Rocinante my Krusty Klunker!

[MattiThundrrr]

That is why these build offs are so fun. It's why I feel we build better bikes together than we ever would alone.

Feedback loops getting us all AMPed up.

 

[Couch tater]

That is why these build offs are so fun. It's why I feel we build better bikes together than we ever would alone.

Feedback is good but you also have to listen to what the bike itself wants. A lawn chair and cold beverage can go a long way in making build decisions. I'm on the 3rd different build of the frame I'm using because the frame rejected my earlier two attempts.

 

[Pondo]

Feedback is good but you also have to listen to what the bike itself wants. A lawn chair and cold beverage can go a long way in making build decisions. I'm on the 3rd different build of the frame I'm using because the frame rejected my earlier two attempts.

That is a good point. This year my options are kind of limited since I joined the build off so late. So I'm just working with parts on hand and seeing what I've got. Next year I'm hoping to do some fabrication.

 

[Pondo]

So I didn't wind up working on my build off bike today. But I did do some bike work. I've got my girlfriend's sister's old tandem that she had gotten for her twins when they were teens. They've since grown up and the bike has been sitting out in the weather, as they do. I offered to fix it up for her and we're going to take it back to her in about a month. Today I blew it apart and got started with the quickie driveway "resto." It's not a high quality thing but it will work for what it's needed for. One of the twin's spouse needs to improve his health and that's one goal of this build. Also, my girlfriend and I can ride it whenever we visit. All apart and rusty bits in the OA bath. Surprisingly nothing was too stuck and it all came apart. Sorry about the crumy pics.

 

[Pondo]

Quick scuff and repaint using whatever spray bombs I had lying around. Of course it got windy while I was painting and the blue ran out after the first coat, but you'll have that. I think it came out ok and definitely better than the old sunburnt black. Hopefully I'll get it rebuilt next weekend.

 

[Pondo]

I did break out this old girl in order to pillage the back wheel in case I need the coaster hub for my build off bike. I think this must have been a build off bike way in the past and by the look of her I bet she probably won or almost. That's some quality craftsmanship right there. I got it for free last year. I think I paid too much.

 

[Pondo]

Tomorrow I'll try to spread the rear frame triangle on the Monarch and see where I need to go from there. If it will spread enough I'll keep the gears and add a derailler. If not, I'll go to the coaster hub and learn how to build wheels. Fun either way. Hopefully I can begin assembly tomorrow too.

 

[Pondo]

I got busy spreading the rear of the frame this morning. This is a technique I got from Sheldon Brown's website. It works well and is pretty easy to do. Super simple, spent maybe 20 minutes on it. Apparently I had disco brain this morning with ABBA and the BeeGees going in the background. It's not OddJob's jazz but it'll do.

I over cooked it on one side so I reversed action and brought it back to 135mm.

It did kink the tubing slightly on the drive side so I'll weld in a gusset and braze in the denting on the tube someday when I strip it down to bare metal.

This frame has been repaired before. Several of the braze joints don't look factory, but who knows. It's not the straightest frame around but it'll do for a BMX flavored klunker. And the wheel fits so I get to have gears for the hills!

 

[Pondo]

I came across these derailleur hangers somewhere and had picked up a few for building klunkers. This is the first time I've used one and they're pretty slick. I would definitely recommend them as an easy way to hang a derailleur on an old frame or cruiser that didn't come with a derailleur hanger.

Just bolt it in the dropout, add your wheel and it's ready to go. I like it. I had been thinking about welding the hanger from the donor frame to this one but it didn't seem in the spirit of class 1. I'm glad I remembered I had these.

 

[Pondo]

Alright, let's get it on!

 

[Pondo]

Cranks from the pink bike (like new, both donor bikes look like they were hardly used at all) and rear wheel in place. Swapped out the street tire for an old knobby I found in the recycle at work. I checked the bearings in the rear axle when I removed the dork disc and they were actually greased and in great shape! The bearings in the bottom bracket had a little grease and about as much water mixed in so that all got cleaned out and replaced. That's as far as I got before lunch.

