Desert Rat - ified Columbia...Back in the BACK40 Again! video pg3
- Thread starter OddJob
- Start date
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I got super lucky with this fork. Went to buy a cruiser frame on a CL ad. The fork on it was bent, and it had a set of 24" wheels with it, so I almost walked away. Then I thought, what the heck, and asked the guy if he had another fork that he would sell with the bike to replace the bent one.
He came out of a dirty, dank, dark, dingy shed with this gem in his hands. I swallowed my glee and calmly asked if we could pull the original to see if it the steer tube / head tube was a fit.
He said sure, and about 5 minutes later the deal was sealed. That frame became Foregone Conclusion, my MBBO #5 build. Now the fork has found a home.
Haven't seen many of these out there, but the hunt is a big part of the fun, right?
He came out of a dirty, dank, dark, dingy shed with this gem in his hands. I swallowed my glee and calmly asked if we could pull the original to see if it the steer tube / head tube was a fit.
He said sure, and about 5 minutes later the deal was sealed. That frame became Foregone Conclusion, my MBBO #5 build. Now the fork has found a home.
Haven't seen many of these out there, but the hunt is a big part of the fun, right?
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Now that's the best forking story I've herd in a while . Sounds to good to be true wink wink....
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Totally true. Sent pics to @kingfish254 the day I picked it up and he nearly choked on his lunch! Especially when he heard the price I paid for the bike, and the 'free' fork!
Coming along nice brother!
Time to get off page 2!
Rat-ification process underway on the wheels for Desert Rat.
Front one has been lightly sanded, then a light coat of Rusto gray primer, followed by a dusting of multi-color texture Rusto.
Just picked up the matching rear wheel from RRB member and local cruiser shop owner (which is just a short 3 mi ride from me) @Scotty Bravo. That's still in chromed steel mode. Not for long.....
Rat-ification process underway on the wheels for Desert Rat.
Front one has been lightly sanded, then a light coat of Rusto gray primer, followed by a dusting of multi-color texture Rusto.
Just picked up the matching rear wheel from RRB member and local cruiser shop owner (which is just a short 3 mi ride from me) @Scotty Bravo. That's still in chromed steel mode. Not for long.....
Time to get off page 2!
Rat-ification process underway on the wheels for Desert Rat.
Front one has been lightly sanded, then a light coat of Rusto gray primer, followed by a dusting of multi-color texture Rusto.
Just picked up the matching rear wheel from RRB member and local cruiser shop owner (which is just a short 3 mi ride from me) @Scotty Bravo. That's still in chromed steel mode. Not for long.....
View attachment 42864
I've been busy work and all, and missed the first couple weeks in wbo. Glad I got a few minutes today to peruse thru some of the builds!
Really liking this build. Great work so far OJ. That fork is to die for.
Are you keeping the wheels a textured white? Or overlaying them with some rustification? Kinda liking the thought of white with the rust...
Hey, thanks for the props. The gray primer kind of gives the wheels a dull, faded, aluminum look. I have added some light textured rust so far. The rest of the bike is pretty 'rust-ified', so I'm going to add a bit more to the rims, but not go overboard.
Haha! Who am I kidding?? I ALWAYS go overboard when it comes to rust!
After I held the rims up to the bike, I knew they needed more color.
Set up the Park stand, clamped the old orig fork from Mesa, insert wheel, spin and spray...nice even distribution.
Set up the Park stand, clamped the old orig fork from Mesa, insert wheel, spin and spray...nice even distribution.
Desert Rat-isfied! Really happy how this is turning out. Having some issues with tge chain guard, the dog leg crank has a really tight Q factor for a one piece. Might go without, that monster chain ring looks good showing all it's teeth....
Rode the Desert Rat into work today. Yeah, that's right; work. Building bikes and working the floor at Arizona Wholesale Bikes, my local shop in next door Gilbert. About 8 miles round trip. That 52 x 18 gear moves along pretty good on the flat canal trail I use for my commute. She's a ratty rider for sure! Fun to watch the customers eyeball it among all the shiny, bright colored cruisers in the store.
Fv2
Don't know what I'm doing, gonna do it anyway.
That's awesome.
Did you notice a price tag?
Looking good OJ. Sounds like you've got it going on out west. Nice ride to work at a bike shop. Like the spin 'n' spray patina technique.
On the beer sign, $149. On the wooden wheels, looked like vintage 20" matching pair, $295.
The pictures taken with my phone, priceless.
The patina turned out well. I think I'm done with the Rat - ified Columbia. The chain guard I have isn't working, and I kind of like that big ring showing off. Rolls real well around 12 mph, less than that and it's work.
The job will be just a couple times a week to build bikes, or emergency status when a bike is pre-sold but not built yet. Nice thing is, I can be there in 15 mins or so by bike.
Having a camera handy all the time is great!On the beer sign, $149. On the wooden wheels, looked like vintage 20" matching pair, $295.
The pictures taken with my phone, priceless.
Brother and sis-in-law in town. Didn't work on bikes at all this week, but I rode Desert Rat with the crew into downtown Gilbert for a sunny, fireside gathering yesterday.
The bike rides great!
The bike rides great!
Got a message from my old stomping grounds, took in this bike from a 'new bike' customer this week. Gonna bring it inside and save it for me. @The Renaissance Man .... looks like a good candidate for tank conversion, no?
Score!
