I figure the night before I start I will eat some of my wife's desebrada...really spicy ...will burn up most nonhispanics.......then go to sleep and dream up my next creation. Works most of the time or gives you diarrhea 
Guilt Trip
- Thread starter Uncle Stretch
- Start date
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Good points, my man. Not everyone can weld, but everyone can learn. It's one of those things that you don't have to be able to do to become a true bike artist, but deep down we know you really should. I got close, I did everything except welding on my bike this year. Cut off quite a bit of metal, fabbed a few (bolt-on) pieces. built the wheels. Mixed and matched parts, sanded and painted the frame, stitched the seat... It felt great, and I enjoyed it, but I really wish I could have found a welder to use. On my next build, I will do everything in my power to find a welder. I want to build a few Zombie bikes. Want to try to make a burrito. I want to try my hand at a better chopper frame, learning from what I did on my OCC. Definitely want to build a motorized boardtracker.
And the list goes on. I'm about at the limit of what I can do without a welder, I'm ready to step up to the next level.
And the list goes on. I'm about at the limit of what I can do without a welder, I'm ready to step up to the next level.
now, if i had a knowledgeable someone like Uncle Stretch locally that i could pay to stick my ideas together, then, well, i could bring some of my ratty visions into being 
first order of business would be a ratty longtail/cargo cruiser along the lines of this one seen at WorldBike:
last time i called something a "build" it was immediately dumped into the Other Bike section admittedly, though, in retrospect, i was the only one excited about the so-called Gnash Single "build" and it was not quite rat and not at all rod.
first order of business would be a ratty longtail/cargo cruiser along the lines of this one seen at WorldBike:
last time i called something a "build" it was immediately dumped into the Other Bike section
admittedly, though, in retrospect, i was the only one excited about the so-called Gnash Single "build" and it was not quite rat and not at all rod.
mmmm desebrada. that's one of my favorite food to eat.Uncle Stretch said:I figure the night before I start I will eat some of my wife's desebrada...really spicy ...will burn up most nonhispanics.......then go to sleep and dream up my next creation. Works most of the time or gives you diarrhea
bighit said:
maybe with those Surly handlebars you photographed at InterBike
Im having a hard time topping the Skelebike. And quite often I am building things that are not bike related. Most of my metal work is making skulls and other evil looking things. Besides, the Skelebike took 6 or 7 years to complete, hardly gonna make the 3 month deadline for a build off. I really need to find some inspiration and I haven't had any latley. Hey and Uncle Strech I completely understand the whole pre-cancerous stuff, had 22 off left arm and 16 off the right and still have a few more to go. Mine is caused by the sun which is why iv'e been taking a liking to night riding.
Alot of the time I build these frames , to kill boredom and to see if I can outdo myself. Some people follow my builds and some post. I will build them if nobody posts. I try to get ideas from everywhere , then change them and make them mine. A build is a personal thing for me. It lets me loose to create something that I feel like should be built. :wink:
I go to all those "other" sites. Choppers, burritos, HUGE rear tires, etc.. They definitely LOOK cool, but I like a bike that I can ride at least 10 miles, leaving most of those out. Long extended forks, or long bikes like burritos for that matter, handle COMPLETELY different then ordinary bikes. Not recommended for use on busy bike paths, or SLOW crowded areas ( you gotta get these things moving quickly or they get really squirrely). One of my favorite bikes is over 8 ft. long (transport with the tailgate down) but I wouldn't think about using it where there is a lot of stop and go traffic. I have a better appreciation for stock framed bikes, because of this site. The skill it takes to make one of these frames cool and unique ( a skill that I have yet to master) is amazing. So if you make a wild concoction, just be prepared for the limited use you're gonna get out of it. Oh, Uncle Stretch any or ALL of the bikes you've built (conservatively stretched) are far superior to a burrito or a huge fat tired chopper!.................To each his own. To some, it's better to look cool, then be comfortable ( or safe, or fast or....)
Coming from one of the sites that builds the wild looking bikes, I can stand proudly and definitely say that many of our guys and girls are also RRB members and vice versa. Sometimes these members build up a RatRod style bike but don't post it on our board only here, then the next time they build a more FreakBike style bike and only post it on our board. I've always gone on the asumption that either style is welcome on this board and I know for sure that any Rat Rod style bike is more than appreciated by most members of the FreakBike Nation. The FreakBike Nation is open to anyone who is into custom bikes or is just curious about what we're doing.
