# POISON APPLE: '79 Schwinn Fair Lady Trike



## Bike from the Dead

Well, I wasn't planning on entering the Muscle Bike Build Off on ratrodbikes.com this year, as I didn't have anything that'd work for the competition. That all changed just a few hours ago, when I found these 3 bikes for FREE on Facebook Marketplace!







The 1 of the 2 Mountain/Road/Track bikes are probably going to be my new daily rider, while the other one and my current daily are going in my family's upcoming garage sale. The pink Schwinn, however, may be just what I need for an entry into the Muscle Bike Build Off.






According to the serial number, it was made in June 1979, so it's perfect for a MBBO. The good news is that all this bike needs to roll again are new tubes, tires, chain, and a seat, but I know I'm not stopping there...






















Here's where the title comes in: I just listed "The Trashliner Trike" for sale on here, ratrodbikes.com, and a couple local sites, as I originally had no plans to use anything other than the springer fork and maybe the sprocket. But now that I've got this 79 Schwinn, I'm thinking about taking the trike rear and sticking it on that. I wanted to sell the trike to fund another trike conversion I wanted to do, but now I'm thinking of making the Schwinn into a trike using the parts off the Trashliner. I just don't know for sure if I want to or not. I know I'm taking the trike to my welder guy tomorrow morning to fix one spot on it, so maybe I can use that as an excuse to take it apart and test fit it to the Schwinn. 

















So, what do you guys think? Part out the super-sketchy Trashliner Trike to make the free Schwinn into an admittedly better trike, or sell the Trashliner to fund some other projects?


----------



## rustjunkie

if you have a buyer for the trashliner send it down the road...but cya!


----------



## Bike from the Dead

rustjunkie said:


> if you have a buyer for the trashliner send it down the road...but cya!
> 
> 
> 
> View attachment 1287935



No buyers yet, but that could change. I'll wait until I get some more opinions before I make a decision. The night's still young.


----------



## Lonestar

I could swear I saw that Trashliner on CL or OfferUp here in Texas!! I vote clean up the free Schwinn & keep her...& agree w/ rustjunkie on the Trashliner


----------



## Bike from the Dead

Lonestar said:


> I could swear I saw that Trashliner on CL or OfferUp here in Texas!! I vote clean up the free Schwinn & keep her...& agree w/ rustjunkie on the Trashliner



You might have had nearby areas turned on, because I'm in Tulsa, Oklahoma! If I get a buyer for the Trashliner in the next few days, I might still sell it, but right now, I'm not so sure.


----------



## Lonestar

Bike from the Dead said:


> You might have had nearby areas turned on, because I'm in Tulsa, Oklahoma! If I get a buyer for the Trashliner in the next few days, I might still sell it, but right now, I'm not so sure.



Follow your heart buddy!


----------



## Bike from the Dead

Lonestar said:


> Follow your heart buddy!



Thanks Lonestar! Not sure what my heart's wanting right now, but hopefully I'll figure something out quick!


----------



## Superman1984

If no real interests in trashliner then rip it apart & use it. I have those bikes I don't have but $5-35 in & if it's not something I wanted but was cheap or a freebie with what I wanted then it's fair game for anything. Can be metal for patch metal etc. I cut a womans kent la jola aluminum frame to use as a top bar for another girls bike or a trike. I used the tires & wheels to make a rider so $25 gave me a few extra cheap parts; bars, stem, fenders, 3 piece small crank & misc nuts bolts etc


----------



## Bike from the Dead

Well, I've decided to withdraw The Trashliner Trike from being sold. I'm going to get my 160 dollars worth by taking this thing apart and using the pieces on the Schwinn Fair Lady and whatever other bike can use the parts.


----------



## Superman1984

Bike from the Dead said:


> Well, I've decided to withdraw The Trashliner Trike from being sold. I'm going to get my 160 dollars worth by taking this thing apart and using the pieces on the Schwinn Fair Lady and whatever other bike can use the parts.



I think that is the right choice in my opinion. Hell you may build something so bad ass you can't part ways with it or at least without a stupid offer. My Nirve Cannibal is 1 of those bikes but around $500 it's possibly for sale with the stock wheels/tires or more with the 26x3 Duro setup. I don't think it would ever sell like other things I have so I don't bother on here.


----------



## Bike from the Dead

Here are some quick sketches I drew to get some idea of what direction I want to go with this bike. The 3 at the top were with the trike rear, but I just wasn't feeling it. I drew the middle and bottom sketches as if I was keeping this a 2-wheeler. I took some inspiration from @TRM's Drag King bike, specifically the extended dropouts and the tank, and came up with an idea to stick a 26" balloon tire in the back, add a custom wood tank, and stick the springer fork and ape hangers from Trashliner up front. I think I might stick with this look, but I'm still open to seeing how this thing would look as a trike first.


----------



## Bike from the Dead

Superman1984 said:


> I think that is the right choice in my opinion. Hell you may build something so bad ass you can't part ways with it or at least without a stupid offer. My Nirve Cannibal is 1 of those bikes but around $500 it's possibly for sale with the stock wheels/tires or more with the 26x3 Duro setup. I don't think it would ever sell like other things I have so I don't bother on here.



Got pictures? I'd love to see it.


----------



## Superman1984

Bike from the Dead said:


> Got pictures? I'd love to see it.



1st pic is after I added the apes, 26x3" Duro tires on Huffy/Husky style wide flat rims (doing 11G), 2nd pic is where I want to head with it Monark deep fenders w/light someday, Super Cruiser chain guard if it stays a bicycle & the last pic is what I want to do but with a little hopped up 110cc 4 semi auto 4 speed for 55mph+ . Haven't done much with it lately but planning to undermount the head set & bars to see how I like it.


----------



## Bike from the Dead

Superman1984 said:


> 1st pic is after I added the apes, 26x3" Duro tires on Huffy/Husky style wide flat rims (doing 11G), 2nd pic is where I want to head with it Monark deep fenders w/light someday, Super Cruiser chain guard if it stays a bicycle & the last pic is what I want to do but with a little hopped up 110cc 4 semi auto 4 speed for 55mph+ . Haven't done much with it lately but planning to undermount the head set & bars to see how I like it.View attachment 1288153
> 
> View attachment 1288154
> 
> View attachment 1288155



That's one sweet-lookin' chopper!


----------



## Superman1984

Bike from the Dead said:


> That's one sweet-lookin' chopper!



Thanks. I flipped the headset today & am going to possibly start welding up a set of bars from 2 sets of wald 13.5" apes. Only down side so far is the bars can kiss the frame before the triple tree bumpers come close . Don't wanna dent the top tube & even with it stock it will if it falls over & due to the welded on frame kickstand the damn thing does easily. That's the next tackle but I haven't quite figured out what I can or want to do there yet; thinking motorcycle pull back kickstand like the OCC choppers have


----------



## Bike from the Dead

Superman1984 said:


> Thanks. I flipped the headset today & am going to possibly start welding up a set of bars from 2 sets of wald 13.5" apes. Only down side so far is the bars can kiss the frame before the triple tree bumpers come close . Don't wanna dent the top tube & even with it stock it will if it falls over & due to the welded on frame kickstand the damn thing does easily. That's the next tackle but I haven't quite figured out what I can or want to do there yet; thinking motorcycle pull back kickstand like the OCC choppers have



Sounds like a plan!


----------



## Bike from the Dead

Okay, not much happened today, but I'm excited for what did happen.

First, I got The Trashliner Trike back from the weld shop this morning and took it for a short spin around the neighborhood. Now that the wheels don't rub, I can really enjoy the 1st gen Chevy Corvair lean! I want to get some footage of this trike in action before I part it out so you all can get an idea of just how wild this thing really is.

Next, I got a better idea of where I want to take this build, and how to make use of the trike axle from Trashliner. Since the trike I'm parting out to build this one is technically my first green bike/trike, and a "metallic" green at that, I think it's only fitting to make this trike metallic green as well. My dad told me about this special green powder he has for his powder coating job, and how it's basically Candy Apple Green. Candy Apple, for a Fair Lady? Hmm... Why did that sound funny to me? Oh yeah!











So, I hereby name this trike-in-progress: _Poison Apple! _

I want to take "the fairest bike of all" and transform it into "the baddest trike of all!"
(Although @Psychographic's _Cyrus the Virus_ probably deserves that title, based on the trikes I've seen so far...)

As for the modifications, the trike axle doesn't need any changes, just the bolt-on basket frame/outer drop outs. If I can find someone to fabricate a new basket frame/outer drop out, I can stick some 26" fat bike tires on the rear, and make this trike look extra cartoony! I just need to reach out to some potential contacts, and I need to see if I can find a front/rear pair of 26" fat bike tires/wheels with a coaster brake (preferably cheap, but I've seen what these go for...) I'd also like to place some fenders over the basket frame to flesh out the trike a little more, and make the outer drop outs look more like fender braces. One last thing I'd like to do, though I don't know if it'll happen, is to lower the seat pole and seat stays to about the top of the top bar so I could possibly sit between the rear wheels. I'll try coming up with some concept sketches tomorrow, and I'll hopefully begin mocking up parts by this weekend.

Oh, and I also measured the width of my trike rear end and the dropouts of my Fair Lady. Everything should fit!


----------



## Bike from the Dead

Ok, yesterday and today saw a good deal of progress! I'm now in the "stacking parts" stage of my build, which is easily one of my favorite parts! I took The Trashliner Trike apart yesterday to make use of the handlebars, springer fork and trike rear. While most everything came apart easily, I had to let a bolt on the trike axle soak in some PB Blaster overnight. I need to do some more work to TTT's handlebars to clean them up, so I just stuck an identical (and cleaner) set of ape hangers on the Fair Lady for now. I got to say, just adding a springer fork and a set of Sting-Ray handlebars to an otherwise mellow girl's bike makes a world of difference! Even if I don't stick with the trike axle, this Fair Lady still has a world of potential!

As an added bonus, One of my neighbors (who builds sprint cars, or midget sprint cars; I don't know the difference) told me he might be on board for helping me put this trike together!






...And then he came down with something today before he could look at the project to be. Praying he didn't catch covid-19, and that he gets well soon. 

I went ahead and mocked up the trike rear end earlier today. Fortunately, it fits the frame with no issues! In fact, I could even use the stock mounting holes on the brace and just make a custom bracket to hold everything in place... but that's not the path I'm taking, at least not right now. As mentioned before, I want to put some fat bike tires in the rear, lower the seat tube, seat stays and trike frame/brace (seriously, what do you _call_ that hunk of 1/2" steel tubing?) to allow me to sit over the rear axle and ride this like a recumbent bike, and maybe even add a custom tank and bodywork. The only things stopping that from happening are finding someone with metal fab skills who can bring my crazy ideas to life... and my slow and unsteady source of income. But for now... this ain't half bad.








































Small problem I detected yesterday: The chain kept skipping and popping off the sprockets while I was riding The Trashliner Trike before I parted it out. This is why: The shroud that covers the rear sprocket and axle is bent inward, forcing the chain off the rear sprocket. It should be fairly easy to fix for the right guy, but I'm not that guy. Luckily, I know people who could fix it, when their schedule frees up.






Because I just can't seem to stop imagining how to make this trike _really_ stand out, I had the idea to place an old steel drum between the rear wheels. I've been thinking of adding some bodywork to the rear of the trike, both to function as part of the seat, and for style. This drum has almost the same diameter as the 24" tires that are currently on the trike, and I like the idea of having something between the seat and the wheels. I don't know if this idea will stick, but it's something I want to explore. I'm just not sure it says "muscle trike" as much as it says "32 Ford trunk on a Schwinn." What do you guys think?


----------



## olderthandirt

j 2 booster rockets  would give it some real get up and gooooooooooooooooo


----------



## ian

Bike from the Dead said:


> Well, I wasn't planning on entering the Muscle Bike Build Off on ratrodbikes.com this year, as I didn't have anything that'd work for the competition. That all changed just a few hours ago, when I found these 3 bikes for FREE on Facebook Marketplace!
> 
> View attachment 1287924
> 
> 
> The 1 of the 2 Mountain/Road/Track bikes are probably going to be my new daily rider, while the other one and my current daily are going in my family's upcoming garage sale. The pink Schwinn, however, may be just what I need for an entry into the Muscle Bike Build Off.
> 
> View attachment 1287925
> 
> 
> According to the serial number, it was made in June 1979, so it's perfect for a MBBO. The good news is that all this bike needs to roll again are new tubes, tires, chain, and a seat, but I know I'm not stopping there...
> 
> View attachment 1287926
> 
> View attachment 1287927
> 
> View attachment 1287928
> 
> View attachment 1287929
> 
> View attachment 1287930
> 
> 
> Here's where the title comes in: I just listed "The Trashliner Trike" for sale on here, ratrodbikes.com, and a couple local sites, as I originally had no plans to use anything other than the springer fork and maybe the sprocket. But now that I've got this 79 Schwinn, I'm thinking about taking the trike rear and sticking it on that. I wanted to sell the trike to fund another trike conversion I wanted to do, but now I'm thinking of making the Schwinn into a trike using the parts off the Trashliner. I just don't know for sure if I want to or not. I know I'm taking the trike to my welder guy tomorrow morning to fix one spot on it, so maybe I can use that as an excuse to take it apart and test fit it to the Schwinn.
> 
> View attachment 1287931
> 
> View attachment 1287932
> 
> View attachment 1287933
> 
> View attachment 1287934
> 
> So, what do you guys think? Part out the super-sketchy Trashliner Trike to make the free Schwinn into an admittedly better trike, or sell the Trashliner to fund some other projects?



With your imagination, I'm sure you could get three rides outta two!


----------



## Bike from the Dead

Thought I'd share some of the inspiration and ideas I have in mind for my trike build.

First off, pretend that it's not made out of golf clubs, kitchen utensils, baseballs, pool tubes, a lawn chair, and a toaster, and just focus on the shape, the silhouette. This is kind of the flavor I want to shoot for: Short frame, big fat tires in the rear, small skinny tire up front, long fork, ape hangers, seat between the wheels, and maybe even a tank.





Next, these 2 trikes that Ian Roussel from _Full Custom Garage_ built serve as a major inspiration for both my _Poison Apple _trike build, and another Spaceliner/Flightliner bike I also want to turn into a trike. Actually, a lot of Ian Roussel's builds serve as inspiration for my custom bike projects, especially with how he's always looking for "shapes" and how he likes to utilize scrap pieces and whatever else he has laying around.

This first trike is where I got the idea for the seating position, the *BIG *tires in the rear, the extended fork, and even that rear bodywork idea I have in mind with that metal drum I mocked up yesterday.















This other trike is more of an inspiration for the Spaceliner trike I want to build, but it's still a solid reference point for the trike I'm currently working on.









And most recently, I just came across this trike while looking for more ideas, and I might have just found a solution for making some rear bodywork that still looks muscular! This guy used a combo of '36 Olds and '39 Chevy fenders, but I think I could do something similar with either some leftover '40 Ford fenders from one of my dad's projects, or maybe a pair of VW Beetle fenders, if one of my contacts has a pair I can buy. My main concern is having room to pedal, and that means the fenders can't stick out too far and inward. Plus, my trike's more short and stubby than it is long and low. I want it to look proportionally correct.


----------



## Bike from the Dead

Well, yet another cheap fat tire cruiser bike I was looking at for the rear wheels and tires sold, and this one really irritated me. Long story short, the guy just sold the bike because he said, and I quote,"Someone else wanted it, and you were not sure that you did." I was interested, I just wanted to know what wheel/tire size the bike had, since he didn't _include that in his ad, _and I wanted to know the rear sprocket size because I wanted to make sure the sprocket was small enough to sit next to the axle sprocket on my trike rear end! If those 2 things checked out, I would have gladly purchased his bike!

*_sigh_....* Some sellers...

So now, all I can do is wait for this one last person on FB Marketplace to get back to me about their ad for bike wheels and tires. If that one turns out to be a dead end too, I don't know what I'm going to do about this trike. Sure, I could just stack the parts I've got, hit everything with a new coat of paint and call it good enough, but "good enough" sometimes just isn't _good enough. _

Between the missed opportunity with that last sale, my neighbor who could help me with the metal fab getting sick, and an honest lack of funds to really build this trike the way I want, I don't know if now's the best time for me to participate in this year's Muscle Bike Build Off.


----------



## ian

Bike from the Dead said:


> Well, yet another cheap fat tire cruiser bike I was looking at for the rear wheels and tires sold, and this one really irritated me. Long story short, the guy just sold the bike because he said, and I quote,"Someone else wanted it, and you were not sure that you did." I was interested, I just wanted to know what wheel/tire size the bike had, since he didn't _include that in his ad, _and I wanted to know the rear sprocket size because I wanted to make sure the sprocket was small enough to sit next to the axle sprocket on my trike rear end! If those 2 things checked out, I would have gladly purchased his bike!
> 
> *_sigh_....* Some sellers...
> 
> So now, all I can do is wait for this one last person on FB Marketplace to get back to me about their ad for bike wheels and tires. If that one turns out to be a dead end too, I don't know what I'm going to do about this trike. Sure, I could just stack the parts I've got, hit everything with a new coat of paint and call it good enough, but "good enough" sometimes just isn't _good enough. _
> 
> Between the missed opportunity with that last sale, my neighbor who could help me with the metal fab getting sick, and an honest lack of funds to really build this trike the way I want, I don't know if now's the best time for me to participate in this year's Muscle Bike Build Off.



You know, I worked for an old man in my younger days and he had a saying for a situation like this......
"You can't rush perfection". Sometimes ya gotta just go with the flow and come up with Plan B, or Z.
It'll happen.


----------



## Bike from the Dead

ian said:


> You know, I worked for an old man in my younger days and he had a saying for a situation like this......
> "You can't rush perfection". Sometimes ya gotta just go with the flow and come up with Plan B, or Z.
> It'll happen.



Thanks Ian. Yeah, this may be one of those projects that I chip away at a little at a time.


----------



## Bike from the Dead

Okay, I still don't know if I'll be making any progress on _Poison Apple_ anytime soon, but here are some ideas I had for how this trike might look with some body mods.

The first sketch on the top left was loosely inspired by a comment @Dominicus posted earlier, with a wheel barrow T Bucket body, but the rest are based more on that one trike I posted a picture of earlier. My main concerns are keeping the rear of this trike from just looking like a car trunk stuck on a bike... something these sketches veer a little too close to for my liking.


----------



## Bike from the Dead

*BIG NEWS! BIG TIRES! BIG GRIN ON MY FACE!*

I managed to make $50 today on an old Tonka Winnebago toy I got at a garage sale years ago for $2, and then this afternoon, I bought this 26" x 4" fat tire bike for $60, with wheels and tires that are arguably worth 5x what I paid for the whole bike! 

I've already taken it for a test ride, and this beast rolls and stops well! I wouldn't mind leaving it like this and just goofing off on it, but this bike's donating its wheels and tires to _Poison Apple._Funnily enough, both of the bikes that donated parts to this build are/were green, so now I practically _have_ to make this trike green!

There's just one small snag I'm immediately worried about: when I disassembled the trike rear, I learned that my welder accidentally welded the basket frame to the axle, which is no bueno. I still have yet to hear from my neighbor on the fab work stuff, but that can wait until after this garage sale my family's starting tomorrow. With any luck, I'll be able to sell most if not all my unwanted bike stuff so I can fund this project!


----------



## Bike from the Dead

Finally had an opportunity to work on my art some more today. Among the things I sketched, were these ideas for _Poison Apple. _I started with the "icon" that would go with this trike. The first two designs were me just getting a vague idea down, with the third one being closer to what I want to do for the final rendition. I wanted the final design to look like the badges for the Dodge Hellcats, Demon, and Viper. I'll clean up the line art in Adobe Illustrator when I'm ready, but this isn't far from what I want to do. I just don't know if I want to put this on the chain guard or the tank...

At the bottom, are two new designs for the final version of my muscle trike. I decided to scale back on the custom body work, and just settle for some dovetail fenders and a tank. The rest will be just a steel frame with a seat positioned over the rear axle.






So, what do you guys think? I'm open to any and all critique!


----------



## ian

Maybe some wheelie bars?


----------



## Bike from the Dead

ian said:


> Maybe some wheelie bars?



If I was still using the sissy bar and banana seat, I would have definitely considered that. However, since I'm going to be sitting lower and slightly further back than the original seat would've allowed, I don't think there will be any wheelie-popping with this trike. I have thought about adding some VW stinger-style tailpipes, though, but first I need to find a fabricator who can make all this other stuff first...


----------



## Bike from the Dead

Today feels like two big steps forward and one small step back.

I sent _Dumpster Diamond_ and my trike rear axle over to Welder Joe to get some work done on them, not really expecting him to get everything done in the same day, just whenever. I needed the kickstand on _Dumpster Diamond_ shortened so the bike wouldn't fall over, and the chain guard tweaked so the crank arm wouldn't rub against it. On the trike rear, I needed Joe to redo the part he welded last time, so the axle and basket frame could separate, fix the part that was causing the chain to pop off the sprocket, fill a couple holes that weren't supposed to be there, and disassemble the trike rear down to its individual components so I could sandblast and powder coat everything later. Well, Joe not only got all that done in a few hours, he even noticed the trike axle was bent and straightened it back out for me!

















Excited by the rapid burst of progress, I went ahead and took the wheels and tires off my fat bike and mocked up everything on a milk crate... and that's when I began second-guessing myself.







See, the fat tires _say_ they're 26" x 4", but in reality, these tires are closer to 30" tall! So as a result, the small 20" x... I'm guessing 1 3/4" wheel and tire, looks even smaller. That made the proportions just feel... off. I want this to look like a chopper-inspired trike, but the front/rear tire ratio made me think of a tractor. I decided to mockup the 24" x 2.125" wheel and tire that was originally on this trike rear end, but I'm not sure. I like the width better, but I'm not crazy about the height. It didn't help that it made the frame look smaller either.



I busted out some cardboard and scissors and made a quick mockup of the tank I have in mind, figuring that might help me figure out this issue. Sure enough, the tank seems to help flesh this trike out. I'm still a little wishy-washy on the front wheel and tire size, but I think if I get a 20" balloon wheel and tire, that might be the thing that this trike needs.







Unfortunately, in the process of mocking this trike up (and moving it into the garage for the night,) I found out how important that basket frame/brace is to the structural integrity of the trike rear end. Without that piece to hold the other side of the wheel axles, the trike axle dropouts can actually bend fairly easily. Also, since I didn't fully bolt the trike rear to the Schwinn frame, one of the dropouts on the bike frame bent when the trike rear end came halfway off. The good news is that the damage isn't too bad. Everything just needs to be heated up and bent back into shape. But right now, I think I'm going to wait at least a week before I do anymore with this bike. My family and I just had a garage sale this past weekend, and I just want to be sure I didn't catch anything in the process before going out any time soon.

In the meantime, I'm working on my digital mockup of Poison Apple so I can figure out what the paint scheme's going to look like.


----------



## Bike from the Dead

Hey guys, which of these fonts do you think would look best for the name of my trike?


----------



## Goldenrod

Bike from the Dead said:


> Hey guys, which of these fonts do you think would look best for the name of my trike?
> 
> View attachment 1299308



Frankenstine Unchained


----------



## Goldenrod

Idea:  In 1995, I saw a Whizzer powered trike that used a child's casket across the back.


----------



## Bike from the Dead

Goldenrod said:


> Frankenstine Unchained



Ummm... I don't have that font, and I can't find any examples online. Did you mean "Zakenstien Expanded?"


Goldenrod said:


> Idea:  In 1995, I saw a Whizzer powered trike that used a child's casket across the back.



That sounds cool! Not quite the flavor I'm going for on this trike, but I might save that idea for another project.


----------



## ian

The tank definitely helps make the ride look more real, but it looks like you still have some decisions to make. Rock on!!


----------



## Goldenrod

Bike from the Dead said:


> Ummm... I don't have that font, and I can't find any examples online. Did you mean "Zakenstien Expanded?"
> 
> That sounds cool! Not quite the flavor I'm going for on this trike, but I might save that idea for another project.



I meant it as a name for the bike.


----------



## Bike from the Dead

Goldenrod said:


> I meant it as a name for the bike.



Oh. Well, that's a good idea, but I'm sticking with _Poison Apple_ for this trike. That'd be a great name for a rat rod bike with a driveshaft in place of a chain, though!


----------



## Bike from the Dead

ian said:


> The tank definitely helps make the ride look more real, but it looks like you still have some decisions to make. Rock on!!



Thanks! Yeah, I'm still in the early figuring stage right now, but so far it's going pretty well.


----------



## Bike from the Dead

Alright! I finally sold all my bike stuff I had no use for, and now I've got some funds to really put this trike together!


----------



## Bike from the Dead

Took some time to color the sketches I drew earlier this week, and touch up the icon design for _Poison Apple_. Everything's still open for revision, but this is the direction I want to push this trike towards.




So what do you guys think? As always, I'm open to critique and other feedback.


----------



## Freqman1

I'd shoot for a 26" MW front tire and see what it looks like. That front tire just looks too small. V/r Shawn


----------



## Bike from the Dead

Freqman1 said:


> I'd shoot for a 26" MW front tire and see what it looks like. That front tire just looks too small. V/r Shawn



I'll definitely play with front wheel and tire sizes down the road. I'm just not at that stage yet.


----------



## Bike from the Dead

Dad did some powder coating yesterday, and shot this junk piece with the "Sparkle Granny Smith" green powder he had told me about.





It's a lot more metallic than I anticipated, but I love it! This is definitely the color for _Poison Apple_! Fitting too, since it's got "apple" in the name of the powder! It seriously feels like the whole theme I'm going for with this trike is _meant_ to happen, and it's exciting!


----------



## Bike from the Dead

Just dropped off some more parts for my welder to fix. Hopefully, I'll be able to stack parts again soon.


----------



## Bike from the Dead

More progress to share tonight!

First, my welder once again fixed up everything of mine in record time, and even managed to make a rough yet sturdy rear frame all by the time I got to his shop at 8:30 this morning. I ran by Home Depot immediately after to replace a few nuts and bolts on the fork, then I reassembled everything. I did things a little differently though, pushing the front wheel and fork braces forward one bolt hole each on the little red fork extensions, and adding the handlebars from the fat tire donor bike, which have a slightly narrower "V" shape and grips that are angled further back. Got to say, the change to the fork is subtle, but I feel like it vastly improves the look! Still not sure about the handlebars though...

























As structurally sound as the rear frame is, it's just to be used for holding the trike together until I can get the final version of the rear frame built. I tried figuring out the seating arrangement, but with that top bar and the wide support rod that props up underneath the seat clamp, I couldn't really figure out the best riding position. While I could tell that pedaling would be easy enough from the rear axle, I found that I could not sit forward enough to reach the handlebars, not with the bar where it was. I'm also sure that the rear axle and wheels are properly aligned with the bike frame, but I can finesse that later.




I still need to figure out the seat and the rest of the rear portion of _Poison Apple._ After my family's garage sale ended nearly two weeks ago, dad was gathering up leftovers to donate to wherever. Well, one of the pieces I didn't even know about until he was loading it into his truck was this folding table frame. I quickly saw that it's the perfect width for a bench seat or seat back for the trike, so I'm holding onto it in case I can use it.




Another seat/rear frame idea came from stumbling across pictures of this 1970s AMF trike. I liked how the seat flows from the top of the tank in one piece, and I had an idea of how I could securely brace the trike axle against the bike frame while looking aesthetically pleasing.




I grabbed one of my banana seats and set it on top of the seat stays, and I think I struck gold! It's an incomplete picture of a bigger idea, but I like where it's going. I'll need to find some time to sketch up a few new concepts for the seat and general rear view of this trike.
















More updates to come, the next one hopefully as soon as tomorrow.


----------



## Bike from the Dead

Well, I struck out a bit today. I met up with a guy on FB Marketplace who had some fenders that I thought would work, but they turned out to have too small of a radius for these fat bike tires. I checked out a local motorcycle salvage and repair shop, and while there were a couple fenders that _could_ work, neither matched, and they were far out of my price range. 

Still, during both instances, I got a bunch of compliments and "I want to see it when you finish it"s from the folks who saw the trike as I was hauling it around. So, no luck finding the fenders I need, but I at least got some positive responses to what I'm doing.

I'm still looking for a matching pair of motorcycle fenders on Marketplace and Craigslist, as well as any place that salvages or parts out motorcycles. Hopefully something will come up.


----------



## Bike from the Dead

Just got a new front wheel for the trike. Looks to be around the same age as the rear wheels, so it'll fit in just fine.


----------



## Bike from the Dead

Well, progress has slowed down somewhat. I've been sketching different ideas for the rear portion of the trike, but it's tough to figure out with that temporary frame in the way of a proper parts mockup. I'll share those sketches when I've got things mostly figured out. 

Meanwhile, there was a motorcycle swap meet I went to earlier this morning, where I once again struck out on finding a set of rear fenders that both fit over the rear tires and were in my price range. I would've stuck around to get photos of all the cool stuff that was for sale, but I just wanted to get out of there and go home. 

I did however get a new front tire and tube to go with the new front wheel I got earlier this week. I wish it matched the rear tires a little better, but I'm content with my choice. I like the proportions at least, and the trike's a roller now too, which is good. I still have one last idea for fenders, but if that doesn't pan out, then I might have to find a fabrication shop to make the fenders along with the other remaining custom parts.


----------



## Superman1984

@Bike from the Dead you lucky Schwitt! I have been trying to buy 1 of those 24 or 26" fat bikes forever and days just to snag the wheel sets for my Nirve Switchblade. They're wide enough to let my tires balloon out more. Nice progress being made & I would use the Alice In Wonderland font. Unless you find something cool font wise from Snow White font styles since the name is Poison Apple. Hang in there with building it! I have a front & rear Chrome Sportster set of motor cycle fenders that I originally intended to section for the Switchblade so I know how aggravating it is finding what you like, being able to afford it, and it fitting. Once I found the Monark Super Deep fenders I almost couldn't wait to snag them up but had I waited I could have bought a complete girls 26" bike with everything on it -the train light. Sometimes patience Really is a Virtue!


----------



## Bike from the Dead

Superman1984 said:


> @Bike from the Dead you lucky Schwitt! I have been trying to buy 1 of those 24 or 26" fat bikes forever and days just to snag the wheel sets for my Nirve Switchblade. They're wide enough to let my tires balloon out more. Nice progress being made & I would use the Alice In Wonderland font. Unless you find something cool font wise from Snow White font styles since the name is Poison Apple. Hang in there with building it! I have a front & rear Chrome Sportster set of motor cycle fenders that I originally intended to section for the Switchblade so I know how aggravating it is finding what you like, being able to afford it, and it fitting. Once I found the Monark Super Deep fenders I almost couldn't wait to snag them up but had I waited I could have bought a complete girls 26" bike with everything on it -the train light. Sometimes patience Really is a Virtue!



Thanks! Yeah, I seriously lucked out on that fat tire bike! They're really closer to 29.5" x 4.5" though, which is what makes finding fenders for these balloons _really _difficult. I'm hoping I don't have to pay someone to make a set of fenders for these tires, but we'll see. I can't say I plan to use the Alice in Wonderland font at this point, as it might be too difficult to cut out of vinyl at a size small enough for the chain guard. I am looking at different Snow White fonts, though. Patience is a virtue, but it's not as easy to practice when you've got an actual deadline to get everything done by. The Muscle Bike Build Off that I'm building this for ends January 15th, which will be all too soon if I can't get these last few parts assembled.


----------



## Superman1984

Bike from the Dead said:


> Thanks! Yeah, I seriously lucked out on that fat tire bike! They're really closer to 29.5" x 4.5" though, which is what makes finding fenders for these balloons _really _difficult. I'm hoping I don't have to pay someone to make a set of fenders for these tires, but we'll see. I can't say I plan to use the Alice in Wonderland font at this point, as it might be too difficult to cut out of vinyl at a size small enough for the chain guard. I am looking at different Snow White fonts, though. Patience is a virtue, but it's not as easy to practice when you've got an actual deadline to get everything done by. The Muscle Bike Build Off that I'm building this for ends January 15th, which will be all too soon if I can't get these last few parts assembled.



I know overall the tires are much taller. I get plenty of clearance on 26x2.125 with the Switchblade & the Monark Super Deep fenders but with the 26x3" Duros there is absolutely little to No room for Error when mounting them. Sidewall wise they're already close as hell to the chain even in 2.125 so going 3"+ is always a tough decision but it jus' looks So Bad Ass Sick!!! Especially on a chopper, stretch & trike!!! I just want wider wheels now to let the side walls balloon out more to get the actual fat look vs what I have now


----------



## Lonestar

Bike from the Dead said:


> Took some time to color the sketches I drew earlier this week, and touch up the icon design for _Poison Apple_. Everything's still open for revision, but this is the direction I want to push this trike towards.
> View attachment 1299764
> 
> So what do you guys think? As always, I'm open to critique and other feedback.



Awesome! I vote Green Fuz


----------



## Bike from the Dead

Try as I may, I can't stop thinking of ways to make this build more complicated for the sake of aesthetics. My original idea was to just shave the top of the seat pole and weld a tank over the frame, but I just didn't like the rake of the fork, nor the seat tube and original top tube interrupting the lines of the overall design. So, in an effort to streamline the design and make my trike look even more chopper-inspired, I removed the seat tube and original top tube, and slanted the headset back a few degrees.





I'm thinking of adding either a Mattel V-RROOM! motor or a Sears Hot Rod Twin Fire motor to help fill the void, but I don't know the dimensions of either, or how much it'd cost to get one for that matter. I'm hoping someone here or on ratrodbikes.com could answer that for me.



My biggest concern, however, is how this idea would affect the structural integrity of my trike. I'm hoping my plans to sit over the rear axle, and therefor take most of the weight off the bike frame, plus welding a new solid cantilever-style tank and top tube will help compensate for the lack of a seat tube. I'm no engineer though, so what are your thoughts?


----------



## 1motime

Great project!


----------



## Superman1984

Bike from the Dead said:


> Try as I may, I can't stop thinking of ways to make this build more complicated for the sake of aesthetics. My original idea was to just shave the top of the seat pole and weld a tank over the frame, but I just didn't like the rake of the fork, nor the seat tube and original top tube interrupting the lines of the overall design. So, in an effort to streamline the design and make my trike look even more chopper-inspired, I removed the seat tube and original top tube, and slanted the headset back a few degrees.
> View attachment 1310497
> 
> I'm thinking of adding either a Mattel V-RROOM! motor or a Sears Hot Rod Twin Fire motor to help fill the void, but I don't know the dimensions of either, or how much it'd cost to get one for that matter. I'm hoping someone here or on ratrodbikes.com could answer that for me.
> View attachment 1310498
> My biggest concern, however, is how this idea would affect the structural integrity of my trike. I'm hoping my plans to sit over the rear axle, and therefor take most of the weight off the bike frame, plus welding a new solid cantilever-style tank and top tube will help compensate for the lack of a seat tube. I'm no engineer though, so what are your thoughts?



Those Vroom fake motors aren't usually cheap and the frame should be fine (will flex some -seat tube but welding a tank or even plating the cantilever frame will stiffen it a good bit. Not sitting over the crank also relieves the stress point to just where you're planted. Worse case you ride wheelies. I eventually will be doing this 

to a Huffy Cranbrook and removing the seat post once I position my S curls where I think they'll look best. Going to use a set of regular forks with the bending method from RRB and stretching it a little further using steel plates shaped like the Murrays to add a little more style to the generic frame design. Everything make sense?


----------



## Superman1984

Oh and if you wanna cheat some look into bending that  springer as mention by the RRB method. Especially once you have your tire picked. You won't need to add head tube rake (less welding) but it will put the front down lower so take that into considerations.


----------



## Bike from the Dead

Superman1984 said:


> Those Vroom fake motors aren't usually cheap and the frame should be fine (will flex some -seat tube but welding a tank or even plating the cantilever frame will stiffen it a good bit. Not sitting over the crank also relieves the stress point to just where you're planted. Worse case you ride wheelies. I eventually will be doing this View attachment 1310514to a Huffy Cranbrook and removing the seat post once I position my S curls where I think they'll look best. Going to use a set of regular forks with the bending method from RRB and stretching it a little further using steel plates shaped like the Murrays to add a little more style to the generic frame design. Everything make sense?




I was afraid of those motors not being cheap. How "not usually cheap" are we talking? Sounds like my idea could work then, but I should probably get a cheap cantilever frame and test this whole cut/weld frame flex theory at some point; might help someone in the future. 

What's the RRB method of bending forks? Other than that, everything you said makes sense to me. Keep me posted on that Cranbrook when you start on it; I'm very curious to see what you do with it!


Superman1984 said:


> Oh and if you wanna cheat some look into bending that  springer as mention by the RRB method. Especially once you have your tire picked. You won't need to add head tube rake (less welding) but it will put the front down lower so take that into considerations.




I'll consider it, but I don't want the springer fork to look like a lowrider springer fork. I want this trike to look more like a chopper with a long, mostly-straight fork.


----------



## Bike from the Dead

Here are some sketches I did to try and figure out the seat and trike frame. It's tough to figure out though, as I can't really sit over the rear axle with the current wheel brace in the way, and I still haven't found a set of fenders yet. Nothing's carved in stone yet, but I'm still figuring it out. F.y.i., I drew all of these before I came up with the idea to angle the headset back and remove the seat tube and original top tube.













Meanwhile, I've been tinkering with the design further. I had the idea to make the open part of the frame look like the shape of an apple seed, to further the apple motif. I'm also in the process of getting a Mattel V-room motor to fill the space. If that doesn't pan out, I can always sell it and make my money back.




I also had another idea for this trike, thanks to this _sweet_ rat rod Monark I saw for sale here on The C.A.B.E. I'm thinking about maybe putting some USB battery-powered LEDs in the fenders and the frame to add to the wicked vibe I'm going for. Just imagine this thing with lime green lights glowing from inside of it. I think that would be cool, but I need to get this custom fab work done first.







I've just put a slight pause on working on this trike this week while I try to finish up a Christmas gift for my dad. I'll share it after he opens it. I think you guys would like it!


----------



## Superman1984

Bike from the Dead said:


> Here are some sketches I did to try and figure out the seat and trike frame. It's tough to figure out though, as I can't really sit over the rear axle with the current wheel brace in the way, and I still haven't found a set of fenders yet. Nothing's carved in stone yet, but I'm still figuring it out. F.y.i., I drew all of these before I came up with the idea to angle the headset back and remove the seat tube and original top tube.
> View attachment 1312027
> View attachment 1312028
> View attachment 1312029
> View attachment 1312030
> 
> Meanwhile, I've been tinkering with the design further. I had the idea to make the open part of the frame look like the shape of an apple seed, to further the apple motif. I'm also in the process of getting a Mattel V-room motor to fill the space. If that doesn't pan out, I can always sell it and make my money back.
> View attachment 1312031
> 
> I also had another idea for this trike, thanks to this _sweet_ rat rod Monark I saw for sale here on The C.A.B.E. I'm thinking about maybe putting some USB battery-powered LEDs in the fenders and the frame to add to the wicked vibe I'm going for. Just imagine this thing with lime green lights glowing from inside of it. I think that would be cool, but I need to get this custom fab work done first.
> View attachment 1312032
> View attachment 1312033
> 
> I've just put a slight pause on working on this trike this week while I try to finish up a Christmas gift for my dad. I'll share it after he opens it. I think you guys would like it!



That Monark is jus' cool n trippy


----------



## 1motime

Monark is Trippy!  That would work on the trike for night rides also


----------



## 1motime

Superman1984 said:


> That Monark is jus' cool n trippy



I was just writing the same thing when you posted!  It is a cool bike!


----------



## Superman1984

1motime said:


> Monark is Trippy!  That would work on the trike for night rides also



Yep no getting 'cored on somethin' that lit up


----------



## Superman1984

@1motime I wonder would those rim lights from Walmart or such places give that look under the fenders? They're strings that alternate colors and I think clip on ?


----------



## Bike from the Dead

Superman1984 said:


> That Monark is jus' cool n trippy





1motime said:


> Monark is Trippy!  That would work on the trike for night rides also



I know, right? I'd buy it if I weren't planning on spending that much making this trike! Here's the ad for that Monark, if you want to see more pictures of it.


----------



## 1motime

Some inspiration.  The Walmart light probably would work.  Just have to have a good power supply and a bunch of people to ride with


----------



## Bike from the Dead

1motime said:


> Some inspiration.  The Walmart light probably would work.  Just have to have a good power supply and a bunch of people to ride with



Dude, dude! That is awesome!


----------



## 1motime

Under the right conditions it would blow your mind.  Just have to maintain balance


----------



## Superman1984

1motime said:


> Under the right conditions it would blow your mind.  Just have to maintain balance



Yeah I imagine the lights could make you dizzy hahaha


----------



## Bike from the Dead

Progress report for Sunday and Monday: Dad told me of a buddy of his who has a bunch of Model A parts, including fenders, that might work for _Poison Apple._ He had stuff he needed to drop off with/pick up from him anyway, so my dad, my brother and I all went together to Dad's storage building to unload some stuff that was in Dad's truck, and in my case, drop off and pick up some bike parts. 

I don't know if any of you saw my post on the Bike I.D. and Value Questions thread, but I have this little 20" kids' bike, _The Mini Mystery Muscle Bike._ I'd love to enter into the MBBO, but I haven't had any luck finding someone who can take apart the bottom bracket due to how it seems to be an old, _old_ european design. Because of those complications, I had just stuck the thing in storage, figuring I'd use it as wall decor or something. Well, after putting the original wheels from my Schwinn Fair Lady on it, I now seriously want to try and find someone who knows how to service the bottom bracket on this bike so I can get it riding again!











Once we had picked up/dropped off everything, we all headed to my dad's friend's place. We get there, and I'm already excited because of all the cool old cars parked outside. I didn't have enough time to get pictures of everything there, so I'll just share a few pics of the bikes I saw at his place. By the way, I'm posting these with permission.










Anyone able to tell what kind of bike this is? It looks like a Snyder frame, but it's missing the head badge and even the owner isn't sure.




Out of all the bikes this guy has, this Huffy Thunderbird struck my curiosity the most. It's a nice looking bike with a cool fender ornament and a flashlight mount on the handlebars, but that's not what got my attention.










It was the head badge that got my attention. The reason why is because I've bought parts from G. Oscar Bicycles on multiple occasions. For those of you who aren't around Tulsa, G. Oscar's is a local bike shop that's been around since the '90s in a building that's been around since the '20s, and while the guy is starting to sell more of his art and photography than his bikes, he's still got a bunch of cool old bikes that would be great for a Rat Rod Bikes Build Off! So to find a vintage bike that came from his shop over an hour away from his location, that's pretty cool. Turns out my dad's friend is open to selling it, and while the price is _nice,_ I need to finish this trike and my other bikes before I bring another project home. I might get it after Christmas, we'll see.




There were also these 2 wheels with some fat tires on them. Might get these later too. Any idea what kind of coaster brake that is?


----------



## Bike from the Dead

Here's what may become the fenders for my trike: a 1930s-ish spare tire cover ring. My dad's friend gave this too me for free because it's rough, but it might work. At the very least, it'll help me know what to get if it can't be fixed. It's just the right size and contour to make a set of fenders. It's not the style I was aiming for, but it'll work.







Did some more figuring yesterday. I'm trying to figure out how to use the parts I have to modify the frame, so I don't have to pay someone to get materials or to bend tubing as much as I could. Basically, I'm going for slicing and splicing the frame, so that my regular welder, Joe, can do most of the work for me, since I know what to expect from him. He can't bend tubing for me, but he can cut and weld anything I bring him. Here I'm lining up the top and bottom tubes of a Schwinn Hollywood frame I have with the Fair Lady's frame to see if I like the angle of the headset angled back. It could work, but I feel the angle's much to drastic. I need something a little more conservative.




I traced and cut a template of the top tube of my Schwinn straightbar frame that was ruined during this year's RRBBO to see about using it to convert this frame into a boys' frame. I then took some scrap wire and painter's tape to mock up the revised tank design I have in mind.




Here you can see the "apple seed" shape I'm going for with the opening.










Here are 3 of the frames that might donate their steel for this build. First is a 1960s Schwinn Hollywood that I was originally planning on using with another identical frame to make a custom side-by-side quadricycle, but since I haven't done anything with either frame so far, I'd just rather use it to help build this trike.




Next is one that I hate to cut up, but it's a little too far gone fro me now: my 1950's Schwinn straightbar frame, _Junk Mail_, named so as it once served as a mailbox post some indeterminate time ago. If you didn't see my RRBBO thread earlier this year, I sent this over to a guy to try and remove the seat post, only for the guy to completely ruin this frame. I thought about trying to save it, but now, I'd rather just salvage it for frame parts. I shot a photo of it upside down because I have an idea of how to use the headset and top tube of this frame, but it'll make more sense if I draw it than try to explain it.




Last is the original frame to The Trashliner Trike, which I robbed parts off of to build this trike. This frame has a good combo of 1" and 1/2" tubing that could help with modifying the Fair Lady frame, and it'd be fitting, too, as a piece of this frame would still live on as a trike.




Here's another idea: on the Fair Lady frame, the seat stays go from roughly 1/2" tubing by the dropouts to to 5/8" tubing by the seat tube. I want to add cantilever style bars to the frame to add some structure and a tank. Problem is, there isn't a ton of 5/8" tubing on any of my bike frames. However, the seat stays on my Hollywood frames follow the same change in diameter as the Fair Lady frame. I'm thinking of cutting the seat stays off of this bike, flipping them so they face forwards toward the headset, splicing the 2 5/8" sections together at the seat tube, cutting them at the point they become 1/2", and splicing some 1/2" tubing from the _Trashliner _frame at that point, and then to the frame itself. 

I'll try and draw some examples later today to better illustrate what I'm talking about.







That's it for now. I'm just about done working on my dad's present, so once I wrap that up, I'll start illustrating my plans for modifying this frame.


----------



## 1motime

You have a lot of material to work with.  Good tubing and bends.  Sure helps to have a driveway that size to walk around and look at the project from all angles


----------



## Superman1984

@Bike from the Dead would you mind showing me what's wrong with the Schwinn frame? I might be able to suggest something or may be interested in it for the top bar if you'd part with it?


----------



## Bike from the Dead

Superman1984 said:


> @Bike from the Dead would you mind showing me what's wrong with the Schwinn frame? I might be able to suggest something or may be interested in it for the top bar if you'd part with it?




For starters, the seat post is stuck in the frame, and is now probably welded to the frame itself. When the guy I sent it to tried to heat it up to pop it loose, he made a mess of the brazing, ruined the patina that I had planned to leave alone, jacked up the seat tube opening, and even melted off the brazing that held the straight bar in place, leaving it loose. 









I'm sure I could just cut and weld a new seat tube in place, but it just wouldn't be the same. I can always get another starightbar frame. Sorry, but I plan to use the top bar and other pieces of this frame for the trike.


----------



## Bike from the Dead

Superman1984 said:


> @Bike from the Dead would you mind showing me what's wrong with the Schwinn frame? I might be able to suggest something or may be interested in it for the top bar if you'd part with it?




For comparison, here's how that frame looked when I got it.




And what I had intended to do with it:


----------



## Superman1984

Bike from the Dead said:


> For starters, the seat post is stuck in the frame, and is now probably welded to the frame itself. When the guy I sent it to tried to heat it up to pop it loose, he made a mess of the brazing, ruined the patina that I had planned to leave alone, jacked up the seat tube opening, and even melted off the brazing that held the straight bar in place, leaving it loose.
> View attachment 1314828
> 
> View attachment 1314831
> 
> I'm sure I could just cut and weld a new seat tube in place, but it just wouldn't be the same. I can always get another starightbar frame. Sorry, but I plan to use the top bar and other pieces of this frame for the trike.



Damn. I understand. I was thinking about using the top bars for converting a cwc woman's frame over to a boys custom since schwinn repop tanks are easier had sometimes. I have 2 Columbia frames and other than the 24" I don't wanna cut the '51 26". I will end up having to weld extra metal into the 24" though. Was worth asking.


----------



## Bike from the Dead

Superman1984 said:


> Damn. I understand. I was thinking about using the top bars for converting a cwc woman's frame over to a boys custom since schwinn repop tanks are easier had sometimes. I have 2 Columbia frames and other than the 24" I don't wanna cut the '51 26". I will end up having to weld extra metal into the 24" though. Was worth asking.



I hear ya. Don't know unless you ask, right? 

You know anyone with a tube bender? If you find some dirt cheap 170s/1980s road and track bikes with 1" tubing, you could cut those up and bend the tubes on those. Heck, keep an eye on Marketplace and Craigslist, and you might find it for free!


----------



## Bike from the Dead

Did some more figuring since last night. I had the idea to make the whole frame apple seed-shaped, but after sketching up some ideas, I found that I wasn't crazy about that idea. I tried finding the angles to each of the frames I was considering using to modify the Fair Lady frame, but that didn't help much.




Then I drew this sketch. I had the idea to use the sharp curve of the Hollywood's top tube as the bottom tube of this frame. I liked the attitude of it, as it looked more like a chopper to me.




I continued my figuring today outside while the weather was pleasant. I traced both the original frame and the pieces of the other frames to try and see what the revised frame design would look like. Unfortunately, after mocking everything up, I concluded that this version of the frame wouldn't work. It just didn't look right to me.










I flipped my poster board over and tried again. This time, I traced the front section of the frame that donated its seat tube to my RRBBO bike, _Dumpster Diamond, _upside down, which had a decent angle that could be joined to the curve of the original down tube of my Fair Lady frame. To give the top tube a slight curve, I traced the down tube of the _Trashliner Trike _frame. After tracing the seat stays off one of my Schwinn Hollywood frames and finding the inner curve of the tank area, I found myself with a much nicer-looking frame design, at least in my opinion.




