Snooty Rat Rodders??

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Buck Masterson

Buck Masterson

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I've mentioned this before, but it REALLY bugs me when I see so many negative comments about ANY bikes, such as "Walmart Huffies" etc. Mine is actually from K-Mart but you know what, it got me riding again and I like it! For people that dig in garbage cans and dumps please don't act like a spandex wearing road biker. Be happy that people are out there riding even if they are on a Huffy and not a Pre War Schwinn. It's the act, not the ride.

Reminds me of the spoiled rich kid in high school that that made fun of my 74 Mustang II because his daddy bought him a a nice looking 69 Chevelle. He shut up when my crate 302 blew his doors off. Lesson learned.

Thank you for letting me rant, but it just bugs me when anyone has their nose in the air, especially rat rodders because that is NOT what rat is about.
 
I have to admit I do use the term but I don't consider myself a snooty rad rodder. My Bootlegger bike was a Walmart Huffy. I still loved it just the same as if it were a Schwinn. I still miss it. They are cheap, readily available, and make a great bike to build. I'm sorry if anyone has taken my use of the term the wrong way.
 
Mustang :shock: :shock: :shock: COOL :mrgreen: Oh yeah, I'm actually looking for a frame, a new one for cheap from K-mart or something :wink: I'm not picky... a bike is a bike :wink:
 
The purist's might not like that I put wheels from a girls 80's era Murray on my Rollfast, but the price was right ($5.00) and they're nice and shiney. It's easy to stand in WalMart and look at those brand new wheels and whitewall "ballooners" and imagine them on your next build....and they come with a bike to boot!
 
i think its human nature to an extent, (though still not excuseable) to act that way. we pride ourselves as a group to be better than that, but sometimes even the best of us fall victim. thank you for this post to keep us in our place. 8)
 
and I'm sorry if I offended anyone by the way, I just find this to be a GREAT group of guys/gals, and sometimes I don't think people realize how they are acting. I can honestly say I have not had any personal issues with anyone here at all. I just wanted to remind everyone of why we are all here, the love of bikes, and getting to build/ride them! :)

Thanks again everyone you really are the best people on the net!!
 
i took it just how you ment it, and like you said, we all need reminding sometimes. all my bikes are originally from walmart/kmart. with proper maintenance and sensible use, they hold up just fine.
 
Buck Masterson said:
Reminds me of the spoiled rich kid in high school that that made fun of my 74 Mustang II because his daddy bought him a a nice looking 69 Chevelle. He shut up when my crate 302 blew his doors off. Lesson learned.
Click to expand...

Yeah those Mustangs are great, I had a '76 Cobra 2, looked like junk but ran like a jackrabbit fired out of a gun. I was kinda laughed at in high school too, I drove a grandma green Dodge Diplomat (for those who aren't familiar with it think Ford LTD) But it had 426 cubic inches of bad attitude under the hood. Can you say sleeper?
 
:!: i agree nobody should be 'dissed' based on their choice of ride :!:

:!: i repeat, nobody should be 'dissed' based on their choice of ride :!:

BUT.... let's not kid ourselves. there is simply no point denying the obvious quality differences that exist in both old and new bikes. there have always been department and auto store bikes that simply are not as well made as bike shop bikes. the full suspension walmart bike and the basic shop hardtail are simply the modern versions of the auto store space bike versus the plain jane schwinn middleweight. as the man says, "you pays your money and makes your choice." :D


or as james free wrote about cost when choosing a pup in his classic book on retriever training, "it's just as easy to love a good one..." :wink:
 
Almost all of my bikes I got for $35 or less. I couldn't afford the stuff at Wally World. I just purchased my first new bike last week. I picked up a Schwinn Gateway at Target for $45 on clearance. But I have had MANY cheapo bikes pass through my garage. Some I got for parts, some to flip, many were given away to neighborhood kids. I found them by trolling CL, word of mouth, wanted fliers I hung up, and some just appeared in my driveway. While the cool factor of a vintage or antique barn find bike is higher than that of a Cranbrook or Big Box Schwinn that just came off the shelf, it is the finished project that makes all the difference. The members on this forum are about the most positive, polite, and encouraging group on the interwebs. I believe that is due in a large part to Steve and the mods hard work, but also because we are all here because we love being different. I don't think a single one of us is content riding an off the shelf bike. If your mods are adding a bell or a complete restoration of a bike completely made of Unobtainium. We all try to respect each other's builds. There have been several builds that didn't suit my personal taste. I decided to keep my opinions to myself unless the builder asked the peanut gallery for thoughts on their bike. I am sure that several of my bikes that were not liked, but the only opinion that really matters is my own.

It doesn't matter if your bike is new or old, minty or ratty. Make it YOUR bike and ride it like you rode your first bike. I am here to see cool bikes, find new ideas, help others solve problems, and enjoy the general camaraderie of my friends here.

Udall Out
 
SCHWINNRAY69 said:
Mustang :shock: :shock: :shock: COOL :mrgreen: Oh yeah, I'm actually looking for a frame, a new one for cheap from K-mart or something :wink: I'm not picky... a bike is a bike :wink:
Click to expand...

Nick, I had a walmart Huffy frame at the swap for $20 bux all striped and ready for paint. I would have given it to you for free if I knew!

By the way, I had a Mustang II coupe in highschool as well. Loved that car...
 
I respect the time and effort that goes into ANY bike build, although it may or may not be to my taste I still hold an appreciation for the bike. Weather it be an Elgin Bluebird or a Bootlegger Huffy.
 
