I wasn’t planning on entering this build off; I don’t (didn’t) even own any muscle bikes. But I’ve always liked them. Inspiration struck a few weeks ago when some of my 24” parts weren’t selling and I had the brilliant idea to use them on a bike instead. Great logic, right? This isn’t selling so let’s buy another bike to put the parts on. 
So this is where the story begins…
The first order of business was finding a frame. I texted a buddy to see if he had any muscle bike or 24” projects hanging around, which he did. One of each, actually. With two swap meets looming I resisted the urge to pull the trigger on the spot. The swaps were a bust for what I was looking for so a couple of weeks later I was at his front door and came home with these:
24" Hawthorne Straightbar with BFD
20" Western Flyer Buzz Bike...carcass
Around the same time Danimal listed his Columbia integrated forks/handlebars which I’ve always loved, but never had a need or bike to put them on.
After mulling it over (and lots of PMs to Dan) I snapped them up. It was a little dicey since these forks aren’t very adjustable; they’re really meant to be used on a specific length head tube. This is where I really diverge from a lot of the builders here; I’m mechanical, but I am not a fabricator. It’s humbling to see the creations some of you guys dream up, and then physically make. The best I can do is try to come up with an original combination of random parts with minor mods along the way.
So, now I’ve got two forks coming from Dan and two bikes to try them on. The forks were delivered yesterday and I couldn’t wait to do some quick experimenting to see if either was actually going to work. I already knew the head tube on the Buzz Bike was too long for the 20” fork, but I wanted to size it up firsthand. I went to pull the original fork and that’s when I saw the crack in the head tube, about ¼” down to the bottom headset cup. Great. Now I know this is the point when many of you grab the welder, yadda, yadda, yadda, the bike is perfect. Me? I pray that someone out there needs a Buzz parts bike.
Annoyed but undeterred, I moved on to the Hawthorne. The 20” fork fit like a glove in the 24” frame. Looks like I’m building a Hawthorne! Now the Hawthorne was supposed to get the 24” Nirve wheelset I have laying around along with the 24” Thick Brick tire (after all I’m supposed to be utilizing existing parts). Perfect. First shot at putting the mounted rear tire in was a no go. Deflated the tire and tried again. Nope. Started taking the fender off and that’s when I saw it. Rather them. Three splits on the rear drop out. The bulged steel tube told the story. Water must have gotten in the frame at some point and then froze. We all know the rest. Two cracked frames, really? Most people would probably let reality (common sense) sink in and realize they’re not supposed to be building a bike right now. Me, I shoved that tire and wheel into that frame and tightened it up. Of course it rubs, but I think that can be sorted out along with the whole cracked frame situation. At this point I’m straight up mad scientist in the basement. I grabbed the original 24” front wheel to throw on for a mockup and absolutely no way. Clearly not going to happen. So I grabbed the 20” wheel off the Buzz Bike, installed it, and wheeled it out for a look.
Ugh. Hmm. When I said “fits like a glove”, I didn’t realize it was more like an awkward, seven fingered glove. That my dog chewed on. Maybe if I sleep on it?
Nope, nope, nope. Back to the drawing board. One idea I had been toying with was cutting down the head tube on the Buzz Bike to accommodate the smaller steer tube. It occurred to me this morning that I might actually solve my cracked tube problem at the same time—I can just cut a little off the bottom and then a little more off the top and get it to the proper length. BRILLIANT! Headed to the basement (laboratory) to check out the head tube on the Buzz Bike again. I popped out the headset cups and flipped the frame over to get a better look at the crack and the inside of the head tube. In doing so I discovered two things: the head tube is actually a REALLY thin piece of tubing reinforced on the inside with another piece of metal, and the crack is actually a split. From what I’ve deduced, this head tube is stupid thin and actually has a seam that runs top to bottom. The piece of reinforcement metal runs from the top of the head tube to the bottom too with just enough room to not interfere with the headset cups. In other words, no cutting it down. The kind of good news is the real strength lies in this piece of metal and it's tacked inside the head tube where it connects with the other tubes. Feeling slightly encouraged I tried the 26” version of the fork on the frame. It fit perfectly (or at least it will when I get the headset reinstalled). I grabbed the same 24” front wheel and put it in the fork:
It could work, but not really the look I’m going for. Then I grabbed the 20” wheel back off the Hawthorne and tried that:
Winner. So here’s my starting point. I’m not going to be able to use a single part I have laying around and the head tube needs…something, but I’m in it.
