*Silent Assassin* - Rear Fender Added

[laidbackcool]

Hello everyone,

I never planned on taking part in RRBO8, but checking out all of the awesome looking bikes inspired me to have a change of heart. Below is what used to be a Schwinn Drifter that I customized then took apart a while back only to collect dust. I'll use a few spare parts, which are resting in the shed, in hopes of coming up with what turns out to be a very simple but cool build.

Here's a semi mock-up with the truss rods mounted to the springer fork.




There's enough threading on the truss rods to explore the option of mounting a headlight on each side of the springer fork. If all goes according to plan, then I'll place a third headlight somewhere in the middle of the fork setup.




I'm not sure whether or not I'll incorporate fenders, but If I do then I likely will use this set:



I'm debating on whether to go with a nanner seat or this one:



One things for sure, the green on the frame will not be the color used for paint. As of now I've narrowed it down to two options: I'm having difficulty deciding between matte black or bare metal! Thoughts anyone?

 

[DIABLO67]

Dude! Are those fenders made of wood?!!! Those are awesome lookin...

 

[sharmangasaurusrex]

Being Canadian I'm not sure how close Memphis is to Knoxville, but you could paint it Vols Orange and White

 

[laidbackcool]

Dude! Are those fenders made of wood?!!! Those are awesome lookin...

Yep, you got it...made of wood! Thanks for the compliment!

 

[kingfish254]

Sweet place to start and some very cool parts.
Nanner or the Felt seat should both look cool.
Welcome to the fun!

 

[laidbackcool]

Being Canadian I'm not sure how close Memphis is to Knoxville, but you could paint it Vols Orange and White

:lol: ...Memphis is roughly 6 hours away from Knoxville. Although I happen to be a Vols football fan, I think even that shade of orange would be too loud or bright to put on a bike :lol: .

 

[laidbackcool]

Sweet place to start and some very cool parts.
Nanner or the Felt seat should both look cool.
Welcome to the fun!

Thanks Kingfish! Flexy is one of the most cold-blooded bikes I've seen on this site, and I look forward to seeing the end result
with Firewing...very impressive builds!

 

[laidbackcool]

I just sprayed some aircraft remover on the frame and allowing it to set in before I begin removing the paint. For the time being, my focus has shifted toward settling on a wheel and tire combination. The following photos will unveil the brainstorm I'm experiencing at this moment:

26" Black 3G Jemima's


Or, 26" Black 140 spokes



And regarding tires:

26" Electra Retrorunner Brownwalls

26" Grey Felt Quick Bricks

And 26" Bontrager Solanas. Speaking of these tires, I found a LBS that sells them in 2.125 as well as 2.35, which gives me the option of running a smaller tire in the front and a larger one in the rear.

 

[kingfish254]

Sweet place to start and some very cool parts.
Nanner or the Felt seat should both look cool.
Welcome to the fun!

Thanks Kingfish! Flexy is one of the most cold-blooded bikes I've seen on this site, and I look forward to seeing the end result
with Firewing...very impressive builds!

Thanks for the compliments buddy! I REALLY like that Chief you made and something tells me that this one is gonna rock!! Looking for to it coming together.

 

[Dr. Tankenstein]

Man, cool start. I really dig the extra truss rods tied in to the springer.

Personally, on the wheel/tire question, I'd go with this combo:

I have seen VERY few builds on here that run those brown wall Electras, I LOVE them! Plus stretching them out on those 3G rims....that's just DOPE!

Cheers,
Dr. T

 

[laidbackcool]

Man, cool start. I really dig the extra truss rods tied in to the springer.

Personally, on the wheel/tire question, I'd go with this combo:

I have seen VERY few builds on here that run those brown wall Electras, I LOVE them! Plus stretching them out on those 3G rims....that's just DOPE!

Cheers,
Dr. T

I really like what I'm hearing from you Dr. T! But I got a quick question for you. With that wheel & tire combo, would you go bare metal on the frame or paint it matte black or some other color?

 

[Dr. Tankenstein]

I'd go raw. Those tires have a 'natural' rubber colored sidewall, no paint would go with the look.

BTW, thanks for asking! I'm not entering this year, so I'm living through everybody else's builds!

Cheers,
Dr. T

 

[laidbackcool]

I'd go raw. Those tires have a 'natural' rubber colored sidewall, no paint would go with the look.

BTW, thanks for asking! I'm not entering this year, so I'm living through everybody else's builds!

Cheers,
Dr. T

I've always liked the brownwalls too and have been wanting to use them in a future build. As of now, I have a strong lean towards using them for this one. I just finished stripping the frame to raw and the look is definitely speaking to me at this moment.

I figured I would receive good input from you and thanks for being kind enough to do so. Hopefully, you'll be involved in next year's build off!

 

[laidbackcool]

Speaking of the frame, it's finally stripped down to bare metal. All I have left to do is clear coat it.

 

[laidbackcool]

The bare metal look has won me over, and I've decided to go with the 3G Jemima wheelset, but I might go 24" instead of 26". On the other hand, I haven't quite settled in on which tires to go with just yet.

 

[supergoob]

I'm loving everything about this build. Those fenders are dope and the springer with the truss rods just looks crazy!

 

[Houndog]

Really glad you went with bare metal!!!
Truss rod idea was brilliant..
I think 24 rear 26 front with crème bricks would be pretty cool...

 

[pacman270]

Dude put a clear on the bare metal and use this combo...

 

[laidbackcool]

I'm loving everything about this build. Those fenders are dope and the springer with the truss rods just looks crazy!

Really glad you went with bare metal!!!
Truss rod idea was brilliant..
I think 24 rear 26 front with crème bricks would be pretty cool...

The creme bricks is an option I'd strongly consider if I didn't already have a bike with cream tires unfortunately However, a 24" rear & 26" front would be a real nice setup! Thank you guys for the kind words!

 

[laidbackcool]

Dude put a clear on the bare metal and use this combo...

Man, you must be psychic or something. It's SOOOOO funny that you propose this combo because, before I ever asked for everyone else's input, this setup was the choice I felt most comfortable with from the get go! The initial inspiration I got for this build came from this: