Next Two Unusual Bikes

[CDoherty95]

Well I'm at it again!

While I'm waiting for my friend with the welder to come home, my over imaginative mind went into overdrive.

Firstly let me begin with this bike.

I got it back in July, and used it as a parts bike. After I stripped it down to the bare frame I left it sitting in my scrap pile, which I would eventually take to the scrap yard. It was around this time that I decided to build my own bike. I needed a front steering pipe (headset) for the bike, so I cut the one out of the scrapped blue frame.

I returned the bike to the scrap pile, with every intention of taking it to the scrapyard. However whilst searching the classifieds earlier for specific parts I came across this.

It's identical to the frame I already have, so I decided to get it and make... A TANDEM BIKE!! I made one in May, but ended up scrapping it due to one of the bikes having severe rust.

For this new one I'm going to inlist the help of my friend with the welder. I'm going to weld the front of the old bike to the back of the new bike.

Here's one of the first progress pictures.

[CDoherty95]

This next one has "lunacy" written all over it.

I've seen one or two of these bikes on YouTube before, but never really saw the appeal of them. They're heavier,more awkward, and less stable than the Fall Guy bike I built. I don't blame you if you haven't heard of them before, because they're not exactly popular. Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you, the Tall Bike!

I never planned on building one, but when I contacted the seller about the blue bike frame for the new tandem, he also offered me this frame for two tires.

I took it because I knew I'd regret it if I didn't take it.

I was wondering what I should do with the frame, when I remembered the tall bikes from YouTube. I had another scrap bike that I hadn't fully stripped yet, so decided to use that as the lower bike, and use the new frame as the upper frame.

I haven't quite finished securing the two bikes together yet. So far the two bikes are only being held together by the seat post of the lower bike to the kickstand mount of the upper bike.

I plan on using steel piping to secure the back of the two bikes together. To do this I'm going to drill two holes in the pipe, at the top and at the bottom. Then I'm going to bolt it to the upper bike via the back wheel mounts, and to the lower bike by drilling two holes in the back if the frame to accommodate the bolts.

For the front I think I'm going to fit an axle to the upper bike, and slide it through the handlebars of the lower bike. I'll add some heavy duty washers to each side of the handlebars, to hold the front of the two bikes in place.

[RogerDuke]

*shakes head and smiles*

What in the world will you think of next?!?!?

[CDoherty95]

*shakes head and smiles*

What in the world will you think of next?!?!?

Haha just wait until you see the potential paint job for the tandem.

I bet nobody will figure it out...

[CDoherty95]

I had the tandem frame and the cruiser frame collected earlier today. Hopefully I'll have them back by Monday evening, which means that I could work on them on Saturday or Sunday, and get them working before the cold weather sets in which would prohibit me from painting.

[CDoherty95]

I got the tandem frame back earlier, but unfortunately it was too dark to take a picture. You may have already read that I'm giving this creation a unique paint job. I was watching "Mason Dixon Girls" the other day. After Rosco rammed the General Lee in the first few minutes of the episode I began to wonder what the General Lee and Rosco would look like fused together....

So that's my planned paint job for this bike. The General Lee will be the front half of the tandem (obviously) and the Rosco will be the rear half.

[CDoherty95]

Here's a picture of the welded frame. The front saddle is just for looks at the moment. The reason there isn't an extra bar running from one bike to another is because the welds are really strong, and the back bike wraps around the front bike so it gives the frames extra rigidity.

[CDoherty95]

We finally had a break from the rain. We had four days of heavy rain, and some places had a months worth of rain in a day!

Anyway I store most of my bikes outside exposed to the elements (leaving them stored under a tarp is actually worse than leaving them exposed to the elements). I had the tandem mostly stripped of it's paint last Sunday, so naturally it became fairly rusty during the wet week. Fortunately it was just surface rust, and it didn't take too long to strip off with a wire brush on a drill.

I got a coat of primer on it, them sprayed the metallic silver base coat on.

Unfortunately that's all I got done today. I had a few people drop bikes in for small repairs, so wanted to get them out of the way.

