Rat Rod Bikes is the premier online resource for custom and vintage bicycle collectors and enthusiasts.

It all started back in September 2006 when we noticed that there was a real lack of community in the world of vintage and custom bikes. At the time, there were a few bicycle focused forums around, but none that really dealt with rat rod style bikes. Most were sites geared towards a specific brand or era of bike and there wasn’t much room for discussions around custom bike building.

Many people ask what a “Rat Rod Bike” is and what we’ve determined after nine years of running the site is that is not an easy question to answer. As a matter of fact, we’ve got a rule within the forum that asks people to not discuss the definition of the term because it always just leads to heated debates. If we had to give a general definition of the term it would probably go like this…

A rat rod bike is a bike built from many different miscellaneous parts to mimic a vintage hot rod style from the 40s, 50s and 60s.

Now, where the problem with this definition lies is that it is far too narrow for what goes on in our community of builders and collectors. Over the past nine years we have seen a wide variety of custom bikes built on the site that ranged from the most grungy to the most pristine. This is a very laid back group of builders that encourages all forms and styles of custom bike building. You will see balloon tire cruisers, middleweight bikes, muscle bikes, stretched customs, lowriders, and even a vintage BMX bike from time to time. The important thing is that it’s a creative environment with lots of ideas and inspiration for vintage and custom bike builders.

Each year we host a few different bike build offs as well as photography contests to keep things interesting. We have a very active classified section with many reputable sellers offering all kinds of parts from frames, stems, cranks, pedals and seats to complete bikes. We also have some members who create their own line of custom parts that they offer for sale to the community.

Another great area of the site is the “How To” section. This section gives members the opportunity to ask more technical questions on topics like painting, fabrication, general bicycle mechanics, tools, and bike parts. There is a vast wealth of knowledge in this section and there are tons of experienced knowledgeable members around to help answer questions.

Along with the forum we have an online store where we sell soft goods and bike parts and we also have several social media channels that we stay active on including Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and Twitter. There is also the Rat Rod Bikes Facebook Group which currently has over 5000 members.

Chances are, if you are into custom or vintage bicycles you will fit right in on the forum. Join us today and have fun building and collecting!