RRBBO13 Q U O I S E

[Chad T]

Gonna sleep better knowing the shifter works with the hub. Wasn't sure how hard the pull is on a Nexus. Killer rat bike wizardry there.

Was also wondering if the seat will be mounted like the Raceliner's....staying tuned..

 

[Donniebikes55]

Man,I love this bike, really nice attention to detail and I'm a big fan of converting girls bikes, I've done a few myself. What's next ??

 

[The Renaissance Man]

I did some work on the saddle today but nothing that I'm ready to show yet.

What I can show is the saddle itself. I've always liked vintage long spring saddles, so I pulled this frame out of my stash.

The pan was pretty much toast so I have no guilt for ditching it. Instead I will be using one of my reproduction TRM Christy Saddles.

If your not familiar, the Christy saddle was originally sold in 1895. I made a fiberglass mold off of an original and sell them like the one pictured above.

 

[Fv2]

I did some work on the saddle today but nothing that I'm ready to show yet.

What I can show is the saddle itself. I've always liked vintage long spring saddles, so I pulled this frame out of my stash.
View attachment 78466

The pan was pretty much toast so I have no guilt for ditching it. Instead I will be using one of my reproduction TRM Christy Saddles.
View attachment 78467

If your not familiar, the Christy saddle was originally sold in 1895. I made a fiberglass mold off of an original and sell them like the one pictured above.

That's what I forgot.

 

[The Renaissance Man]

I had been thinking that I would some how incorporate the lucky seven post along with a custom 'I-beam' bracket but at the last minute I had a change of plan. The 7 post just seemed to complicate things for nothing. The saddle will be in a fixed position so the post wouldn't be adjustable anyway.
For continuity, the I-beam bracket has been in my thoughts from back when I made the dropouts. But it finally came to me that it could mate directly with the long spring chassis.

As usual, I started with a test piece made from composite aluminum. This is a crude and bulky version made only to test the viability of the idea.

I'm satisfied that it will work as planned so tomorrow I will hopefully make the real thing.
But tonight it's off to the drive-in with the family for a double feature! Time to get the cooler and snacks ready!

 

[The Renaissance Man]

Had some things keep me from working very long, but did get the main body made.

Didn't want the weld to show inside the I-beam so I had the underside of the top welded first (it won't show unless you look up under from below the seat) and then had the bottom piece plug welded to keep the welds hidden. I don't think it would've been possible to get the welding tip in the tight space anyway.

More work left to do on it.

 

[kingfish254]

Cool TRM Laid UP Seatpost in the works

 

[Funkme]

Now that looks excellent...

 

[The Renaissance Man]

Thanks!
________________________________________________________

Finished the 'Laid Up' seat pedestal.
I drilled four holes and then cut the corners off for the seat frame to sit in. Next I made the top clamp out of 1/4" plate steel and found an old bolt that matches the patina on the frame. The clamp plate will get a rusty/black patina to match also.

Just need to get it welded to the frame next.

 

[The Renaissance Man]

So far so good with the saddle.
I'm happy with the flow of the tank and the post. The idea was to make it look like a continuation of the tank but with the industrial I-beam attitude.

Still plan to go back and add a small support under the I-beam to the fender support.

 

[Verrt]

That's mad

 

[Fv2]

Triangulation, that's the old racecar way.

 

[toro1978]

That seat frame has such a beautiful design and those long springs must make for a real cusjy ride.

 

[OddJob]

I'm just curious, how tall is the rider? With the seat in a fixed position, and just spit balling here in the middle of the northwoods with nary a bicycle in sight; with a traditional 6 1/2" long crank arm, the seat to full leg extension appears to be about 25-26 " at the most.

That would be something like 6" shorter than me , so around 5'6"-5'7" .

 

[kingfish254]

That looks sleek and slick!!! Are you sure that the front spring isn't going to hit the tank under load? These old seat frames and springs have a lot of give in them.

 

[The Renaissance Man]

Thanks y'all.

@OddJob , If I remember correctly, I believe he told me that he's 5'4" which should be perfect. This thing definitely sits low!
@kingfish254 , I propped the seat pan over the chassis and sat on it today just to check the travel. Even bouncing on it didn't make it move much at all. All of the spring movement is in the rear.

Here's a look at what's going on under the tank. The vertical center extends to the seat post and I also added the little support down to the cross brace today. It's very strong.

 

[kingfish254]

Nicely engineered!!!

 

[The Renaissance Man]

Got a new TRM Christy Saddle fiberglass pan straight from the mold. Next order of business is to trim the mold flash and fit the long spring chassis to it.

 

[OddJob]

Trimming the mold from a brand new seat, to attach to some vintage rusty springs. Only on a RRB Build Off !

Got a name for your creation..."Crispy Christy"

 

[The Renaissance Man]

Trimming the mold from a brand new seat, to attach to some vintage rusty springs. Only on a RRB Build Off !

Got a name for your creation..."Crispy Christy"

I think when I get it finished, it will be more like the 'Crusty Christy'.

The fiberglass pan and vintage chassis are at one with each other. It may not seam like much, but considering that there is no adjusting the position, I was sweating it a little wondering how plumb and square everything would be once all of the parts came together. I'm happy to report that the saddle looks straight and level with the bike.

Here's what's going on underneath. The shiny bolts will be replaced with some crusty ones later.