(TLDR: Joined the BO for stupid reason, too stubborn to quit. Buzz Bike. Columbia fork. Bunch of parts I don’t have yet.)
So this is where the story begins…The first order of business was finding a frame. I texted a buddy to see if he had any muscle bike or 24” projects hanging around, which he did. One of each, actually. With two swap meets looming I resisted the urge to pull the trigger on the spot. The swaps were a bust for what I was looking for so a couple of weeks later I was at his front door and came home with these:
24" Hawthorne Straightbar with BFD
20" Western Flyer Buzz Bike...carcass
Around the same time Danimal listed his Columbia integrated forks/handlebars which I’ve always loved, but never had a need or bike to put them on.
After mulling it over (and lots of PMs to Dan) I snapped them up. It was a little dicey since these forks aren’t very adjustable; they’re really meant to be used on a specific length head tube. This is where I really diverge from a lot of the builders here; I’m mechanical, but I am not a fabricator. It’s humbling to see the creations some of you guys dream up, and then physically make. The best I can do is try to come up with an original combination of random parts with minor mods along the way.
So, now I’ve got two forks coming from Dan and two bikes to try them on. The forks were delivered yesterday and I couldn’t wait to do some quick experimenting to see if either was actually going to work. I already knew the head tube on the Buzz Bike was too long for the 20” fork, but I wanted to size it up firsthand. I went to pull the original fork and that’s when I saw the crack in the head tube, about ¼” down to the bottom headset cup. Great. Now I know this is the point when many of you grab the welder, yadda, yadda, yadda, the bike is perfect. Me? I pray that someone out there needs a Buzz parts bike.
Annoyed but undeterred, I moved on to the Hawthorne. The 20” fork fit like a glove in the 24” frame. Looks like I’m building a Hawthorne! Now the Hawthorne was supposed to get the 24” Nirve wheelset I have laying around along with the 24” Thick Brick tire (after all I’m supposed to be utilizing existing parts). Perfect. First shot at putting the mounted rear tire in was a no go. Deflated the tire and tried again. Nope. Started taking the fender off and that’s when I saw it. Rather them. Three splits on the rear drop out. The bulged steel tube told the story. Water must have gotten in the frame at some point and then froze. We all know the rest. Two cracked frames, really? Most people would probably let reality (common sense) sink in and realize they’re not supposed to be building a bike right now. Me, I shoved that tire and wheel into that frame and tightened it up. Of course it rubs, but I think that can be sorted out along with the whole cracked frame situation. At this point I’m straight up mad scientist in the basement. I grabbed the original 24” front wheel to throw on for a mockup and absolutely no way. Clearly not going to happen. So I grabbed the 20” wheel off the Buzz Bike, installed it, and wheeled it out for a look.
Ugh. Hmm. When I said “fits like a glove”, I didn’t realize it was more like an awkward, seven fingered glove. That my dog chewed on. Maybe if I sleep on it?
Nope, nope, nope. Back to the drawing board. One idea I had been toying with was cutting down the head tube on the Buzz Bike to accommodate the smaller steer tube. It occurred to me this morning that I might actually solve my cracked tube problem at the same time—I can just cut a little off the bottom and then a little more off the top and get it to the proper length. BRILLIANT! Headed to the basement (laboratory) to check out the head tube on the Buzz Bike again. I popped out the headset cups and flipped the frame over to get a better look at the crack and the inside of the head tube. In doing so I discovered two things: the head tube is actually a REALLY thin piece of tubing reinforced on the inside with another piece of metal, and the crack is actually a split. From what I’ve deduced, this head tube is stupid thin and actually has a seam that runs top to bottom. The piece of reinforcement metal runs from the top of the head tube to the bottom too with just enough room to not interfere with the headset cups. In other words, no cutting it down. The kind of good news is the real strength lies in this piece of metal and it's tacked inside the head tube where it connects with the other tubes. Feeling slightly encouraged I tried the 26” version of the fork on the frame. It fit perfectly (or at least it will when I get the headset reinstalled). I grabbed the same 24” front wheel and put it in the fork:
It could work, but not really the look I’m going for. Then I grabbed the 20” wheel back off the Hawthorne and tried that:
Winner. So here’s my starting point. I’m not going to be able to use a single part I have laying around and the head tube needs…something, but I’m in it.
(TLDR: Joined the BO for stupid reason, too stubborn to quit. Buzz Bike. Columbia fork. Bunch of parts I don’t have yet.)
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Cool start !
... im sure i read that in the sale thread..
