Electra Bicycle Pics
- Thread starter voodoo curse
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Hey people, this is my first post! I have been bitten by the RatRod bug and am hooked. I used to race bikes in amateur events when I was younger but bikes just got too stiff. I got sick of having to put on my bike shoes, bike shorts, bike jersey, you get the idea. I just wanted to have fun and be cool. I found this Electra Punk 3i for a bargain and thought of some really cool ideas for it. This is how it looked stock:
Then I went to a website featuring WWII military bicycles used for dispatch. I wanted to make a bike to pay homage to our men and women of the military that keep us safe at night. So I combined a little old and new:
I wanted to give my Electra an old time motorcycle look, so I hand fabbed these handlebars to give it. They are super comfortable to use. You can ride all day long and keep going. The markings on the bike have meaning. The "USAAF" stands for United States ARMY AIR Force, which what we know now as just "Air Force". There is "82-AB" that recognizes the 82 Air Bike battalion that was stationed in Fort Bragg California in 1942. These guys would have a bike on their backs dismantled, and parachute out of planes. When landing they would assemble their bike and serve as couriers and dispatchers. Very Cool! Then on the chain guard is "1869", the year the first U.S. Military bicycle regiment was formed. Then there is the ARMY star. So there is a lot of symbology on this ride. And there is a 5.56x54 ammo can out back that serves as storage. 5.56x54 is the ammo that our troops and NATO allies use.
Here is a seat I have on order, a Brooks B-135 in Honey, and I'm getting matching brown leather hand grips. I am fabbing a set of full front and rear fenders to fit the huge 24 x 3 tires, complete with leather mud flaps. I'll post more pics as she gets completed. If you have ever served in the military, "thanks for protecting Us!"
Then I went to a website featuring WWII military bicycles used for dispatch. I wanted to make a bike to pay homage to our men and women of the military that keep us safe at night. So I combined a little old and new:
I wanted to give my Electra an old time motorcycle look, so I hand fabbed these handlebars to give it. They are super comfortable to use. You can ride all day long and keep going. The markings on the bike have meaning. The "USAAF" stands for United States ARMY AIR Force, which what we know now as just "Air Force". There is "82-AB" that recognizes the 82 Air Bike battalion that was stationed in Fort Bragg California in 1942. These guys would have a bike on their backs dismantled, and parachute out of planes. When landing they would assemble their bike and serve as couriers and dispatchers. Very Cool! Then on the chain guard is "1869", the year the first U.S. Military bicycle regiment was formed. Then there is the ARMY star. So there is a lot of symbology on this ride. And there is a 5.56x54 ammo can out back that serves as storage. 5.56x54 is the ammo that our troops and NATO allies use.
Here is a seat I have on order, a Brooks B-135 in Honey, and I'm getting matching brown leather hand grips. I am fabbing a set of full front and rear fenders to fit the huge 24 x 3 tires, complete with leather mud flaps. I'll post more pics as she gets completed. If you have ever served in the military, "thanks for protecting Us!"
Wow, great job - if you take off the badge it's hard to tell there's an Electra under all that camouflage green 8) digging the bars too. I do like the overall look, so don't get me wrong, but somehow whitewalls don't seem logical on a "warbike" though, unless you collect bullits :wink: I wonder how brown tires would look, together with the ordered brown brooks seat and brown grips ?
How many times have you hit that ammobox with your right foot yet ? :mrgreen:
PS: nice guitars !!!
viewtopic.php?f=11&t=29034 :idea:
How many times have you hit that ammobox with your right foot yet ? :mrgreen:
PS: nice guitars !!!
viewtopic.php?f=11&t=29034 :idea:
Ace said:
Thanks. If you know a vendor that makes 24 X 3" tires in different colors let me know. Even Electra only sells them as whitewalls only. Brown tires would be cool. I hit the ammo box about 3 times before I learned how to mount it right LOL!
Yeah, the tires are pretty incongruous. A generic black 2.125 or maybe something like this :wink: http://www.biketiresdirect.com/product/ ... ace-26x224 would be more "authentic" looking. .02 :|
Electra has some nice 26 x 2.35 all black tires (cruiser vintage diamond tire) that would look sweet on that bike.
https://www.electrabike.com/store/
Unfortunately, it looks like they stopped selling the 24 x 3 tires. You might still find some online though.
The army paint job is much cooler than the original Punk paint. Nice job!
https://www.electrabike.com/store/
Unfortunately, it looks like they stopped selling the 24 x 3 tires. You might still find some online though.
The army paint job is much cooler than the original Punk paint. Nice job!
Yeah, those "punk" graphics are lame.
