RRBBO7 HYPE UP THREAD!

[kingfish254]

Mine will have 3 wheels, but not a trike.

I am sure you have something cool in mind. Loved your bike last year. Especially the rear fender flames.
3 wheels but not a trike. hmmmmmmm. I am picturing 3 wheels in line, the middle wheel is always on the ground, but the front or back wheel depend on if you lean forwards or backwards.

[yoothgeye]

Mine will have 3 wheels, but not a trike.

I am sure you have something cool in mind. Loved your bike last year. Especially the rear fender flames.
3 wheels but not a trike. hmmmmmmm. I am picturing 3 wheels in line, the middle wheel is always on the ground, but the front or back wheel depend on if you lean forwards or backwards.

Haha, this will not be a novelty bike like my tall bikes of swing bikes, this will be a rider(s).

[FunkyStickman]

I guess my build will depend on three things:

1. Frame= will determine what kind of bike it is (Pashley Guv'nor-alike, or cargo rat)
2. Wheels= will be a challenge. I want the perfect wheels for it. It's gonna be a rider. Thinking alternative lacing, oddball hubs, etc.
3. Budget= will trump all of the above.

(afterthought)
I've been itching to build a road bike with moustache bars, drum brakes, and white tires. I'd love to build it so it weighs close to 20 pounds, but that's a tough call... I think if I use a light frame, alloy everything, and a single front chainring, I can do it.

Can you see it? I can... keeping up with the crabon fibre' crew on my "tank" that weighs less than an off-the-shelf road bike.

[kingfish254]

It is obvious that this forum is full of trash pickers, yard salers, deal hunters, and dumpster divers. I say this with the utmost admiration and respect!!!!!!
We all have the "Schwartz" for deal hunting. Use the power of the Schwartz to offset your build-off budget.
Keep the cool stuff you find for your builds and rides, but sell off some of the other "junk" and rewarded by the Schwartz you will.
The Schwartz is strong in this group.
May the Schwartz be with you!

[outskirtscustoms]

I probably won't win anyway so I just build something I want to ride. Winning would just be a bonus. Being disqualified for doing something that blurs the lines of the rules would be a complete contradiction to what Rat Rodding is all about.

My only challenge is low budget, lack of uber cool parts, and this is the first time I'll be entering. Last year I couldn't find parts in time, and the year before I joined the site right after the build off ended. Let's just say "IT'S PAYBACK TIME!"

Just a question, Is this considered a frame mod? The original frame IS intact it's just been added on to.

[FunkyStickman]

I probably won't win anyway so I just build something I want to ride. Winning would just be a bonus.

This is the right attitude to have, man. You build the most awesome bike you can, and spend time on the details, and you'll have a good shot at placing in the top 5. The voters here are also builders, and we know what goes into making a good bike. Just do your best.

[outskirtscustoms]

Besides what do you get for winning? A few bragging rights? I'd rather have another cool bike.

[kingfish254]

Looking forward to seeing what Petrohead designs for the trophy this year.

[Peatbog]

A big problem would be if everyone started building bikes to win instead of building bikes they hope will win. What I mean by that is if you look at the last few year’s winning bikes, you can tell there are certain styles and parts and such that tend to gather the eyes of many voters. How boring it would get if too many people began to build to a certain style because that is the style that tends to win, instead of building something of their own imagination that they really want for themselves. Hopefully, everyone will build for themselves instead of building for the voters because that would tend to create too many similar bikes. It is the vast difference in bike styles that makes the build off so much fun to watch.

That sounded better in my head than it does written out. I’m hoping it makes sense...

[outskirtscustoms]

Exactly Peatbog, We have to have variety. It's like when I used to go to car shows, there's always 50's Chevy trucks, '57 Chevys, but I was the only guy there with a '66 International Pickup. Anybody can go through a catalog and buy parts and make a cool vehicle but it takes a special kind of car guy to restore a truck that they do not have a catalog full of parts for nor do they re-produce anything for.

In bikes I like to see the same thing. Something different. Something that pushes the envelope of what a bicycle can be. something I want to steal ideas from. That is what gets my vote.

[FunkyStickman]

In bikes I like to see the same thing. Something different. Something that pushes the envelope of what a bicycle can be. something I want to steal ideas from. That is what gets my vote.

Ditto. I love originality. I will vote for a bike build where the person was thinking out of the box... I mean, I love me a traditional rat rod, but it's the ones that make you scratch your head and go "Man, why didn't I think of that?" that rock.

