Japanese mamachari town bike -> TT machine

'Mamachari' = 'mama' (mother) + 'chari' (bike, slang)

Everyone in Japan rides them. They're heavy, clunky, slow, generally in awful condition and terribly made.

My relationship ended yesterday. My first reaction was to buy a bike.

Cost me about £40 equivalent. I had to ride it 30 minutes back from the shop and it was TERRIFYING. It claims to be made in China and this information is rather curiously written in French. Brand is 'Affiche', I think...

Since my allotted quota of stripping has abruptly come to a halt, I thought I'd strip the bike instead.

Removed so far are:

• bell
  
• chain guard
  
• fenders
  
• basket
  
• reflectors
  
• dynamo light
  
• lock
  
• sprung saddle
  
  

I replaced the saddle with a Concor Light I had lying around, which is worth more than twice what the bike cost me.

To do list:

• check rear clearances, convert to 700c fixed on rear (i.e. make it a fucking lo-pro)
  
• switch out pedals
  
• remove stem (currently rusted in place)
  
• fit new stem and probably bullhorns
  
• remove remaining chain guard mount behind cranks (?)
  
• switch cranks (?)
  
• remove basket mount from headset (?)
  
  

I'm not sure about messing with the cranks. I plan on entering this into a 10km TT organised by a friend, specifically for mamachari, so I may not be allowed to change the ratio. Also lord knows what weird hybrid BB it has.

The headset assembly is a rusty mess but runs smoothly now so I may not fiddle with it - I might just hacksaw off the basket mount or something.

I'm trying to do this on more or less a zero budget (of course) so it's gonna be a lot of scouring parts bins and friend's shops.

Next step is to try to free the stem, so more soon...

thread has potential...

SG75's and DA hubs ;)

Best project on the forum for sure.

I see potential here; this'll make a great thread.

I wish there were more events like this where I live.

Needs completely ridiculous overpriced crabon bits!

more threads like this please

+1 for lo fucking pro

You need to make some SPDs out of geta.

Fixed Super Heavy Probably Unsafe > Fixed Super Light Super Safe

Fixed Super Heavy Probably Unsafe > Fixed Super Light Super Safe

Wait til you see the front dropouts... things of beauty they are (they've basically just hammered the tube flat then drilled it).

Think you should keep the basket on. Retain some semblence of the original mamachariness.

Also what will you name it? Papachari? Gaijinchari? Abunaichari?

If it fits with the bars I might do. We'll see!

Got the rear wheel off. Removed rear brake. I reckon there's clearance for a 700c. I'll swap the wheel off my Peloton to try at some point.

Currently sitting upside-down with coke in the fork trying to loosen the stem while I drink more beer. I think I may name this the Drunkchari after the prevailing state in which it was constructed.

Check out the quality:

Yoppachari!

Coke in the fork did the trick - stem is free. Tried fitting a Nitto Jag but the basket mount gets in the way. Need to find a parts bin 26mm stem long enough to clear it...

Am actually considering keeping the rear wheel and brake setup for convenience but then it won't be a lo-pro so it'll be about 50% less ridiculous. What I really need is a similar 700c off another, bigger mamachari...

How much coke did you pour down? I have the same problem.

hahahahaha

Tried fitting a Nitto Jag but the basket mount gets in the way.

ridiculousness of this sentence is something worth quoting

yeah if I hadn't repped you for starting this thread already you would be getting rep for that.

How much coke did you pour down? I have the same problem.

Flipped the bike, filled the hole a few times until the level stopped dropping so fast then left it for maybe 4 hours. Gave it a little twist and out it came.

Makes a right mess so beware.

hahahahaha

ridiculousness of this sentence is something worth quoting

That's the idea of the project, so yeah, get ready for more of that... ;)

Cant you cut out part of the basket to allow room for the jag? That way you could actually have your hands and bars inside the basket!

and fucking weave a sweater
or something

Cant you cut out part of the basket to allow room for the jag? That way you could actually have your hands and bars inside the basket!

That would be incredibly cool. Would it count as an aerodynamic fairing for the purposes of entering a timetrial, though?

This is going to be good. You don't still have your aerospoke do you?

Cant you cut out part of the basket to allow room for the jag? That way you could actually have your hands and bars inside the basket!

The problem is the mount bracket attached to the headset, not the basket itself. I am, however, very much considering the best way to integrate the basket into the final monstrosity.

This is going to be good. You don't still have your aerospoke do you?

Sadly not, although it was a front one so it would have required a new fork and... yeah...

Oh of course it was! Never mind. Needs a rear disc.

Rad.