I mocked it up again with some parts off the trike, and I think I've found the look of this trike. I just hope my regular welder can put this together for me, so I don't have to pay someone else to do it for me.







My plan for the rest of this week is to come up with a revised illustration of the final trike, find another spare tire ring for rear fenders, and see if I can find someone to make the rear frame and seat pan for this trike.


----------



## Bike from the Dead

Well, I didn't do a whole lot with the trike build today. I looked at LED light strips and different reflectors or a headlight idea I had in mind, but that was about it. I was just getting ready for bed, when I browsed the forum for a bit and found this thread on a stretched chopper-style bike.Seeing the bottom bracket set so far forward, almost under the headset, gave me an idea. I went out and grabbed a chain guard for a 26" Schwinn Hollywood, and slapped it on my Fair Lady frame.




This turned out to be a big mistake, as I now am no longer tired enough to sleep. I can't stop thinking about how the frame would look with the bottom bracket moved forward a few inches and if it'd improve pedaling comfort.


----------



## Superman1984

Bike from the Dead said:


> Well, I didn't do a whole lot with the trike build today. I looked at LED light strips and different reflectors or a headlight idea I had in mind, but that was about it. I was just getting ready for bed, when I browsed the forum for a bit and found this thread on a stretched chopper-style bike.Seeing the bottom bracket set so far forward, almost under the headset, gave me an idea. I went out and grabbed a chain guard for a 26" Schwinn Hollywood, and slapped it on my Fair Lady frame.
> View attachment 1316839
> 
> This turned out to be a big mistake, as I now am no longer tired enough to sleep. I can't stop thinking about how the frame would look with the bottom bracket moved forward a few inches and if it'd improve pedaling comfort.
> View attachment 1316840



Monkey wrench in the plans. Yeah Any pedal forward may feel different if you're not used to them but they are more relaxed feeling than you may know. My Nirve looks akward but riding it is easy once you do a few times. Not short people friendly though & too far forward you'll feel like riding a recumbent as you lay down and stretch out to reach them. Lol. Also works the legs better from an exercise stand point etc


----------



## Bike from the Dead

Superman1984 said:


> Monkey wrench in the plans. Yeah Any pedal forward may feel different if you're not used to them but they are more relaxed feeling than you may know. My Nirve looks akward but riding it is easy once you do a few times. Not short people friendly though & too far forward you'll feel like riding a recumbent as you lay down and stretch out to reach them. Lol. Also works the legs better from an exercise stand point etc



Funny enough, I had recumbent bikes in mind when I thought about the seating arrangement for this trike. I want to play with this idea further, but I think I need to get the trike axle frame and seat pan figured out first.


----------



## Superman1984

Bike from the Dead said:


> Funny enough, I had recumbent bikes in mind when I thought about the seating arrangement for this trike. I want to play with this idea further, but I think I need to get the trike axle frame and seat pan figured out first.



Pitter Patter Get At 'Er ! Lol. I know it's sometimes a long slow process to progress.


----------



## Bike from the Dead

Small updates for the past few days. 

Got some new spare tire rings to use as fender material for free from another one of my dad's friends Saturday. One is a slightly wider diameter than the other, but the other has a better chrome finish. Odds are I'll be sandblasting the bigger, rougher one to match the rest of the trike, but I'm leaving all options on the table for now.





Speaking of options, I had spent some more time figuring out the graphics for this trike. I decided to look at pictures of late '60s/early '70s Mopar muscle cars for inspiration. First up, I'm thinking of mimicking the circle and words around the _Poison Apple_ icon, like what you'd see on a Dodge Super Bee.




I then looked at all the stripes and other crazy graphics all the Dodges and Plymouths had back in the day. There were a ton of cool designs coming from every manufacturer back then, but I think Plymouth/Chrysler/Dodge had the coolest graphics and colors out of them all.







I'm really digging the rear quarter stripes on this one. I think these will serve as the biggest inspiration for the final graphics I add to this trike.




Then I came across this _wicked cool_ 1969 and a 1/2 Super Bee 440 Six Pack. This is giving me even more ideas for the final look of my trike that I hadn't really considered before.







I wasn't crazy about powder coating my wheels satin black, as that's basically the color of the tires themselves, but after seeing these satin black wheels on this green Super Bee, I may have to reconsider. I hadn't planned on adding any red to my bike either, but seeing the redline tires on this car, plus the reddish-orange lettering on the hood scoop, I think a little splash of red would look good on this trike somewhere.




One last cool note to end on: I live in Oklahoma, where the weather does whatever it darn well pleases, including hitting 70-75 degrees on December 10th, only to switch to around 6 inches of snow on the 13th. I quickly took the opportunity to get out my RRBBO entry, _Dumpster Diamond_, and shoot some photos of it in the snow. That was the heaviest snow I'd seen in a long time, and it left me covered in snow in mere minutes! I'm just hoping it sticks around a little longer so I can go out and actually enjoy it!




Sorry for the sparse progress to report. I'm still tracing all the frames I have to try and redesign the current one, and I'm still sketching concepts for the final version of this trike.


----------



## Bike from the Dead

Well, I just got my Mattel _V-RROOM! _bike motor in the mail today. It came with batteries, but they were old and used up it seemed. I got new D cell batteries, and I still couldn't get it to work. Played around with it a bit, and I eventually got it working, but with a couple issues. First, it doesn't want to turn on unless I angle it a certain way. Second, depending on the angle, the motor will go full-throttle regardless of what position the controller is set to.

So the motor works, but it has either a sticky throttle or an electrical issue. I can worry about it later, since I mostly got this for aesthetic purposes. That said, this puppy is *LOUD!* Holy cow, I had no idea how much noise this thing could make, and it sounds _awesome! _If I heard this cruising by and I couldn't make out that it was just a prop, I would seriously think whatever bike it was attached to was motorized for real!

It's a little too dark to get photos of it now, but amazingly, it looks proportionally correct for this frame.


----------



## 1motime

Those motors should be able to service.  Probably something straightforward since you can get the V_ROOOOOM to sound.  Progress!


----------



## Bike from the Dead

1motime said:


> Those motors should be able to service.  Probably something straightforward since you can get the V_ROOOOOM to sound.  Progress!



If I can find a way to replace the rivets holding this thing together, I'd like to go ahead and rewire this motor. It looks like the wire from the controller to the motor is kinked, and that may be part of the problem. Plus, if I could make the wire detachable from the controller or engine, that would come in handy.


----------



## Bike from the Dead

Ok, as mentioned before, I got a Mattel _V-RROOM! _toy bike motor in the mail yesterday. It's a little finicky, but it does work, as far as sounding like an actual motorcycle engine goes. I also found that it would just _barely_ fit in the open part of my redesign of my bike frame, that is, until I compared it to the ACTUAL frame.




Turns out, the motor is substantially wider than the bottom bracket, and it doesn't allow for much clearance between the crank arms. I'm sure I could remedy this by getting some wider crank arms and nudging the motor to one side a little to clear the chain guard, but I for now, I think I'll just leave the motor out of the equation.







I'm bummed that I can't use it for this project, at least not right now, but I now have a unique opportunity; I couldn't find much useful information on these motors anywhere, and I think I'd like to use my motor to help anyone else planning to put one of these on their bike. When time allows, I'd like to create a thread that goes more in depth on the dimensions, weight, and maybe even how these things work and how they can be serviced. I had no idea how big this motor actually was until I got it, and to my surprise, it's roughly the same size as those cheap Whizzer-style bike motors you can buy today. 

That all comes later though. Right now, I'm busy calling every local fab shop in or around Tulsa to see if I can start putting the rest of this trike together.


----------



## coasterbrakejunkie1969

Vroom or not that is going to be a wicked choppa, seeing as it was an add on you can find something else no nee dto ruin a great trike for sake of basically a toy. Maybe a vintage motor thats no good and a hidden speaker that emits an engine noise? Again it is a really cool build. Good luck


----------



## Bike from the Dead

coasterbrakejunkie1969 said:


> Vroom or not that is going to be a wicked choppa, seeing as it was an add on you can find something else no nee dto ruin a great trike for sake of basically a toy. Maybe a vintage motor thats no good and a hidden speaker that emits an engine noise? Again it is a really cool build. Good luck



Thanks! I was really hoping to use the V-RROOM motor, as it looks and sounds quite convincing for a toy, but _Poison Apple _will still look good without it. I don't really have anything that'd look good as a dummy motor right now. I can worry about it later. Right now, I just need to get everything fabricated and assembled.


----------



## A.S.BOLTNUT

The more I go back and look at your mockups and drawings I think it needs a longer stance in the front end ,aka legs off a 26" cruiser springer fork.


----------



## Freqman1

I think is for the best. Like I said before a clean build don’t need gimmicks. I think it will need a 26” MW front wheel. Might even be better if you could find a larger surrey/wheel chair? Setup. Just some thoughts. V/r Shawn


----------



## 1motime

I really hate to say it but I agree with the previous poster.  A bit.  The small 20 front wheel makes the large rear ones appear to be even larger.  What about a 24" middleweight?  Putting on a 26 makes the wheelbase look shorter and stubby and it has been done before.  Too easy.  
The whole point is to keep the frame LEVEL!  That gives it the Bobber look that you seem to be after.  
Any increase in wheel diameter up front means fork needs to be bent to accomadate.  Stance is #1!  Get that right and fill in the details


----------



## Bike from the Dead

A.S.BOLTNUT said:


> The more I go back and look at your mockups and drawings I think it needs a longer stance in the front end ,aka legs off a 26" cruiser springer fork.



That is a 26" cruiser springer fork. I just put a 20" wheel up front. I do plan to angle the headset back so the fork sticks out more, though.


----------



## Bike from the Dead

Freqman1 said:


> I think is for the best. Like I said before a clean build don’t need gimmicks. I think it will need a 26” MW front wheel. Might even be better if you could find a larger surrey/wheel chair? Setup. Just some thoughts. V/r Shawn



True, a clean build doesn't need gimmicks, but I want this to be a rather exaggerated version of a muscle bike/trike, just like the choppers of the 1970s were exaggerated versions of motorcycles. I don't mind going a little crazy with this one; it's meant to look cartoony. I can still play around with wheel sizes, but I'm pretty sold on this 20" wheel by this point.


----------



## Bike from the Dead

1motime said:


> I really hate to say it but I agree with the previous poster.  A bit.  The small 20 front wheel makes the large rear ones appear to be even larger.  What about a 24" middleweight?  Putting on a 26 makes the wheelbase look shorter and stubby and it has been done before.  Too easy.
> The whole point is to keep the frame LEVEL!  That gives it the Bobber look that you seem to be after.
> Any increase in wheel diameter up front means fork needs to be bent to accomadate.  Stance is #1!  Get that right and fill in the details



I can try using a 24" middleweight, but with the frame in its stock form, it'll be really tough to tell what that 24" wheel will look like after I modify the frame to angle the fork forward. I want the frame to look short and stubby, but I want the fork to look long. Easiest way to do that is to change the rake of the headset. I don't want to bend the forks, as I like their shape, and I don't want them to look like lowrider forks. Ideally, I'd get a 26" or longer Monark-style springer fork instead of a Sting-Ray-style fork, but I'm making use of what I've got for now.


----------



## 1motime

If you are set on the 20 then you don't really have any choice than to angle the head. When the wheel is pushed out there it might call for a larger wheel.  Those rear wheels are the focal point by being so large.  Cartoony is good but not stubby


----------



## Bike from the Dead

Met with a potential fabricator earlier today. Meeting went well, but I was left with an unpleasant wake-up call: it is highly unlikely that I'll achieve my vision for this trike within the budget I currently have available to me. Worse yet, the guy I met with gave me _even more ideas_ of how to enhance this trike, which in turn would make this even more expensive and time-consuming.

So, I'm stuck in an uncomfortable position; 
--- Keep searching for other fabricators close to home who might be able to do what I need faster and cheaper than the first guy I met and possibly strike out or "get what I pay for" this project,
--- Ignore my budget, as generous as I feel it is, pay whatever it takes to make my vision for this trike a reality, and struggle to pay for some more critical items I really need to invest in,
_--- Extensively _scale back my plans for this trike to meet my budget, settle for an... okay design, and hope I can save up the funds to rebuild this trike the way I really want,
--- Or worst of all, throw in the towel and revisit this project in a future Muscle Bike Build Off when I have the funds to do what I want to this trike without compromise.

I hate to admit that this trike build has not been and is not the most... financially responsible decision I've made given my circumstances, but it's one of the few things that's given me any sort of motivation to push through this rotten year. This year's RRBBO and MBBO have been just as exciting and therapeutic as it's been challenging for me, and both instances have given me a desire to not only get some of my bikes rideable, but also push my creativity and skills in new directions. 

It's funny, I'm not even all that competitive, but during both Build Offs, I've been determined to prove that even though I'm one of the new guys here, and a younger and relatively inexperienced one at that, I can still design and build some really cool custom bikes. I just seem to forget that my ideas can be too ambitious for my own reality sometimes, as was the case with my RRBBO entry earlier this year. I have a serious OCD perfectionism problem, and it makes settling for "good enough" a lot more difficult than I'd like.

So, that's where I'm at now. I'm still figuring out how to scale back my plans and still achieve an agreeable final product and reaching out to people to might be able to help me fabricate the pieces I don't have, but I'm not sure what's going to happen now.


----------



## 1motime

Don't give it up.  You have the enthusiasm and a vision.  Maybe just not bucks up right now.  Projects can wait for their time.  I just retired and have several that have been on the shelves waiting.  Not all bike related.
Gave a couple away.  Started a few and realized why they went into storage. Actually not repairable and that is why they got stopped.  Have to make up my mind if they are worth the hassle.  A few that just restarted the parts search.  A few got sold. The keepers will be last when I can really concentrate on them.
Don't know your age or situation but what about setting up your own shop?  Basic tools, practice  and ruin some metal.  The learning curve never ends but once you get the feel you won't need to find and hire others.  It will be all yours!  In the time being take a break and regroup your thoughts.  Good luck!


----------



## Bike from the Dead

1motime said:


> Don't give it up.  You have the enthusiasm and a vision.  Maybe just not bucks up right now.  Projects can wait for their time.  I just retired and have several that have been on the shelves waiting.  Not all bike related.
> Gave a couple away.  Started a few and realized why they went into storage. Actually not repairable and that is why they got stopped.  Have to make up my mind if they are worth the hassle.  A few that just restarted the parts search.  A few got sold. The keepers will be last when I can really concentrate on them.
> Don't know your age or situation but what about setting up your own shop?  Basic tools, practice  and ruin some metal.  The learning curve never ends but once you get the feel you won't need to find and hire others.  It will be all yours!  In the time being take a break and regroup your thoughts.  Good luck!



Thanks. I've not given up on this project yet, but I'm probably going to have to settle for not making this a trike right now. I can still make it a nice bike for now, and save up for the full custom trike conversion later. I'm back at the drawing board and figuring out where to go from here.

As for my age and situation, I'm 27, out of work, almost completely burnt out from a combination of life stuff and this whole stinking year, and I'm nowhere near ready to start my own bike or fab shop. I don't have the money or the place for everything I need, and the only welding/fab schools I know of around here are all about big, heavy super-industrial stuff, not specialty stuff like what I really want to do.


----------



## bricycle

you have welding equipment?


----------



## Bike from the Dead

bricycle said:


> you have welding equipment?



I have neither the equipment, the expertise, nor the education, sadly.


----------



## bricycle

Bike from the Dead said:


> I have neither the equipment, the expertise, nor the education, sadly.



at least you have the desire


----------



## Bike from the Dead

bricycle said:


> at least you have the desire



Well, you're not wrong. I would love to learn how to do metal fab work, but more as a hobby than anything.


----------



## Bike from the Dead

Okay, so today was a "back to the drawing board" kind of day. I picked up a few parts and pieces out of storage that I hoped would help me figure out the new direction for _Poison Apple_, as well as the _Mini Mystery Muscle Bike._








I'd like to get this weird "Toledo" bike fixed up and riding again, but the big stumbling block is this unusual bottom bracket setup. I'm not sure how to disassemble this correctly so I can service the bearings, and I'm not sure who to take it to so it can be done correctly. Anyone know how to take these apart and put them back together, or at least know the best place to take this to get the job done?







I took out my 1950/1951 Schwinn DX frame, _Project Quick Change / Subject: Schwinn Dixie,_ and started playing around with different parts. Here's how it looked before I started playing around with it:




Here it is after fiddling with it for a bit. I'm still not feeling it just yet, but I like the idea I came up with of sticking one of my spare AMF Roadmaster tanks in between the top bars. I'll play around with it more tomorrow.







I started playing around with making _Poison Apple _a 2-wheeler again, but I'm not crazy about the stance.




When I mocked up a 24" tire next to the rear, I was thinking of fabricating a couple plates that would bolt into the dropouts to stretch out the rear end. What it made me think of instead was an earlier mock-up I did with the trike axle in its original form.




Looking back at this version of _Poison Apple, _I think I could make this design work without breaking the bank.







Here's my idea: Leave the frame stock, and most of the trike rear end. I have a pair of 26" Shelby or Monark deep-dish fenders that need some work, but could be smoothed out, trimmed and mounted over the trike axle frame/brace. That's the first fabricated/modified piece. Next, I'd redesign the fork extensions to a cleaner look, then take them to my go-to welder to cut them out. That's the second, and really only other fabricated piece that I can't do myself. Once all those parts are done, I'll get everything sandblasted and powder coated before reassembly.

After that's out of the way, I'll add a few of my own custom touches. First, I'll make a custom wood tank, like I did with my Hawthorne earlier this year, to convert this frame into a boys'-style frame. Next, I'll want to add something to sit over the trike frame/brace. Normally, a wire basket would go there, but I have other ideas. I'm thinking either a wood box like what used to be on there when this setup was attached to _The Trashliner Trike,_ or in keeping with the _Snow White _homages, a wicker picnic basket, like what the evil queen carried the poison apple in. I've got a few other small ideas to go with that, but I got to get the rest sorted out first.

I ran out of daylight and relatively warm weather to mock everything up today, but I'm going to try to finish mocking stuff up and figuring it all out. Hopefully I'll be able to come up with some concept illustrations by this weekend.


----------



## Bike from the Dead

Ok, it seems like everything that can derail this Build Off for me is happening all at once right when I'm within range of the finish line. I'm now at a point where I don't know if I'm going to try and make a "good enough" trike out of this Schwinn Fair Lady, or a decent but relatively stock bike out of this. Either way, it feels like I'm going to spend a sizable chunk of my funds just to settle for less than stellar results.

I almost feel like I should just shelve this project for either the next Rat Rod Bikes Build Off or Muscle Bike Build Off when I might have all the funds I need for it, and spend my remaining budget finishing all of the other bikes in my collection that I've put off over the past 2 years. 

I've been meaning to finish the bike that got me into this hobby for some time now, so I could justify spending the remaining time and money I have setting it up as a muscle bike. The greatest expenses there would be installing an old Simano 3-speed coaster brake hub into another wheel, and sandblasting the frame to get rid of the rust. The rest would be fairly easy, as I'd just be mostly assembling the bike with whatever parts I've already got and maybe making a custom wood tank.

I've also got 3 bikes I'm in various stages of restoring, 2 for me and 1 for a family member. I've been meaning to finish those for some time now.

Actually, you know what? I think that's what I'll do. I hate to stop working on a project after spending so much time and money on it, but I think it'd be best if I switch gears and finish working on the small collection of bikes I've already got using the funds I've accrued from all the stuff I've sold lately. I can save _Poison Apple _for a later date. If I could enter it in next year's Rat Rod Bikes Build Off or something similar, that would be cool too. But for now, I'm going to try to put together all the bikes I've put off for quite some time.

I'll try to get everything together to start a build thread for my 1950/1951 Schwinn DX bike. I'm sure I could get that all put together for the MBBO before January 15th.


----------



## Bike from the Dead

Minor update, but I wanted to share anyways. I got 2 more 26" x 4" fat bike wheels and tires, though only 1 tube late last night for a dirt cheap $15. I'll need to swap out the hubs and spokes, as they're not the single-speed cruiser type hubs I want, but the rims are in decent shape despite some peeling spray paint. The tires are in decent shape too, and the one tube still holds air. 

What's nice about this is that I can still have a fat tire bike to goof off on, and have a fat tire trike too.


----------



## Bike from the Dead

Well, after running into _even more_ complications with my _Project Quick Change/Schwinn Dixie _muscle bike build, I decided to revisit my _Poison Apple_ trike. As much as I'd rather save this project for when I can afford to do it the way I really want, I want to at least finish _something_ for my first Muscle Bike Build Off. So, I decided to mock up parts I had on hand and see what looked good enough. I also made a new cardboard template for the tank, which I'll make out of wood like last time, except this time I based my design off a tank design @The Renaissance Man came up with. (Did he ever make those? I can't say I've seen a finished version of those tanks, just this render.)




To avoid having to modify or fabricate anything metal, I'm just going to use the original 24" version of the trike rear. I also decided to use a regular seat instead of a banana seat, for reasons I'll explain in a bit. The big question mark for what makes this trike look "good enough" for me, is the fork and front wheel combo. I started with the stock 20" fork and a 20" wheel and tire. I thought it looked okay, but I had more options to experiment with.




I don't have any 24" forks since I sold the ones I had already, so I just stuck another 24" wheel and tire on the 26" springer fork with the extensions. Can't say I was crazy about the proportions.




Another idea I had: I have this set of 26" deep dish... I want to say they're Shelby fenders that got ruined by a guy I took some bike stuff to during the 2020 RRBBO. I still want to use them on my Spitfire, but I'm thinking these could look good sitting over the trike frame, with a little modification. There are a few problems with that though. First, these fenders are in pretty rough shape, and I'd want to take them to someone _who actually knows how to fix old metal_ before I try to use them. Second, between the required bodywork and further modifications needed to make the fenders fit over the trike frame, I'd imagine I'd be out the rest of my bike-building budget. Finally, this isn't going to be the final version of this trike, so I probably don't need to mess with these fenders right now.







Next wheel option: the 700c wheel and tire that came from the same bike as the springer fork and trike conversion assembly. I instantly said "no" as soon as I saw it on the Fair Lady. It was just too big, especially with those smaller 24" rubbers in the rear.




After going big, I went small with the 20" wheel again. The stance is... okay, but I wasn't as crazy about it as I was before. The dimensions still looked wrong.




I tried taking the fork extensions off, just to see how that'd look. After seeing how the 20" looked with the fork like that, I felt the wheel was facing backwards. I still wasn't happy, but I wasn't done yet.




I put the 24" back up front one more time. Once I did that, I felt I found the stance I was looking for. Yeah, the front tire is too wide, the seat's too small, and the frame looks a little funny angled up like that, but I think this looks good enough. It doesn't look like a chopper like I originally wanted; instead, it looks like a bobber, which is still pretty cool.



















Just for a lark, and to prove a point I had already figured out back when all these trike parts were on _The Trashliner Trike,_ I mocked up my Rally banana seat and a sissy bar. I have to admit, the banana seat and sissy bar don't look as bad as I thought they would on this trike, but there's one major problem that I just don't like. Look where the sissy bar is.







The sissy bar cuts right through the area where a basket, crate, or other container could go over the rear axle. I want to use that area to put something there, and the sissy bar cuts right through it. That's not good. Plus, it'd be kind of pointless to have the banana seat and sissy bar on this set up, since there's no real way to wheelie this trike. The rear wheels are too far behind the seat for me to lean this puppy back enough to get the front wheel off the ground, and I'd honestly be too scared to even try.




So yeah, I'm back to working on _Poison Apple._ I still need to buy a few things to get this trike to "good enough," mainly one more 24" front wheel to match the blue one I have mocked up (it's part of a set that I'd much rather use than the two spray-bombed wheels on the rear currently,) 3 new tires and tubes, some new bearings for the trike axle, and a seat, if I can't find one in my stash that'll work. I might even look at some layback seat posts so I move the seat lower without sacrificing ride comfort. I think if I play my cards right, I can keep to a $100 budget on top of what I've already spent, and still have a decent-looking muscle trike in the end.

I'll be doing some more mockups tomorrow, but until then, that's all for now!


----------



## Bike from the Dead

I put together a mockup of the rear basket/box using some foam core I had leftover from my college graphic design class today. I'll admit, my measurements aren't precise and I didn't use as much material as it would've taken to properly figure out the dimensions of the box, but I think I've got the general idea nailed. I don't want the box to stick out like a sore thumb, so I rounded the top and made it a little taller than the circumference of the rear tires. The box will also slide in-between the horizontal braces of the basket frame, that way I won't have to bolt it to anything. I'll make the final box out of either some wood scraps I already have, or I'll just get some plywood if I really need it.


----------



## Bike from the Dead

Well, I got a front wheel for the trike for $4, but after closer inspection, I might need to get another one. For starters, the rim shape isn't exactly the same as the other wheels I want to use. That wouldn't bother me as much though, if one of the spokes didn't have such a bad bend to it. So, I'm going to have to keep an eye out for another wheel.

I also went and got a 24" x 1.75" front tire and 2 tubes at a local bike shop. All of their 24" x 2.125" tires are on backorder, and have been so for some time, so I'm most likely going to have to buy some online.


----------



## Bike from the Dead

Ok, got a new front wheel that actually matches this time. Spent a little on it than I would've liked at $10, but I've payed more for wheels before. Ran out of daylight for photos, but I'm planning on shooting more either tomorrow or Friday.


----------



## Bike from the Dead

Okay, I still haven't figured out what exact graphics I'm putting on the tank and chain guard just yet, but this is the overall flavor I'm going for on my final design for this trike. Hopefully, I'll be able to start sandblasting and powder coating parts on Friday.


----------



## 1motime

Looks great!  Take your time.  It can happen


----------



## Bike from the Dead

1motime said:


> Looks great!  Take your time.  It can happen



Thanks! There's a good chance that I might not be doing all the sandblasting and powder coating that soon, but I do feel confident that I can have this trike fully built and rolling by the new deadline of March 1st.


----------



## Bike from the Dead

Minor update, but I just typed up a task list to help me organize what's left to do to get _Poison Apple_ done on time. The task list is liable to change, and just because I ordered it a certain way doesn't mean that's the order in which things will be done, but it'll help break down the remainder of the build into smaller bites so I hopefully don't develop another bad case of burnout.

Here's that list:

Figure out if I’m going to have fenders
Figure out how to mount tank to frame
Figure out trike brace mount
Figure out decals/stripes for tank, chain guard and fenders (if I add fenders)
Figure out nuts on axle ends (regular, round caps, or something crazy, like spikes)
Figure out valve stem caps
Get rear tires
Make trike brace mount
Fix trike axle chain guard
Tweak bicycle frame chain guard
Shine up chrome parts
Disassemble wheels
Disassemble and clean coaster brake and axle hubs
Grease and reassemble coaster brake and axle hubs
Sandblast parts
Powder coat parts
Reassemble wheels
Get wheels trued
Get rim tape, or narrower electrical tape
Mount tubes and tires
Color match tank paint to powder
Get new bearings for trike axle
Clean bearings
Grease bearings
Reassemble bike
Get new chain
Make tank
Paint tank
Mount tank to frame
Make box
Paint box
Add box to bike
Decide on seat


----------



## ian

Bike from the Dead said:


> Minor update, but I just typed up a task list to help me organize what's left to do to get _Poison Apple_ done on time. The task list is liable to change, and just because I ordered it a certain way doesn't mean that's the order in which things will be done, but it'll help break down the remainder of the build into smaller bites so I hopefully don't develop another bad case of burnout.
> 
> Here's that list:
> 
> Figure out if I’m going to have fenders
> Figure out how to mount tank to frame
> Figure out trike brace mount
> Figure out decals/stripes for tank, chain guard and fenders (if I add fenders)
> Figure out nuts on axle ends (regular, round caps, or something crazy, like spikes)
> Figure out valve stem caps
> Get rear tires
> Make trike brace mount
> Fix trike axle chain guard
> Tweak bicycle frame chain guard
> Shine up chrome parts
> Disassemble wheels
> Disassemble and clean coaster brake and axle hubs
> Grease and reassemble coaster brake and axle hubs
> Sandblast parts
> Powder coat parts
> Reassemble wheels
> Get wheels trued
> Get rim tape, or narrower electrical tape
> Mount tubes and tires
> Color match tank paint to powder
> Get new bearings for trike axle
> Clean bearings
> Grease bearings
> Reassemble bike
> Get new chain
> Make tank
> Paint tank
> Mount tank to frame
> Make box
> Paint box
> Add box to bike
> Decide on seat



That's all?


----------



## Bike from the Dead

ian said:


> That's all?



Well, I could've oversimplified it into just a few bullet points, but I wanted to break things down so that I could frequently have those small victories that'll help me move through this project a lot quicker and easier. If I just said "design, build and paint tank," for instance, then I couldn't cross that off the list until I finished _everything_ that has to do with the tank. By making each stage of the process its own bullet point, I can stand a good chance of crossing at least a few things off the list each week, and maybe even one task per day. That way I don't lose steam and suffer a bad case of burnout.


----------



## Bike from the Dead

Ok, I've got some more photos to share today. First, the new front wheel and tire I got earlier this week, on the right. While the color of the wheel may be different, the shape, size, and chrome hub matches the other two wheels. The front tire is a 24" x 1.75", while the two rear tires will be (hopefully) 24" x 2.125", in order to meet the "big and little tire" requirement of the MBBO.




Next, an idea of how to have a decent looking pair of fenders for the rear, to help hide the trike axle brace. I forgot that I had bought this deep dish fender along with some other parts back in 2019, and unlike the few other deep dishes in my collection of parts, this one's in pretty good shape. I have no idea what sort of bike it's from, but I'm guessing it's either a late prewar or early postwar bike.











I mocked up the fender on the trike to see if it would be long enough to make two fenders from one. If I just used the part of the fender after the indentation for the chain guard, I wouldn't have enough material for two fenders. If I could get rid of the dent, then I've got just enough material for both fenders.



There are a few other issues with this fender idea, though.

First, I really don't know if I want to modify, cut up, and repaint this fender. For starters, it looks older than most everything in my bike collection. It's also in really good shape for its age, with few dents and the original paint still looking salvageable. I don't want to modify something that's in this good of shape as it is. If it was a newer fender, like say from the '50s or later, or a modern reproduction, then I wouldn't really worry about it. If someone could tell me what sort of bike this fender came off of, how old it is, and how much it's probably worth as is, I'd greatly appreciate it.



Second, even if I do use this fender to make two smaller ones, I'm not sure how I'd mount them, especially around the front horizontal brace of the trike axle frame. I don't want the fenders to look too short, but I also don't want the fenders to have a bar cutting right through the front portion of the fenders.



So, that's another detail I'm trying to figure out. I'd like to have a pair of green fenders to add some color to the rear of the trike, but I don't _have _to have fenders on this trike. It would look nicer, I think, but I don't want to sacrifice a really good, really old fender if I or someone else could use it as is.


----------



## Bike from the Dead

Ordered rear tires yesterday, dropped the trike and parts off at my welder's shop today.


----------



## 1motime

One way to keep in a budget it to do grinding finish work after welding is done.  Keeps the welder happy since he does not have to do everything!
Just a thought!


----------



## Bike from the Dead

1motime said:


> One way to keep in a budget it to do grinding finish work after welding is done.  Keeps the welder happy since he does not have to do everything!
> Just a thought!



I'll have to find something to practice on first. I'm not even sure I've got anything better than a belt sander at my disposal right now. Better to leave it to the professionals, in my opinion. Besides, my welder's not too expensive to work with.


----------



## 1motime

Harbor Freight Tools – Quality Tools at Discount Prices Since 1977
					

Harbor Freight buys their top quality tools from the same factories that supply our competitors. We cut out the middleman and pass the savings to you!




					www.harborfreight.com
				




Cheap disposable grinder.  They last a long time and save time.  Get a set of good used hand files.  Essential tools if you are going to do lots of metal work
Your welder should have a pile of scrap.  Take a few pieces and practice.  It can be fun.  Use a face shield!


----------



## Bike from the Dead

1motime said:


> Harbor Freight Tools – Quality Tools at Discount Prices Since 1977
> 
> 
> Harbor Freight buys their top quality tools from the same factories that supply our competitors. We cut out the middleman and pass the savings to you!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.harborfreight.com
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Cheap disposable grinder.  They last a long time and save time.  Get a set of good used hand files.  Essential tools if you are going to do lots of metal work
> Your welder should have a pile of scrap.  Take a few pieces and practice.  It can be fun.  Use a face shield!



I'll keep that in mind for down the road. Thanks!


----------



## Bike from the Dead

Just got my tires in today, and they look great! I ran out of daylight before I could get good photos of one mocked up on a wheel, but I'll hopefully get photos of it tomorrow. Still waiting to get everything back from my welder.


----------



## Superman1984

Bike from the Dead said:


> I'll keep that in mind for down the road. Thanks!



