frankenbike's frankenbikes

Appreciated the sentiment so had to buy some stickers off @t0-ster. I've got another one but not sure which bike wants it.

Enjoying this thing now. The old fork crown was actually the tightest bit in terms of clearance but with this CAADX fork I could go up to 700×42. It looks odd but I've kind of got used to it.

One day I'd maybe consider getting a yoke in at chainstays/BB to create a poor man's Wolverine/Midnight Special/Crust/whatever and go up above 2". If it costs less than the difference in price between this frameset and a new one then it'd be a goer.

black saddle, paint fork black - banger

I've got some cheapo rattlecans ready for fork spraying. But want to practice on some shitter parts first in case I fuck it up.

I've also invested a lot of ass-pain in the saddle...

Cheers man! Good start, agree with platypus on the black bits :)

In terms of bigger tires, how would 650b work in that frame?

It's older than the 650b-for-road trend so you don't actually gain much in the way of tyre clearance. But yeah I'd love to get a 650b×2.1 in there or something for gravel type stuff and 700×30-40 for road. The old fork will take 26×2.3, looks pretty funny

So the reason I was out gravelling on Kona at the weekend was because I had an interview for a job in Fife which went quite well, and I was having a poke about for commute routes. They have offered me the job and I very happily accepted! It's telescope software development so right up my street.

It'll be a 40 minute train ride then 15-20 minutes on a bike on the other side. No showers in the office though so full guards and casual riding required. I'm going to have to have to build either a shit-looking lockup bike - I'm fairly skilled at building shit-looking bikes at this point - or some sort of folding/Brompton thing.

Very pleased, although I'm not counting my chickens until the contract's signed as I've heard stories of offers disappearing at the last minute!

Congrats! Any excuse for a new bike 😎

upward social mobility = instant dura ace 9100

it what thatcher wanted

Shimano = DTM

eTap + Breakaway makes sense in the circumstances though

Congrats on the job offer!

To stay realistic re commuter build, isn't Breakaway a bit overdone? Have you thought about a unicycle with Schlumpf cranks?

I have now! Gotta get them unicycle mudguards too

Probably sack me straight away if I showed up on my first day on a unicycle

Build another shit bike.

Because shit bikes are more fun.

In a rare departure from the norm I spent a whopping £4 on a new stem for Marin purely because it looks better. Always hated the old one.

Also finally went to investigate a local maker space. It's like an abandoned lot or something and all the tools are in those shipping containers. They only have a MIG welder and stick welders, so I need to decide whether or not that's good enough to put a downtube shifter and some cable guides on these crusty old tubes. Or convince them to buy brazing gear.

PS don't look at mudguards, I still haven't fettled them into place. Or cables.

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This bike is still one of my all-time favourites. (I'd bodge up some DIY-flaps for it though!)

High praise! I never really considered flaps but you're right. Maybe replace these guards with stainless at some point

Your bikes are horrific to look at. Damned brilliant; keep it going!

Front flap is a must for dry feet. Rear flap is just polite but whatever

Marin is very close to being a nice bike.

I know, I don't know whether I'm disappointed with myself or not. It looks a good bit shitter in person where the rust shines through. There are just a few things it needs, the downtube shifter boss and my spare DA shifter, sensible cable routing, nicer spacers on the steerer, mudguard fettling, less awful pedals. All troublingly minor.

Will sort some flaps. Maybe some manky garish material to set the rest of it off.

Also guess I never posted about this but I destroyed the freehub on the Marin back wheel, RIP Redneck. I had no money for a new one so for a while the whole thing was converted to fixed with a 6-bolt sprocket with the cassette on the NDS. The new one is visible in the previous comments up there ^, apparently built with random mixture of silver and black spokes, and again a rim/disc brake combo just in case I decide to have a disc tab welded on the back. Old broken one:

Whilst that bike is becoming nicer, you will all be pleased to know that the old fixed gear is currently a true horror. It was always a bit long for me and I was having issues with the cable pull adjuster thing on the front brake so I swapped it to the moustache bars that used to be on Marin. And then I put the 26" Redneck wheel on the back because it is actually nicer than the deep-dish fixed gear wheel I was using. Red grips came from a Fireman Sam bike that I found in a bin and are obviously sized for children's hands.

And the end result, I've basically created a Rivendell:

Since I'm no longer doing Deliveroo I don't really need two shitty theft-proof bikes anymore, so I'm not sure what'll happen to this one. Maybe it will go and live at the train station for when I start my new job.

Lastly, with access to a welder I will definitely be aiming to build a tall bike and other stupid things in the future. Shitbike fans rejoice.

And the end result, I've basically created a Rivendell

ahahaha

Christ that fixed gear is bad.

Yeah it's awful. Not only in terms of components but the proportions are wrong everywhere.

It won't stay like this very long though, those bars are worryingly creaky so they'll be going in the bin and I'll find something else. Wheels are ready for the bin too. May just get rid of the whole bike.

Marin needs black bars, and the cables destroyed in a fire, then would look good
Fixed gear on the other hand...

They only have a MIG welder and stick welders, so I need to decide whether or not that's good enough to put a downtube shifter and some cable guides on these crusty old tubes

I think you'll struggle with MIG and stick for those. Forget stick completely. You'll need to blob on some MIG to attach the bosses and then dress it right back carefully with grinder and file. Use Argon as your shield gas as the weld will be a lot softer than with CO2 (and hence easier to dress back).

Good work hitting the Anti thread btw!