The Cat's A**

[jodphoto]

Hey, all. I know I'm late to the party. I put together some parts and have a project for BO12. This will be my first paint project on a bike and the first set of wheels I've laced. Here it is so far:

The Cat's A** was a Beatnik or Jazz term for something unquestionably good. I hope I can live up to that.

 

[Jake Sensi]

WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE!! SWEET FRAME NOW...GTB! PEACE

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using Tapatalk

 

[Chad T]

Love it so far! What kind of cranks are those?

 

[OddJob]

That phrase was one of our favorites back in the '70s. My college buddy, and still good friend today, used to say it really fast. Like it was one word....catsass.

And he liked his old steel road bikes, and he liked them fast...

 

[kingfish254]

Welcome to the game.
Have fun with your feline rump build!

 

[jodphoto]

WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE!! SWEET FRAME NOW...GTB! PEACE

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using Tapatalk

GTB...Get to building?

 

[jodphoto]

Love it so far! What kind of cranks are those?

Thanks, Chad. Those are Sugino Mighty road cranks. This one has 51/48 rings and they came drilled from Sugino.

 

[jodphoto]

That phrase was one of our favorites back in the '70s. My college buddy, and still good friend today, used to say it really fast. Like it was one word....catsass.

And he liked his old steel road bikes, and he liked them fast...

OddJob, It's a cool expression. Maybe if I used it as one word, it would not have gotten censored. I have attached a logo here, I may try to paint it on the head tube.

 

[Fv2]

GTB...Get to building?

Yes.
It'll probably take a while, but you'll learn Jake's acronyms. It's honestly gonna take quite a while, I still don't know all of them.

 

[jodphoto]

Welcome to the game.
Have fun with your feline rump build!

Kingfish, I didn't mean to offend. My cat doesn't think I'm so funny either. If he could open a can he would split for good.

 

[2dawgs]

Kingfish, I didn't mean to offend. My cat doesn't think I'm so funny either. If he could open a can he would split for good.

T
It's the Cats Meow!

 

[RustySprockets]

Just call it Cat Sass and avoid any controversy.

 

[2dawgs]

Kingfish, I didn't mean to offend. My cat doesn't think I'm so funny either. If he could open a can he would split for good.

The name of your build is appropriate; and there is nothing inappropriate about the name.

 

[kingfish254]

Kingfish, I didn't mean to offend. My cat doesn't think I'm so funny either. If he could open a can he would split for good.

Absolutely no offense taken from me brother!
I was just joking along with the name.
Love the badge.
If your cat could open a can, would it be a Stone Cold can of cat sass?

 

[Scribble]

Like the parts pile so far !

 

[scrumblero]

Love the old Suginos! I have a pair on a complete Le tour I'm afraid to part out..

 

[jodphoto]

My bikes all speak to me. Not like voices in my head, but in a design sense. I spend way too many hours just looking at a bike and “imagineering”. As I began putting parts together on this bike, she began to speak. In a tough but sultry voice, she said, “I’m not junk, embrace the funk and keep it punk”. This now, is the mantra for the build. All of this is true (for the most part).

So, originally, I was thinking black primer for the frame and the fenders. But now it’s red primer, satin black and whatever shiny stuff I have. Also, these are the Rustoleums I have in the garage.

Bare handlebars. Chrome steel, old stem. No brake levers, no shifters, no cables.

Single speed, coaster brake only. The Shimano CB-e110 looks old enough and I wouldn’t have to rebuild it.

Change the crank. I love the drilled Sugino Mighty cranks from the first photo, but they look too “curated” on this bike. This Custom by SR is funkier especially with the big ring removed and it fits real close into the frame. The chain line is perfect(ish). The inner ring is replaced by a nicer slotted 40T. I think 40/18 will be good gearing on this heavy single speed.

Chrome fenders. I took them off an old Ross I found at a tag sale. I should have photographed them before. But I just dug in, bobbed the rear and started trying to make them fit. They polished up OK, too. But, the fender stays had to go. The rear is suspended by a spoke from the seatpost binder bolt. and mounted near the BB. The front is attached via a ¾” round piece of aluminum that fits in the steerer tube with a set screw. I scrunched the fenders to match the tire width.

The wheels changed, too. These are the first wheels I’ve built. Fat in back, skinny in front. The rear is the original rim polished with the CB hub and new spokes. The front hub and spokes are the original mismatched replacements that were on the bike. Disassembled, polished and re-laced onto a new, skinny rim with a 3 Leading, 3 Trailing pattern. The skinwall tires will match the off-white suede seat when I clean them.

Here’s the bike roughed out. Everything fits and the wheels are round. Next is paint.

 

[KOTA]

Looks clean.....and fast!

 

[jodphoto]

The paint on the frame is Rustoleum Rusty Metal Primer. It has the same red oxide color as automotive red primer. I did the lugs and dropouts with a brush. Then did the tubes with a rattle can. Next was a clear matte coat of Rustoleum Clear (Matte). The fork is Rustoleum Black Satin on top of the red and clear. Rustoleum dries too slowly. Next time I paint, I'll thin the Rustoleum with acetone and add an enamel hardener.

I always had a Plan B to either paint the fenders or sandblast and wax them. The chrome looked OK, though with enough polish so, she (the bike, again) said to keep the chrome. Chrome cap nuts fill the holes in the fenders.

The front fender is held on with a 3/4" round piece of aluminum bolted to the fender and then held in place by 2 set screws in the brake mounting holes. The rear fender is bolted to the chain stay bridge and suspended from the seat post binder bolt with a spoke and nipple. The fender is held tightly between the seat stays by 2 small adhesive rubber feet attached to the stays.

I ended up drilling the crank. I was afraid I would goof this up. So, I set it up in a drill press with a bottom bracket clamped in a work holder, offset so the ring guard stayed aligned under the bit. I kept the 40 tooth ring on as a way to step the ring every 9º and drill a hole. Then I polished it with 400. 800, and red rouge. I kept the crank bolts showing because they look good and there's no plastic on this bike. (Yes, the dice are plastic but so are the valve caps and real dice.)

The headset bottom is a black Tange Passage, the top is a chrome one from the parts bin. It just looked better this way. The saddle is a Selle San Marco, dirty white suede, so I kept the front tire dirty to match. The seat post bolt is from the parts bin. The bars are chromed steel. The stem is an Atom that needed to be shimmed to hold the bars. The wraps are an old inner tube. The pedals are Union cheap replacement pedals (reflectors removed).

Here's the finished bike. It's been a blast and as always, I'm inspired by the skill and art of the builders on RRB.

 

[The Renaissance Man]

Looks nice! I really like the holes in the guard, good job.