Those grinders aren't too bad. Most last longer than the Dewalts I've had. Currently using 1 & it sounds a little crunchy bearing wise I give it hell 'til it fails. Remember to wear eye & face protection! Wire or a piece of metal/cutting wheel to the eye is painful & can be permanently damaging


----------



## Bike from the Dead

Still haven't gotten the trike back from my welder yet, but I did get some photos of one of the two rear tires I'll be using. These are 24" x 2.125" DURO slicks that I bought off eBay. As much as I appreciated all the tire options that everyone on Rat Rod Bikes and The CABE offered, none of them felt like they fit the build as well as these. Plus, I've rarely had a bad experience buying from eBay, and this time thankfully proved to be no different. After inserting a tube and mounting everything to one of the wheels I plan to use, I like them even more. They're not as crazy as the 26" x 4" fat bike tires, but they're still plenty cool. I was going to post a link to the tires I bought from the seller I bought them from, but it looks like they sold out already.


----------



## Superman1984

I have 26x3" Duro tires on my Nirve Switchblade. They're Good tires but there's 2 different rubbers they're made from; the ones on my Switchblade are rubber in the classic sense & the ones I had bought in WW like yours for a now ex gf's bike felt like more of a plastic/rubber compound. They Ride Nice though. Jus' NOT great for rain.


----------



## Bike from the Dead

Superman1984 said:


> I have 26x3" Duro tires on my Nirve Switchblade. They're Good tires but there's 2 different rubbers they're made from; the ones on my Switchblade are rubber in the classic sense & the ones I had bought in WW like yours for a now ex gf's bike felt like more of a plastic/rubber compound. They Ride Nice though. Jus' NOT great for rain.



I would have loved to have used a set of 24" x 3" tires on my trike, but every time I've put weight on the rear axle, the 2.125"-wide tires either rub or come close to rubbing against the brace that holds the axle against the bike frame. Don't worry, I am _not _riding this trike unless the weather's fair and the roads are dry.


----------



## Bike from the Dead

Superman1984 said:


> Those grinders aren't too bad. Most last longer than the Dewalts I've had. Currently using 1 & it sounds a little crunchy bearing wise I give it hell 'til it fails. Remember to wear eye & face protection! Wire or a piece of metal/cutting wheel to the eye is painful & can be permanently damaging



What should I get for eye and face protection? I definitely want to play it safe when using power tools, _especially after what happened last time..._


----------



## Superman1984

Bike from the Dead said:


> What should I get for eye and face protection? I definitely want to play it safe when using power tools, _especially after what happened last time..._



Clear wrap around safety glasses, adjustable flip up face shield & they're all at Harbor Freight; they're cheap but work as long as you aren't being hit hard or punched in the face while working on your bikes. Lol.
https://www.harborfreight.com/search?q=safety glasses

https://www.harborfreight.com/adjustable-face-shield-46526.html

At least wear the glasses or a shield. Trust me the consequences if not suck!


----------



## Bike from the Dead

Okay, I've got a good bit of progress to share!

I got the trike back from my welder today. My welder made a new mounting bracket for the trike frame, removed a dent in the small trike chain guard, and fixed the alignment on the axle. The mounting bracket didn't come out quite like I had expected, as I wanted the vertical tab placed behind the fender mount, so it'd be hidden, but the final product still turned out fine, and after sitting down on the seat, I've concluded that this trike will be solid enough to ride.













Second, my welder removed a dent in the small chain guard that goes to the trike axle. I didn't take a good photo before the dent was removed, but the chain guard now looks spick-and-span.







I then ran around town to get some hardware to help make this trike rideable. I got 2 new sealed bearings for the trike axle, got some new nuts and bolts for the trike frame to bike frame bracket (the bolts my welder used felt just a little too tight, and were clearly used), and some 3/4" steel tubing. 

Ever since I decided to leave the frame "stock" and just focus on making this trike good enough, the kickstand mounting point just stood out too much to me. Sure, I could've asked my welder to remove it, but given that it doubles as a structural element, and I still don't quite know what I'll do with this trike when I can afford to build it the way I want, I decided to leave it be, and instead add something to it. I want to make a fake exhaust pipe using some steel tubing to take some of the focus off the kickstand mount. I think I can bend it with my dad's conduit bender, and cut it to size and shape once I get the bend whereI need it.




As you can see, while the narrowest part of the kickstand mount is 3/4", the other end is wider, giving the tube some wiggle room. I'm trying to figure out how to best mount this pipe so that's solid and not wobbling around. I'm also trying to figure out how to use the small pin hole that held the kickstand in place to hold the exhaust pipe in place.







So, this is where I'm at right now: I basically have almost everything I need to make this trike a rider. I'm just waiting for when my Dad's ready to powder coat again, so I can have everything sandblasted just before then. If I start taking everything apart and sandblasting it all now, everything's going to rust before Dad can powder coat all my stuff properly. I'll make the box and tank after that's all out of the way. There are still a few things I can do in the meantime, but for the most part, I'm just waiting for the next big step.

Also, as of today, I've already past my "$100 on top of everything budget," but thankfully I still have plenty of bike money left to play with, and it really shouldn't take much more to finish this trike. I'm going to try my best to get this trike built within the time I have left and with a decent amount of cash left to finish my other bikes.

Stay tuned for more!


----------



## Bike from the Dead

Small bit of progress to report today. 

I had these two old bread/meatloaf pans that my parents nearly threw away, and I had the idea to make my own custom license plates for the trike out of them. I had Dad handle the cut-off wheel for this idea, since I wear glasses now and I don't have a pair of safety glasses or goggles that fit over the giant frames needed to fit over my one-size-does-not-fit-all head. After Dad made the initial cuts, I roughly sanded and trimmed down the pieces. They could still use some work, but for now, they're fine.







Next, we tested out an idea for the custom exhaust pipe I wanted to try. I don't know if Dad's tube bender can make a tight-enough bend for my exhaust pipe idea to work yet, but we did figure out how to make the tip into this teardrop/appleseed shape I want.







I also tweaked the chain guard so this one minor crease that was bugging me is now gone, but I didn't think to take photos of that. I got a little something-something from Michaels to hopefully add a little polish to the final product. And finally, I got some more bolts that are slightly shorter than the ones I had on the trike before, so that'll hopefully clean up the look of the trike. Also, on that note, I've got an amusing anecdote: What does it take for one to bring the line at Lowe's to a halt? Apparently, four stainless steel bolts. Felt sorry for the cashier trying to find the price for these four unmarked bolts.


----------



## 1motime

Bike from the Dead said:


> Small bit of progress to report today.
> 
> I had these two old bread/meatloaf pans that my parents nearly threw away, and I had the idea to make my own custom license plates for the trike out of them. I had Dad handle the cut-off wheel for this idea, since I wear glasses now and I don't have a pair of safety glasses or goggles that fit over the giant frames needed to fit over my one-size-does-not-fit-all head. After Dad made the initial cuts, I roughly sanded and trimmed down the pieces. They could still use some work, but for now, they're fine.
> View attachment 1347624
> View attachment 1347625
> 
> Next, we tested out an idea for the custom exhaust pipe I wanted to try. I don't know if Dad's tube bender can make a tight-enough bend for my exhaust pipe idea to work yet, but we did figure out how to make the tip into this teardrop/appleseed shape I want.
> View attachment 1347626
> View attachment 1347627
> 
> I also tweaked the chain guard so this one minor crease that was bugging me is now gone, but I didn't think to take photos of that. I got a little something-something from Michaels to hopefully add a little polish to the final product. And finally, I got some more bolts that are slightly shorter than the ones I had on the trike before, so that'll hopefully clean up the look of the trike. Also, on that note, I've got an amusing anecdote: What does it take for one to bring the line at Lowe's to a halt? Apparently, four stainless steel bolts. Felt sorry for the cashier trying to find the price for these four unmarked bolts.



The metal bits are getting there!  Looks good.  Individual hardware pieces dont have room for SKUs.  Lowes is a lot better than Home Depot for hardware.
They have a pretty good selection!


----------



## Bike from the Dead

Well, it was definitely Monday today. I had planned to make way more progress today than I did, but a number of unexpected things happened that set back not just me, but also my parents today. For me at least, it wasn't an "_I freaking *HATE* Monday"_ type of Monday, more of a "_well *THAT* was annoying" _kind of Monday. I won't bore you with those details, but I will share what progress, however little, I _did _make today.

First, I returned some of the nuts and bolts I know I won't be using in the final version of this trike, then I bought a replacement nut for the bottom bracket on my fat tire Mongoose Beast bike, _Sasquatch_. Turned out that I didn't need to buy that nut, but oh well. I also bought the seat I plan to use for this trike. It's not a small seat, but I am surprised that it doesn't look bigger when mocked up on the trike. Still, I feel it's right seat for now, unless I find something better later.














Next, I thought I found a solution to mounting my exhaust pipe where the kickstand used to go when I found this automotive fastener at Lowe's, but unfortunately, it's still too big to fit in the hole I need it to go into. Anyone here have an idea of how I can mount my exhaust pipe without modifying the frame?







Finally, I reassembled _Sasquatch_ back to riding condition. Unfortunately, since I didn't have the correct size of socket on hand, I found that nut holding the left crank arm was still too loose, so I'll have to fix that again soon.




I had planned to begin disassembling _Poison Apple_ today so I could get everything sandblasted and powder coated this week, but due to circumstances beyond my control, that'll have to wait until hopefully tomorrow.

Stay tuned, more to come.


----------



## Superman1984

@Bike from the Dead  does the "exhaust pipe" fit into the kickstand hole? If it does then just use a self tapping screw through what was the cam hole on the bottom of the kickstand.  If it doesn't fit then JB weld something into the conduit & then the hole so 3 pieces get the end result. Just make sure when you sand blast it to have anything that needs painted or powder coated removable before you call it finished.


----------



## Bike from the Dead

Superman1984 said:


> @Bike from the Dead  does the "exhaust pipe" fit into the kickstand hole? If it does then just use a self tapping screw through what was the cam hole on the bottom of the kickstand.  If it doesn't fit then JB weld something into the conduit & then the hole so 3 pieces get the end result. Just make sure when you sand blast it to have anything that needs painted or powder coated removable before you call it finished.



Yeah, the exhaust pipe fits into the kickstand hole, albeit loosely at the wider end. I could try a self-tapping screw, but I need to figure out a way to keep the pipe from wiggling around in the opening, too. I doubt JB Weld will work, since I intend to sandblast and powder coat this piece. I still need to figure out how to make a tight enough bend in the exhaust for it to clear the crank arms first, though.


----------



## 1motime

Depending on how loose the pipe is in the stand hole maybe make a sheet metal shim.  Wrap it around the pipe and install whole thing with self tapping screw.  
Might have to play with the right thickness sheet metal.


----------



## Bike from the Dead

1motime said:


> Depending on how loose the pipe is in the stand hole maybe make a sheet metal shim.  Wrap it around the pipe and install whole thing with self tapping screw.
> Might have to play with the right thickness sheet metal.



That could work. The tricky part is that the kickstand mount is cone-shaped, so it's wider where the pipe would exit, but snug at the other end. I suppose I could use multiple layers of thin sheet metal to wrap around the pipe, but I can worry about that later. If I could figure it out now, that'd be great, but I don't have to solve that problem right now. Today is disassembly day. I'm hoping to get this trike disassembled and powder coated this week.


----------



## Superman1984

Bike from the Dead said:


> That could work. The tricky part is that the kickstand mount is cone-shaped, so it's wider where the pipe would exit, but snug at the other end. I suppose I could use multiple layers of thin sheet metal to wrap around the pipe, but I can worry about that later. If I could figure it out now, that'd be great, but I don't have to solve that problem right now. Today is disassembly day. I'm hoping to get this trike disassembled and powder coated this week.



JB Weld; steel putty my man. It's a 2 part epoxy you knead together. Sandblast everything you intend to, sheet metal screw it loosely in place, mix your "playdough" as I call it & pack it in there. Let it harden for a few hours undisturbed. I'd roughen scuff the conduit that isn't to be seen so it bites on better.


----------



## Bike from the Dead

Superman1984 said:


> JB Weld; steel putty my man. It's a 2 part epoxy you knead together. Sandblast everything you intend to, sheet metal screw it loosely in place, mix your "playdough" as I call it & pack it in there. Let it harden for a few hours undisturbed. I'd roughen scuff the conduit that isn't to be seen so it bites on better.



I'll think about it. Right now, I just need to focus on disassembling everything for sandblasting and powder coating.


----------



## Superman1984

Bike from the Dead said:


> I'll think about it. Right now, I just need to focus on disassembling everything for sandblasting and powder coating.



Pitter Patter Get At'er


----------



## Bike from the Dead

I'll try and keep the words short this time.

Big progress today: I (almost) completely disassembled the trike today, as I hope and plan to sandblast and powder coat all the parts by this weekend. I took some last "before" photos before I started disassembling everything.








































When I took the spring out of the springer fork, I found myself looking at the best stance this trike's had so far. I really wish I had the time and budget to build _Poison Apple_ like this, with the whole chopper vibe, but I've already sank more cash in this project than I really want to think about as it already is. Right now, I just want to get this trike done so I can ride it and enjoy it. I can rebuild it later.




I wanted to try one last look for this trike before I completely tore it apart. I had this 24" fork I was saving for another project, and I just wanted to see how the overall stance would look if the frame sat a little more level up front. Long story short, I don't like it. the springer fork's staying.




One more idea I have for this trike: Since there's no longer a tire sitting between the chain/seat stays, I had this idea to put a little apple in the indentation between the chain stays. Problem is, I have no real idea of how to mount it, or if I really want to use an apple made of foam, versus something a little sturdier. I know I want to use that fender mounting hole on the frame, but that's about as far as this idea's gone.







Remember how I said that I _almost_ completely took the trike apart? Well, this is what "almost" looks like. I peeled the tires and rim tape off the 3 wheels I intend to use, and I found that those wheels were hiding some dirty secrets. A lot of the spoke nipples are rusted *bad!* Full-on _disintegrating_, even! So, yeah. Looks like I'll have to get those replaced. I just hope I can save the spokes.




My plan right now is to take everything to my Dad's shop on Friday, get everything sandblasted, and have everything sorted by what color it needs to be powder coated so Dad can start powder coating on Saturday. I'm not sure that's what will happen, as the rest of this week's going to be a little crazy, but I'm hoping to have everything ready for reassembly by next week.

Stay tuned! More to come!


----------



## Superman1984

Those spokes are more than likely going to be toast! I'd apply lube, vice grips to the spokes with tape so you don't mar them, & use a good tool on the nipple trying to remove them. 


As far as the apple if you're set on putting it there; use a dowel or metal rod that looks like an arrow going through it. Could also add them coming out of both sides in a cross pattern for more strength. Paint the tips of it green to tie the Poison Apple theme to it


----------



## Freqman1

I wouldn't waste my time trying to save those spokes. A pair of dykes and go to town! Spokes are not that expensive and they have to be re-laced anyway. V/r Shawn


----------



## Bike from the Dead

Superman1984 said:


> Those spokes are more than likely going to be toast! I'd apply lube, vice grips to the spokes with tape so you don't mar them, & use a good tool on the nipple trying to remove them.
> 
> 
> As far as the apple if you're set on putting it there; use a dowel or metal rod that looks like an arrow going through it. Could also add them coming out of both sides in a cross pattern for more strength. Paint the tips of it green to tie the Poison Apple theme to it



The spokes admittedly don't look as bad as the nipples, but I guess I'll find out when I try to take them apart later. 

I like that arrow idea! I'll have to see what I can do once I get the trike put back together.


Freqman1 said:


> I wouldn't waste my time trying to save those spokes. A pair of dykes and go to town! Spokes are not that expensive and they have to be re-laced anyway. V/r Shawn



At the bike shop where I got the cheapest quote on new spokes and lacing/truing wheels, it was still $1 per spoke (excluding the $60 labor charge to lace and true each wheel.) Now, yeah, that doesn't sound too bad by itself, but each of the wheels I intend to use have 36 spokes each, and if I have to replace all the spokes on all 3 wheels, that's $108 before tax, just for spokes. Also, I only have so much money left in my bike budget, and that budget includes my other projects. I've already gone way over-budget with this trike, and that's just referring to what I've spent on top of the amount spent when I was going for a full-custom chopper trike. I know I'm going to need to replace at least a third of the spoke nipples, but I want to save what I can. 

Long story short, _I don't have the money to justify throwing away anything that I can still use._


----------



## Astroyama

Love the Trike. Especially the low rider fork reminding me of a Seattle DownTown Ground Pounder motorcycle...put some drop bars on instead of hangers and you'd have yourself a Pro-Street trike look.  Speedy!
Maybe consider slamming a dirty "needle" syringe into that Apple for a more Poisonous effect.

Keep a Cool Tool Kid~


----------



## Bike from the Dead

Astroyama said:


> Love the Trike. Especially the low rider fork reminding me of a Seattle DownTown Ground Pounder motorcycle...put some drop bars on instead of hangers and you'd have yourself a Pro-Street trike look.  Speedy!
> Maybe consider slamming a dirty "needle" syringe into that Apple for a more Poisonous effect.
> 
> Keep a Cool Tool Kid~



Thanks! I would definitely consider putting those kind of handlebars on it, but the Muscle Bike Build Off rules require 2 of 3 things: a banana seat, muscle bike-appropriate handlebars, and/or big and little tires. Given that I'm not using a banana seat, I kind of need to stick with the ape hangers, for now at least. I'll definitely want to revisit this trike at some point when I can afford to build it the way I really want, though!

