So I figured I'd post this as an intro to myself and my style that drove my build, (The Bop Gun) and why I made the choices I did.
So I'm a kid from south florida and once I learned about gas bike conversion kits, I knew I had to build one to cruise up and down the beach.
Now me personally I love Techno music and classic hip hop from the 90's but I honestly listen to all music from blue grass and folk to death metal and Russian reggae so seriously everything. I would describe my taste and style as completely random and eclectic. When it comes to fashion I like the bold and zany styles of the zoot suites and I also have a taste for the more reserved and refined like Hugo boss and Armani. Growing up i listened to a lot of George Clinton, Parliament, and Digital Underground. I also love the neon colors and pastels of techno and the Miami club deco style.
That all being said I was raised on Rock and roll and hair bands. I always loved the muscle cars and that rat rod movement. When I was 22 I started building my third mustang into a proper hot rod. My first car was a 71 mach 1 mustang that I got from my sister my second mustang was a 96 gt and I sadly lost that car to a drunk driver. Having never lost my love for that 96 gt mustang I named Samantha I went out and bought a 98 gt that I named Lily. And that 98 mustang was a beast. I started with a completely stock car and by the time I was done I had a 650 horsepower monster with exhaust dumps right behind the headers, Nitto drag slicks, and the biggest camms you've ever seen. Long story short race cars come with race car problems and delivering pizza wasn't the best occupation when your car gets 8 miles a gallon on a good day. Now I drive a 2014 mustang gt and love it, I'll love it more when it's not stock though.
Now let's go back in time a little bit when I was 11 I got a brand new schwin Stingray for my birthday and me and my friend Jack would ride our bikes for miles through the acreage trying to find the best fishing spots. Back in those days it was my dream to have a dirt bike but my parents weren't in a place to get me one. So I dreamed and unfortunately for my 12th birthday while test riding what would've been my new bicycle I broke my arm and wasn't able to ride for months. But I still remember being 11 years old and trying to make our old weed whacker drive my old schwin.
Fast forward to modern day. With covid making the rounds this year work didn't slow down for me at all in fact we got busier and with money burning a hole in my pocket and everyone having amazing sales on recreational goods i started shopping around. Thats when I saw it "2 stroke bicycle motor kit" instantly my mind flashed back to what I dreamed of as a child and without having even owned a bike in years I bought it. Now of course I didn't even have a bike yet but of course a stock build would not be an option. So I started buying upgrades mods and all the things I would need to make the vision in my head a reality. But now I needed a bike, not just any bike a good sturdy one and it would have to be older because I wanted a tubular frame.(which apparently no one believes in anymore.) So I started looking on Craigslist, Facebook market, and so on. But it was actually a coworker who told me yeah I've got an old bike I'll sell to you for $50. And like that I had my bike the bike is a 91-93 Trek Antelope 800 and from what I read I got a good deal.
Now let's talk about why I am HERE.
While building the bicycle striping, repainting, and replacing everything but the frame and rear breaks. I was shunned and called a looser or an idiot on other forums. "Just buy a new bike at that point." Was the battle cry of the stuck up cyclists. But to me this was about more than that it was about breathing new life into something that was old and cast away. About taking pride in my craftsmanship. It's about the journey and building something thats your own. So I kept on building and buying new parts dwarfing the cost of the original bike. Refurbishing parts proudly stamped W. GERMANY. An experience you don't get buying something new. Sadly I didn't find you guys sooner to share the journey as it happened but I did document it and I will be sharing. This community focused on what you can build less what you can ride seems like the perfect place to share my heart felt journey restoring and overhauling this beautiful and under appriciated bike. I look forward to sharing stories with you all.
So I'm a kid from south florida and once I learned about gas bike conversion kits, I knew I had to build one to cruise up and down the beach.
Now me personally I love Techno music and classic hip hop from the 90's but I honestly listen to all music from blue grass and folk to death metal and Russian reggae so seriously everything. I would describe my taste and style as completely random and eclectic. When it comes to fashion I like the bold and zany styles of the zoot suites and I also have a taste for the more reserved and refined like Hugo boss and Armani. Growing up i listened to a lot of George Clinton, Parliament, and Digital Underground. I also love the neon colors and pastels of techno and the Miami club deco style.
That all being said I was raised on Rock and roll and hair bands. I always loved the muscle cars and that rat rod movement. When I was 22 I started building my third mustang into a proper hot rod. My first car was a 71 mach 1 mustang that I got from my sister my second mustang was a 96 gt and I sadly lost that car to a drunk driver. Having never lost my love for that 96 gt mustang I named Samantha I went out and bought a 98 gt that I named Lily. And that 98 mustang was a beast. I started with a completely stock car and by the time I was done I had a 650 horsepower monster with exhaust dumps right behind the headers, Nitto drag slicks, and the biggest camms you've ever seen. Long story short race cars come with race car problems and delivering pizza wasn't the best occupation when your car gets 8 miles a gallon on a good day. Now I drive a 2014 mustang gt and love it, I'll love it more when it's not stock though.
Now let's go back in time a little bit when I was 11 I got a brand new schwin Stingray for my birthday and me and my friend Jack would ride our bikes for miles through the acreage trying to find the best fishing spots. Back in those days it was my dream to have a dirt bike but my parents weren't in a place to get me one. So I dreamed and unfortunately for my 12th birthday while test riding what would've been my new bicycle I broke my arm and wasn't able to ride for months. But I still remember being 11 years old and trying to make our old weed whacker drive my old schwin.
Fast forward to modern day. With covid making the rounds this year work didn't slow down for me at all in fact we got busier and with money burning a hole in my pocket and everyone having amazing sales on recreational goods i started shopping around. Thats when I saw it "2 stroke bicycle motor kit" instantly my mind flashed back to what I dreamed of as a child and without having even owned a bike in years I bought it. Now of course I didn't even have a bike yet but of course a stock build would not be an option. So I started buying upgrades mods and all the things I would need to make the vision in my head a reality. But now I needed a bike, not just any bike a good sturdy one and it would have to be older because I wanted a tubular frame.(which apparently no one believes in anymore.) So I started looking on Craigslist, Facebook market, and so on. But it was actually a coworker who told me yeah I've got an old bike I'll sell to you for $50. And like that I had my bike the bike is a 91-93 Trek Antelope 800 and from what I read I got a good deal.
Now let's talk about why I am HERE.
While building the bicycle striping, repainting, and replacing everything but the frame and rear breaks. I was shunned and called a looser or an idiot on other forums. "Just buy a new bike at that point." Was the battle cry of the stuck up cyclists. But to me this was about more than that it was about breathing new life into something that was old and cast away. About taking pride in my craftsmanship. It's about the journey and building something thats your own. So I kept on building and buying new parts dwarfing the cost of the original bike. Refurbishing parts proudly stamped W. GERMANY. An experience you don't get buying something new. Sadly I didn't find you guys sooner to share the journey as it happened but I did document it and I will be sharing. This community focused on what you can build less what you can ride seems like the perfect place to share my heart felt journey restoring and overhauling this beautiful and under appriciated bike. I look forward to sharing stories with you all.