 

[Pondo]

This should be a nice accent.

Nah. Definitely not!
I do need to remember that I have actual bike tools now. I was just winging it for so long that I forget to do it the easy way.

 

[Pondo]

Coming together now. I'm pretty sure this frame got run over in the driveway once upon a time. The rear triangle is pretty out of whack and it's hard to get the rear wheel in alignment.

The headset is a hodge podge of pre-war Elgin and new stuff to get cups and bearings that would fit and work top and bottom. I actually got the pedals from @Bike from the Dead in a parts package a year or so ago. Shifter, derailleur and chain from the purple donor bike. Bolted right up and work fine. I need to grab a different front wheel. This one is wowed pretty bad and has a broken spoke. The wow makes it to where the brake pads are so far out that they don't work well. Gotta love the purple accents. But I'm not sold on the bell. That might go in the parts bin. The bench grinder in the background is for cleaning up parts on the Tandem. I haven't cleaned anything but bearings on this one.

 

[Pondo]

Now we have a legit roller. Fully functioning BMX style Klunker. I didn't expect this at all but this thing is actually super fun to ride. Despite the 3 finger front brake. It shifts thru the gears, cruises down the road nice, climbs well. I knew it would be ride-able but wow! I actually got these grips from @Bike from the Dead too. I think they fit the bike. I'm trying now to decide between the Brooks or the more modern Specialized saddle. Opinions?

 

[Bike from the Dead]

Now we have a legit roller. Fully functioning BMX style Klunker. I didn't expect this at all but this thing is actually super fun to ride. Despite the 3 finger front brake. It shifts thru the gears, cruises down the road nice, climbs well. I knew it would be ride-able but wow! I actually got these grips from @Bike from the Dead too. I think they fit the bike. I'm trying now to decide between the Brooks or the more modern Specialized saddle. Opinions?


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I think your Klunker's looking good Pondo! Your bike frame being somewhat out of shape reminds me of my first Build Off bike back in 2020; lots of folks asked me if I pulled it out of a dumpster, or said it belonged in one. That just made me want to build it even more! And I remember those grips and pedals well! I believe there was some tape on those grips that said they were for a Schwinn Cycle Truck, and maybe even the year. As for the pedals, those came off The Trashliner Trike! I think I still see a bit of the "glitter green" paint on the threaded portions!

Nice to know those parts found a new home on a similarly-sketchy-looking bike! I bet that thing's an absolute blast to ride!

 

[Pondo]

I think your Klunker's looking good Pondo! Your bike frame being somewhat out of shape reminds me of my first Build Off bike back in 2020; lots of folks asked me if I pulled it out of a dumpster, or said it belonged in one. That just made me want to build it even more! And I remember those grips and pedals well! I believe there was some tape on those grips that said they were for a Schwinn Cycle Truck, and maybe even the year. As for the pedals, those came off The Trashliner Trike! I think I still see a bit of the "glitter green" paint on the threaded portions!
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Nice to know those parts found a new home on a similarly-sketchy-looking bike! I bet that thing's an absolute blast to ride!

Haha! That's cool! I dig the Trashliner. It's definitely got flair and lots of character. I had misplaced that box of parts and I've been looking for it since I started this build. It finally turned up and the pedals and grips were perfect for this bike.

I'm not too concerned about my frame being, uh, eccentric. I only gave $15 for it and it has been fun to play with.

I didn't buy anything specifically for this build, just used stuff I had on hand. But even the stuff I did buy before I bet I've got less than $50 in this bike which is cool with me. $50 worth of grins for sure.

 

[Bike from the Dead]

Haha! That's cool! I dig the Trashliner. It's definitely got flair and lots of character. I had misplaced that box of parts and I've been looking for it since I started this build. It finally turned up and the pedals and grips were perfect for this bike.

I'm not too concerned about my frame being, uh, eccentric. I only gave $15 for it and it has been fun to play with.

