GarageBicycleBuilder Lisbon Portugal! Cadillac painted!

[essenciaaa]

Re: Humble garage bicycle builder- Lisbon! Now with the Blogue!*

...tired of that blue colour and always wanting to have a obvious "metal bike" I painted her transparent
to see the steel texture and irregularities.

Then, one day after the paint job, I made this fork, that already has been in my mind for quite some time now.
I was doing it parallel at each side but then twisting a bit the tubes I felt that this conic way was much more audacious

Since I know that everyone likes to see the "process", here it goes:

...and already working on a big ride close to Lisbon - Belém:

Still on a test ride I don't feel that confident to do some wheelies and straining, but
some days from now I will certainly be doing some wheelies on her. I think it seems fragile
but is very well welded and thought - in lines and matters of holding the effort.


Cheers everyone

 

[deorman]

Re: Humble garage bicycle builder- Lisbon! Now with the Blogue!*

Cool 8) fork. :wink:

 

[Mugen_Stumpo]

Re: Humble garage bicycle builder- Lisbon! Now with the Blogue!*

nice fork

 

[essenciaaa]

Re: Humble garage bicycle builder- Lisbon! Now with the Blogue!*

Thanks Mugen_Stumpo and thanks deorman

It is working pretty well, already doing some wheelies and the fork seems pretty stiff and it is very light so it's more cool to ride without hands.

Today I took some pictures of her has she should be - a fixed gear or with a coaster brake on the rear hub.

The thing is I don't like to ride fixed bikes but she looks so nicer without any .... on the way of the tires and frame.

Doesn't it?

Cheers! 8)

 

[essenciaaa]

Re: Humble garage bicycle builder- Lisbon! Now with the Blogue!*

Since I want this bicycle to be 100% done by me(when I mean 100% I really mean it! - ok, not the brakes and gear pieces)
I made a handle bars complete to the frame:

It's not that special but it works great with my position of riding.

Now, it's 100% built by me! It feels good riding her 8)

 

[SectionEightLife]

Re: Humble garage bicycle builder- Lisbon! Now with the Blogue!*

Wow I love ALL these bikes! The very very first one you posted and this last one are great! I find it funny how timid you were about even posting anything here at all - but anyone here who can make a bike 100% by hand PLUS have their own really cool style to all their builds deserves to be part of this forum as much as anyone else. Bike building is bike building, doesnt matter how you do it, just as long as you ride :mrgreen:

But I like the stance of this bike a lot! Especially with the new bars and fork, looks like a crazy hybrid between a comfy, high-end, performer/rugged, battle-tested, heavy duty, handmade tank. LOVE it! Keep up the sweet builds man, I love seeing someone forging their own great works of art from nothing but a little will to do so - I dub thee "True Hotrodder"

 

[essenciaaa]

Re: Humble garage bicycle builder- Lisbon! Now with the Blogue!*

Wow, now I really feel flattered! What a message SectionEightLife! Thanks for the compliments, I really value them

This last bike is becoming a project of its own because, has I'm tight from budget, I'm only investing in parts of the bike
(not on one new entire bike) and since this is the bike that I ride every single day, it is the one that I'm investing now.
(to do the fork took me one day and the same with the handlebars - including amateur paint job!lol)

The first one that you mention was very comfortable, I rode her for quite some months too. The position is like a beach cruiser
but the design lines are modern and aggressive - since she started as a racing aggressive road bike(like a streetfighter motorcycle)
- as you can see on my blog.

Doing a 100% bike is more risky and takes time. Normally, I leave out of "my hands" the fork and the part that fixes the handle bars to
the fork or frame(don't know how to say in english). So normally I do, let's say, 90% of the bike, starting just with the metal tube of
the steering axle, then adding a tube, then welding the metal tube of the pedal bracket axle(I'm saying it right?), etc.


Thanks a lot Peatbog! It's really good to receive support


...to be continued...

 

[essenciaaa]

Re: Humble garage bicycle builder- Lisbon! Now with the Blogue!*

Starts the Cadillac Cruiser project!
from this:

The development of the real thing:

This was done in just one day and a half of work

Tomorrow I'm going to do the handle bars, seat, new fork and raise it a bit because is too low.

It's the first bike that I do entirely from a drawing to "reality" - all the measures are in scale 8)

Cheers to all!

 

[essenciaaa]

Re: Humble garage bicycle builder- Lisbon!

Today, another day of full work, I did the fork, the seat tube and finally the handle bars!
Tired...

I had a lot of ideas to do the fork but I chose the simplest.

I like this handle bars:

The handle bars always needs a beak...

And with her sister - the mantis bike!

Another 100% done by me - there is Nothing in the bike that was taken from another! Very cool to ride 8)

Tomorrow I'm going to totally clean it and then paint. Not sure of the colour to paint her, any suggestions?

 

[essenciaaa]

Re: GarageBicycleBuilder Lisbon Portugal! NEW *Cadillac Cruiser*

Since I'm waiting to paint the Cadillac Cruiser, I found another way to continue work:

Today I felt the mantis bike "calling" me for a ride but since I didn't want to go with the upper handle bars
I switched to this common ones.

Coming home from the ride, I decided to start a new bars, based on this, for the mantis bike:

Tomorrow it's finished.

