Spare Parts - FINISHED

[SpikeFC]

Wow lots of progress already. Looking good! What's the long holidays over there?

Thanks, trying not to waste any time and make even the smallest progress on a daily basis.

The 1st of May is the International Workers Day - in Poland it's national holiday since the fifties, and on the 3rd of May is the Polish Constitution Day. Since 2nd and 4th are in between, most smaller shops (like mine) are closed from 1st to 5th of May. That gave me a lot of time to work with most of the harder stuff like cutting, grinding and welding, but the disadvantage is that the second bike and most of the parts and tools are out of my reach till Monday

 

[Starnger]

Spike vs. Paint Stripper - 0:1

Don't know what I'm doing wrong, or what kind of goofy paint was used on the frame...

The fenders gave up pretty nice, but the frame is another story. The paintstripper that I bought just couldn't chew into the paint, so it's waiting till monday so I can get my whire wheel and take off what's left of the paint. Also need to dig up my chain guard, mock it up so I can weld the mounts, and cut it a little bit so it will look simmilar to this one:

I'm also still considering if I really need a chain guard, since I kinda like the bare look that the bike originaly had (As you may guess,, I'm not a big fan of chain guards )

Could be powder coated, then stripper might just not do the job.
Talking about chain guards, you can buy Basman chain guard at Ruff cycles with a sweet discount. This might be what you are looking for. Long enough to put on almost any build.

 

[SpikeFC]

Could be powder coated, then stripper might just not do the job.
Talking about chain guards, you can buy Basman chain guard at Ruff cycles with a sweet discount. This might be what you are looking for. Long enough to put on almost any build.

That's a very nice chain guard

But here comes the part that I haven't reveled yet - why the name "Spare Parts"

Since I got this one for free, and it became a basis for the Class 2 entry, I want to keep as cheap as possible, with mostly reused or re purposed parts that I can find. In total right now I spent something like 170PLN for the paint, 45PLN for tires, and something like 40 for the nipples. So till now it's like 260PLN = 80$ still need to buy a new casette, two chains, 127mm BB axle (if I decide not to use the one that I have), and batteries for the lights.
Hence the name - Spare Parts

I wasn't planning to try Class 2 from the beginning - I wanted to just enter in Class one - I just think my fabricating skills are not good enough - yeah I have some problems with self confidence

 

[Starnger]

That's a very nice chain guard

But here comes the part that I haven't reveled yet - why the name "Spare Parts"

Since I got this one for free, and it became a basis for the Class 2 entry, I want to keep as cheap as possible, with mostly reused or re purposed parts that I can find. In total right now I spent something like 170PLN for the paint, 45PLN for tires, and something like 40 for the nipples. So till now it's like 260PLN = 80$ still need to buy a new casette, two chains, 127mm BB axle (if I decide not to use the one that I have), and batteries for the lights.
Hence the name - Spare Parts

I wasn't planning to try Class 2 from the beginning - I wanted to just enter in Class one - I just think my fabricating skills are not good enough - yeah I have some problems with self confidence

I think you are doing a good job here, don't be too shy
Are you sure you want to keep the cassette for that bike? For not too much money you can get some planetary hub. My local bike shop sometimes even sells laced wheels with Sachs P5 or 3Gang for like 10zł

 

[Duchess]

It could be the type of paint. When I redid a Specialized Allez, it laughed the paint stripper right off the frame. I ended up having to take everything off mechanically, but I didn't want to be too aggressive with aluminum, so I had to use less brutal methods and they were THICK layers of paint and primer.

 

[SpikeFC]

Are you sure you want to keep the cassette for that bike? For not too much money you can get some planetary hub. My local bike shop sometimes even sells laced wheels with Sachs P5 or 3Gang for like 10zł

Right now I want to keep the cassette, since I have all the parts, and only need to change the derailleur (I hate the cheap Tourney TZ), and the cassette itself (It's Chinese, I prefer that th new derailleur would work with a Shimano cassette). I'm also a big fan of planetary hubs instead of the derailleur setup but that's what I already have.

It could be the type of paint. When I redid a Specialized Allez, it laughed the paint stripper right off the frame. I ended up having to take everything off mechanically

Could be, that's why I'm bringing out the heavy guns, time to take out the wheel of death.

 

[LukeTheJoker]

Looking good! I think it would look even better with that flat bottom bar parallel to the ground though?

 

[SpikeFC]

Looking good! I think it would look even better with that flat bottom bar parallel to the ground though?

Was also considering this. If I don't like it I will just bend the fork a little bit to the front

Also made a plan today. Since all the bikes in my shop are done, and today only 3 new came for service (I don't count small jobs like changing tubes, prake pads etc.), so I think I will have plenty of time.

The plan goes like this:

Monday - Class 1 project (until it's completion)
Tuesday - Class 2 project
Wednesday - Class 1 project (until it's completion)
Thursday - Class 2 project
Friday - Class 1 project (until it's completion)
Saturday - Class 2 project (if I will have the time)
Sunday - Chillin' and welding if needed (also working on lights when I'll have all the parts)

With this I can maintain a steady progress in both projects, and organize everything.

So more work on this one - tommorow

 

[SpikeFC]

As a little teaser of things to come, I dug out some parts today:

This sweet Polish made cassete chainguard (or something... a contraption sort-off Don't know the propper name in english). It came of one of my first bikes, a 1977 Romet Wagant.

And I found the chainring. I bought it years ago to use on the Ukraine bike that is the base for the project in Class 1. Now it will be used on this one.

 

[MazdaFlyer]

Not seeing the photos for some reason?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[SpikeFC]

Not seeing the photos for some reason?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

all of them?

