So I picked up a 70 or 80 something looptail that I have yet to get a positive ID on. It was free from a buddy's scrap pile. I snaged it for a possible parts bike for my boys then after airing up the tires discovered how fun it was to ride. I am 37, 198lbs and 6 feet tall so my wife thinks I'm a dork when I ride it but it's been fun messing around with my kids on dirt berms, 2x4 ramps etc. so I've decided to fix it up a bit.
Since we have no clue what it is and it appears to be a knock-off I have decided to go rat/BMX rather than resto.
Here it is right after the boys put used vintage pedals, crusty old tires & new tubes on it for me...
The head bearings were hashed so I got some new one's at the local hardware for $1.38. Got all the other bearings packed with fresh grease. After a while I decided to fab up a lay back seat post so I could actually use the seat every once in a while. My new seat post was welded from the original seat post, a spare handle bar and a bit of an old kiddy bike frame for a sleeve. I know you can buy these but I'm trying to be all rat rod and make everything out of old bits every chance I get. Also I ordered up some Demolition "Machete" tires in 20x2.35", nice and fat and kind of an "all terrain" good for the dirt and the park I'm told...
Future plans include a some kind of 3 peice crank and a new paint scheme. The paint on it right now appears to be brushed on house paint. I thought I would de a kind of sepia/earth tone two tone with a color change about half way down the top tube. Handle bars and rims will probably stay in their current "patina". I think it needs a bottle opener mounted on it somewhere too. A couple board shop decals. Maybe a little suspension fork if I can get one cheap or free. I need to find a seat that looks correct on there, I keep bashing this cracked old one on the dirt when I do wheelies and fall off the back of the bike
. Grips are totally petrified so they would be nice to update as well. Orange seat and grips maybe?
Since we have no clue what it is and it appears to be a knock-off I have decided to go rat/BMX rather than resto.
Here it is right after the boys put used vintage pedals, crusty old tires & new tubes on it for me...
The head bearings were hashed so I got some new one's at the local hardware for $1.38. Got all the other bearings packed with fresh grease. After a while I decided to fab up a lay back seat post so I could actually use the seat every once in a while. My new seat post was welded from the original seat post, a spare handle bar and a bit of an old kiddy bike frame for a sleeve. I know you can buy these but I'm trying to be all rat rod and make everything out of old bits every chance I get. Also I ordered up some Demolition "Machete" tires in 20x2.35", nice and fat and kind of an "all terrain" good for the dirt and the park I'm told...
Future plans include a some kind of 3 peice crank and a new paint scheme. The paint on it right now appears to be brushed on house paint. I thought I would de a kind of sepia/earth tone two tone with a color change about half way down the top tube. Handle bars and rims will probably stay in their current "patina". I think it needs a bottle opener mounted on it somewhere too. A couple board shop decals. Maybe a little suspension fork if I can get one cheap or free. I need to find a seat that looks correct on there, I keep bashing this cracked old one on the dirt when I do wheelies and fall off the back of the bike
. Grips are totally petrified so they would be nice to update as well. Orange seat and grips maybe?