All bikes are welcome but we would appreciate that the bike are rders and not strictly for show.
The one thing that I always hear is something like ... " because I don't have access to a welder". Guess what guys! Bridges are built without welders, ships can be built without welders, buildings can be built without welders and bikes that haul my fat butt can and have been built without welders! :shock: Nuts, bolts and a hand drill are all it takes to hold a few pieces of tubing together. FreakBikes are running all over the world that have been glued, screwed and wired together in one fashion or another. Some of you metal working guys know darn well that for our purposes, hammer welding or riveting can be used just as safely as welding. We're not out there building a bike to take on BAja or be shot into orbit. For the most part .... WE CRUISE! If you go too fast the public can't see how cool we are. These types of bikes are meant to be seen and appreciated. A nice slow paced ride allows for this.
Now I'm not by any means telling you to build something that your peers affectionatly named "Death and Dismemberment" (with good reason!). I'm saying that a very cool custom bike can be built and ridden by other means than welding. This board as well as A.Z. and the FBN has a huge bucket of knowledge that's just waiting to be sloshed around by anyone interested in taking the plunge. Don't be intimidated by anyone, just get out there and (as We say) put your "Freak on it"! Rust, wood,wallpaper or babydoll parts can all be just as appealing to us as a high priced paint job. In my case, anything other than chrome grabs my interest. I do like bikes that have some chrome, but if I gotta squint on a cloudy day just to see your bike, then I'll probably ignore it and miss out on all the cool fab work you've done. That's just me though. Welds don't have to be professional eiother and bodywork/paint doesn't have to be show quality, in fact too good kinda takes away the "do it yourself" charm of the builds.
The only thing I look for first is if it's rideable! Otherwise it's "Bike Art". Nothing wrong with Bike Art and I really enjoy the talent put into it but don't call it an actual bike. If you've ever talked to me on this Bike Art subject at a show or ride than you know how strong my feelings are. Ride it or hang it!
The FBN photo gallery is always open to both bikes and Bike Art and anyone is welcome to submit their bikes to us. So hopefully all of us can share our ideas and talent with each other.
Now get out there and build some street beasts!
Chainsaw
All bikes are welcome but we would appreciate that the bike are rders and not strictly for show.
The one thing that I always hear is something like ... " because I don't have access to a welder". Guess what guys! Bridges are built without welders, ships can be built without welders, buildings can be built without welders and bikes that haul my fat butt can and have been built without welders! :shock: Nuts, bolts and a hand drill are all it takes to hold a few pieces of tubing together. FreakBikes are running all over the world that have been glued, screwed and wired together in one fashion or another. Some of you metal working guys know darn well that for our purposes, hammer welding or riveting can be used just as safely as welding. We're not out there building a bike to take on BAja or be shot into orbit. For the most part .... WE CRUISE! If you go too fast the public can't see how cool we are. These types of bikes are meant to be seen and appreciated. A nice slow paced ride allows for this.
Now I'm not by any means telling you to build something that your peers affectionatly named "Death and Dismemberment" (with good reason!). I'm saying that a very cool custom bike can be built and ridden by other means than welding. This board as well as A.Z. and the FBN has a huge bucket of knowledge that's just waiting to be sloshed around by anyone interested in taking the plunge. Don't be intimidated by anyone, just get out there and (as We say) put your "Freak on it"! Rust, wood,wallpaper or babydoll parts can all be just as appealing to us as a high priced paint job. In my case, anything other than chrome grabs my interest. I do like bikes that have some chrome, but if I gotta squint on a cloudy day just to see your bike, then I'll probably ignore it and miss out on all the cool fab work you've done. That's just me though. Welds don't have to be professional eiother and bodywork/paint doesn't have to be show quality, in fact too good kinda takes away the "do it yourself" charm of the builds.
The only thing I look for first is if it's rideable! Otherwise it's "Bike Art". Nothing wrong with Bike Art and I really enjoy the talent put into it but don't call it an actual bike. If you've ever talked to me on this Bike Art subject at a show or ride than you know how strong my feelings are. Ride it or hang it!
The FBN photo gallery is always open to both bikes and Bike Art and anyone is welcome to submit their bikes to us. So hopefully all of us can share our ideas and talent with each other.
