Rat Rod Bikes Build Off #17: Let's Go!!

[Captain Awesome]

If you’re going to allow expensive limited production chassis in the “budget” class, it will cause hard feelings in the end.

There is no "budget" class. It's about fabrication level applied by the builder. The builder in question is whoever is currently "building", or in the case of class 1 "assembling" is probably a better term

If you have the tools and drive by all means enter class 2



We will have some discussions about how to quantify some better verbiage going into the next build-off but as @kingfish254 already pointed out, the precedent has been set by allowing some odd frames in the past. No undoing it. Move forward for now




Now let's put all this away and focus on the builds

 

[Mr. Monkeyarms]

This is awesome.
my kind of bike.
if you ever tire of those bars I would be happy to Give them a new home.

Thank you!

Those bars deserve a bike built around them & won't be leaving my possession any time soon. May use them for the build off since I don't have a klunker built up........

 

[OddJob]

I concur with @Captain Awesome ; on to the builds! In fact, RaT oN to the builds!

 

[kingfish254]

Sorry for the distraction everyone. As brother Jake would say......GTB....GET TO BUILDING!!!!

 

[kingfish254]

My job slurped all of the joy and motivation out of my last couple of builds. That won't be a problem real soon because I'm retiring in July. Therefore......... I will dig out the crates of builds gone stagnant this weekend and see what I will toss into the ring. I might dig out the Hornswaggler I began last year (that never made it past mock up) and toss some more junk at it. I've got a few others that might make the cut as well. I should be all officially entered next week.

CongRATs on your retirement!!! Looking forward to what you come up with.

 

[Captain Awesome]

Sorry for the distraction everyone. As brother Jake would say......GTB....GET TO BUILDING!!!!

We miss Jake!

 

[RustyGold]

As to previously started, or even completed bikes...my response has been, 'just blow it up and start over'...to clarify, blow it up means disassemble, not actual explosives (doesn't preclude them either ) .

As to class 1 vs class 2 ... Oddjob and Cap have pretty much clarified that for this build off...Assembled vs Constructed.

As to a custom order $20k 'Foose' frame? I think the general attitude here would be, 'go for it!'...as I think we would all like to see what a $20k Foose frame looks like . There's been big money builds on here before that didn't ROI well in terms of votes. Generally, creatively or skillfully built tends to trump well bought...as a group we have a pretty good grasp of what the spirit of these Build Offs are about.

That's my 3¢.

 

[kingfish254]

We miss Jake!

I haven't chatted with him yet, but I am sure he will be coming out of ninja mode soon.

 

[LeMad Hatter]

How do we go about changing the name of our thread? Just realized my class one bike isn't going to be sleek, nor have slicks

 

[Captain Awesome]

How do we go about changing the name of our thread? Just realized my class one bike isn't going to be either sleek, nor have slicks

 

[Captain Awesome]

How do we go about changing the name of our thread? Just realized my class one bike isn't going to be either sleek, nor have slicks

Or let one of us mods know and we can help

 

[SkyknightJohn]

Will there be T-shirts available again this year? I need to keep my collection going!

 

[Captain Awesome]

Will there be T-shirts available again this year? I need to keep my collection going!

@Cyclist

???

 

[Karate Chicken Industries]

Carl. < small batch bean gas factory

Bringin Tha Heat!

 

[Karate Chicken Industries]

As to a custom order $20k 'Foose' frame? I think the general attitude here would be, 'go for it!'...as I think we would all like to see what a $20k Foose frame looks like .

If someone with a fat wallet wants to support a bicycle artist, we should support that and their build efforts. I'd wager to guess that since we don't get a ton of voters anyway, most of the participants recognize effort just as much as aesthetics when voting,

 

[Ulu]

. . . I think we would all like to see what a $20k Foose frame looks like. . .

There is no "budget" class. It's about fabrication level applied"assembling" is probably a better term

If you have the tools and drive by all means enter class 2

Guys, that wasn’t some kind of challenge. Just my opinion.

Having looked thru many past contest bikes now, two things are clear.

1. One can spend a fortune on a stocker.

2. There are custom builders here who are top notch. They didn’t all spend a fortune to build interesting and stylish machines.

Anyhow, please don’t think I will try to “buy” the contest. I am way too middle class.

I don’t know Chip Foose, I don’t know anybody here, I don’t care who wins, and If I enter a bike it will not be expensive by design.

Just the opposite I am sure. A low budget rat, hand built here in my little junkyard.

 

[LeMad Hatter]

View attachment 191968View attachment 191969

Thanks! Got it changed

 

[us56456712]

I need obsolete tools to disassemble my 1890s bicycle. The pedal dust cap and the bottom bracket retaining bolt both use very large slotted screw heads. Apparently these old screwdrivers came in different thicknesses and widths to fit the application. They were hollow ground like gunsmith screwdrivers and came tapered or straight, tapered for recesses bolt heads. I can’t find anything like this so I’m going to buy a set of gasket scrapers and see if I can file them to fit. I’ll have to harden the tip if I can even get a homemade tip to fit. This dust cap is real stuck.View attachment 191584

I made an imitation TOC screwdriver for this slot. Freezing in my freezer at -20 F followed by Gibbs penetrant, followed by pounding, then heat with my torch, followed by Gibs, followed by pounding for two days has done nothing to loosen the pedal dust cover. The head set and bb aren’t moving either. I may be forced to drill holes in the dust cap and make a right angle wrench to fit in the holes. Dang. I’m freezing and heating for one more day before I just do soaking at room temperature. I wonder how dry ice and a torch would work?

 

[Funkme]

Funny you should say that. This is my 12th Build Off, so I guess I am completing the last step of the BOA program this year.

Rataholic's the lot of you... Saying that, I had a trailer load of rats,moving to the new storage. The cops were laughing and said" what you doing with all that" as they passed me.

 

[macncheese]

What are your thoughts about possibly entering this? The only work done so far has been to fit one of my tanks over the frame and rough cut a piece of aluminum to sandwich between it.

Apparently, if you sell it to me and then I sell it back to you, the fab work is nullified. I've been watching a lot of Ozark. Let me know if you need anything else laundered!