Hahaha! I like that syringe idea! I'll have to see how I could pull that off!

Thanks @Astroyama, have a good one!


----------



## Freqman1

Bike from the Dead said:


> The spokes admittedly don't look as bad as the nipples, but I guess I'll find out when I try to take them apart later.
> 
> I like that arrow idea! I'll have to see what I can do once I get the trike put back together.
> 
> At the bike shop where I got the cheapest quote on new spokes and lacing/truing wheels, it was still $1 per spoke (excluding the $60 labor charge to lace and true each wheel.) Now, yeah, that doesn't sound too bad by itself, but each of the wheels I intend to use have 36 spokes each, and if I have to replace all the spokes on all 3 wheels, that's $108 before tax, just for spokes. Also, I only have so much money left in my bike budget, and that budget includes my other projects. I've already gone way over-budget with this trike, and that's just referring to what I've spent on top of the amount spent when I was going for a full-custom chopper trike. I know I'm going to need to replace at least a third of the spoke nipples, but I want to save what I can.
> 
> Long story short, _I don't have the money to justify throwing away anything that I can still use._



I'm thinking a wanted post here or hit @ABC Services and see what he can do. I think by the time you spend 30 minutes and have twisted off the third spoke you may find your going to have to replace a bunch of them anyway. If your gonna go for it I'd already have them marinating in some Kroil, WD, etc... for at least a few days before you try to get them out. I don't blame ya for trying to save dollars but sometimes ya just gotta bite the bullet. Fingers crossed for ya though! V/r Shawn


----------



## 1motime

If your budget is only so big than that is that. Those spokes will snap.  Even if you some get them off they might not tighten when truing.
 How about trying to find some junk wheels that are bent, missing a few spokes, or just bad but with good spokes and nipples?  Maybe bike store , Craigslist or someone will give you them for free.  More time but less cash.  I am sure you have a pile of parts by this time.  You need a larger GO TO pile!


----------



## Freqman1

I can tell ya how to save $180 right off the bat. There are posts here as well as any number of YouTube videos that show you how to lace and true a wheel. The first one might take a few tries but after that they go pretty quick plus you've picked up a skill that will wind up saving you money you could use on parts, paint, etc... Its really not that hard. V/r Shawn


----------



## Bike from the Dead

Freqman1 said:


> I'm thinking a wanted post here or hit @ABC Services and see what he can do. I think by the time you spend 30 minutes and have twisted off the third spoke you may find your going to have to replace a bunch of them anyway. If your gonna go for it I'd already have them marinating in some Kroil, WD, etc... for at least a few days before you try to get them out. I don't blame ya for trying to save dollars but sometimes ya just gotta bite the bullet. Fingers crossed for ya though! V/r Shawn





1motime said:


> If your budget is only so big than that is that. Those spokes will snap.  Even if you some get them off they might not tighten when truing.
> How about trying to find some junk wheels that are bent, missing a few spokes, or just bad but with good spokes and nipples?  Maybe bike store , Craigslist or someone will give you them for free.  More time but less cash.  I am sure you have a pile of parts by this time.  You need a larger GO TO pile!



I reached out to one of my near-local contacts to see if he might have the 3 wheels in the condition I need. He's got plenty of 24" front wheels, but he's going to have to look around to see if he's got any 24" coaster brake wheels. If everything you guys have said about those spokes is true, it may just be cheaper for me to get 3 wheels in better condition than to try and replace the rusted hardware on the ones I have.


----------



## Bike from the Dead

Freqman1 said:


> I can tell ya how to save $180 right off the bat. There are posts here as well as any number of YouTube videos that show you how to lace and true a wheel. The first one might take a few tries but after that they go pretty quick plus you've picked up a skill that will wind up saving you money you could use on parts, paint, etc... Its really not that hard. V/r Shawn



I actually saw a great lacing tutorial on YouTube not that long ago. I had already planned to do the lacing myself, though I don't know if I'll be truing them myself. I'll definitely give it a try, though.


----------



## 1motime

You are on the right path!


----------



## Bike from the Dead

I posted a want ad on here, ratrodbikes.com and Craigslist, so hopefully someone might come forward with a set of wheels to help get this project rolling again.


----------



## Bike from the Dead

First the wheels, now the weather. It's so cold that I can't sandblast or powder coat anything.




I'm seriously beginning to wonder if it was a mistake to even try building a "good enough" version of this trike, instead of just waiting until I had all the resources necessary to build this trike the way I really wanted. Every time I feel like I'm about to reach a major milestone, something happens that brings all that progress to a screeching halt. Between the weather, the pieces I'm still missing or have yet to figure out how to create, a fast-approaching deadline, and all the money I've spent just trying to make this trike happen, I'm honestly getting fed up with this project. I just want this trike to be done so I can relax and work on something without a deadline for a change.

This has become the most expensive "free" bike I've ever worked on, and I'm genuinely getting tired of it. I seriously don't know what to do about this right now, other than wait and hope that someone replies to one of my "want" ads with the wheels I need.


----------



## Superman1984

@Bike from the Dead are all of your wheels (hoops) good? If so I will send you some nice useable spokes from a few schwinn OCC bikes I am pretty sure had 24x2.125 tires & straight laced hubs. Just pay shipping charges.
I will double check today after 8am & can take pics. Shipping the wheels won't be cheaper but I have like 3 fronts I think. Besides I believe they're aluminum alloy BUT they shouldn't be rusty


----------



## Bike from the Dead

Superman1984 said:


> @Bike from the Dead are all of your wheels (hoops) good? If so I will send you some nice useable spokes from a few schwinn OCC bikes I am pretty sure had 24x2.125 tires & straight laced hubs. Just pay shipping charges.
> I will double check today after 8am & can take pics. Shipping the wheels won't be cheaper but I have like 3 fronts I think



Thanks for the offer Superman, but I don't think that will work. From what I've been told, spoke length can vary depending on the wheel hoop and the size of the hub, even if the wheels are the same size. Based on the wheels I have and the pictures I've seen of Schwinn OCC chopper front wheels, those spokes won't fit on the hoops that I have. I wish I could say otherwise, because I'm sure that would help if they did.


----------



## Superman1984

Bike from the Dead said:


> Thanks for the offer Superman, but I don't think that will work. From what I've been told, spoke length can vary depending on the wheel hoop and the size of the hub, even if the wheels are the same size. Based on the wheels I have and the pictures I've seen of Schwinn OCC chopper front wheels, those spokes won't fit on the hoops that I have. I wish I could say otherwise, because I'm sure that would help if they did.



Give me a min to slip my boots on & i'll go out to check/measure in my pjs. Lol


----------



## Bike from the Dead

Superman1984 said:


> Give me a min to slip my boots on & i'll go out to check/measure in my pjs. Lol



You don't have to do that Superman. Besides, I haven't even tried to take apart the wheels I have yet, so I don't even know what size spokes I need.


----------



## Superman1984

Bike from the Dead said:


> You don't have to do that Superman. Besides, I haven't even tried to take apart the wheels I have yet, so I don't even know what size spokes I need.



I'll check it out later today then; not a bother to pull at least 1 spoke for length (need to do this on my 24" wheels anyways) 'cause I May Have to run them on my Nirve Switchblade later when motored since it came with a rear 24x3"  

Maybe it'll help ya out


----------



## Bike from the Dead

Superman1984 said:


> I'll check it out later today then; not a bother to pull at least 1 spoke for length (need to do this on my 24" wheels anyways) 'cause I May Have to run them on my Nirve Switchblade later when motored since it came with a rear 24x3"
> 
> Maybe it'll help ya out



Well, then maybe I can see if Dad can bring one of those wheels home from his shop tomorrow so I can measure the spokes as well. That is, if I can take a spoke off without snapping the threads off the spoke. Frankly though, it'd just be simpler, maybe not easier, but simpler, if I just had 3 good complete wheels that I could just take apart and reassemble with all their existing hardware, rather than try to mix and match everything.


----------



## Superman1984

I may have 2 coaster brake aluminum wheels that were running the cheap generic Shimano CB110-E hubs & front to match. That should be the Typical 24" length setup either 3 or 4 laced which ever is most common. I can send either the spokes & hub or the entire wheels but I know you'll have to put guts into 1 of the rear hubs; should be the same as the generic Huffy wheels like posted.


----------



## Freqman1

That’s Murphy’s law. Nearly every time I’ve tried to get a bike ready for a show it seems like the problems multiple. I’ve quit doing that because the stress saps the fun out of it. The goal for me is to have a bike I will enjoy so compromise isn’t an option for me. Now if I have a project that’s getting the better of me I put it on the back burner until I’m ready to get after it again but I’m not gonna burnout or become discouraged. V/r Shawn


----------



## Superman1984

@Bike from the Dead . 3 24" wheels; 2 rears & 1 front. SS spokes I believe? I can ship them without tires, tubes & or just spokes which ever way you may want to go if you're interested.


----------



## coasterbrakejunkie1969

Super your the man


----------



## Superman1984

coasterbrakejunkie1969 said:


> Super your the man



Nahhh. Jus' a po'boy with a buncha projects that I never have time & money together to build the crazy things I vision. Maybe this will help someone get theirs done. Besides that Columbia is the only 24" Vintage Booger I own (other than a box store Magna) both were bought for customs so no love lost if it takes back burner for a few years. You could buy that frame if you or anybody else wants it LOL!


----------



## Bike from the Dead

Superman1984 said:


> View attachment 1354559
> 
> View attachment 1354560
> 
> View attachment 1354561
> 
> View attachment 1354562
> 
> View attachment 1354563
> 
> @Bike from the Dead . 3 24" wheels; 2 rears & 1 front. SS spokes I believe? I can ship them without tires, tubes & or just spokes which ever way you may want to go if you're interested.



Thanks Superman! If the spoke nipples aren't too rusty, I'd happily take all 3, or at least the one complete rear and front if the shipping's too expensive. The front trike wheel doesn't necessarily have to match the 2 rear wheels, and I've learned it's easier to find a front 24" wheel than it is to find a rear coaster brake wheel. I'll send you a private message so you know where to ship them.


----------



## Bike from the Dead

Freqman1 said:


> That’s Murphy’s law. Nearly every time I’ve tried to get a bike ready for a show it seems like the problems multiple. I’ve quit doing that because the stress saps the fun out of it. The goal for me is to have a bike I will enjoy so compromise isn’t an option for me. Now if I have a project that’s getting the better of me I put it on the back burner until I’m ready to get after it again but I’m not gonna burnout or become discouraged. V/r Shawn



I hear ya. I'm taking a break from Build Offs after this trike. Too much stress, and it offers little flexibility when it comes to roadblocks like weather, finding parts or just life in general. I still have other bikes that need work, but thankfully most of them just need a simple, mild restoration. It'll be that much nicer to work on those bikes since they don't need much more than a little TLC, and I'm just trying to get most of them done by the end of this year.


----------



## Bike from the Dead

Superman1984 said:


> View attachment 1354559
> 
> View attachment 1354560
> 
> View attachment 1354561
> 
> View attachment 1354562
> 
> View attachment 1354563
> 
> @Bike from the Dead . 3 24" wheels; 2 rears & 1 front. SS spokes I believe? I can ship them without tires, tubes & or just spokes which ever way you may want to go if you're interested.



By the way, what kind of frame is that? Looks like a Columbia, but I don't remember if the top tube was wider than the seat tube...


----------



## Superman1984

Bike from the Dead said:


> By the way, what kind of frame is that? Looks like a Columbia, but I don't remember if the top tube was wider than the seat tube...



If I remember correctly it's like a '56-58 24" built in kickstand style frame. Mocked it up using Huffy Cranbrook parts & Never figured out what I wanted to actually do with it. Probably $60 + shipping would take it as is


----------



## Bike from the Dead

Superman1984 said:


> If I remember correctly it's like a '56-58 24" built in kickstand style frame. Mocked it up using Huffy Cranbrook parts & Never figured out what I wanted to actually do with it. Probably $60 + shipping would take it as is



Correct me if I'm wrong, but that frame looks like it's built for 26" wheels and tires. Looks like there's at least another inch or two of clearance between the seat stays and chain stays. I would love to have it, but I've got enough projects as it is.


----------



## Superman1984

Bike from the Dead said:


> Correct me if I'm wrong, but that frame looks like it's built for 26" wheels and tires. Looks like there's at least another inch or two of clearance between the seat stays and chain stays. I would love to have it, but I've got enough projects as it is.



It looks like it due to the rear wheel not having the inner & outer nuts on the hub to tighten it down but with it assembled & trying to stick 26" fenders & 2.125s in there it's Rub City. I could be wrong but Every other identical Columbia frame with a built in kickstand I have seen here is usually a 24". I have been fighting the urge to cut it at the seat tube & use it to gender bend a girls '53 26"  Roadmaster & then use the rest to build a Monark Rocket frame stretched & widened. Knock out 2 or 3 bikes with 1 sacrificial frame


----------



## Bike from the Dead

Superman1984 said:


> It looks like it due to the rear wheel not having the inner & outer nuts on the hub to tighten it down but with it assembled & trying to stick 26" fenders & 2.125s in there it's Rub City. I could be wrong but Every other identical Columbia frame with a built in kickstand I have seen here is usually a 24". I have been fighting the urge to cut it at the seat tube & use it to gender bend a girls '53 26"  Roadmaster & then use the rest to build a Monark Rocket frame stretched & widened. Knock out 2 or 3 bikes with 1 sacrificial frame



Yeah, having the tires inflated does make a difference. It just looks like a 26" frame to me I guess. As much as I'd hate to see a good frame cut up, it sounds like using 1 frame to modify 2 bikes is still a good idea, as long as you get some use out of it.


----------



## Superman1984

Columbia straight bar style tank on a CWC Roadmaster frame, tall goose neck, and an unusually extended frame would surely throw purists off  BUT I can't bring myself to do it before Officially offering it up for sale sooo once I do post it & give it a month here. It's fair "chop cut repurpose" to further at least 2 other cheap purchased bikes I'd like to build.


----------



## Bike from the Dead

Superman1984 said:


> Columbia straight bar style tank on a CWC Roadmaster frame, tall goose neck, and an unusually extended frame would surely throw purists off  BUT I can't bring myself to do it before Officially offering it up for sale sooo once I do post it & give it a month here. It's fair "chop cut repurpose" to further at least 2 other cheap purchased bikes I'd like to build.



You saw all the different frames I was planning on hacking up to turn this Fair Lady into a boys frame? I honestly couldn't care less about keeping the frame pure if it looks cooler in the end!  That said, if the frame's cool to begin with, then it's definitely not as easy or pleasant to cut it up. I think you've got a solid plan for that frame. If it sells, great! If not, CHOP CHOP!


----------



## Superman1984

Bike from the Dead said:


> You saw all the different frames I was planning on hacking up to turn this Fair Lady into a boys frame? I honestly couldn't care less about keeping the frame pure if it looks cooler in the end!  That said, if the frame's cool to begin with, then it's definitely not as easy or pleasant to cut it up. I think you've got a solid plan for that frame. If it sells, great! If not, CHOP CHOP!



Exactly 100%! I might see somebody else do something cool with it or I get to show off some myself.


----------



## Bike from the Dead

Well, I've tried to stay optimistic, but the writing's on the wall; There's no realistic way that I'll be able to finish _Poison Apple_ by the March 1st deadline. I might, _might,_ be able to get the wheels, sandblast and powder coat everything, service the bearings and coaster brake, and get this trike at least _rideable_ by March 1st if the weather gets at least 15 degrees above freezing a week from now, but I doubt I'll be able to actually finish it. There's still enough left to do that requires warmer weather, especially when it comes to painting the tank and removing rust off any chrome parts. And based on the current forecast, that's not happening anytime soon.





As much as I hate that I won't be able to finish my Muscle Bike Build Off entry in time, I'm actually feeling better about it than I did before. Yeah, I'm basically stuck at home thanks to the weather, and there's not much I can do on any of my bike projects right now, but I've had some more time to think about what I want to do with this trike. I've found that I don't really know what I ultimately want this trike to look like in the long run, but I do have some ideas of how I can modify it over time using parts I already have. 

I don't have a picture of it right now, but just before I started on this project, I bought a different trike axle for another trike project that would allow me to mount some car wheels to it with some minor fabrication. After realizing the frame I had planned to use wasn't sturdy enough and the project would cost to much to build, I've decided that I want to use that axle on this trike project instead, when I have the time and money.

