I've been big into motorcycles since i was 6 or 7 (22 now), and i've had several motorcycles that i've customized since then. i've always loved reading cycle world, rider, and some other custom bike magazines. some of my favorite customized bikes are in the sport bike bobber style from cycle world's "world's coolest bikes" series. like this: http://www.cycleworld.com/wp-content/up ... _bikes.jpg or this: http://www.cycleworld.com/wp-content/up ... 468234.jpg
they're both 1000cc crotch rockets that have been customized to look as good as they ride. well, i finally got a motorcycle that i love in (mostly) stock form, so i've been itching for something to do some custom work on. i started working at a bicycle shop about 4 years ago, and i've always drooled at the custom bicycles in Kickstand and Bicycle Times. one day it finally connected that they were essentially motorcycles without engines! we had just purchased a rusty Phat Sea Breeze Stealth at the shop for ridiculously cheap. I bought it, adjusted and regreased the bottom bracket, hubs, and headset, and trued the wheels and it seemed to ride perfectly. i took it all apart, sanded it down, threw some flat green and black paint on it, threw a smaller front chainring on it (we have a LOT of hills here in NW arkansas), shortened the chain, and threw it back together. here is how it sat before i shortened the bars, put a mountain bike seat, glow in the dark OURY grips, and the smaller chainring on it. i have a set of slick 26x1.95 tires i throw on it for around town riding, but i put these semi-knobbies on for airshows, bike night, or parking lot cruising.
i got "done" with that one in 2010, and i've enjoyed riding it (although not up hills! haha), but i've been itching for another one to get wrenching on. a few days ago, our shop bought a Genesis Onex 29er, and i bought it from the shop for a great price. it doesn't have the fenders or chain guard, but that's fine with me. i do love the bobbed rear fender that i've seen on this site, but my plans don't require fenders. i peeled all the stickers off it and it looked like a $300 bike. we've had an old roadmaster chain guard kicking around the shop for about 2 years, so i got the dremel and the drill out and made it fit this bike. i can't believe how good it looks on this bike (to me anyway)! i've always wanted red wheels with white walls on one of my motorcycles, but i found my current bike before i ever got to rock that look. since it's impossible to find a slick 29 inch white wall tire, and these rims are so deep... i'm going to paint them red, and make the "brake track" around the edge of the rim white. that way i'll have the white wall look without having to keep actual white walls clean! :mrgreen: anyway, here's how the Onex sits right now:
and here it is on my car, ready to go home! it only hangs over a little bit...
my plan for the onex includes a different seat, first off. then a 4 or 6 piston 203mm hydraulic disc brake on the front wheel (for the motorcycle look), triple tree fork with the bottom part of the fork legs painted black (to give the look of a suspension fork), silver chain, and the red/ white rims. i'm going to try to hide the front brake hose as much as possible (in the bar, then in the fork leg). when i re-lace the wheels, i'll probably go ahead and use stainless steel spokes, just to break up the black a little. maybe a cable drive speedometer, if i can find one that's geared for this big of a tire.
one thing i'm already really excited about is that i have less than $100 in both of these bikes (not counting the slick 26 inch tires i already had), and there's no insurance or registration for them! this is downright cheap compared to motorcycles!
they're both 1000cc crotch rockets that have been customized to look as good as they ride. well, i finally got a motorcycle that i love in (mostly) stock form, so i've been itching for something to do some custom work on. i started working at a bicycle shop about 4 years ago, and i've always drooled at the custom bicycles in Kickstand and Bicycle Times. one day it finally connected that they were essentially motorcycles without engines! we had just purchased a rusty Phat Sea Breeze Stealth at the shop for ridiculously cheap. I bought it, adjusted and regreased the bottom bracket, hubs, and headset, and trued the wheels and it seemed to ride perfectly. i took it all apart, sanded it down, threw some flat green and black paint on it, threw a smaller front chainring on it (we have a LOT of hills here in NW arkansas), shortened the chain, and threw it back together. here is how it sat before i shortened the bars, put a mountain bike seat, glow in the dark OURY grips, and the smaller chainring on it. i have a set of slick 26x1.95 tires i throw on it for around town riding, but i put these semi-knobbies on for airshows, bike night, or parking lot cruising.
i got "done" with that one in 2010, and i've enjoyed riding it (although not up hills! haha), but i've been itching for another one to get wrenching on. a few days ago, our shop bought a Genesis Onex 29er, and i bought it from the shop for a great price. it doesn't have the fenders or chain guard, but that's fine with me. i do love the bobbed rear fender that i've seen on this site, but my plans don't require fenders. i peeled all the stickers off it and it looked like a $300 bike. we've had an old roadmaster chain guard kicking around the shop for about 2 years, so i got the dremel and the drill out and made it fit this bike. i can't believe how good it looks on this bike (to me anyway)! i've always wanted red wheels with white walls on one of my motorcycles, but i found my current bike before i ever got to rock that look. since it's impossible to find a slick 29 inch white wall tire, and these rims are so deep... i'm going to paint them red, and make the "brake track" around the edge of the rim white. that way i'll have the white wall look without having to keep actual white walls clean! :mrgreen: anyway, here's how the Onex sits right now:
and here it is on my car, ready to go home! it only hangs over a little bit...
my plan for the onex includes a different seat, first off. then a 4 or 6 piston 203mm hydraulic disc brake on the front wheel (for the motorcycle look), triple tree fork with the bottom part of the fork legs painted black (to give the look of a suspension fork), silver chain, and the red/ white rims. i'm going to try to hide the front brake hose as much as possible (in the bar, then in the fork leg). when i re-lace the wheels, i'll probably go ahead and use stainless steel spokes, just to break up the black a little. maybe a cable drive speedometer, if i can find one that's geared for this big of a tire.
one thing i'm already really excited about is that i have less than $100 in both of these bikes (not counting the slick 26 inch tires i already had), and there's no insurance or registration for them! this is downright cheap compared to motorcycles!