I didn't buy anything specifically for this build, just used stuff I had on hand. But even the stuff I did buy before I bet I've got less than $50 in this bike which is cool with me. $50 worth of grins for sure.

Thanks! Full disclosure though: I didn't built TTT. I bought it like that! It was the single sketchiest thing on less than 4 wheels I've ever ridden! I ended up parting it out to attempt to build a muscle trike for the 2020 MBBO, and I sold whatever parts I didn't end up using. Looking back, I kind of wish I hadn't taken it apart. It was an e x p e r i e n c e to ride! Admittedly though, it could just be Stockholm syndrome talking! Search it up on the forum at some point. The story of how I got it is kind of funny.

Glad to hear you were able to make good use of the parts you got from me a while back. I really hate to throw stuff away when it's still got potential, so seeing these bikes and parts go to folks who appreciate them is great.

Hey, I paid $20 for my first Build Off bike, so I say you did well! Bicycles don't need to be pretty or in perfect shape to be fun. Sometimes those "flaws" are what make bikes even more fun to play around with!

Sounds like you and I are both making the most out of what we have while on a budget! Hey, what thrills and laughs are better than the ones you can get for cheap? Heck, despite the setbacks I've been running into, I think I've had more fun during this Build Off than all the others I've participated in, and it's with the cheapest, rustiest project I've entered so far! In fact, that's one of the reasons I've been having so much fun this time around: instead of trying to throw a ton of parts, paint and money at this bike, I'm embracing those "flaws" on the bike and the low budget I'm stuck with, and being more creative as a result!

 

[Pondo]

Oh, I'll be looking up the TTT for sure! In it's own way that thing is kool. I bet it's back story is entertaining.

Bicycles don't need to be pretty or in perfect shape to be fun.

I think I've had more fun during this Build Off than all the others I've participated in, and it's with the cheapest, rustiest project I've entered so far!

That's the truth. They're all fun. I don't mind spending a little money here and there, but if I don't have to then so much the better. I think using ingenuity and creativity is more fun than spending money for this type of build. But it depends on the vision for the specific build. Certain designs demand certain parts. If I haven't gotten to it by next May I'll do my 70's period klunker build for the build off. It's all vintage stuff and not exactly expensive but I don't know if I'd call it cheap. I also would like to do a class 2 build using old junk and stuff I have lying around. We'll see.

The main thing is to have fun with it like you are and like I certainly am with this particular build. I just need to swap out the front wheel, mount a seat and head out into the woods for a bit of a romp. Looking forward to that.

 

[Bike from the Dead]

Oh, I'll be looking up the TTT for sure! In it's own way that thing is kool. I bet it's back story is entertaining.



That's the truth. They're all fun. I don't mind spending a little money here and there, but if I don't have to then so much the better. I think using ingenuity and creativity is more fun than spending money for this type of build. But it depends on the vision for the specific build. Certain designs demand certain parts. If I haven't gotten to it by next May I'll do my 70's period klunker build for the build off. It's all vintage stuff and not exactly expensive but I don't know if I'd call it cheap. I also would like to do a class 2 build using old junk and stuff I have lying around. We'll see.

The main thing is to have fun with it like you are and like I certainly am with this particular build. I just need to swap out the front wheel, mount a seat and head out into the woods for a bit of a romp. Looking forward to that.

To save you a little trouble on your search: Part 1 Part 2 Part 3

Well said. Some projects need certain parts and paint to achieve a certain look, and can be more expensive as a result, but not every bike project requires a high budget or specific parts. Sometimes just throwing a bike together using what you have and a little wiggle room in the budget is all you need to build a bike you'll love and appreciate.

Looking forward to seeing the end result with your bike! Best of luck to ya!

 

[Pondo]

Super cool! I just looked at the first pic and I'm in. I'll give it a thorough read eventually. I'm still trying to catch up with this year's build off bikes. Pretty much impossible in the next 3 weeks. But it looks like fun!

Good luck with your bike too. It looks like you'll definitely finish in time with a cool ride!