"Sparky" - Early '80s Worksman (Re)Build

[Mark Sr.]

Picked up "Sparky" on Craigslist last Fall as it had the frame & fork I like & the price was right. Pretty sad condition when I brought it home:


Stripped F&F down & threw everything else in a bowl of kerosene to soak a while.


Had a friend run it through a media blasting and it cleaned up very well:


Next up was powder coating by local company, J&J Powdercoating. They did a 2-tone fade with some silver particles thrown on top of the red. I chose the colors and told them to run with it:


I did not love the paint scheme at first, but then it started to come together with the headbadge:


Got front end on (and have since removed the reflector):


Rear wheel is Worksman alloy rim w/ stainless spokes & 3-spd Nexus coaster brake hub from IND-Chuckz, running Duro redline 2.10 knobbies front & rear:


Waiting on a proper seat & matching front drum brake rim. Pretty happy with how it is coming together.

 

[illMATTic]

Looks good. Way more fun than buying one.

 

[LukeTheJoker]

Coming together well!

Luke.

 

[Bicycle808]

What bars are you running?

 

[Mark Sr.]

What bars are you running?

They are solid aluminum similar to the Inter-Am bars I have on other bikes. I got them used on eBay, I think they are pretty old.

 

[Bicycle808]

They are sold aluminum similar to the Inter-Am bars I have on other bikes. I got them used on eBay, I think they are pretty old.

I'm loving the bend and rise on them, Mark. They really compliment the m2600's lines.

 

[Mark Sr.]

They were definitely a lucky score. I have two other solid bars that are 3" wider & have much more rise, but these are perfect on this bike. I have a temporary seat on and the riding position is so comfortable.

 

[Bicycle808]

They were definitely a lucky score. I have two other solid bars that are 3" wider & have much more rise, but these are perfect on this bike. I have a temporary seat on and the riding position is so comfortable.

So, what will the permanent saddle be? Also, if you haven't checked out @villageidiot 's seatposts yet, then your life is suckin' needlessly. Good knurled/polished solid 6061 posts for cheap.... I even scored some 22.0 ones from him, for Emory/Trailmate duty....

 

[Mark Sr.]

So, what will the permanent saddle be? Also, if you haven't checked out @villageidiot 's seatposts yet, then your life is suckin' needlessly. Good knurled/polished solid 6061 posts for cheap.... I even scored some 22.0 ones from him, for Emory/Trailmate duty....

...and the money pit gets deeper!

 

[Bicycle808]

...and the money pit gets deeper!

Every day, right?

 

[Mark Sr.]

So, what will the permanent saddle be? Also, if you haven't checked out @villageidiot 's seatposts yet, then your life is suckin' needlessly. Good knurled/polished solid 6061 posts for cheap.... I even scored some 22.0 ones from him, for Emory/Trailmate duty....

Was going to go with a Thompson in black but not sure when those will be available. You have some saddle knowledge, what would you suggest? I probably do need one w/ springs.

 

[Bicycle808]

I picked up a Thompson in the honey color; it's a great saddle for the price, but the springs are pretty soft for my taste. I think it'd be better suited for my riding and preferences if it didn't have the front spring....

I'm not sure where @ifitsfreeitsforme gets his saddles, but they look and feel alot like the Gyes saddles (and the Gyes clones offered by VO and Cardiff) that you can get cheap from crowcycle. If you don't want to spring for a Brooks Flyer or B-67, you might wanna look at the knock-offs on offer from Gyes.
http://crowcycleco.com/gyes-gs-16-leather-bicycle-saddle-compare-brooks-flyer-black
http://crowcycleco.com/gyes-gs-07-leather-bike-seat-saddle-compare-brooks-black

They're a lot cheaper than comparable Brooks. On the one hand, you do get what you pay for, but on the other hand, you're only paying half as much....

 

[Mark Sr.]

Thanks for the links. I am looking closely at the B67 in black, though I love the aged tan one. This bike will be used primarily on the main trails of nearby First Landing State Park, to run our crazy & fast Boykin Spaniel, and as a typical beach cruiser.
The dog is the reason that the shifter & the front brake lever will both be on the right side, as I'll have his leash in my left hand.

 

[Mark Sr.]

Though it appears I would need the Brooks B66, as it has the clamp that will attach it to a plain, pipe type, seat post.

 

[Bicycle808]

No, you can run either on a pipe-type post. If you get a B67, you'll just need regular seat guts for round rails, like this:

They cost, like, $3.

The B66 has double rails, and it comes with the special guts required to run with saddles with the extra set of rails. Any Brooks can be run on the old-fashioned pipe-n-guts type post. Multi-rail models, like the B66, are difficult to run on modern integrated-clamp seatposts, although Brooks offers a gadget called a "Seat Sandwich" for ppl who wish to run that type of saddle on a modern post.

Worksman bikes have got a 7/8" post; i've yet to see any posts in that size with an integrated clamp.... so get whichever Brooks you prefer; they'll all be compatible with your post.

 

[Mark Sr.]

Got 1 step closer today thanks in part to Amazon Visa reward points!

 

[Mark Sr.]

Got 1 step closer today thanks in part to Amazon Visa reward points!

Oh...& some expert advice on saddles & seat guts!

 

[Mark Sr.]

Finally some time to get back at it and I am getting close. Had to work some magic to get the front drum to work with the BMX style fork. Always wondered what those decreasing circumference holes going up the drop-outs were for:




"Backwards" flag decal puts chain guard in proper "stars lead the way" stance:

 

[Robertk]

Too cool!

 

[Bicycle808]

Loving this bike, Mark. FWIW, I'm pretty sure that's not what the other holes on the fork's ends are for, but it's awesome how you adapted them to work with the drum brake. How bout some more update pics, showing off the whole build so far?