[kingfish254]

In bikes I like to see the same thing. Something different. Something that pushes the envelope of what a bicycle can be. something I want to steal ideas from.

This reminded me of drinking beers with Jake Sensei last year just after the Build Off. Here is what I posted about it.

"It is cool how RRBBO#6 makes total strangers "build brothers". I have a biz trip to Philly so Jake Sensei and I decided to meet up for drinks tonight.
We sat in Monk's Cafe Beer Emporium for 5 hours until after midnight talking almost entirely about the bikes in the build off and our experiences with bikes. I had a blast!!! I
thanked Jake for being the Build Off Cheerleader/Sensei. The comraderie that Jake showed on the forum was genuine. What an awesome dude!

Cheers to all of my other "build brothers (and sisters)" out there. Raise your glasses high to toast the hard work and hard fun you experienced during this build!!!

As we all sift through the wicked monsters that were built this year and get ready to vote, cue up Edgar Winter's "Frankenstein" and Get To Chillin' - PEACE!"

We didn't have internet to pull up the builds we talked about, but we could remember each one. "Did you see what xxxx did?" "How about that (shifter, fender, seat, fork, etc....)?"

I am looking forward to seeing more stuff that will blow me away this year!!!

[yoothgeye]

In bikes I like to see the same thing. Something different. Something that pushes the envelope of what a bicycle can be. something I want to steal ideas from. That is what gets my vote.

+1 (or was it +2... or +3) anyway...

That's who got my votes last year, not that the top vote getters weren't awesome, but I kind of "expected them." (sorry guys, you won anyway)

Add this one to dream list, only builders get a vote, or only people with XXX posts.

I can see that as problematic and more work for Steve, so how about this one, a builder's choice award, in a separate thread, not a vote, but each builder (who finished their build-off bike on time) posts the name of the 1 bike they'd like to own for all the world to see. This one would be easy.

[Rockit!]

In bikes I like to see the same thing. Something different. Something that pushes the envelope of what a bicycle can be. something I want to steal ideas from. That is what gets my vote.

+1 (or was it +2... or +3) anyway...

That's who got my votes last year, not that the top vote getters weren't awesome, but I kind of "expected them." (sorry guys, you won anyway)

Add this one to dream list, only builders get a vote, or only people with XXX posts.

I can see that as problematic and more work for Steve, so how about this one, a builder's choice award, in a separate thread, not a vote, but each builder (who finished their build-off bike on time) posts the name of the 1 bike they'd like to own for all the world to see. This one would be easy.

Yoothgeye, this is a family site. You know "XXX" posts are strictly NOT allowed.

Also the builder's choice award is a fun idea, and doing it as a thread in an unofficial way doesn't make even MORE work for Steve. I second your motion!

[mrflagman]

Just wanted to remind everyone what Steve (Rat Rod) wanted the build-off and the site to be about. It is all for fun.

"My intentions when starting the site was to create a community of folks who enjoyed building and creating cool cruiser bikes with that hot rod look and feel. Middleweights and heavyweight bikes were what I had in mind as the basis for the projects that would be built. On the Schwinn forum many folks would refer to their bikes that were built from different pieces and parts as Rat Rods. Since it was a commonly recognized term I decided to go with that name and figured it would help the site's ratings in the search engines. Initially I wanted hotrodbikes.com, but a motorcycle company already owned that domain name. I also felt that Rat Rod was a good term becuase you instantly knew that the bikes on the site would not be nut and bolt resto jobs and it gave the place a little attitude.

Now over the past couple of years we have seen that the hobby isn't just limited to heavyweights and middleweight bikes. Some folks have managed to build cool rat rod bikes out of lightweight bikes and even out of cheap mountain bikes from Wal-Mart. I could be strict about it all and filter everything out that doesn't fit my definition, but who am I to stifle the movement. As long as you built it, looks cool and has that vintage style to it, we're good.

In regards to the build offs, they were started to increase traffic/activity on the site and give the members a semi-structured environment to build a cool bike. Personally I'd like to keep them very simple and not create a bunch of classes and rules. I think when stuff like this starts to get too complicated then the fun goes away quickly. I'd really like to eliminate the voting part of the build offs altogether. I think most folks would agree that the fun part is watching the build diaries and then seeing all of the finished bikes at the end. I guess the element of competition may drive some folks to push the envelope on their builds, but maybe there could be another incentive to voting like...your bike could end up in a calendar, poster or desktop wallpaper.

So my recommendation is, don't get too hung up on definitions and semantics. Just build cool bikes and have fun."