 

[RustyGold]

I'm seeing the pics

 

[LukeTheJoker]

Pics are working for me!

 

[SpikeFC]

Didn't have a lot of time today. Started with centering and re-greasing the wheels, put on the second tire, and a new Shimano 6 speed casette. Also forgot to take pictures of it, stupid me

Stripped the fenders from paint, and primered them.

That boiler room, that I have in my shops basement is like the best place to paint stuff - The humidity is low, but the temperature... oh boy...

Also stripped most of the paint from the frame and put some polivinyl putty to mask my ugly welds.

This thing just takes forever to dry!

I didn't bother to take all of the paint down, since I will try and make the paint job look "patinated" with the primers (red, white, and black) coming from underneth the two tones of blue.

Oh yeah and from here I would like to totally thank my boss - for bravely standing the smell of that for the whole day, and me working like crazy in between the customers bikes to make both of the projects ready.

Oh, and got a text message from a courier, that in a few days, my new seat will arrive... so excited

 

[LukeTheJoker]

You are powering along, huge progress!

 

[OddJob]

So you wait for the putty to dry, and then you sand it down smooth I take it? And is the polyvinyl specially good for this application?

Also....what's that 'stub' sticking out of your top tube ?
**OJ attempts to divert attention from his own 'stub'**

 

[SpikeFC]

So you wait for the putty to dry, and then you sand it down smooth I take it? And is the polyvinyl specially good for this application?View attachment 94744

Eyup! Going to sand it smooth so that those welds will be hidden there forever. The polivinyl was recommended to me by my friend who works a lot on cars, and he & his friends mostly use this one instead of the classic thick putty. It dries longer but is solid as a rock.

Also....what's that 'stub' sticking out of your top tube ?
**OJ attempts to divert attention from his own 'stub'**

View attachment 94744

Nice diversion there

That stub has the same function as yours - it's a shifter mount for the grip shifter that i will convert to stick shift. Made from a piece of straight steering bar.

Anyway here is the picture of the finally finished wheels that I forgot to take yesterday.

 

[OddJob]

Dig the 'pie plate'. Shifter stubs unite!

 

[LukeTheJoker]

Shifter stubs unite!

With our powers combined...

 

[SpikeFC]

Shifter stubs unite!

First of all thanks for the views!

Second - Since I'm a huge fan of the Fallout games, every time I open the Class 2 Build-Off section, and remember it's name I just can't get this thing out of my head:


So started today by painting the rest of the colors on the fenders

The insides will stay flat black, and on the outside I will add two tones of blue, and try to imitate a patinated.badly painted look.

Also promised @sdframe pictures of my workshop located in the basement beneath my regular workshop, where I do most of the "heavy" work like grinding, cutting, drilling etc.

It's a bit of a mess, but since the bike season is still at large, we will clean up here in september or so.

Started grinding the putty on my ugly welds.

Then the courier came, with a package...

...and some of you might know what's inside it...

Eyup! My new seat with sissy bar came! And boy, was I in a bit of a shock!

Saying, that this thing is huge, or even HUGE is just saying nothning... this thing is INSANELY HUGE!

the seat is 44cm (17 1/3 inch), and the bar is 130cm (51 inches), I actually couldn't find any words to describe this

Turns out it is a cool piece of history! It started it's life as a short banana seat & sissy bar that came from a 16" wheel bicycle like this Romet Cross:

Just need to explain - there where only a handfull of polish made ZZR & Romet bikes with banana seats and, mostly came in 16" and 20" wheel sizes, so finding a banana seat made in Poland is pretty hard.

But back to that insanely long one - somebody in the 70's or early 80's butchered a small seat like that, extended the sissy bar & the seat, added much more foam and upholstered it with this leather-like material, the same as used in old Polish buses and trucks. That's a neat thing to have on a custom bike, and it cost me only 26$ + shipping (another 5$ or so). So a total win, and that deserves a mock-up photo!

Till now I was totally happy with how all the lines end up on this baby...

And so a catastrophe had to happenNext step was to put the BB axle so I could start mocking up the chain guard, and after a few tries I figured that I had a serious problem... The BB that I welded in the front of the frame had a broken thread... on BOTH sides

An hour of cursing at myself, for not checking that BEFORE I welded it there, and another 3 hours of swearing, tools dropping on my boots, and hitting my hands on the frame (or hitting my other body parts with wrenches ) i finally figured out a method to put a new BB axle in there...

Special tools required, a lot of Brutal, Barbaric Slav Muscle Power...

STOP! Time to refill those muscles with some power! Have yourself a meal, and no bike project could be done without the best Polish cuisine:

KIELBASA & PIEROGI!

And it's there alright...

Not entirely striaght, not that easy to spin - but it's there... forever... will take some measurments with the old BB axle to see how much offset it really is, but after I put the crankset on it for a try it appears that it rotates quite straight!

So the time came to "mock up" the chain, to start measuring the chainguard.

"I wonder how long this contraption would last..." And i definetly need at least 1 and 3/4 of a chain to make this baby work....

Also I figured out that I only need to make a front chain guard mount since I can just make a bracket at the back that will be mounted to the V-Brake pivot.

And right now I have two questions for you guys...

1. The Crankset.

How do you think? keep the original plastic chainguard and wrap the metal one above it, or ditch the plastic one, and use only the metal one. This is how the crankset looks without it:

2. The shifter.

I need some help with my shifter. I know some people from the forum had done conversions of grip shifters to stick shifters, but I can't recall the method they did it, and who did it. Any help would be greatly appricieted!