(WBO) Iday's Bike

Rat Rod Bikes Bicycle Forum

Help Support Rat Rod Bikes Bicycle Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
Joined
Jan 21, 2009
Messages
10,772
Reaction score
16,060
Location
Zambales, Philippines
This is all I have, other than a name and idea for a big cruiser. No frame yet. I'm going to theme it after a WW2 battleship, painting it gray and will try to fab up some big wraparound fenders and chain guard.


2s7hyqh.jpg
 
My 23 years of naval service loves this idea! If you're going for "big", maybe you could also incorporate some local history? The Yamato was the biggest battleship ever, and it engaged at the battle of Leyte Gulf there in the Philippines.

Yamato_during_Trial_Service.jpg



But if you want to stay with the U.S., you have a whole slew of battleships to choose from.
 
I'm partial to BB 63, the U.S.S. Missouri, the most famous Battleship of all time. I was lucky enough to serve on board her in 1987 as we escorted oil tankers through the Straits of Hormuz. I was a second class petty officer and had been in the Navy for 6 years. Iran had threatened to blow all the tankers up. None of them came to harm. She's the lead ship in this photo from back then.

211qjcj.jpg
 
I may not be able to use the big Ross sprocket, the gearing will be too high for a heavy bike, unless it's 5 speed or more. Those chains won't fit a derailleur and that big chain wheel, so a 7 speed Nexus may be needed. Or a different chain wheel with a 9 speed cluster.
I want the fenders to give as much coverage as the old Indian motorcycles did. These will have a lot of rivets.
I also want to use the spring from an old Schwinn springer to have rear suspension on an extended rear end. Enough extension, maybe 2 feet or more for a passenger. A coaster brake will be out of the question and the chain will need a tensioner. Brakes will be another challenge.


104kk6f.jpg
 
I have seen 16 tooth BMX freewheels with larger sprockets welded on to them from a disassembled multi speed, that would help lower the gearing if you wanted to run single...

Then you could run one of these and fix your brake issue too!

15993416458_cbeda83024_o.jpg


Luke.
 
I still have the 24 tooth freewheel from my sidecar bike.
What are those hubs?
 
I got the scrap piece of flatbar that I made for my handlebar brace from a junkshop here, about 25 cents for a 2 foot long piece of steel. That came out pretty good so that's why I'll try to make fenders along with other parts from sheet metal. The junkshop also had a pile of old MTB frames that might suit my needs. I want a nice cruiser frame but might not find one anytime soon.

2gsqqn8.jpg
 
No frame yet, so I need to change it up. Funding is also a factor. Haze Gray and Underway will be my Annual Build Off bike, and this 24" Ventura bike will be my WBO bike. I posted it in fresh finds the other day.

Iday's Bike is what I'll name it, my late wife's nickname. I gave it to her, but found out she couldn't ride a bike after all. Her brothers used it then, but were taller than me, so they made up a handlebar stem and seat stem that were ridiculously long.
It will be a city bike, and will get plenty of use by me the family, it's already had years of use over here already. It will fit everyone too, I plan to have an adjuster on the seat post.
It hasn't been touched in 5 years or so, and it went through the big flood here in 2013. Everything will need the dried mud flushed out. The dropout extensions from my folder fit right on, but I may not use them and go with some decent 24" rims. I also have a SRAM automatix 2 speed hub. That's what I'm starting with.

35clpvq.jpg
 
I was right about the dried mud in the frame. I have to figure a way to flush it out. But I was wrong about the bearings, they had cages. The drive side was all gone, leaving 9 loose bearings caked with mud.

2s7t1te.jpg
 
Last edited:
I thought the seat post would be a bear to get out, but it wasn't the long one from the 80's, it was a short one. I still have the forks to take off and check the bearings. I need to take the rust off all the threads that were showing to get it apart. I burned up my cheap drill with the wire brush, the outlets weren't 110, they were all 220 outside the house. High speed drill with a big flash!

1580e52.jpg


The plan is to have a set of 24 x 1 3/8" wheels made up, hopefully alloy with stainless spokes just like I did with my folder, this time using my new freewheel 2 speed auto. A family friend makes them up for parts plus labor. Then I give him a tip of the same amount as the labor and still spend less than 40 bucks for everything. The folder got the coaster brake version of this hub. I'll have less variety of tires with 24 x 1 3/8" but 1.75 aren't tall enough for the brakes. I still need to find replacement axle nuts as they were swiped for my folder after they were over torqued by the tire repair guy. Good thing the axle is hardened.

a0j3om.jpg




I'll have to go visit my brother in law to see if he has the other center pull brake (original to the bike) for the rear. Maybe he's got some other parts too. The original chain wheel is worn down to stubby little teeth, this bike has many many miles on it. I'll replace it with the same new cottered set as I put on my folder.

1zbfi42.jpg
 
I'm also hoping to find a good tall handlebar stem and flat handlebars like my old Hercules 3 speed from back in my Navy days. The stem will have to be taller for this 24" bike, as I can't ride hunched over. The handlebars need to be the same height as the seat.
This is from 1982.
33bhe8k.jpg
 
Nice. In 82' I was 22, so yeah I don't like riding hunched over any more either...

Carl.
 

Latest posts

Back
Top