Hey everyone. I'm starting a new build. Well actually I started it two weeks ago, but nevermind! I finally found a cruiser frame, wich is quite hard to find 'round here without smashing the piggy bank. So anyway I plan on doing a full on Lowrider, I know it's not that original, but I've always dreamt about one. The name comes from the department in the south of France.
The Beast :
I began tearing stuff off before bringing it home, didn't want anymore useless parts. The bike is a Micmo beach, for those of you who don't know them, Micmo was a cheap brand that used the Gitane factories. They produced general store quality bikes, and apparently had a cruiser in their line-up. This particular model is in not so bad condition, but needs a lot of work.
The Plan
Here's my initial plan for that thing. Using thin sheet metal, fill in these gaps, then body filler and paint. The frame will need a ton of work, because the strange geometry and all around weird technical choices like canti placement are a pain. I plan on using these surfaces for an airbrush job, I don't know yet.
Made In France putain!
Then this happens.
Extreme surgery was required to get a 15 INCHES seatpost. Like who used this bike? A giant?
An old frame was then used as a tube source to rebuild the cruiser.
Frame saved!
The parts:
I can't afford stuff from across the sea, so parts come from a German website. Here we have a V handlebar, fat fenders and a shorty sissybar. I wasn't that sure on parts, I gotta say it took me a while to put my mind on these.
Then I bought a bent springer... Err a jigsaw!
I had to find correct bolts, and rethread everything to fit my standard bolts.
Then it was time for a test build.
Unfortunately, I didn't have a seatpost to fit the frame, so I cut my old Z bars to make one.
Then I borrowed the saddle from another bike to do a test ride.
and that's the latest pic... For now at least. This build is going to take some time, as I want to do things right, but at the same time, being my first lowrider build, I'm testing different parts and different configurations to find the ones I like most.
For now, there are two main things that I don't like: the seat is too high, I think I'm gonna cut up the old collar and just weld the seatpost in the frame. The other thing is, the bike seems too high. The february break is over, so the bike will take some time as I don't plan on working on it during the week after school, but I'll keep this thread updated. If you have any suggestions, feel free to tell me, I'd like to hear your opinions on the bike so far.
The Beast :
I began tearing stuff off before bringing it home, didn't want anymore useless parts. The bike is a Micmo beach, for those of you who don't know them, Micmo was a cheap brand that used the Gitane factories. They produced general store quality bikes, and apparently had a cruiser in their line-up. This particular model is in not so bad condition, but needs a lot of work.
The Plan
Here's my initial plan for that thing. Using thin sheet metal, fill in these gaps, then body filler and paint. The frame will need a ton of work, because the strange geometry and all around weird technical choices like canti placement are a pain. I plan on using these surfaces for an airbrush job, I don't know yet.
Made In France putain!
Then this happens.
Extreme surgery was required to get a 15 INCHES seatpost. Like who used this bike? A giant?
An old frame was then used as a tube source to rebuild the cruiser.
Frame saved!
The parts:
I can't afford stuff from across the sea, so parts come from a German website. Here we have a V handlebar, fat fenders and a shorty sissybar. I wasn't that sure on parts, I gotta say it took me a while to put my mind on these.
Then I bought a bent springer... Err a jigsaw!
I had to find correct bolts, and rethread everything to fit my standard bolts.
Then it was time for a test build.
Unfortunately, I didn't have a seatpost to fit the frame, so I cut my old Z bars to make one.
Then I borrowed the saddle from another bike to do a test ride.
and that's the latest pic... For now at least. This build is going to take some time, as I want to do things right, but at the same time, being my first lowrider build, I'm testing different parts and different configurations to find the ones I like most.
For now, there are two main things that I don't like: the seat is too high, I think I'm gonna cut up the old collar and just weld the seatpost in the frame. The other thing is, the bike seems too high. The february break is over, so the bike will take some time as I don't plan on working on it during the week after school, but I'll keep this thread updated. If you have any suggestions, feel free to tell me, I'd like to hear your opinions on the bike so far.