 

[essenciaaa]

Re: GarageBicycleBuilder Lisbon Portugal! NEW *Cadillac Cruiser*

...and tomorrow is today:

It rides Beautifully! Really chopper bombaclock! :lol: I feel like I'm riding one of this:

(Meantime, can somebody tell me why nobody replies?? It would be nice to know what the ratrod community thought of my works...)

 

[MplsCoaster]

Re: GarageBicycleBuilder Lisbon Portugal! NEW *Cadillac Cruiser*

Interesting bike and great pics!

 

[Wilcycle]

Re: Humble garage bicycle builder- Lisbon! Now with the Blogue!*

This bike has evolved and looks better all the time.
I love this last look but as a single speed. You need a coaster hub to get rid of the brake and gear clutter.

Your Cadillac Cruiser is just too cool. Wow! what a bike.
It deserves a screaming red paintjob, but being a Cady perhaps a gloss black would be the deal.

You make some great hand built 'bars; but those flatties have made 'Mantis' not the Mantis any more.
Cool bars but they spoil the essence of Mantis in my opinion. Although I bet they make a nicer ride.

You are proof that it is better to stop thinking and start building. Very cool Bikes.

Kevin

 

[essenciaaa]

Re: GarageBicycleBuilder Lisbon Portugal! NEW *Cadillac Cruiser*

Wilcycle I must say you are right about the coaster brake, she would be very nicer without any wires etc. But the thing is
in a road bike I prefer the normal brake system although in beachCruisers or choppers there's nothing better. And yes the "essencia"
(essence) bicycle it's my bike all day long and every day. It's my pride and joy, really like to drive her around - very fast! I think it is the
only bike that I've ever created that on my standards it's perfect - this off course also because it is the only bike, that I made,
that has been always perfected along the way.

About the colour on the "Cadi" I'm thinking of a luxurious one but not certain yet of which one :roll:

Yé I always do the bars, and somebody on this forum said the same thing as you did. I prefer to do them my self because it's
really cheaper and I can say that I've made 100% of the project and not 90%... And a funny thing about the bars is that they
change completely the entire design/lines of a frame, like this:

You see?! It's incredible, with the same frame you can change completely a bicycle "subject" by putting another bars!
(it's a interesting thing to have in mind while you are creating a bicycle - and another is "the possibilities are endless!!!)

About the Mantis, very true indeed! I thought about it after putting her like this... Maybe, to continue on the animal kingdom,
BAT?? :lol: The bars make me think of one! :lol:

But no, I'm thinking about another like...dark beauty, or something like it, I'll soon decide.

...very nicer ride, that's for sure:

just to have an idea.

"You are proof that it is better to stop thinking and start building. Very cool Bikes." - yé thinking/projecting comes better
when I have the material in front of me, although the cadillac cruiser was the first bike to be projected on drawing before
doing it, big time, in real size. Every measurement is in scale with the project drawing :wink:

Thanks a lot for the compliments and support Kevin, it's good to know!

Mplscoaster thanks a lot for the support :wink:

Cheers to all!

 

[deorman]

Re: GarageBicycleBuilder Lisbon Portugal! NEW *Cadillac Cruiser*

The view with rider helps me tremendously when trying to decide what I think of unconventional bikes, especially when I don't have a chance to ride them. :wink: I like it. 8) I also like the black satin finish. :mrgreen:

http://i1184.photobucket.com/albums/z32 ... ke2029.jpg
http://i1184.photobucket.com/albums/z32 ... /013-b.jpg
http://i1184.photobucket.com/albums/z32 ... ke3044.jpg

 

[essenciaaa]

Re: GarageBicycleBuilder Lisbon Portugal! NEW *Cadillac Cruiser*

The view with rider helps me tremendously when trying to decide what I think of unconventional bikes, especially when I don't have a chance to ride them. :wink: I like it. 8) I also like the black satin finish. :mrgreen:

http://i1184.photobucket.com/albums/z32 ... ke2029.jpg
http://i1184.photobucket.com/albums/z32 ... /013-b.jpg
http://i1184.photobucket.com/albums/z32 ... ke3044.jpg

Yé that's true, you need to take a picture with the rider to understand really how the bike rides and this rides very "cooly". :wink:

All black BAT :lol:

I like the elegance of your frame, cool ride :wink:

Cheers

 

[essenciaaa]

Re: GarageBicycleBuilder Lisbon Portugal! NEW *Cadillac Cruiser*

essencia bike goes coaster brake:

 

[essenciaaa]

Re: GarageBicycleBuilder Lisbon Portugal!Mantis goes demonEyezed

Present demonEyezed:

 

[essenciaaa]

Re: GarageBicycleBuilder Lisbon Portugal! NEW *Cadillac Cruiser*

Mantis demonEyezed:

:lol:

 

[essenciaaa]

Re: GarageCycleBuilder Lisbon Portugal! Cadillac Cruiser painted

Finally!
Cadillac Cruiser is painted:

Mmm... When I was choosing the colour it seemed more orange... Did I made a mistake? You tell me.

I think that for the name is very reasonable :lol:, but I'm still not sure about it.

However, you have to ride her to understand the why of the name! Is really cool, down and easy
- you feel like king of the road but maintaining the coolest position. (It's a bit of a surprise really.)
Still need to do some long ride to know if it's really comfortable but for now it really seems nice.

Just look at my face:

:lol:


Cheers to all!!! and tell me what you think :wink: