SHOW US YOUR WORKSMAN BICYCLE

[Miguello]

More progress pics. Got the back wheel built and a little larger dark skinwall Continental Town and Country. Don't worry I will go 2. to 2.2 later. I am tempted to paint it a rootbeer kind of brown metallic. Maybe line the lugs with orange. I have to keep reminding myself red cranks are going on it. Maybe white, though I really don't dig white bikes all that much. Or even better? Rasta paint! I may do a Bontrager Privateer style paint job on it. I think that's the ticket! pics also show the freshly shaved chain guard mounts!

http://s724.photobucket.com/user/giulia67/media/Bontrager PC/P1010909.jpg.html

The rear wheel. I love this rim profile.

 

[Miguello]

And it now has a vintage fork. I ordered a bunch of parts including shifter, rear shifting unit, fork clamp to hold the front hub arm on the Sturmey Archer/ I should be done building in another week, but then teardown and paint. Color is still undecided.

 

[villageidiot]

Just picked this frame/fork up off the local craigslist. its older, but I'm not sure how to date it (doesn't matter anyways). Note the parallel to the ground rear drop outs and the solid cast frame lug/seatpost clamp.

this one will be finished stripped apart, black powder coated and assembled with new parts for a display/sale piece at my friends store.

the first of a small batch of bikes built for him/his store.

 

[Araya51]

Wow I'm digging that color on that Worksman.
I may paint my Worksman cruiser that color(maybe).
I have the same style dropout frame but my frame has the removable seat post clamp..

 

[villageidiot]

its just a crappy rattle can paint job. bought 3 hours ago from a guy on CL. he got it at the swapmeet or something. i just saw the drop outs and had to have it. then i noticed the seat post clamp and thought it was neat.

 

[Bicycle808]

@Araya51 , is the red bike the same one that the Naniwa fork came off of? We're getting some clues about the late 70s/early 80s INBs...

 

[villageidiot]

the forks on the blue frame i got say "naniwa Japan" on them.

 

[Araya51]

@Araya51 , is the red bike the same one that the Naniwa fork came off of? We're getting some clues about the late 70s/early 80s INBs...

Yes they were.
I took them off cuz I like the "Bmx" tube forks over stock ones. I have a pair of old blade forks on the shelf if I deside to change them out.

 

[Araya51]

Knowing me I might get another pair Naniwa forks in the future to put them on the cruiser.
I could never leave things alone.
This is how I got the cruiser when I bought it.

 

[Araya51]

Rob..
Wouldn't the seat post clamp be fixed to the frame if it's an earlier years.? As mine has the removable style seat post clamp compared to the blue frame that villageidiot has.?
Man I hate to saying it like that.. That just doesn't sound proper..
Sorry Village.!!

 

[villageidiot]

Rob..
Wouldn't the seat post clamp be fixed to the frame if it's an earlier years.? As mine has the removable style seat post clamp compared to the blue frame that villageidiot has.?
Man I hate to saying it like that.. That just doesn't sound proper..
Sorry Village.!!

ha, I've been village ..... for so long its stupid. in fact, my wife has me under villageidiot in her phone contacts. I'm not an ....., i promise, its just been my username since i was about 14.

-colby

 

[Araya51]

Haha I know what your saying.. We all have nick names and some stand out more than others.. Lol
Colby it is from here on out..

 

[Bicycle808]

Most of the Worksman frames i've seen take a removable seatpost clamp, but i've seen a few with integrated clamps, like @villageidiot 's blue frame. Not sure which is older; i suspect very early frames had the slide-on clamps, then they went to the integrated clamp for a short time, then went back. But that's just guesswork....

If I had a Worksman frame with the true horizontal ends, I'd definitely run a tubular BMX-style fork. It just looks so right. What kind of fork came sock on the Tijuana Grave Robber?

 

[villageidiot]

Most of the Worksman frames i've seen take a removable seatpost clamp, but i've seen a few with integrated clamps, like @villageidiot 's blue frame. Not sure which is older; i suspect very early frames had the slide-on clamps, then they went to the integrated clamp for a short time, then went back. But that's just guesswork....

If I had a Worksman frame with the true horizontal ends, I'd definitely run a tubular BMX-style fork. It just looks so right. What kind of fork came sock on the Tijuana Grave Robber?

if i were building this bike for me, id be building it BMX style, but i already have a BMX worksman, so i see no point.

this is a "commissioned" build for a friend of mine, and it will retain the NANIWA forks. he likes the old style.

 

[Araya51]

Most of the Worksman frames i've seen take a removable seatpost clamp, but i've seen a few with integrated clamps, like @villageidiot 's blue frame. Not sure which is older; i suspect very early frames had the slide-on clamps, then they went to the integrated clamp for a short time, then went back. But that's just guesswork....

If I had a Worksman frame with the true horizontal ends, I'd definitely run a tubular BMX-style fork. It just looks so right. What kind of fork came sock on the Tijuana Grave Robber?

Well pretty much "not" all but some bike company's did have there share of differences on some parts or part on there frame designs and as we see in comparable issues with Colby's and my cruiser is the seat post clamp. But I to love these bikes despite the little changes.
The Tijuana Grave Robber came with the tubular bmx forks as you see on my build.. I need to do a makeover on the Tijuana Grave Robber.. Just need to come up with something kool and aggressive to fit it's name.. Black and green is not one of them..
I may go black on black or who knows what I'll do..
Will see.!!!

 

[Araya51]

One thing that I totally agree with you Rob is the tubular fork with the horizontal rear dropouts frame.
Pretty much all my cruisers have Bmx tubular forks..
That's just me..

 

[Bicycle808]

Well pretty much "not" all but some bike company's did have there share of differences on some parts or part on there frame designs and as we see in comparable issues with Colby's and my cruiser is the seat post clamp. But I to love these bikes despite the little changes.
The Tijuana Grave Robber came with the tubular bmx forks as you see on my build.. I need to do a makeover on the Tijuana Grave Robber.. Just need to come up with something kool and aggressive to fit it's name.. Black and green is not one of them..
I may go black on black or who knows what I'll do..
Will see.!!!

I think the little changes and minor details are part of what makes these bikes fun. I think the BMX forks look great on the Worksman bikes, and that's what I lean towards if i'm building something for klunking or for JRA on pub crawls or whatever. But i like the lugged crown forks (The Akisu is my favorite, but I'm stoked about the Naniwa, too) for full-dress type bikes, with fenders, racks, liights and what have you. IMO, a unicrown BMX fork would look out of place on a build like that...

As for the Grave Robber, I think that bike looks awesome as it is now, so i can't wait to see what you end up doing with it. The bike has a lot of character baked into it already...

 

[Mark Sr.]

Just picked this frame/fork up off the local craigslist. its older, but I'm not sure how to date it (doesn't matter anyways). Note the parallel to the ground rear drop outs and the solid cast frame lug/seatpost clamp.

this one will be finished stripped apart, black powder coated and assembled with new parts for a display/sale piece at my friends store.

the first of a small batch of bikes built for him/his store.

That is the exact same frame as my yellow one. Integrated seat post clamp, horizontal dropouts, and flat chainstay bridge (where fender mounts at the bottom). The headbadge decal on my frame was a primitive version of the nicer one I know was being used in the early '80s, as I bought a couple of them new back then. We have guestimated this to be a mid-late '70s frame in previous discussions.
If you take off the fork, look closely at the steerer tube to see if there is a year stamped on there. If there, it is often hard to see. In my opinion your frame and fork were together when sold new, so if a date is there on the fork that is when it was likely made.

 

[Mark Sr.]

Mid-'90s frame fresh from PCer:

 

[Araya51]

That is the exact same frame as my yellow one. Integrated seat post clamp, horizontal dropouts, and flat chainstay bridge (where fender mounts at the bottom). The headbadge decal on my frame was a primitive version of the nicer one I know was being used in the early '80s, as I bought a couple of them new back then. We have guestimated this to be a mid-late '70s frame in previous discussions.
If you take off the fork, look closely at the steerer tube to see if there is a year stamped on there. If there, it is often hard to see. In my opinion your frame and fork were together when sold new, so if a date is there on the fork that is when it was likely made.

So if my frame doesn't have the integrated seat post clamp, what year would you guess my frame would be.?