(ORBO) The Sportsman

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Joined
Sep 29, 2013
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ive been on here for a little while now and this will be my first build off. I have something I wanted to build from the instant the idea was posted about an off-road build off, but I think that one will have to wait.
I'm going to start small. Nothing crazy, just a worksman m2600 done like an early mtb or big kid bmx.
Clearly it is the 3x4 option...

I had this fork from some other worksman project, it is by far the ugliest fork out there. Drum brake unincrown.
With the paint melting off of it.
 
That would just be a standard industrial worksman fork and it is the uglies ever, it can go back into the pile with the other 3. I thought id go with the old style hd akisu fork.

But this one is bent in way too many ways for my liking.
 
I have an old chrome wald straight fork which would be cool, but I'm not into chrome. Unless it's top notch, and im too cheap for that. I have this akisu straight fork which I really like. I want one of these for almost every frame I own. I'd have to steel it from this brainstorm though
 
I have an old chrome wald straight fork which would be cool, but I'm not into chrome. Unless it's top notch, and im too cheap for that. I have this akisu straight fork which I really like. I want one of these for almost every frame I own. I'd have to steel it from this brainstorm though
Well...
That bike doesn't seem to be going anywhere anyway...
Use it, use it.

Carl.
 
But then there is this disc setup id like to use. I'm not sure if I want to just keep it a simple old school look, or weld a tab on the fork. I really like a coaster brake bike with no cables, but I have plenty of those already.
 
Been wanting a slingshot myself, will have to find one this spring.
 
Wow I made it all the way to the bottom of the list, guess I need to update. I left this bike outside while playing with different ideas and we got blasted by my annual birthday snowstorm. All I could really do was look at everyone else's builds.
Last nite I dug it out and decided to try a few different things. I really can't get used to that slingshot stem. I swapped it out for a diacompe stem and a set of al's bars from a bike that I just keep robbing stuff from. I added a pots mod bolt, for the front disc cable.
I mounted the skin wall tires on a different set of wheels, the ones I might put that disc hub into, still undecided about that. Also the crank showed up. When I went to take a pic it dawned on me why I am torn on the disc brake. I'm realized building the bike that would have been cool when I was a kid. I guess I'm not the only one. I like this combo, it looks like a bike a toddler would draw if you asked them too. All straight lines. I was never able to afford redline flight crank as a kid, so I had to get a new set.
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I had plans to modify a fork to work with the disc hub but today I decided to just get something done. I removed the chain guard tabs, filed down all of the burrs, nicks, and scrapes, sandblasted, epoxy primed, based, and cleared the frame and fork. Pics to follow.
 
I'm pretty happy with how it came out, but honestly im not sure if I will ever put that much effort into painting a bike again. Should have just dropped it off somewhere and had it powder coated.
Today I couldn't resist, did the bb and crank when I got home from work.
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Nice color tho, didja' weld the brake tabs on the fork first?

Carl.
 

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