Junk Crafted HIGGINS - After competition minor modifications

[MONARKofSoCal]

I had a small amount of time after work so i was able to get the adapters shaped and brushed
here are the adapter pics as promised

adapter next to swing arm

adapter sitting in place on swing arm

adapter bolted up to swing arm and springer

 

[OddJob]

...reuse....re-Cycle.....

 

[kingfish254]

Nice re-engineering

 

[krautwaggen]

Cool idea for a build. I have a Straightbar Schwinn frame I've been wanting to do this with for awhile. I live right outside of Bloomington and had the opportunity to help out the Head Mechanic/Tech Inspector for the race this year.

Untitled by VW Sightings, on Flickr

Untitled by VW Sightings, on Flickr

Untitled by VW Sightings, on Flickr

 

[horsefarmer]

Thats a lotta bikes!

 

[MONARKofSoCal]

I wanted to finish installing the springer but the rat trap stem is to long for the columbia headtube so i need to decide if i want to get it threaded all the way or use a threadless headset as an adapter

while i work out that problem i figured it was time to start on the zoomie side pipes

Like jasper87 did with motodromo special II
I am also going to be using handlebars for my pipes

Before cutting

after initial cutting

further cutting and mocked up next to the inspiration for the design

the higgins emblem is off the early 50's colorflow rear rack that i acquired a couple of years ago from onewheelsqueel
its just taking this long to finally use it in a 3D version of the popular higgins side pipe tank design

 

[LukeTheJoker]

COOL!

Luke.

 

[horsefarmer]

What a great idea!!

 

[kingfish254]

Even more awesome re-use engineering!
This is my kinda build. Keep it up!

 

[MONARKofSoCal]

Well I wish I could say I have been working on the side pipes more but no
I have been busy at work so not much has been done
However the Long Beach Cycle Swap yielded some excellent parts that i can use

I don't know much about the seat but I had seen a bare seat like that used back on a build off bike (i think it was BB0 7)
I grabbed it for 5$ when i found out how comfortable it is even bare
so it should be good with whatever material i cover it with

As for the rattrap I had to get it it was far rattier than my other two so it fits the build better plus it was 10$
*I took the pic is after I had cleaned it up but i wish i took a before shot but I didn't know it was that rusted
I think it used to be chrome at one time but its still hard to tell

Last is the dahon crank and sprocket

This is off an early 80's dahon folding bike
I was looking for a unique sprocket (that wasn't rare and expensive) online when I came across a picture of one of these
From what I can tell no one here has used of these used before on their build
I really like all the bolts on the crank and how the spider is not a flat piece of steel
Of course i had to use a BB conversion since it is a 3 piece crank
I am thinking I would like to find a different chainring for it
A little side note if anyone wants to get one of these off a dahon
they cant come off with a crank puller you need to use something like a gear puller

Finally i decided to do a rough mock up
I had to tape the bars on (the rattrap still has so much rust inside the stem i couldn't get a gooseneck in yet)

So with about a month to go i need to

* finish tank with emblem and side pipes
* work on the rattrap so i can fit a gooseneck in it and get it re threaded
*get a 20x3 rear tire and rear wheel
*cover and mount seat

I think that is all

 

[kingfish254]

Never thought of using a Dahon foldup crank on a regular bike. COOL!

 

[horsefarmer]

I'm kinda sad you don't keep OG paint - Tank looks cool now.

 

[MONARKofSoCal]

I'm kinda sad you don't keep OG paint - Tank looks cool now.

Yeah if this tank was a 26" i wouldn't touch it
but since it is a 24" I don't feel as quite as bad (it was on epay for a while and was cheaper than most bike tank go for)

If i do it right I should still keep the OG base color only the Columbia script and white paint should be removed

Unless someone has another 24" Columbia tank that i could use

 

[MONARKofSoCal]

So I have been doing small amount of stuff ever day but haven't had time to show the progress so this will be a bit long

1st off a small update on circle trek
got lucky at a local swap meet and picked up this size 650 aluminum navi fork f or 15$
head tubes a little short so i will need an adapter

Now as for progress on the main build
I was not quite happy with how the stock chrome chainring on the dahon crank took away from the spider
I ended coming across this chainring that I modified for another project (that ended up not working out)

So I re-drilled it to fit the dahon spider
(I still need to cut the old holes off but that is for later)

The next thing was the seat post
a while back I saw that one of the members made a lay back seat post by cutting up an old crank
So i had saved 2 that don't function as cranks anymore for just such an occasion
the straighter top crank 1/2 was either a murray or huffy
the curved crank 1/2 was from an electra

When i first tried out them with the seat i noticed it sat to high because of how the seat post was attached

I took of the double rail clamp and put on a single rail clamp on the top rail

Much better
so far i liked the curved crank best
as you can see i also ran the "post" through the nose of seat frame instead of underneith

Here is a shot of the new crank and the seat setup so far

Don't worry I am still working on the tank but I only have the one so I want to take my time and get it right
but I did drill the holes for the emblems on at least one side
(not attached yet just resting in the new holes)

 

[LukeTheJoker]

Love the flow of that cranking seat post!

Luke.

 

[kingfish254]

Did you weld more length to the seat post so that it gets a little more bite inside the seat tube?
It looks super cool, just also trying to think about it not breaking.

 

[MONARKofSoCal]

Did you weld more length to the seat post so that it gets a little more bite inside the seat tube

I plan on it once I figure out which one I will be using but for now it is good enough for mock up purposes

Also a side note I was able to go to a newer bicycle co-op and be able to use their tap and die set to lower the threads on the rattrap

 

[MONARKofSoCal]

A little more progress to show on the side pipes

so before I go to far on the tank I want to mock them up
so drilled some holes in a piece of cardboard

Then mounted them in the holes

Once I got the t set that matched the closet for each side
I marked them

Here is one in the hole for the tank horn
I had to slightly drill it out to fit the pipe

BTW the pedals that are holding up the tank are the ones I may end up using
It turns out the dahon crank needs the larger threads
fortunately I had these from another build
Unless I find another set that I like

 

[kingfish254]

Are you placing them perpendicular to the ground like the first pic or angled down slightly like the second?
Personally, I think they look cooler angled down.

 

[MONARKofSoCal]

Are you placing them perpendicular to the ground like the first pic or angled down slightly like the second?
Personally, I think they look cooler angled down

I am planning on placing them perpendicular (trying to mimic the higgins graphic as much as possible)
but we will see once the holes are drilled in the tank
and i start work on the mounting bracket