Dirty White Boy

[jodphoto]

Started out with a 74 Raleigh Grand Prix. See the before shots below.

So far I just took it apart to see what was going to be usable. It will be a fixie or singlespeed. My goal is to make it fast and rideable but to keep it as rat as possible on a low budget, like early hot rods. I have no design in mind but the bike will tell me what it wants to be. So far $0 spent.

Although I'm building an "other bike", the artistry and craftsmanship on this site are inspiring and I value the comments. So, I'm content just to participate with such a talented bunch.

 

[Bicycle808]

Glad you made it to the party, jodphoto. So far, you're the only other guy on the BO who's looking to go fixed... (Fixed drivetrains ain't very popular on RRB, it seems...)

 

[LukeTheJoker]

Welcome to the madness...

Luke.

 

[The Renaissance Man]

Fast is good!
Looking forward to the pix.

 

[Uncle Fide]

Welcome aboard, let's see the ingredients then


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[fordsnake]

I have no design in mind but the bike will tell me what it wants to be.

Spoken like a true creative...go for it!

 

[jats]

pics dude need some pics!!!!!

Troy

 

[kingfish254]

Welcome to RRB and BONINE

 

[Jake Sensi]

Welcome to the jungle! Get TA buildin'!! Peace


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[jodphoto]

Glad you made it to the party, jodphoto. So far, you're the only other guy on the BO who's looking to go fixed... (Fixed drivetrains ain't very popular on RRB, it seems...)

Fixies are bare looking. When the bike is all stripped down, the bad boy shows through. I will try and use the cranks, seat, stem, bars and hubs because they look classic-y. I have a set of steel rims with a patterned braking surface. Thinking of painting the spokes. I'll run a front brake, maybe one of the stock ones on a flipped bar (yeah, bum bars).

The frame will be bare steel with some details painted (idea to come).Definitely not bead blasting. Torch burns, rust, wire brush marks are all possibilities.

 

[jodphoto]

Fast is good!
Looking forward to the pix.

Just posted them on the original post #1.

 

[Bicycle808]

... I have a set of steel rims with a patterned braking surface. Thinking of painting the spokes. I'll run a front brake, maybe one of the stock ones on a flipped bar (yeah, bum bars)...

I love rims with knurled braking surfaces; they work a little better than plain steel rims, but the texture brings an added element to how the whole bike looks. As for bum bars and fixies, well... I got nothing but love for that set-up...

Good luck with the build! Check out my fixed build on this thread, if you get bored....
http://www.ratrodbikes.com/forum/in...ange-disc-to-fix-tutorial-w-pics-tasty.83358/

FWIW, definitely hang onto that crank, b/c switching cranks on a Nottingham Raleigh is a PITA.

 

[ifitsfreeitsforme]

perfect bike for a fixie conversion.

 

[jodphoto]

I love rims with knurled braking surfaces; they work a little better than plain steel rims, but the texture brings an added element to how the whole bike looks. As for bum bars and fixies, well... I got nothing but love for that set-up...
Good luck with the build! Check out my fixed build on this thread, if you get bored....
FWIW, definitely hang onto that crank, b/c switching cranks on a Nottingham Raleigh is a PITA.

I like your build. The level of craftsmanship in this forum is impressive. I like your parts shot. That will be next. At least it will force some organization on me.

Knurled, that's the word I was trying to find. Yeah, these rims are funky but right.

Bum bars elicit such mixed reactions. I have them on two other fixies I ride. Some people think I'm the oldest crackhead in town, others think they are innovative. I guess all the kids in my old neighborood were innovators. Yeah, that's it.

This Raleigh was made in Worksop, UK so the BB threading is standard. I can change the BB and crank but I really like the old one. They look even better with just the large ring. I have the same one from a Peugeot which is in better shape I could swap.

 

[kingfish254]

B808, that video is insane!

 

[Bicycle808]

B808, that video is insane!

Yeah, "artistic cycling" is the craziest thing, ever.... Tons of similar videos on youtube. And, the stock set-up for Artistic Bikes seems to be steel frames, super-low ratio fixed gearing, and "bum bars" (flipped road drop bars.) The Artistic Cyclists prefer this cockpit option for the same reasons that the bums (and, presumably, Jodphoto) do: excellent leverage, improved ergonomics, and kitsch fashion.

I've never run bum bars, but i prefer them to the fake-bullhorn "chop-n-flop" set-up that was so popular with posengers at the turn of the century.

 

[jodphoto]

Yeah, "artistic cycling" is the craziest thing, ever.... Tons of similar videos on youtube. And, the stock set-up for Artistic Bikes seems to be steel frames, super-low ratio fixed gearing, and "bum bars" (flipped road drop bars.) The Artistic Cyclists prefer this cockpit option for the same reasons that the bums (and, presumably, Jodphoto) do: excellent leverage, improved ergonomics, and kitsch fashion.

I've never run bum bars, but i prefer them to the fake-bullhorn "chop-n-flop" set-up that was so popular with posengers at the turn of the century.

The artistic cyclists also use forks with no rake so they can spin the bars (or the bike) continually in either direction. The first time I saw acrobatic moves was in the 1986 film Quicksilver where all the messengers had a sort of competition on the street. I'm guessing this evolved from BMX street tricks.

There is a real cultural provenance to bum bars that doesn't come from a marketing department. From what I remember, older guys in my neighborhood would flip the bars on tall framed road bikes so they could cruise in street clothes. Frequently they would roll up their right pant leg or tuck it in their tall socks to keep them clean.

In the bike world there's plenty of posing going on. No one would ever accuse me of being fashionable, though. So if bum bars come back in style, I may need to find something else like an old steering wheel. Or...market road bars with the logos positioned so they read correctly when mounted flipped. Call them StuntBars, starting at $239.

 

[Bicycle808]

Excellent idea, except I think 'd still call them "Bum Bars", stating at $239; maybe use a "z" instead of an "s" and just go from there.

Quicksilver is a hilarious movie, mostly insofar as Kevin Bacon's bike keeps changing throughout the movie, depending on the riding going on. Sometimes it's fixed, sometimes it's a singlespeed with a freewheel, sometimes he has derailers....

Actually, the whole movie is HI-larious. My favorite part is where he puts his bike on the stand just to lube the chain real quick, and when she asks him what he's doing, he says "oiling the chain--- it makes it go faster!" Now, everytime I put lube on my chain, I think to myself "this'll make it it go faster...."

 

[jodphoto]

pics dude need some pics!!!!!

Troy

Here are the parts so far.

I will try and use the old seat after conditioning. The Normandy hubs are in good shape. The crank cleaned up all right. The frame has some nice detail. The Rigida knurled rims should look cool and they cleaned up nice. The stem is classic, too. I'll play with reconfiguring the brake lever to reverse pull and curve the opposite way too. The Weinmann center pull should do OK though I hate to cover the head badge. I like the old GB pedals but they are worn out. If I can't rebuild them I'll try and find some on ebay. All in all i want the bike to look old, no shiny new stuff. I learned that from you all.

Don't laugh...there are things I'm trying for the first time on this build. Lacing a wheel, bare steel frame, removing braze-ons, re-habing a leather seat, painting spokes. the builds on RRB give me ideas and confidence.

 

[LukeTheJoker]

Wow! Some really nice gear there! Good to hear the site is helping push your limits!

Luke.