Now get out there and build some street beasts!
Chainsaw
Chainsaw is the FREAK BIKE king........There is nothing "pretty" about his bikes, that's what makes them "beautiful"! (that's a compliment chainey)...........Agreed, if ya can't ride it, hang it!
I would love to build a frame from scratch, problem is it would probably look exactly like a frame from the 20's - 30's. I'm not really into the stretched out crazy lowriders or freak bikes, I guess I'm more of a purist. I think if I did build a frame it would either be a 1920's boardtrack replica or a bmx frame with a little bit longer front triangle than the industry standard. As far as bars turned upside down, set up your bike how you want, but a 60's middleweight with upside down bars is not a boardtracker.
I have a Stingray frame that just dying to be cut up, and a welder collecting dust ( still trying to figure out what the heck I'm doing) but I have a Roth cartoon Idea for a build.......Hmmmmm....
Thanks guys,
Cman, I thought you glued a little how 'bout some nostalgic kodakk moments to refresh my memory!
No King here, just a humble peasant in the land custom bikes. If I was a king I wouldn't use the junk that I do! :lol:
Kota, Thanks for the compliment! :mrgreen: I build them ugly so I'm the good looking accessory on the bike! :wink:
Necessary, It's funny the uppyside down bar thingy was just brought up this last weekend on a U.S. invasion into Ontario to ride with YYZMEC and Canucks.I don't know who started it but things got pretty funny. My favorite was that one guy said he combed his handlebar moustache so that it gave him the look of a boardtracker. :lol:
Goldy! Why the heck you wasting time reading this! Get out there and chop that Stingray up!
Cman, I thought you glued a little how 'bout some nostalgic kodakk moments to refresh my memory!
No King here, just a humble peasant in the land custom bikes. If I was a king I wouldn't use the junk that I do! :lol:
Kota, Thanks for the compliment! :mrgreen: I build them ugly so I'm the good looking accessory on the bike! :wink:
Necessary, It's funny the uppyside down bar thingy was just brought up this last weekend on a U.S. invasion into Ontario to ride with YYZMEC and Canucks.I don't know who started it but things got pretty funny. My favorite was that one guy said he combed his handlebar moustache so that it gave him the look of a boardtracker. :lol:
Goldy! Why the heck you wasting time reading this! Get out there and chop that Stingray up!
I will definitely look into alternative framebuilding methods... even if I get a welder, doens't mean I have to use it for everything!
There's too many cool bikes I want to build, though... swingbike, cargo bike, tallbike, etc!
There's too many cool bikes I want to build, though... swingbike, cargo bike, tallbike, etc!
See now this is what I'm talking about. At least try it. My first frames were pretty crude..threw alot of them away, but I keep on plugging along trying to make the next one better. :roll:
Earlier in life, I "adjusted" and reloaded many different bikes, but I have never scratchbuilt a frame. Didn't do anything but keep air in the tires of a junk cantilever and a 21spd for years. Since finding this site I have done a fair amount of part-swapping and adjustments, but it isn't anything that should be in the build section(except rbbo4! :lol: ) I don't feel guilty at all ! :wink: Pictures of working bikes are cool in the gallery though, the forum, not necessarily the post.
well...you actually got me of my butt and thinking about a top secret build ive been wanting to do for a long time :shock:
just finished my scale drawing on the garage floor so i can get my bends and angles right before i start tacking it(learned my lesson on the kids bike last time :roll: )
only hint ill give is its a 60s chopper inspired(now whered i set vinnie...........)
thanks for the picture ej599 :lol:
just finished my scale drawing on the garage floor so i can get my bends and angles right before i start tacking it(learned my lesson on the kids bike last time :roll: )
only hint ill give is its a 60s chopper inspired(now whered i set vinnie...........)
thanks for the picture ej599 :lol:
FunkyStickman said:I will definitely look into alternative framebuilding methods... even if I get a welder, doens't mean I have to use it for everything!
There's too many cool bikes I want to build, though... swingbike, cargo bike, tallbike, etc!
My first two custom builds ( the two that got me hooked on this all consuming drug of bike building) were a tallbike and a swing bike. Both built without welding. Both still ride great!
udallcustombikes said:
I am impressed!!! That is definitely an eye-opener...
