Girthy Gerty

[LeMad Hatter]

Started the day off right shopping for new parts at the Monroe bike swap meet. I've already changed my plans and starting bike from a Huffy Sportsman that I picked out of a junkyard to this Hawthorne frame. I dressed it up to ride around the swap meet today, but the only thing that's going to remain for my build off attempt is the frame. Still have a few more hours at the meet, then a two hour drive home. But the picking was most excellent, and got to meet a few of my friends today

 

[kingfish254]

Looking forward to your madness.
What kinda truss rods are those?

 

[LeMad Hatter]

No idea. I picked them up last year at a flea market. The guy had then marked as a bird house stand for $5. I had to have them

 

[OddJob]

In Rods We Truss.

Cool build start! Welcome to the madness!

 

[LeMad Hatter]

I got some parts today at the swap meet that are gonna spice up my build.

Sadly, the Springer fork steer tube is completely shot and the fork legs are bent and cracked. What I'm going to do is cut the dropouts and the spring mounting pad off of this fork and weld then onto another very similar fork I have. The glass fuel filter and siren will add to the steam punk/cyber punk-ish vibe I have in mind, and the drum brake is just the icing on the cake

 

[Bike from the Dead]

My first Build Off bike was a Snyder-built Hawthorne. I'm excited to see how you build yours!

Good luck on the fork mods! I'd hate for you to go through the same thing I did last year... That hurt.

 

[LeMad Hatter]

Yikes no bueno! Hope you weren't hurt too bad

My first Build Off bike was a Snyder-built Hawthorne. I'm excited to see how you build yours!
View attachment 191941

Good luck on the fork mods! I'd hate for you to go through the same thing I did last year... That hurt.
View attachment 191939View attachment 191940

 

[Bike from the Dead]

Yikes no bueno! Hope you weren't hurt too bad

Well, it could've been a lot worse, but I got banged and scraped badly enough that I could barely work on my bikes for the following 2 months after the crash. The scrapes healed up fast enough, but it took at least 2 months before my wrists could handle any twists, weight, or pressure again. My hands broke my fall, so it's no surprise they took the worst of the damage.

 

[Bike from the Dead]

Just be sure to use sleeves on your welds and get good penetration, and you should be able to avoid the same nightmare scenario I had.

 

[LeMad Hatter]

Just changed the thread name. This bike isn't going to be sleek or have slicks. It was hard thinking up a name at the bike show, surrounded by so much shiney stuff

 

[The Renaissance Man]

I like the name!

 

[LeMad Hatter]

Okay, hear me out. The voices. Usually they have pretty good ideas, some a little more extreme than others. They said use the Hawthorne frame because it looks cool, sporty, and a little ratty. We have that tank that should fit with just a little modification.

Then the one in the back said buy this wrecked fork, because we have a similar replacement and can get it working again.

Then the shy one said that fork looks like the unknown pre war bike. So I humored it and put the fork next to the bike. Then... Then… Dang it, they all agree. This is the frame we should be building

Not only that, the absolute repop Columbia tank fits this pre war bike even better

Side by side comparison

So, since I haven't officially changed frames for the build off (even though I did change frames the day before), if the judges allow it, I'm going to change. I even mocked up the wheels and handlebars and if we do say so, it looks darn good together

Wheels are 26x80mm, the rear hub is a Nexus 3 speed with coaster brake, the front hub is going to be changed to a drum brake

That means that in both categories, I'm going to have a bike with a skip tooth ch... Wait, spoiler alert

 

[OddJob]

Is there room for tires on those 80mm rims? Looks a little tight,and the tires typically stick out past the edge of the rims.

I like the second frame choice.

 

[LeMad Hatter]

Is there room for tires on those 80mm rims? Looks a little tight,and the tires typically stick out past the edge of the rims.

I like the second frame choice.

There's 1/2" of room in the back and on the truss part of the fork. I'm going with 26x 2.5" tires, so they'll stretch a bit and won't go over the rim much. Plus, that back tire is going to slide just a little further back before I'm done

 

[Wildcat]

2.5 tires will look great on 80mm rims.

No serial number on that frame? I'd like to figure out what it is.

 

[LeMad Hatter]

2.5 tires will look great on 80mm rims.

No serial number on that frame? I'd like to figure out what it is.

Me too. I'm scared to scrub off the patina. It's absolutely perfect. I might have to though, because not knowing is also driving me crazy

 

[SkyknightJohn]

Oh, Woe is the one who must decide between two such frames!
Both are great, and since you’ll be in both categories…
Well chosen!

 

[LeMad Hatter]

Woohoo! Just checked, and my tires arrived... Yesterday. Gonna make it a roller as soon as I get a few more chain links

 

[Frankie plekhand]

Wow that looks cool with those 80mm rims!

 

[LeMad Hatter]

Wow that looks cool with those 80mm rims!

Thanks! I really wasn't sure they'd fit, but there's plenty of room still