They more than likely aren't showing up on Electra's website because they are not in stock at their warehouse....that's how they do it when stuff is out of stock. I HIGHLY doubt they stopped making them since so many of their bikes come with them.
I have ordered a set of all black wheels (thanks for the recommendations!) and I should be getting them tomorrow. I will post a photo when I mount them on my bike. I appreciate the input!
Huffsta said:Here is my Electra. Gonna add the front tray next. I love the fat franks
HEY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! thats my bike!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
actually thats the only other one ive seen on here its an awesome bike huh??
anyway did you buy it with that rear rack?? mine did not come with rear rack but DID come with the front one, i asked if they made a rear rack for it and was told no...........i want that rack!!!
Looks really good man! Nice conversion.cox6755 said:just built an LED headlight out of a big chrome motorcycle headlight. Just installed it today!
Bryman31 said:Huffsta said:Here is my Electra. Gonna add the front tray next. I love the fat franks
HEY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! thats my bike!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
actually thats the only other one ive seen on here its an awesome bike huh??
anyway did you buy it with that rear rack?? mine did not come with rear rack but DID come with the front one, i asked if they made a rear rack for it and was told no...........i want that rack!!!
This bike was orginally supposed to be for the owner of the bike shop and I talked him into selling it to me. By the time he ordered it Electra was not selling them with a front tray. Fortunatley I bought my wife a Holiday this summer and it had the front tray which will now go on mine. Electra told me the same thing about the rear rack when I called them directly. Because of the tapped holes in the seat stays I was sure the wide rack would fit, Electra said no, it wasn't designed to do that. So this is what you do, you have to buy the seat clamp with rack mounting holes, because that is where the upper part of the rack mounts and buy the wide rack from electra or the LBS. I mounted the rack on the seat stays first and then carefully mounted it to the seat clamp. It will need some persuasion but it works. I gave a couple gentle pushes on the rack to really "bend" it into place but it works great. and I do love this bike.
cox6755 said:just built an LED headlight out of a big chrome motorcycle headlight. Just installed it today!
Awesome! Can you post some detail on how you mounted it? I'm wanting to build a light for my 09 RF, and need some ideas.
Huffsta said:Bryman31 said:Huffsta said:Here is my Electra. Gonna add the front tray next. I love the fat franks
HEY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! thats my bike!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
actually thats the only other one ive seen on here its an awesome bike huh??
anyway did you buy it with that rear rack?? mine did not come with rear rack but DID come with the front one, i asked if they made a rear rack for it and was told no...........i want that rack!!!
This bike was orginally supposed to be for the owner of the bike shop and I talked him into selling it to me. By the time he ordered it Electra was not selling them with a front tray. Fortunatley I bought my wife a Holiday this summer and it had the front tray which will now go on mine. Electra told me the same thing about the rear rack when I called them directly. Because of the tapped holes in the seat stays I was sure the wide rack would fit, Electra said no, it wasn't designed to do that. So this is what you do, you have to buy the seat clamp with rack mounting holes, because that is where the upper part of the rack mounts and buy the wide rack from electra or the LBS. I mounted the rack on the seat stays first and then carefully mounted it to the seat clamp. It will need some persuasion but it works. I gave a couple gentle pushes on the rack to really "bend" it into place but it works great. and I do love this bike.
THANKS MAN!!!!!!!!! im ordering that sucka right now!! ive found the front rack online several places for around $100.00 if you search for it. im not sure if i want to use mine....id most likely never use it for what its meant for, just use it for the look LOL, plus im thinking of a different type of front fork anyway. i got my bike form a local place, it was the only one of that model in store, the owner was riding it outside, i didnt even see it, i was inside looking at a few felt bikes. i heard someone talking bout the cool cruiser bike outside.....i went out there were like 12 people waiting to ride it.....i said is that bike for sale or what? owner said not sure i might keep it for myself....so i asked what the cost was he told me and i whipped out my card, said ill take it!!!!!!! everyone else was looking at me pissed!!! it was like i said what they all wanted to. i giggled went in and payed for it.
as for those tapped rear holes, im thinking why are they on the bike if not for a rear rack, which i also asked Electra when i called, they could not answer.............oh well......when you get that front rack on there id love to see a pic.........
BTW how do you like the brakes? i dis liked them immensely and replace them with some avid BB7's HUGE improvement!!! kept the original disks though till i find others i like
oh by the way....you have the exact same garage door we have....my wife saw this post and was like WHY DID YOU GET THAT REAR RACK!!!!! i was like honey its not my bike look.........took her to the garage and showed her it was the same door and bike but at someones elses house LOL
Here is my finished United States Army Air Force bike.
