Mickeyspinn
rBotM Winner
So I've had an old GT backwoods in the shed.... right at the back.....for a couple of years now.
I'd forgotten I still had it.....it got parked in the shed of doom after a hefty landing.....there was a crack sound... a big one! In there it's languished till I shinned myself on it...that got my goat...and I figure it was time to chop it up for usefull bits of aluminium tube. Popped the headset races out and could I find any signs of crack? Nope! Hmmm ok maybe it'll come out to play again
Now there's a little ride I'd been wanting to do for a while...i had no bike that fitted the requirements for this ride....it needed to be capable off-road but also fast! Fast to evade capture
The ride is here on page 349... The "concrete xylophone ride"
https://www.retrobike.co.uk/threads/todays-ride.303296/page-349#post-3248669
So this was it built in all its glorious purpleyness
After being ressurected from presumed death.
It's built out of cheap stuff lying around...oh and a £5 wheelset a man in a caravan was selling.
He didn't lioke dahgs
Well the thing thunders along nicely in fact it's filling a gap really well as a fun useable take it anywhere whatever the weather I don't care kind of style. Fastest 26r I've had on the road with a 52 ring and granny is happy at 39 for the marsh that I live on
Only problem in the build was gear shifters! I don't do drop bar brifters I find em too chunky and my hands have to be happy! Really wanted uncluttered bars aswell ....So downtube shifters it had to be!
Ah yes no mounts on downtube
Drill a hole! Ermm rather not and this is to be a cheap build so no fancy parts to be bought!
Well I figured the two welded on gear shifter cable stops looked quite manly....yup we can get a bolt through them! Took a while getting the faces parallel and flat....then made this doofer
My own problem solver!
So now we had a fully functioning grovel bike yeehaaar!
Problem was it's bloody purple....eh non cabron me no likey purple!
So I've started a little ghetto paint job...
A paint job dictated but whatever means possible and available in my shed of wonders. old cans I had in the cupboard.....not a lot! Most nearly dead and some really old! But that's all its getting cheap and sleazy just how a good ghetto p job should be
I did a few experiments with brick acid and got some great looking galvanised looking results...but alas doesn't work aswell on 7k series aluminium
So first plan dashed!
Plan B was to go with a dazzle camouflage that was first used on naval boats at the beginning of last century...so of we go till I realised there's just not enough paint....argghhh
So I just went freestyle instead!
Grabbed a roll of plasterboard jointing tape and let whatever was going to happen ..well ...happen!
Floated all that I had of white topcoat on it...it wasnt much... about 1/3 of what you actually need to paint a frame!
Then allsorts of fun I figured I try something with a rattle can I've never done before...try a fade edge...hmmm should of practiced before but what the hell let's dive in and see what we can do!
There was a lot of this faff! I'm calling it shadow masking....basically the masking floats off the frame...keep the spray angle of dangle consistent should get a neat enough fuzzy line right?
Well it's a technique I'm banking...I think I can refine it and do much better next time...but this time to hell with it let's push on....this is a one weekend wonder paint and rebuild!
And the results of lots of intrigueing masking
I'd forgotten I still had it.....it got parked in the shed of doom after a hefty landing.....there was a crack sound... a big one! In there it's languished till I shinned myself on it...that got my goat...and I figure it was time to chop it up for usefull bits of aluminium tube. Popped the headset races out and could I find any signs of crack? Nope! Hmmm ok maybe it'll come out to play again
Now there's a little ride I'd been wanting to do for a while...i had no bike that fitted the requirements for this ride....it needed to be capable off-road but also fast! Fast to evade capture
The ride is here on page 349... The "concrete xylophone ride"
https://www.retrobike.co.uk/threads/todays-ride.303296/page-349#post-3248669
So this was it built in all its glorious purpleyness
After being ressurected from presumed death.
It's built out of cheap stuff lying around...oh and a £5 wheelset a man in a caravan was selling.
He didn't lioke dahgs
Well the thing thunders along nicely in fact it's filling a gap really well as a fun useable take it anywhere whatever the weather I don't care kind of style. Fastest 26r I've had on the road with a 52 ring and granny is happy at 39 for the marsh that I live on
Only problem in the build was gear shifters! I don't do drop bar brifters I find em too chunky and my hands have to be happy! Really wanted uncluttered bars aswell ....So downtube shifters it had to be!
Ah yes no mounts on downtube
Drill a hole! Ermm rather not and this is to be a cheap build so no fancy parts to be bought!
Well I figured the two welded on gear shifter cable stops looked quite manly....yup we can get a bolt through them! Took a while getting the faces parallel and flat....then made this doofer
My own problem solver!
So now we had a fully functioning grovel bike yeehaaar!
Problem was it's bloody purple....eh non cabron me no likey purple!
So I've started a little ghetto paint job...
A paint job dictated but whatever means possible and available in my shed of wonders. old cans I had in the cupboard.....not a lot! Most nearly dead and some really old! But that's all its getting cheap and sleazy just how a good ghetto p job should be
I did a few experiments with brick acid and got some great looking galvanised looking results...but alas doesn't work aswell on 7k series aluminium
So first plan dashed!
Plan B was to go with a dazzle camouflage that was first used on naval boats at the beginning of last century...so of we go till I realised there's just not enough paint....argghhh
So I just went freestyle instead!
Grabbed a roll of plasterboard jointing tape and let whatever was going to happen ..well ...happen!
Floated all that I had of white topcoat on it...it wasnt much... about 1/3 of what you actually need to paint a frame!
Then allsorts of fun I figured I try something with a rattle can I've never done before...try a fade edge...hmmm should of practiced before but what the hell let's dive in and see what we can do!
There was a lot of this faff! I'm calling it shadow masking....basically the masking floats off the frame...keep the spray angle of dangle consistent should get a neat enough fuzzy line right?
Well it's a technique I'm banking...I think I can refine it and do much better next time...but this time to hell with it let's push on....this is a one weekend wonder paint and rebuild!
And the results of lots of intrigueing masking