Here's a picture of the bike with most of the silver painted.

Oh yes I almost forgot. One of my neighbors was throwing out a broken tricycle last weekend. I saw it had wheels that could be used on my wooden go kart, so I asked if I could have it. They had no problems with me taking it as it was worthless to them.

After I took the wheels off, I realized that I could use the handlebars on the tandem bike.

This is only a mock up, I've still to repaint them, and mount them more securely in the seatpost.

[CDoherty95]

I got the orange and white paint earlier for the go kart I'm building in school, and also picked up two extra cans for the tandem.

I painted the rear section first, as I figured orange paint over white paint is better than white paint over orange .

The paint I use is quick drying, but unfortunately the rain came before it fully dried, so I had to quickly move the whole bike and paint stand indoors.

For this job I chose a more neon orange, which unfortunately isn't shown very well in the pictures.

The orange paint was also quick drying, so I was able to complete this paint job in under an hour.

I then emptied almost a can of gloss clear coat onto the frame. This wasn't as quick to dry. By the time it dried it became dark, so I was unable to take any pictures of the fully assembled bike.

I'm not going to hand paint the General's graphics on this time, instead I'm going to get them printed onto stickers along with the Rosco graphics, which were kindly supplied by the ever faithful Hoss.

I haven't ordered the graphics, as I'm still unsure of the dimensions of everything I need.

I also plan on buying a rear rack, rear rack bag, a siren, bottle cages, and standard bicycle lights for this bike, but they aren't really priorities at the moment.

[CDoherty95]

This weekend just keeps getting better and better.

Firstly because I got a free voucher to the local dump (to encourage people to avoid building bonfires for Halloween) which means I can finally get rid of all the plastic, tires, worn brakes, and other various bike parts that the local scrap yard won't accept.

Secondly, while I was out walking my dog earlier in the evening, I saw five seemingly brand new 26 inch tires in a dumpster outside someone's house. This couldn't have come at a better time, as I needed three tires for three separate bikes. Two of the tires are also white walled (is that correct?) so I'm going to use them on the tandem.

Unfortunately it was too dark to take any pictures when I fitted the new tires, but I did manage to take two earlier on in the day of the partially assembled bike. These show the brightness of the orange a little better, although it is still much brighter than the pictures show.

[RogerDuke]

You are a true craftsman CD.

[CARLOS-ARGENTINO]

dear friend, sorry you but my basic knowledge of mechanics tell me that your bike has a weak point that could cause a slight accident, is between first and second footswitch pedal. if you can close that gap with a booster would be better and safer.

Sorry for my intrusion into your project. luck.

hug.

[CDoherty95]

Thanks Roger!

Carlos I was worried about that when I first saw the frame, but two people have sat on it with no creaks or groans. If the frame does seem weak, I'll weld a piece of steel between the front and back pedals.

[CDoherty95]

Time for an update!

I gave the bike it's final clear coat today, and then reassembled it.

I also fitted the two white wall tires that I found, and I think they really made the bike look good.

I've just got to measure and order the decals now, and maybe buy some sirens like I did for the Rosco bike I built last year.

Anyway here's a few pictures of the finished product!

[MaryAnne]

Now all ya need is Boss and Rosco to ride the bike on the WB back lot...

Great job, CD! You are truly amazing and crafty with what you come up with with these bikes! Love seeing your threads.

[CDoherty95]

Unfortunately all good things must come to an end, and it's certainly the case with this bike.

I was slightly strapped for cash after christmas, and needed a quick source of income. The tandem was the bike I used the least, and was the one I could make the most on.

I really didn't want to sell it, as I still hadnt fully finished it or ridden it very far. Luckily, the buyer lives five minutes away from me, and is a bike enthusiast. He's also a fan of the Dukes of Hazzard, and said he'd leave the bikes paint job the way it is.

So while I feel bad getting rid of a creation I loved designing, building and riding I feel glad that it's gone to a good home

And yes I do have plans for my next creation... Anybody want to guess what it is?