One Less Pedestrian Kustom Cycle

This is a 1948 CCM that I got in trade for some other bike parts (frame/fork and cranks). I didn't know I needed it until it came along. Once I figured out it was a fat tired 26" bike (26 x 2 x 1 3/4 'Canadian size'), I was hooked, and I set about building the klunker you see here, entirely from my parts pile.

Wow I haven't posted here in a while.

Anyways, I had made sets of dimple dies for the metal fab inclined of my family as Christmas gifts. I recently finished the set for myself, and this is the first project I've drilled and dimpled. It is the chain guard for my red Norco 3sp cruiser. Really sharp eyes may have noticed that the bike was missing this piece after its paint job, and this is why!

I have long pondered the possibilities of straitening the typical bent seat tube that many vintage ladies frames suffer.

Here is the setup I used on a 1951 CCM. A piece of steel shaft, v-blocks, 2x4s, and a mechanical bottle jack from the Bronco II I used to have.

Set it up, and press out the bend! This essentially reverses the original forces, without causing any other damage. Care needs to be taken to not over do it, since I don't know how you'd bring it back, beyond assembling the bike and hitting the right sized jump😉

Feel free to steal this idea, and or bring me your damaged ladies frames for straightening.

I realized that I only posted on my personal Instagram with Broadway Bike Show photos, so this is long overdue. Also I should have taken more photos. In my defense, I was thoroughly spent from thrashing to get this lineup finished, there, and presented.

Chris Thomson, you sent this bike home with a hot rodder... what did you think was gonna happen? (Before and after)

I found out it was a 1967, so I found a number plate to reflect that. Replaced the tires with modern ones, replaced the bent stem and goofy gigantic seat, flipped and taped the bars, stripped off the fenders and weird assortment of brackets, removed a link from the chain for a tighter wheelbase, and regreased the front hub and headset.

For sale. $100

Clevland Welding Co. built Roadmaster, Special thanks to Nathan Dies for passing this one along to me.

this bike was found at a scrap metal drop-off pile and refurbished. the top half of the frame was cut off and replaced with a lower, sleeker setup, fillet brazed on. I also made a new lower narrowed and integrated fillet brazed bar/stem combo (it's my favorite part of the build, so I left it in clear coat). I let my 2yo daughter pick the colours, but mommy vetoed and said yellow was better than green. (no LA Lakers reference intended!) Tremclad topped with Duplicolor rainbow metallic clear.

I fixed the broken training wheels with custom machined axles to adapt princess auto pneumatic wheels, and bought new tires, tubes, and pedals, which fixed the "actual" issues with the bike.

Until I get back to creating my frame jig, this was a nice way to practice some frame building without needing a jig, as the remaining frame elements acted as my jig here.

I played with some different hole ideas for the bridge, but settled on a heart. As the time slipped by hand filing it, it occurred to me that it's kind of the bikes price tag. I make bikes for people I love (the rest of you can pay!) I've got a whole lot of love for metalworking with hand tools too.
In hindsight I'd probably set this flush with the top edge of the tubes... would have resulted in at least an hour less labour sanding it out. Lesson learned.
While that cooled, I narrowed the clamp area out of a set of bars and mitered them to a stem quill. I jigged them up square and tacked with fusion welds, which I hope will serve to hold while I braze a fillet. I plan on adding a cross bar as well for moto style.

So here's the latest on my daughter's bike. The twin tubes are coming along as planned. I have them brazed together and filed smooth. They are salvaged seat stays from a junk bike.
You can see in the first photo where the seat tube was (actually this already has had the original collar cut off) the next two photos show the new binder I machined and brazed in, and the plate bridge as prepared so far. I may add some holes before brazing that in, because you know, "carried away..."

Before and after (or "current"). A Supercycle I brought home from Estevan. Stripped the bent and broken stuff off, rebuilt rear hub and BB, replaced drivetrain, seat, grips, stem, brake lever, shifter/derailleur, & fork with parts bin items. Cables and finishing touches to come...

WILL BE FOR SALE

Sorry I haven't completed much bike work (yet) this summer... here are some shop progress pictures... added a chip pan/shield to the lathe and I'm beginning a frame fixture with 80/20 extrusion.

I got a little bit carried away in adapting these little pneumatic wheels to the training wheels of a junk pile bike I'm fixing up for my daughter. I machined these axle bolts until they were light and pretty.
Frame revisions will follow to lower the seat height further. ( I already chopped the collar off but it needs to come down another couple inches for her to touch the ground)
I plan on chopping out the top tube and replacing with lower twin tubes.