MattiThundrrr
Rattus All Terrainus
Add a seatpost 
ELGIN TWIN 9
- Thread starter Reallybigtim
- Start date
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This would be my solution on such a frame:
If I have to use a seatpost, I will consider my custom seat mounting experiment a failure. Since the bike has no seat tube, why should it have a seatpost? My idea is to use an old flat hinge in front and attach the 2 springs directly to the frame with some kind of clamping device (without any permanent modifications, of course). That factory seatpost is just an eyesore to me. Come to think of it, that kickstand hanging down certainly interrupts the flow of the lines (and it looks like it weighs about 5 pounds)........it's coming off. Form over function.Add a seatpost
Great idea, toro! But that would be way too complicated for me to build. And my ultimate goal is to have the seat laying down on the frame cleanly. But I have always wanted to build a rear suspension system (using springer fork parts) that resembles your idea.
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MattiThundrrr
Rattus All Terrainus
Didn't @kingfish254 attempt a spring mounted seat on his Elgin last year? Maybe even a successful one?
That's so much better! No more kickstand hanging down being ugly. Now the lines flow beautifully.
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MattiThundrrr
Rattus All Terrainus
Yeah man, that's knew there was something picking at the back of my brain.
Progress pic from Steamroller. Sorry about that seatpost joke
Progress pic from Steamroller. Sorry about that seatpost joke
Or maybe patent seat post clamps (if you use a seat with rails) plus a second set made from those metal pieces with the holes - no idea what they are called, a piece of one left in the pic. It would be all held by a single bolt.
P. S. That BB cover is so cool.
P. S. That BB cover is so cool.
The Dayton Twin Flex style rear end would be cool. If you go that route, I would suggest bending the Monark spring legs to match the curve of the looptail. Chek out images of Twin Flex rear ends for examples. You can also check out my Flex-Liner 7 build from BO7. I think that would work well with this frame. It may complicate your seat idea though.
It could be without the suspension. I was thinking of the seatstays from a cheap cantilever frame, since they are already curved. The seatstays plus dropouts and the brake bridge.
I have no intention of utilizing a rear suspension system on this bike. It's just an idea that I have considered on a few previous builds. The only reason I referenced it was because it looked like toro's seat mounting idea. I feel that seat springs will be enough rear suspension, but I am trying to figure out a usable front suspension system for this build. I am considering the obvious, and just using a Stewart-Warner Floating Hub. They are commonly seen on many high-end Twin Bars. That way I will maintain the overall clean, minimalistic look of this build.
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Since I was unable to find an original set of white Elgin grips, I just ordered a set of reproductions. What is the best way to make them match the patina of the bike?
I rubbed some acrylic paint on my dark black brand new naner saddle for my Shelby Woody build. Used a gray color called 'Plaid', lightly rubbed in. Turned it to a nice sun-baked fade
I've used it on grips as well.
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I agree on the acrylic paint. I assume you want to match the tire color? They have tons of different shades that should work. I use the crafter's acrylic paint in the little bottles.
I had an old '48 Schwinn that had the most beautifully patina'd white grips that I had ever seen. They were almost a caramel color with all of the "deep" areas being much darker. And they were kind of shiny on the "high" spots (but still dark) where hands would have been rubbing them for many years. I was thinking brown shoe polish or some kind of stain to achieve the same effect??? Should I scuff the surface of the grips so the stain/polish/paint can penetrate better? Wouldn't it be really cool to get the tires this same color also?
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Maybe on a test grip, one you don't care so much about, try half of it 'scuffed' (very lightly) and then I would try an adhesion promoter spray on the other half. I used this on my chrome on RaTs GaSs to get the very thin Duplicolor Metalcast to stick to the slick surface of the chrome. A combination of the two would probably be your best bet. And if you use a gel stain, that will be your best shot for getting a 'deeper' coloring. Some use it to create a wood grain look on plastic.
Does anyone have a set of correct fenders for this bike in usable condition? I want to see if shorty fenders look good on this bike, and I don't want to cut up the nice original fenders that I have.
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Hey Tim,
I could not have stated any better the challenges the Elgin Twins' design poses for mild mods.
I'll be eagerly following your build from the seat post fix to the finish line.
My twin (non build off) has been playing the mock up game forever and remains essentially the same bare metal core frame and pod and shroud as you're tackling now.
My wheel and tire combo has been seemingly married to the project since they met 5 years ago. The fork isn't... and...then the...well you all know...
Keep up the great work everyone!
Let's see some pictures of your mock-ups.
