Trying To Make Something Cool Out of Three Big Box Garbage Rods: The Hot Mess Express

[Walter Zoomie]

The 26" Magna Great Divide MTB BSO has an interesting frame design. Very heavy and tank-like, with beefy tires. The cheap suspension fork has to go, as do the sleazy decals, reflectors, hand brakes, and gears.

The 26" girls Huffy Panama Jack cruiser is pink. I'm not a fan of pink because I am manly, but it has a thicc, salmon colored coaster brake wheel-set in good condition. I may use its pink fork. Or not.

The 26" Quest Sierra MTB BSO is truly awful...which is perfect for me! Stripped of its greasy decals, I will use its blue fork, cups, and bearings for now.

All of these rigs were destined for the landfill (for good reason), so I feel like I've done my part to reduce, reuse, recycle, etc.

This is what I've come up with so far. I may put the pink fork on it if I'm feeling particularly randy. I don't like the handlebars, and in order to have a good chain-line I'm using the smallest chainring, which is too low geared for my tastes. I have some BMX bits coming. I may do some kinda paint treatment on the frame to make a gradual fade transition from the blue to silver.
It rides OK. Tires are noisy, but I can live with them.
I'm not quite done with this.

 

[horsefarmer]

It's amazing almost every bike has a few cool & useable parts. Have you tried the Huffy Stem / bars.?

 

[Walter Zoomie]

It's amazing almost every bike has a few cool & useable parts. Have you tried the Huffy Stem / bars.?

I think I'm gonna go with a BMX stem/handlebar type setup I have on order. I also have a set of 28" wide, and 5" rise city cruiser bars on order. I'll have to see what I like better for this rig.

 

[Walter Zoomie]

I put the pink forks on it. I like it cuz it's got a beer bottle opener. I also installed the Huffy Panama Jack cruiser seat cuz I'm old and my comfort is of paramount importance!

 

[Walter Zoomie]

BMX stem and bars installed! Huge improvement! Rides great. New grips coming. Not much left to do. Clean and repack wheel bearings, some paint treatments, switch out chainring to a single cog 44 tooth, and new cranks.

 

[Ulu]

Well, it appears that we bought the same bike. More or less. The Quest Sierra looks very very much like the Schwinn Frontier I am setting up to scalp.

Made by the same company of course.

 

[horsefarmer]

Well, it appears that we bought the same bike. More or less. The Quest Sierra looks very very much like the Schwinn Frontier I am setting up to scalp.
View attachment 193784

View attachment 193785

Made by the same company of course.

Love that stand! I gotta make something like that and save my back.

 

[Ulu]

Thank you. It’s a work in progress made from recycled objects. Right now it’s all just clamps and magnets and I have not yet welded it together.

 

[Pedalpat]

Excellent

 

[DonGiro20]

I'm quite impressed by how many folks on Rat Rod Bikes have the gift of being able to see the diamonds in the rough.

 

[Karate Chicken Industries]

I'm quite impressed by how many folks on Rat Rod Bikes have the gift of being able to see the diamonds in the rough.

This thread is great for that angle: https://ratrodbikes.com/forum/threads/before-after-pics.35745/

 

[Fedpro1]

It’s done

 

[Captain Awesome]

It’s done

Did you mean to post that somewhere else?