The Wright Special

[GeePig]

The fork has a front light mount - would these have ever appeared on one of their bikes? This is an interesting build as I actually know very little about early bikes.

 

[Wildcat]

That's where the generator light combo goes on the fork. Like the old generator sets we had years ago, only still made and used today. This was the closest I could find to a vintage 24" fork. I was going to cut it off but thought maybe I could find an old looking lamp to go on there.

Few of the early bike pics have a headlamp. It looks like you had to add a lamp of your own.

 

[Wildcat]

My plan for the headbadge depends entirely on if I can find an engraver person to do this. I used the original head badge to get the correct size and spacing for the holes. It was riveted to the head tube.

This is what the badge should look like, but say SPECIAL instead of Van Cleve.

I'm also hoping they have some old looking brass to make it with.

 

[Wildcat]

I went out to get nuts and bolts for another project and have some wheels trued for other builds. At the bike shop, they had a set of pedals that look closer to the originals back then so I picked them up. They needed oil with the dry bearings so I had to pop the plastic cap off. I left them off to get a more vintage look.
1897 Wright Bros bike:

A rattrap I was using along with a new one minus reflectors.

I think this is as close to an original pedal as I'll get.

 

[OddJob]

The pedals are cool, but WHAT'S UP with these stands?!!

 

[SwissGuy]

The pedals are cool, but WHAT'S UP with these stands?!!View attachment 215577

My thoughts exactly!

 

[GeePig]

I kinda assumed that they held up some kind of room divider boards, but they just look to posh for that.

 

[MattiThundrrr]

Cast iron, Victorian?

 

[Wildcat]

This got me to thinking of what kind of kickstand would work. I looked at tons of these bikes and they all had none. That solved that problem.

I found some online. They are cast iron bike stands.

 

[outskirtscustoms]

Fascinating fictional story and a cool build. Just a thought I'd share for a more vintage look... On my old build "The Bootlegger" I modified a regular chain ring and ground off every other tooth to mimic a skiptooth chain look. Still rode just fine held the chain but had the look that really made people scratch their heads.

 

[outskirtscustoms]

Some photo inspiration for you

 

[Wildcat]

The chain line on this lined up perfectly, so that would work. That's 26 teeth that need ground off.
I wonder if the cog could get the same treatment and work, but it wouldn't be noticeable.
I'll need to get a new power tool or set up a bench grinder. A grinder on it's own stand would be a nice addition to the shop.

 

[outskirtscustoms]

The chain line on this lined up perfectly, so that would work. That's 26 teeth that need ground off.
I wonder if the cog could get the same treatment and work, but it wouldn't be noticeable.
I'll need to get a new power tool or set up a bench grinder. A grinder on it's own stand would be a nice addition to the shop.
View attachment 215760

I can't remember if I ground the rear or not but I have a skiptooth bike that rides just fine so I don't think it would make much difference so long as the chain line is straight. The front would pose more of a problem and I never had any chain issues on that bike.

 

[Wildcat]

Thanks for the tip. I'm winding up with a new bench grinder either way!

 

[RustySprockets]

You said you were trying to get a headbadge made--would these be of value to you? If so, I can send you the SVG file that can be resized without suffering any 'jaggies.' I'm sure these were intended as masks for photo etching in brass.

 

[Wildcat]

You said you were trying to get a headbadge made--would these be of value to you? If so, I can send you the SVG file that can be resized without suffering any 'jaggies.' I'm sure these were intended as masks for photo etching in brass.

View attachment 215790

It's possible. I've seen that image online. If the engraver asks for something like this, I'll let you know.
I've noticed that all of the Van Cleve badges had mounting holes top and bottom. On the one that's in the museum, the holes are on the sides, but you can see where marks are where they may have been meant to be top and bottom. It's the only one that way.

 

[Wildcat]

I've got a new hand grinder instead of a bench grinder, cost and accessibility won out. I'm debating whether to grind off every other tooth.
I used a leftover piece of vinyl tile to use on the toolbag to get some shape to it. It's easy to cut with scissors and will last longer than cardboard.

I adjusted the seat and handlebars to see how it would look. Racing mode.

The pedal comes close to the front wheel, but the crank arm is the normal length, 175mm.

 

[OddJob]

I kind of like the 'circle chain ring ' crank on the floor, it has a more vintage look to it. I'm also wondering how a set of deep drop bars would look, again to fit the style / mode of the day? And maybe just for photos, then you can swap to the 'woody' flat bars for riding purposes. Short grip like what are on the woody bar would work at the ends of the drops.

Love the frame color and lugs, woody rim look, saddle and bag; very classic and classy!

 

[Wildcat]

I also noticed the curvy chain ring being closer to what they used back then. I'll put it on see how it looks. And I'll probably make it a skiptooth while I'm at it. As for drop bars I've been looking for a pair that look like the old ones, no luck so far. I have a set of uprights that might look right flipped. On this old bike, the stem looks like mine turned backwards and the handle grips look the same also.

 

[OddJob]

That is definitely the 'look' right there! ^ Yours is very close to that! Maybe for the photos, slam the seat post down so it makes the frame look taller too. RaT oN~!