(WBO) Thorn... OK, really now, it's done PICS!

[Walker]

lots to do but I'm beat..

 

[Missing Link]

Totally forgot to mention, that fender brace is great, can't wait to see the finished product mounted.

 

[Walker]

well, I dug deep and installed the fender braces...whew! I only had so much of that chrome rod, definitely not enough for a do over. Good news is they look awesome! And bonus, they are so stiff they don't need to be attached at the fork. I'll take some quality(ish) photos in the AM or tomorrow evening, just not worth it with my phone. Now I need to make the rear set..and keep plugging away at everything else..

I don't want to jinx myself but this is about as close to finishing a bike during a build off as I have ever come. I think I've dnf'd out of at least 2!

Need to make a punchlist maybe to keep me moving..

 

[LukeTheJoker]

Punchlist is a good idea, always good to have a separate list of stuff that can be skipped if you run out of time...

Luke.

 

[Walker]

Here's some fender brace pics! I ran them long so I can cap the ends with something.




and a shot of the bars, not using this stem.

 

[LukeTheJoker]

Those bars are cool!

Luke.

 

[Walker]

Thanks Luke! I need to get or make a stem with a long reach to move them forward. Another thing to put on the list.

The photos make the braces look weird but they are very close to symmetrical.

Can I paint over the powdercoated fenders and make it last? I think I remember people saying it's hard to get paint to stick. I'll be using rattlecan of some brand or other. No idea what color yet. Any pointers for me?

 

[The Renaissance Man]

Very cool art nouveau styling on the braces!

 

[Funkme]

Sweet curves on the braces well done.

 

[Walker]

So tonight, just got back from an afternoon of snowboarding. Planning on some minor tweaks to the front fender, paint the brackets and maybe pull the fork and finish rubbing the paint off it. I want to start on fitting the rear fender. Rear fender will get much simpler braces. Ordered some interesting pedals last night, should see them in a week. My wife is working on the color for me since she has a better eye for it than I do.

Just off the top of my head, besides the above stuff, I still need to :

modify seat post
sort out stem
get rear hub caps to fit better
mount control box somewhere
route wire from front hub to control box, probably will drill the frame and go internal with the wire, through the down tube, through the bb and then back out of the frame to the control box.
Size up shift cable and cut to fit, (bit nervous about that since it is apparently made to fit with factory nubs on each end.)
Mount up lights & horn and do up wiring, (need to find a handlebar horn button)
Mount up chainguard
Paint!

 

[Walker]

Usually I have trouble picking colors, this time that was the easy part. So with the help of my artist Wife a color was chosen for the fenders etc. That was the easy part...its a Rustoleum color.. I went to Lowes, didn't have it. Went to Home Depot, didn't have it. Guy at HD suggested Tractor Supply so I drove there, no dice. On the way I stopped in an old hardware store. No Rustoleum. He suggested Walmart so I went there and they didn't have it either. Defeated, I returned home and stopped by the lumber yard that is just miles from home, I'm in there 2-3 days a week picking up materials for work. Now, they didn't have it either but they offered to find me a can. So I should have something in hand this week. Tuesday at the earliest. This week is looking warm so I might have a shot at painting without having to borrow heated garage space from a friend. Apparently I cant have paint without a pain in the....

 

[Walker]

Oh yeah, and I drilled a hole in the frame. and 2 in the fork.

 

[Walker]

went looking in my old photobucket account and found a photo of the bridgestone that donated the fenders.



pulled this bike and the motorbike in the background out of a dumpster (with permission of course)

 

[The Renaissance Man]

Wow, nice dumpster find! Want to sell that light?

 

[Walker]

RM, it was a wheel lock with a reflector. As I remember the lock was totally seized but I still have the reflector, basically the glass pieces and metal bezel. I'll dig it out and get you a pic.

 

[Funkme]

Nothing beats dumpster diving for good parts or whole bikes.I just have to get there before the gypsies.

 

[Walker]

OK, I'm over the paint dilemma... managed to get a nice polish on the fork last night & installed it along with the truss rods with newly painted brackets (silver hammered finish). Drilled the fork and frame and fished the wire through. Here is a pic of a brake cable fished through the frame. Worked great



Fortunately the lugs are hollow so I was able to go from where the fender mounts at the chainstays all the way up to the headtube.


I also drilled out the back of the fork crown so I could use a nicer fender mounting bolt. I had an extra from a road bike fork.

RM, here is that reflector. more like a lense but there was no light in the lock

 

[The Renaissance Man]

The internal wiring is so clean and that fork is so perfect for this bike!

Converstarted on the reflector.

 

[Walker]

Another afternoon of skiing with the kids. Went to Waterville Valley, place was pretty well skied off with patches of boiler plate ice here and there. We did get to take some runs down the Nastar course which was fun. All of us earned silver medals, even our 5yr old!

Anyhow, headed to the basement to put some stuff together. Feels good to have some final assembly going on. I dreamed up a few little details to add to further clean up the look.

Still on the fence about welding the rear triangle, the bolt heads are right in the way of the hubcaps !

RM, send me your address and I'll send you that reflector. maybe you can put it to good use.

 

[The Renaissance Man]

Still on the fence about welding the rear triangle, the bolt heads are right in the way of the hubcaps !

Maybe you could use elevator bolts to eliminate the bolt heads. There's fairly easy to find at places like Lowes or Fastenal or online.

Or counter sink some flat head bolts...