SHOW US YOUR KLUNKERZ

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This is a spare parts klunker I made, I used whatever I had laying around (that is a lot of parts in all fairness). It is a Hawthone frame, I think it is a 24" wheeled frame but I got 26" wheels in there.
I know you built one of these, in fact yours was where I got the idea to make one. Last winter I was looking at my parts stash and figured I had enough parts to almost finish it. It was a Covid project. I gravel raced it and it was a handful with the original gear ratios. We’ve come a long way.
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I know you built one of these, in fact yours was where I got the idea to make one. Last winter I was looking at my parts stash and figured I had enough parts to almost finish it. It was a Covid project. I gravel raced it and it was a handful with the original gear ratios. We’ve come a long way.View attachment 180669View attachment 180670View attachment 180671View attachment 180672View attachment 180673View attachment 180674View attachment 180675View attachment 180676
Wow, looks amazing!!!!
 
I know you built one of these, in fact yours was where I got the idea to make one. Last winter I was looking at my parts stash and figured I had enough parts to almost finish it. It was a Covid project. I gravel raced it and it was a handful with the original gear ratios. We’ve come a long way.View attachment 180669View attachment 180670View attachment 180671View attachment 180672View attachment 180673View attachment 180674View attachment 180675View attachment 180676
I’m looking for parts to build another and old frames to weld and braze up another clone. So far nothing good. I want good used inexpensive parts and right now they want $15 for a totally rusted shut, unridable 20 inch kids bike. The frame has to be as close as possible to the original, otherwise there is too much time consuming fabrication. I want a frame that I have little to cut off and the major modification will be putting on track style drops and the laterals. I’ve found a few frames I like but I’m not willing to depart with that much cash for something I’m going to cut up. So far I only have a brake set (including vintage motorcycle levers), wheel rims, bars, grips, shifters and derailleurs. The plan is to build another that I can sell but it looks like it will cost $1500+ just for parts, paint and decals, then there’s months of labor. This does not include building another Brooks B72 seat clone. I can’t find a seat close to original without spending $150. Bad idea. It will take years of careful scrounging to get this stuff. Almost cheaper to buy a real one. I’m lucky I started collecting parts for this one 10 years ago. I still have way too much $ in it, but it’s a hobby.
 
Gender bender, welded with batteries, coat hanger welding rod, tube bent in a fire pit, painted with semi dried up paint with a broom and old red rubber heater hose for grips. I spent most of the summer of 2015 klunking on this until one of my welds broke. It’s now on display near where it broke.
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This photo was taken eight years ago this August of me riding in a 30 mile XC race. 2000 people in it, a pretty big point to point race. The technical sections are easy, it has simple rock gardens and some steep climbs that jam you up as there are a lot of people who can’t ride and push. There is a sand mine near the end with about a mile of sand trail until you drop into the sand pit. A lot of people can’t ride down this and people get run over, looks like a mini mountain of heck crash. I’ve always made it on my klunkers. It’s an old Columba/Pope/Westfield frame salvaged from someone’s yard art. No paint so it was a Silver Maggot, I think my third bike with this name.
Then:
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Now: I gave it away to a friend.
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Okay, these days I have little use for an off road klunker so I'm toying with something I call Urban Neo-Klunker (UNK). Urban as in bike path crusher fitted with street tread 700x38 Kenda Couriers. Neo as in not based on an old Schwinn straight bar frame (Huffy Premier in this case.) And finally, Klunker as in all the hallmarks of the classic klunker. It's great at what it does. I'm pretty sure I could comfortably cruise this bike all day.
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