Snootieness sort of goes with the territory in almost every hobby. When I was 19 ('71) I had a 750 Honda. Of course, everyone who had a Triumph, or a BSA looked down their noses at the Japanese bikes, and Honda riders looked down their noses at the Kawasaki riders, and the Kawasaki riders looked back down their noses at the Honda guys because the Kaw was faster than the Honda, and the Honda riders looked down their noses at the British bikes because the Hondas were faster, and the Harley riders looked down their noses at everyone. In '91 I got a Harley, and a buddy of mine bought a Suzuki look-alike. He couldn't quit reminding me that his Suzuki was faster than the Hog, and took less maintenance, and on and on.

And the bicycle scene is no different. There are guys who are Schwinn only purists, and guys who won't even use the "S" word because they ride Monarchs, or Shelbys, and guys who love to fry up cheap bikes. And of course, those of us who like cruisers roll their eyes at the roadies, and the roadies are sure that they're the only "real" bicyclists.

There are skiers, and snowboarders.
Long board surfers, and short board surfers.
Ford, and Chevy.

It's all just human nature. A little ribbing and rivalry adds to the fun as long as no one takes themselves too seriously.
Which brings up another division: Those who take themselves seriously, and those of us who know better :wink:

JWM
 
Perceived quality and the emotional response to a brand name is everywhere. Companies spend millions each year to support these images. It effects many things in your life. The clothes you wear, the car you drive, store brand toilet paper, or name brand. You might not even notice it. Brand name is so important that some companies buy old brand names in hopes of assuming their reputation, rather than spend many years building their own. Here's a little story about a fake but average American bicycle brand.

Brand X was established in 1890. They sold a million bikes by 1905. The built up a good reputation for quality which helped them survive the great depression. In the 70's people wanted a different kind of bike. In order to make these new models competitively priced cheap components were used. Cheap imported bikes started to flood the market, once again quality took a hit to keep prices low enough to compete. In the end they went bankrupt, they were bought out and production was resumed in Asia. Do they have the same reputation for high quality as they did then? No. Are their $80 2011 model bikes as nice as the models they made in the 1930's? Probably not. That doesn't mean they aren't functional bikes. Plenty of people ride and enjoy them.

Make no mistake though "X mart" bikes represent the lower end of the quality spectrum. Someone had to build a bike, ship it half way around the world, add a small retailer markup and sell it for $80. There are single components you couldn't buy for that price. Some corners had to be cut.

As far as bikes go, this is probably the most open bicycle forum on the web. You've got people building "X mart" bikes, and people building $1200 1930's classics. I've never seen any "low end" hate, although some people may speak their minds about the quality aspect. It all comes down to opinions. Everyone has one, don't take it personally.
 
"X-brand" sounds a lot like Schwinn :roll: add 5 years and substitute Taiwan for Asia and it would be Schwinn..... :lol: It's sad to see all our American companies being sold to China and Japan. It's getting tougher and tougher to find ANYTHING made in America anymore. That's why I love rat rods, built right here in my back yard, American ingenuity, Blood, sweat, tears, and beers.

You know with the production of the Rat Rod Bikes plates now I have been thinking.....They could be used as VIN tags. If we all banded together we could be great, Schwinn, Elgin, and Rat Rod Bikes. We have 6,427 members! Schwinn started with 7 employees. We might not be the biggest bike company in the world but maybe someday 100 years from now future rat rodders would be looking for a 2011 Rat Rod bike the way we look for Elgin Bluebirds. Mongoose had more than one spot to manufacture bikes. We've got 6,427 spots to manufacture bikes! I'll be the Outskirts Customs Division. :mrgreen: O.C.D. for short :lol: Fitting isn't it?
 
I always say- it ain't what ya got, it's what ya do with what ya got. 8)
 
I'm not immune either sinceI have a few things about me, I like the ones at the department stores more than the ones at a bike shops which I heard stories that bike shops don't like department store bikes like Murray and that they supposedly couldn't use the name Murray in their shops or something like that.

Also like if you build it for yourself it's ok but I don't like it when a lot of people put a Chevy engine in a Ford, Willys, Hudson, Stubebaker or the many other cars when they plan on selling it for around the same price as if it has the other companies engine in it which immediately turns away buyers of those who wanted one with everything those companies put in it or made because if your a little cheap that you get a Chevy engine to make more money out of the car or truck and so forth than to spend more for the exact companies engine for that model and year as well as the better engine that came out years later from that company, do you truly don't care about the buyer like me because I wanted to spend money on something I would have done the way I wanted it but can't because you got it at a guys house or a junk yard for cheap before I got the chance to.
 
kngtmat said:
I'm not immune either sinceI have a few things about me, I like the ones at the department stores more than the ones at a bike shops which I heard stories that bike shops don't like department store bikes like Murray and that they supposedly couldn't use the name Murray in their shops or something like that.

Also like if you build it for yourself it's ok but I don't like it when a lot of people put a Chevy engine in a Ford, Willys, Hudson, Stubebaker or the many other cars when they plan on selling it for around the same price as if it has the other companies engine in it which immediately turns away buyers of those who wanted one with everything those companies put in it or made because if your a little cheap that you get a Chevy engine to make more money out of the car or truck and so forth than to spend more for the exact companies engine for that model and year as well as the better engine that came out years later from that company, do you truly don't care about the buyer like me because I wanted to spend money on something I would have done the way I wanted it but can't because you got it at a guys house or a junk yard for cheap before I got the chance to.
Click to expand...

Same here, I am not against engine swaps, I have done several, just keep it within the brand. I did put a 350 in a Toyota once but that was because it was available and cheap, not cause I wanted to.
 

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