The Wright Special

[Wildcat]

I've got some 24" rims and spokes on order. This is a small bike. Orville may have made it a little too small for it to be a big seller even if they finished it and showed it at the Grand Opening.

I glued the seat to fix the tear, but I didn't need an extra piece under the leather, the seat was made with a layer of something under the leather. It's sandwiched together with a big glob of glue. Then, as recommended by Couch tater, I filled the tear with more glue. It seems to be a good repair, although I probably won't stress it out and keep it as is for the vintage look.
Besides, this bike will probably go to a museum and be under glass once word gets out. I'm gonna be rich!

 

[Wildcat]

The new rims and spokes showed up. The Kent sticker over a spoke hole declares the high quality of these rims. But I wanted plain rims for a reason.

I went right to work to get the rims looking like wood. I used an old photo of a bike, (Major Taylor's bike) to try to get the color just right. I think he was a famous early racer. I'm still looking for cork grips.

Just yellow and brown seemed to work.

After a quick sanding and cleaning, I painted them and remembered the handlebars. They should be a darker brown I think, so I mixed some a little darker.

I'll give them overnight to dry then reassess how they look. If they look like wood then they'll get clearcoat.
.

 

[Wildcat]

I used my favorite spoke calculator to see if I was going 3x or 4x. https://www.prowheelbuilder.com/spokelengthcalculator

The spokes are sold 20"/24"/26" etc., not by the mm. So both are going to be 3 x and the guys at the shop can grind down any ends when I take them in for truing.

 

[Wildcat]

All ready for a run to the shop for truing tomorrow. The calculator was right on, the rear has 5 mm too much spoke, so the grinder will be used tomorrow, but the front looks good as is.
I should have learned to lace a wheel years ago, I always thought it would be difficult. These took 30 minutes to lace up.

I'm going to look around for a steel engraving shop and see if I can have a head badge made up, also have a name stamped onto the brake arm. The Wright's were known to make their own coaster hubs that worked well.

 

[Pondo]

Nice job on the wood effect!

 

[Wildcat]

Here's what their coaster hub looked like. I can't get the same look, but this hub I have is close.

They added a peg so you could get up on the bike. The bikes back then were all too tall to straddle, the top tube was usually 36" high. You ran alongside then hopped on.
The Special was intended to address that issue and be a big seller.

 

[Wildcat]

At the shop they had a trainee on one of the truing stands. He was going to use a hacksaw blade to trim off the spoke ends. They guided him over to the grinder. The front wheel didn't need any grinding and was almost true already.

 

[OddJob]

That truing stand looks like it might have been manufactured by Orville or Wilbur.

And what about that ultimately cool green wheel in the glass case?! Looks like it's CNC'd aluminum?

 

[Wildcat]

Most of the bike shops have motorcycle parts also. A great number of people use a motorbike as their only transport. But a lot of those parts are imitations from China.

 

[Wildcat]

The tires won't seat perfectly, they always have a little dip, but that's to be expected of 6 dollar tires. They look like old basic tires, which they are, except they are new. Made right here in the Philippines. Most 24 x 1 3/8ths tires are for wheelchairs, so there's not much selection. But that's exactly what I needed.

The chainwheel looks huge next to the standard one. I'm going to use the copper to accent the big chainwheel. A cut with the shears and it's almost ready, needs a couple holes drilled. It'll match the copper on the pedals. The Wright's probably were going to dress this bike up a little before showing it.

 

[Karate Chicken Industries]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Major_Taylor

 

[Slow-Rider]

wow loven it so far.

 

[Wildcat]

I got the copper added and thought about using the higher quality 24" fork. But there aren't enough threads to attach it to the small frame. The new stems look like I hoped they would, shiny but could be old.

Then I tried to mix colors to match the old bikes.

It looks there's a hint of purple, along with red and black. So that's what I mixed up at first.

It seems to good on the first try. This is the first coat, and it looked darker as it dried.

It'll get a second coat, smoothed, then clear coat.

 

[Wildcat]

I finished the clear coat and trimmed the fork.

I started to assemble it, but my new cottered crankset didn't come with bearings. So this is as far as I got today. The B66 looks large on there.

 

[ifitsfreeitsforme]

a lot of thought is going into this. I admire you for it.

 

[Pondo]

That red with the polished frame lugs looks awewsome!

 

[OddJob]

I second the emotion^^ !

 

[Wildcat]

I put together what I had to this point. The rear hub spacing will need some work and the handle grips haven't shown up yet. I still have to investigate if there's a place that will engrave a head badge and/or brake arm.

 

[Wildcat]

I was going with a 22 tooth cog until I found a few 18s. So, a 52/18 on a 24" wheel gives 70 gear inches. That's a little high but should be fine for cruising along at about 15 mph.

Returning to fiction, I remember Jimmy mentioning something about a tool bag they gave him as they were closing up the bike shop. He said no one bought any of them although they were offered for 50 cents. He gave it to me but I thought it was just a story because it was in pretty good shape for being over 70 years old at the time. But I noticed a tool bag on accessories they offered in this ad, but I can't find a pic anywhere of one. So, it's possible no one bought one as Jimmy stated.

Also has a coaster brake of theirs for 5 bucks extra. So, I'll see if the tool bag fits on the brooks seat.

 

[Wildcat]

I dug out the old bag from the box I have of real old stuff. It looks like it's useable. It has the same clasps as I remember on our boots we wore in winter back in the 60's.

I added the grips and raised the handlebars a little and adjusted the seat back. I still will hit my knees on the bars. I'll find a short person to do a ride vid with later.

I noticed a discrepancy in the frame. I think chain stays for a 26" bike were used. The seat stays look right, but the indents for the rear tire are well in front of the wheel. I obtained it in original condition, covered in dust from sitting for a few years at least. It was in excellent condition, all the parts had no wear on them, including the tires.
Fictionally, this could be blamed on Orville, even if he didn't do it, as he was in charge of the frame building. That's probably what set everything else off.