Check out that hangin' belly... I mean the frame, not the rider!
The Rustacean is done! Built to be used and quite tough.
The aluminum bar end plugs came in after this photoshoot, but is not a big deal. And the coming months I am planning a 140+ kilometre trip again, so I will change the spokes before that. Next year, hopefully the mythical "Elfstedentocht" of 240km in a day with this bike... and 15000 other cyclists.
Ride video:
This is what I started with:
Project 346 Stella frame. Large frames and weak bottom brackets.
First frame and fork marriage.
For the complete "deep sea dive" checkout:
Build thread link *click here*
Specifications- and worklist:
-Project 346 Stella ladies (steel) frame. Converted to a gents frame. Cleaned open holes. Completely stiffened the bottom bracket with my own designed steel plates.
-Wheelset from 1944 to 1955 somewhere. Bendix Elmira 'no band' hub, coasterbrake. With 26x3.0 Ruff Cycles tires. Custom fork arms and rigid adjustable suspension (no suspension).
-NSU Quickly front fork from 1953. Steering rod was broken, so I glued and rivetted a 1 1/8" threaded one.
-Reused a complete car mirror and built a 'jet age style' rear light.
-Brooks seat. Custom seat tube.
-1920's Christophe aluminum chain guard.
-175mm cranks with 'speedholed' Ruff Pedals.
-Mahogany wooden grips with blinker bar ends.
-Partially faux patina paint. Orange due to the Dutch roots of the 346 frame. With a slight hint to the "Flying Merkel" board track racers.
-Old style screws, only hexagons, crossheads allowed. There are two allen key screws hidden.
-Lots of details.
More pictures:
Thank you builders, readers from all corners of our world! This year had a learning curve, and a huge amount of fun!
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