouldnt be a problem...
and btw......just looking at some of those build pictures for the rack just gave me an epiphany for something i was trying to figure out :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:

 

[elvis51]

Re: BILLET BULLIT (update: NEW RACK/LIGHT - may 8th)

dude the rear rack looks awesome! i really like the idea with the light too. might have to steal it sometime!!

Easy E

 

[herr_rudolf]

Re: BILLET BULLIT (update: NEW RACK/LIGHT - may 8th)

Personally, I think racks look better when level, like if it were lower in the back, although it would certainly affect your lighting scheme. All that aside, the only build that's likely to be as speed capable will be Galtbacken's. It's definitely turning out nicely so far.

- Then, my friend, you and I appreciate different lines in bikes... ;-)
The angle of the things i add on my bikes do have a reason. The rack for instance is parallel to the lowest backfork (hmm, dont know the correct terms in english.. yet..) and the strut is parallel to the seattube. Also, the rack points to a important part of the bike. The possition of my frontlight. If I can pull that off... If this bike had some more 'level lines' on it's own I maybe would've levelled the rack. Another reason for the angle (though not on purpose) is that it creates an instant 'hotrod-look'. It kinda makes the back tire appear larger than it really is. But who knows... If in the end all the angles appear wrong I'll change it.

- What do you mean by 'speed capable'?

- And thanks!

:shock: :shock: :shock: Man!!! That's some excellent work/craftsmanship on the rack!!! :!: :!: :!:
I dig the effects w/ the lights too 8)

- Thanks! The alloy is beautiful on it's own. I just attach it on the right spots ;-)

just wondering if you tried annealing the aluminum before bending it(when it snapped)?
if not try it it shouldnt be a problem...
and btw......just looking at some of those build pictures for the rack just gave me an epiphany for something i was trying to figure out :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:

- Thanks! Learning something new on this forum everyday No, I've never tried annealing anything. I'm just an illustrator'graphic designer that likes to make thing pretty. But I have a very limited number of tools... Tell me more about your epiphany ;-)

dude the rear rack looks awesome! i really like the idea with the light too. might have to steal it sometime!!

-Thanks! Go ahead elvis, what's mine is yours. ...Just don't do it better than me... ;-)

 

[deorman]

Re: BILLET BULLIT (update: NEW RACK/LIGHT - may 8th)

The ability to achieve AND sustain a high rate of relative motion-i.e.-actually fast instead of just looking that way=speed capable. :wink:
The tail end frame terminology; chain stays (lower), seat stays (upper), and on your bike, center or frame stays. I tend to towards simplistic traditionalism in my bikes, which is why I may come in last place here! :lol:

 

[herr_rudolf]

Re: BILLET BULLIT (update: NEW RACK/LIGHT - may 8th)

Hmm, I had sort of a bad construction day today... It started out okay. Everything seemed to come along fine. But when I was turning my ideas into reality I did have several setbacks... The alloy started breaking up on me again.. Bends that were no problem at all yesterday somehow seemed impossible today. The frontlight, something that supposed to be a 'simple add-on', just didn't happen. I just cannot figure out how to attach it to the fork and make the lines just right. I took off the front brake but that didn't make it any easier. The quick-release has springs on the axle so I can't make the lightbrace/strut rest on the axle. I was thinking about making an extra bracket, but I really want to use the original mountingpoints on the bike as much as possible. But this minor little setback ofcourse has it's influence on how the actuall ledlight is going to be attached to... ehm... something. I'm sorry if I'm a little bit vague but like I said before: I'm designing while I'm building. Not with a whole lot of thinking...

Maybe a slightly longer frontfender is a sollution. But when I wanted to make a bracket, the alloy broke several times... Sharp, 90 degree bends were not possible today... And if the fender did work, I'd still needed a brace... So today I did a lot of 'mockup'-work and eyeballing. And visually it could work:

Also other things started to brake. Seems theres a lot of tension on some screws (right):

If that wasn't enough, my bike fell several times ont the ground damaging my steamline-rack;

I guess I'm gonna use this damaged rack as a templated and make a new one at the end of my build 8-/

Oh, and when I arrived at the garage I smelled gasoline. A LOT OF IT... When I opened the garagedoor I thought I had to faint... Last weekend I attached the open fuelline of the VW Bug upwards with a piece of stickytape. Well, that doesn't hold up for a week. The fuelline fell on a big flat piece of cartboard which got soaked with the smelly stuff. Not only that but it seemed that a part of the garage floor got soaked too with gasoline. Look what it does to a plastic freezebox:

But don't worry, I did had some fun today:

While I did the mock-ups of the lightinstallation, I tried several inserts. For instance a cross that made an instand gunsight. Goes well with my 'bullit theme'. Or maybe a small propellor. Remember those small plastic fanmills on a stick to put on your handlebars? Wouldn't that look great carved out of alloy? Another succesful idea was to make an insert with my initial of my surname: 'W'

ironically, THOSE sharp bends were no problem at all...

 

[herr_rudolf]

Re: BILLET BULLIT (update: NEW RACK/LIGHT - may 8th)

The ability to achieve AND sustain a high rate of relative motion-i.e.-actually fast instead of just looking that way=speed capable. :wink:
The tail end frame terminology; chain stays (lower), seat stays (upper), and on your bike, center or frame stays. I tend to towards simplistic traditionalism in my bikes, which is why I may come in last place here! :lol:

Ah! Thanks for the terminology

And, I like to think of myself also tending towards simplistic traditionalism. In everything. You wouldn't say that judging by my recent build, but I'm all for the 'less=more'-principle. My rack started in my mind as a simple piece of bent alloy. All of the curved add-ons you see on it are just goodlooking sollutions of many problems a nihilistic build will bring along. I stop building/designing untill it looks 'right', and in character with the bike.

And, 'simplistic traditionalism' resulting in 'last place'?? I think you maybe surprised in the end... I think I don't speak for only myself if I say that the bikes I LOVE on these pages are the most simplistic ones...

 

[deorman]

Re: BILLET BULLIT (update: BAD CONSTRUCTION DAY - may 8th)

That circle W thing looks great! Perhaps some longer screws and spacers on your fender brace mount?