"Speed Demon" 1950s JC Higgins JetFlow

[kingfish254]

I was excited to track down and score this bike. It was built out by Hounddog in 2012/2013, But it is also a piece of RRB history. That tank was originally done by @American Vintage Bicycle Supply back in BO6 for his Speed Demon build in 2011.

Hounddog sold it a couple of years ago and I almost had a deal made for it when all of sudden the seller traded it with someone in Colorado. I then had to make a new deal with the Colorado owner (minus forks and shifter).

Here is what it looked like as a complete build by Hounddog.

And here it is when it was shipped to me.

 

[kingfish254]

Here is a pic of the tank just after Tyler had them painted. This was in BO6 (my very first build off). He ended up not using these on his final build because they actually weren't correct for his frame (his frame was a Colorflow style which has a different midtube shape than the JetFlow.

 

[kingfish254]

The tank changed hands and "bighit" owned it for a while and along with a my current proper JetFlow frame. Then Hounddog ended up with it and he build out the first complete build of this that I remember seeing.

 

[kingfish254]

It was late December when I picked this up, but it has been sitting in my office since then. My plans for this one was for it to be a nice any day rider. @Dr. Tankenstein and I had a ride planned this past weekend with another old bike friend, so I decided build it up quickly. This was probably one of my quickest builds ever (finished in slightly over 24 hours).

I had already mounted the Boxkars 7 speed shifter that I bought for earlier this year. I had never had a Boxkars until this one, and I can tell you that these are amazingly well built shifters.

 

[kingfish254]

Changed out the sprocket and cranks for a Monark paisley dogleg that I kept from a ladies Monark a couple of years ago.

 

[kingfish254]

Used an X53 springer fork that I picked up a few years ago. I'll probably paint this down the road.

 

[kingfish254]

This bike had killer parts on it and I have wanted a set of redline Hanks for a long time. I first used a set of these on my Flex-Liner build back in BO7. So, I removed them from this bike to keep in my back pocket for future builds.

I pulled these cream brick tread tires from the prewar Rollfast Roamer that I sold last year. They mounted well on the Nexus7 wheelset that came with this bike.

 

[kingfish254]

Once I connected the drivetrain, the chain was binding at an angle on the chainring.

Had to break out the old Sheldon Brown 2x4 to persuade the rear end back in shape. The right dropout was a full inch out of whack. I don't know how this was rideable before. Obviously this happened sometime after Hounddog had sold it.

 

[kingfish254]

It was pretty easy to get everything aligned again. If you aren't familiar with the Sheldon Brown webpage, I suggest you give it a look. It's a dated page layout (especially since he passed away), but there is an untold wealth of technical knowledge stuffed away in there.

I had a roller early on Saturday.

 

[kingfish254]

The seat that I got with this bike is a killer high end Persons stamped red leather recover. I decided to keep it for my stash as well.

But I didn't have to sacrifice, I had the perfect saddle in mind for this build. I picked up this diamond checkered rat saddle from a bike a few months ago. I love it on this bike.

 

[kingfish254]

I wanted a nice upright riding geometry so at first I tried these prewar motobike crusty crossbars with an old stem I had.

The prewars just seemed a bit to "slow" looking for the build, so I used these 50s sweeping crossbars that I've had for awhile. I like these a lot better.

 

[Dr. Tankenstein]

It is a great bike!
Rode it on Sunday (still smelled like fresh grease), it is smoooooooth.
That springer and saddle are really nice for leveling out the bumps.
I’ve always struggled with shifters, but this Boxkar unit is so NICE! Shifts easily, it ‘clicks’ into each gear very well, no ‘huntin and peckin’ for a gear.

Thanks for letting me cruise it through Forsyth Park!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[kingfish254]

It is a great bike!
Rode it on Sunday (still smelled like fresh grease), it is smoooooooth.
That springer and saddle are really nice for leveling out the bumps.
I’ve always struggled with shifters, but this Boxkar unit is so NICE! Shifts easily, it ‘clicks’ into each gear very well, no ‘huntin and peckin’ for a gear.

Thanks for letting me cruise it through Forsyth Park!

It was cool when we all swapped bikes. It's great to see someone else riding your bike because you really get a feel for how good/bad it looks being used and rolling. What great ride! (photos to follow later).

 

[kingfish254]

Looked through my grips and decided on these NOS Flex-Grips. I've had these for years and they are perfect for this build. Super comfy too.

I also mounted the shifter back on the frame.

Threw on a big bell along with my .... tail.

 

[kingfish254]

Put on the guard that came from a completely different JetFlow that was painted years ago too. It really matches up well with the tank. Routed the shifter cabling and re-learned how to adjust Nexus 7 hub shifting. This shifter is so freaking smooth.

 

[kingfish254]

Connected the Boxkars shifter to the Nexus7 hub, then just as I was tightening the last chainguard screw, it started raining!!!!!!! I didn't let it stop me. Jumped on the bike and went for a short rain ride. The Oglethorpe Club even threw a coming out party for my latest build. Just over 24 hours elapsed from the time I started tinkering on it.

 

[JA331]

that's one very cool ride. nice work

 

[Kruez]

Love it!


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[MattiThundrrr]

We can just cancel the Build Off now. King has proven that months, weeks, even days, are unnecessary.

 

[Captain Awesome]

That's hot