I recently joined this group but I've been a bike collector and hobbyist for years. I started building a 20" custom chopper style bike around 12 years ago. Joining this forum prompted me to dig out the build that I started but never finished. I guess I am going to have to do something with it now but with 12 years of neglect, it is going to take some serious love to give it some life....
I started with a Rollfast (don't remember the exact model) with a nanner seat and ape hangers. Wheels were missing and the original paint was trashed so there was no love lost. I went through a lot of different mockups to get it in its current "mocked up" condition. Neglect and mother nature supplied the patina while it was stored in an open air barn for the last 12 years. Since I had a 26" Elgin pre war, truss fork lying around, I decided that they would give about the right length fork I was looking for. The fork tube was considerably longer than the Rollfast head tube so I added about 2" to the head tube, 1" on top & 1" on the bottom. After that things started to snowball, I made a pair of longer rear dropouts to lengthen the rear of the frame and a derailleur boss to accommodate the Shimano Lark-W setup that I planned on using. After starting the project I lucked into a cheap disc brake setup from a 80's roadie so that worked its way into the build. Since I wasn't fond of the straight seat tube I cut up a Fairlady for the curved seat tube that's currently attached.
Sooo, this is where I am at with this project. Twelve years of neglect and my new rims are rusted, my NOS Lark-W looks more like a swap meet reject, the once clean sanded frame (waiting for its next mods) is now a weathered relec that would look more at home in the back of a truck headed to the scrap pile... But wait... there is some dope, errrr, I mean hope for this project yet. My finding this site (after King Sting directed me here) is breathing some new life into this pile of metal. Hopefully I will make some progress on this bike over the winter so all the work I've already put into it was not a waste of my time...
I started with a Rollfast (don't remember the exact model) with a nanner seat and ape hangers. Wheels were missing and the original paint was trashed so there was no love lost. I went through a lot of different mockups to get it in its current "mocked up" condition. Neglect and mother nature supplied the patina while it was stored in an open air barn for the last 12 years. Since I had a 26" Elgin pre war, truss fork lying around, I decided that they would give about the right length fork I was looking for. The fork tube was considerably longer than the Rollfast head tube so I added about 2" to the head tube, 1" on top & 1" on the bottom. After that things started to snowball, I made a pair of longer rear dropouts to lengthen the rear of the frame and a derailleur boss to accommodate the Shimano Lark-W setup that I planned on using. After starting the project I lucked into a cheap disc brake setup from a 80's roadie so that worked its way into the build. Since I wasn't fond of the straight seat tube I cut up a Fairlady for the curved seat tube that's currently attached.
Sooo, this is where I am at with this project. Twelve years of neglect and my new rims are rusted, my NOS Lark-W looks more like a swap meet reject, the once clean sanded frame (waiting for its next mods) is now a weathered relec that would look more at home in the back of a truck headed to the scrap pile... But wait... there is some dope, errrr, I mean hope for this project yet. My finding this site (after King Sting directed me here) is breathing some new life into this pile of metal. Hopefully I will make some progress on this bike over the winter so all the work I've already put into it was not a waste of my time...