I also have an idea of how I could get the longer, lower stance I originally wanted for this trike using the springer fork I already have. I had saved these photos from I-don't-know-where of someone's bike where they mounted the steerer tube upside down so the front wheel stuck out further and the frame sat down lower.







I did some quick figuring in Photoshop, and I realized, at least on "paper," that I could do the same thing using the springer fork I already have. I got to say, I like how the frame looks like it actually sits level, but I would want to get longer handlebars. (I should've used one of the pictures with the seat I actually plan to use, but whatever. This is just a concept.)




I also drew a few sketches to play around with more ideas of how to further modify this trike down the road. One with just the other trike axle and some Cragar SS wheels, one where the trike's completely custom, and another with the other axle plus the inverted springer.




I know that there's still a decent amount left to finish on this trike, but without that deadline looming over me, I think I'll be able to relax and build this trike in a way that I'll feel good about in the end. Sure, it's great to have a deadline to help motivate one to finish a bike project, but sometimes, it's better to just take your time and not rush it. I think that's how this project's going to be. I'm going to still try and get it looking "good enough" like I had originally planned, but I can always tinker with it and improve it down the road.

I'll still update this build thread whenever I make some progress; it'll just take a bit longer than originally planned.

By the way, if anyone can help me find out the source of that custom Cheater Slick bike, I'd appreciate it.


----------



## coasterbrakejunkie1969

You were running out of time for sure and mother nature apparently  was not concerned with your timeline. Like you said maybe for the better now that you have no deadline. You can slow down and focus with out the stress. I can see you have already put a lot of energy into it would be a shame to have to rush it. Seeing as though you still have details undecided now you can be sure it is what you want. Good luck and yes updates. Maybe even just sign in and bust balls.


----------



## Bike from the Dead

coasterbrakejunkie1969 said:


> You were running out of time for sure and mother nature apparently  was not concerned with your timeline. Like you said maybe for the better now that you have no deadline. You can slow down and focus with out the stress. I can see you have already put a lot of energy into it would be a shame to have to rush it. Seeing as though you still have details undecided now you can be sure it is what you want. Good luck and yes updates. Maybe even just sign in and bust balls.



Yeah. I still plan to get this trike done soon, just not as soon as I had hoped. Without that deadline, I'll have more time to figure out what I really want to do with this project, and that always helps. Thanks, and don't worry! There are more updates on the horizon. In the meantime, I have been meaning to check out what everyone else has been working on. I just don't know where to start...


----------



## Superman1984

The weather sucks when it doesn't play nice! Sounds to me like you have Bike ADHD; Ask me how I know. Hahaha.


----------



## Bike from the Dead

Kind of a loose fit for the build thread, but I figured I'd share it here too, since it involves a bike that at one point was a parts donor.

Shot these today after the 2nd wave of snow passed through Tulsa. I had been staying indoors since the storm began a few days ago, but after seeing my brother (pictured directly below) shooting pics with his '49 Chevy 5 window pickup out in the snow, I decided to have some fun outside for a bit. I busted out _Sasquatch_, my fat tire Mongoose Beast, and decided to try it out in the snow for the first time since I bought it last year. My brother and I both took turns riding it up and down the cul-de-sac while the other shot photos.



My turn on _Sasquatch. _My brother got more good photos of me than I did him, oddly enough. Still, we both had fun out in the snow.









_Sasquatch_ next to a pile of snow that was shoveled off the driveway before and partly after the 2nd wave of snow from last night/this morning. _Sasquatch_ has tires that measure roughly 29.5 inches high, just to give you a sense of scale.



A shot of the neighborhood, and the skid marks where my brother spun out his Chevy while having some fun. Sorry, but I wasn't out there at the time, so no photos. Dad did get it on video, though.


----------



## Bike from the Dead

Okay, you guys remember just how burnt out I was with this project these last few weeks? Well, I finally had a chance to get all my trike parts and mockup everything again, and now, _I'M *ECSTATIC! *_I'm so enthusiastic I can barely keep my OCD under control! I'll try to post some photos, and maybe even a time-lapse video real soon. I won't able to get better photos until either tomorrow or Monday, but I might be able to get a few half-decent ones tonight. 

I still don't think I'll be finishing this trike before the March 1st deadline, but I'm about to make some good progress again!


----------



## 1motime

Wow  All that buildup and we have to wait?  Sounds like it is turning out right!


----------



## Bike from the Dead

1motime said:


> Wow  All that buildup and we have to wait?  Sounds like it is turning out right!



Don't worry, I just shot a few half-decent photos on my phone a few minutes ago. I'm getting everything copied over to my external hard drives right now, then I can edit and post everything, hopefully by tomorrow.


----------



## Bike from the Dead

Okay, I was _finally _able to pickup the trike parts from my Dad's shop today, and start mocking up everything... again. This time, I started by mocking up my other trike axle on the Fair Lady frame. I had originally intended to use this axle on a Sears Space/Flightliner girls' frame so I could mount some Cragars or Rockets on the rear, but now I'm thinking about using that axle/wheel combo on this trike at a later date.








Sorry for the bad photo, but this trike hub is a 3-speed coaster brake hub. That should come in handy later.




Again, sorry for the bad photos, but here's why I'm so excited for this trike project again: I changed the way I mounted the springer fork. I took a lot of inspiration from @Reallybigtim's bikes, which usually use a lowrider-style springer, and decided to test his technique with the cruiser-style springer fork I have. The initial result looks awesome! The chain guard and frame sit nearly level now, the trike looks more "chopper-like" with a longer-looking fork, and the pedals nearly touch the ground it's so low!










The only thing I don't like is that the seat-to-handlebar height ratio. The seat has to sit high for me to sit and pedal comfortably, even though it doesn't look as good, but the handlebars sit too low compared to the seat, even though they look great where they are. One solution is to just get a taller pair of ape hangers. The other is to do what I had initially intended to do: move the seat down and above the rear axle, maybe even a little bit behind it, and make the handlebars longer, but still sit relatively low. 

Now that I've seen the trike like this, I think I know what direction I'd ultimately like to push this trike in the end. It's going to be a while until I get to that point, but I'll definitely want to keep improving this trike whenever I get the time and money to do so. In the meantime, I'm just going to use what I have, and just find a bigger set of handlebars and 3 new wheels so I can get this trike functional until I can afford to build it the way I really want.

I'll try to get better photos soon, and maybe even post the time-lapse video I shot of me mocking up the parts earlier this evening.


----------



## coasterbrakejunkie1969

That new set up on springer really changes the look. Definitely gives a lot more of a chopper vibe like you said. I need one of those 3 speed trike set ups. I will be keeping my eye out. This is getting more exciting then most television shows. Nice work


----------



## Bike from the Dead

coasterbrakejunkie1969 said:


> That new set up on springer really changes the look. Definitely gives a lot more of a chopper vibe like you said. I need one of those 3 speed trike set ups. I will be keeping my eye out. This is getting more exciting then most television shows. Nice work



Yeah, it does! You're on the best site to find one! That's how I got mine. Thanks Coaster! I'll do my best to keep this program entertaining!


----------



## Bike from the Dead

*ARE YOU READY FOR SOME PICTURES?! BECAUSE HERE THEY COME!*

The weather ended up being better than expected today, so I made sure to get _a bunch_ of good photos of yesterday's mockup. After getting _Poison Apple _out where I could see it from all angles, I am 100% convinced that this is the stance this trike needs. I'm so stoked, I almost want to skip making this trike just rideable and functional, and just skip to making this trike as _wicked_ as it can be. Almost. Budget constraints and a desire to get this thing riding ASAP tell me the wilder stuff can wait until I buckle down and get a job.


----------



## Bike from the Dead

There is less than an inch of clearance between the ground and the pedal when angled like this. _SO LOW!_




Okay, given that this is my first springer fork, upside down or not, is the bearing supposed to be exposed like that? I don't know if this springer fork is missing any pieces as this is how I got it when it was attached to _The Trashliner Trike_.




That's all for now. I'll fiddle around with that time-lapse video in Final Cut Pro and see if I can get it uploaded to YouTube sometime this week. In the meantime, I'm going to sketch some new renderings of the trike, in both its "good enough/get it done" stage, and in its final, "all out" form. Hopefully I'll at least get those done by the end of this week. I'm also going to visit one of my contacts in OKC to possibly get some better 24" wheels on Tuesday.

Stay tuned, more to come!


----------



## 1motime

Stance is dead on!  Yes it low but if ridable by a human than it doesn't matter.  Springer bearing are not supposed to exposed.  Someone put it on upside down!  There is a bike that has a sheet metal cover for headset that would solve it.  Might be 50's Evans?  Now where are you going to sit?  Seat and rider should be to the rear for balanced look.  You need some radical bars that come all the way back to rider.  Not sure what the geometry will end up as when a turn is needed.  Details!  Very cool trike!


----------



## Bike from the Dead

1motime said:


> Stance is dead on!  Yes it low but if ridable by a human than it doesn't matter.  Springer bearing are not supposed to exposed.  Someone put it on upside down!  There is a bike that has a sheet metal cover for headset that would solve it.  Might be 50's Evans?  Now where are you going to sit?  Seat and rider should be to the rear for balanced look.  You need some radical bars that come all the way back to rider.  Not sure what the geometry will end up as when a turn is needed.  Details!  Very cool trike!



Thanks! I love the stance, I just hope my weight doesn't lower it so much that the pedals scrape the ground. I do have a smaller crank arm that might solve that, though. Hahaha! Now why would anyone mount a springer fork steerer tube upside down?  Maybe I could see if that little bearing retainer comes off so I could slide something over it.If that doesn't come off, then I might have to have my welder fabricate something to fix that. As for the seat, I'm just going to use the original seat post and just get a taller set of ape hangers so I can ride it around. It won't look that great, but it'll work for the budget I have right now. Ultimately, I still want the seat to sit down low and far back, right between the rear wheels, with some long handlebars reaching back to me. I'll be sketching up some concepts later this week. As for the steering geometry, I have no idea. I'll just use my arms and see what happens!


----------



## coasterbrakejunkie1969

FN killer look , the stance is right on never would have thought to set up springer like that. The lower bearing race on most forks is exposed like that but you dont see it because it is upside down and water can not run into it. You will have to fabricate something for that.


----------



## Bike from the Dead

coasterbrakejunkie1969 said:


> FN killer look , the stance is right on never would have thought to set up springer like that. The lower bearing race on most forks is exposed like that but you dont see it because it is upside down and water can not run into it. You will have to fabricate something for that.



Thanks! I can't take credit for the idea to set up the springer like that, though. @Reallybigtim, who's both on this forum and more notably on ratrodbikes.com, is the guy whose custom bikes inspired me to try that technique. He normally uses a lowrider-style springer on his bikes. Here's a few of the bikes he put together with this wild springer setup:










He even managed to make this one rollable _upside-down_. That's cool.




I had a feeling that the bearing's only exposed because it was never designed to be upside-down. I think my welder might be able to fix something up to solve that.


----------



## Bike from the Dead

Ok, I got 5 different front 24" wheels in exchange for a couple Schwinn s-7 wheels earlier today. Some have mostly good spokes, others have some good and some bad. I figure that I could make 2 good wheels out of what I've got now. As for the rear wheel, I'm either going to need to find a replacement, or just replace the spokes. I'll figure it out soon enough.


----------



## Bike from the Dead

Okay, I've been thinking more about my budget and the final "good enough" look for this trike. As much as I love the stance from flipping the springer fork steerer tube upside-down, I'd have to spend even more money to get the trike rideable like this, as I'd need to spend an additional $50-$80 on a taller set of handlebars, and I'd need to have a piece fabricated to cover the top fork bearings as the steerer tube was never designed to be upside-down.

Plus, from a designer's perspective, the seat and handlebars will both stick out like a sore thumb, standing nearly twice the height of the body of the trike, and nearly vertical, for that matter. Ultimately, I'd spend at least $100-$130, give or take, to have less-than-good-enough results, and that's without color-matching the paint for the wood tank and getting materials for the rear box.




Here's where I think the happy balance of budget and aesthetics lies.



Yeah, the stance looks goofy compared to the previous picture, but I think it's the best possible "goofy" given my budget. The seat, high as it is, doesn't look too out of place, especially paired with the handlebars where they're positioned. If I'm just going for the bare minimum, all I need to make this version functional is to get the wheels sorted out, and get a new chain. That means I could make this a functional rider for about $40-$50, since I don't need to get new handlebars and fabricate anything else. Plus, I could spend the extra money it would cost to make the other version to color-match some paint for the tank, make the rear box, and add some graphics to the tank and chain guard. All-in-all, I can have a good-looking first version of this trike to ride around on while I save up to build this trike the way I _really_ want.

I know it's not much of an update, but I figured I'd share some of my thoughts about the direction of this trike as they come to me. I'm still going to try and illustrate the final "all-out" version of this trike sometime this week, but for now, I'm shooting for "good enough."


----------



## Astroyama

Why don't you go get a job and stop dragging this bike build out...Hustle N Flow!
I Love your trike and prefer the ProStreet "Low" look.  
Respectfully~


----------



## Bike from the Dead

Astroyama said:


> Why don't you go get a job and stop dragging this bike build out...Hustle N Flow!
> I Love your trike and prefer the ProStreet "Low" look.
> Respectfully~



Working on it... 
Thanks. I prefer the low look too.


----------



## Bike from the Dead

Had a rather hectic week last week, but I was finally able to make some progress this week. I revisited my digital mockup on Monday, and between then and today, I made some revisions to my previous design. I probably won't have rear fenders on the actual trike until after I've finished everything else, but I _really _want those fenders in the final design.






The first big change to my design was how I'd powder coat the frame. I remembered @Rat Pilot's _StRATo Flyer _from last year's RRBBO had this awesome "hidden" seat tube that helped highlight the unique shape of the frame, and I wanted to try it out on my trike.




By making the seat tube satin black, it'll help highlight this "double appleseed" shape the tank helps to create.




The next big change was figuring out the decals. The chain guard was where I really got the ball rolling. I got the idea for this stripe from a couple sources: the roof stripes on a '71/'72 Plymouth Roadrunner, The side stripes on Tony Angelo's _Fishtail Cuda,_ and _MUTT, _a car from the Disney cartoon _Motorcity.








_
I also skewed the font on my username so it matched the slant on the rear of the chain guard. I also added a little 3, for "3 wheels." The tank decals took the longest to figure out. I wanted to have as much of the green paint showing as possible, but still have a cool design in satin black. I ditched using my "3D" apple icon, and went for a one-color icon. I wanted it to look like a blend of the classic Dodge Super Bee design and the modern Dodge Hellcat and Viper designs.












I also did a quick mockup of where the bolts/screws that hold the tank together will go. I want to avoid putting decals over bolts or vice versa.




I like the idea of having stripes going down the length of the fenders, but I'm still figuring out what exact direction I'm going with that. I'll worry about that once I get around to making a pair of fenders.




All in all, I think I've found my final "good enough" design, and I'm itching to make it happen. I still have a few things to figure out, like the wheels and color-matching paint for the tank, but I'm confident that if I can't get the trike at least functional by the March 15th deadline, I can still make a great deal of progress by then.


----------



## Bike from the Dead

Made some good progress this weekend! I began the teardown of all the 24 inch wheels I got for this trike on Friday, and as of now, I've only got one wheel left to disassemble! Here are all the wheels I had planned to part out to make 3 good wheels. Note how I already removed one spoke from the rear coaster brake wheel in the first picture.







When I found out that they don't make spike nuts in the thread size I need for all my wheels, I just decided to forgo matching the 2 front wheel hubs in favor of using the quick-release hub from _The Trashliner Trike_'s original front wheel. This'll go on the _front _front wheel, so transporting this trike and removing the front wheel from the springer fork will be that much easier.







Extracting the hub turned out to be much easier than removing the tire and tube from the rim. I have now found that I hate steel bead tires for this exact reason: they're so hard to remove, you are almost guaranteed to mess up the tube, tire and/or wheel in the process.







First night's progress: While removing the tire from the first wheel was a pain, removing the spokes from that wheel and 2 others proved to be oddly satisfying. I just shot some PB Blaster on the spoke nipples, let it soak for a bit, and all but 3 spokes on the blue Schwinn wheel came off without any trouble. I shot the last 3 stubborn spokes with more PB Blaster, plus the rest of the wheels I intended to take apart, and let everything sit and soak overnight. I cracked the garage door a bit to air out some of the fumes. What I _should have done_ was just leave the _whole dang garage door open_, because PB Blaster smells as powerful as its rust-penetrating capabilities!




Something tells me that the stronger PB Blaster smells, the harder it's working, because I decided to try taking apart the worst wheel next.




Yeah, _that wheel._ I had already succeeded in removing one spoke without snapping the threads earlier, so I figured that I'd see just how many spokes I could remove without breaking the threads. First though, I had to take apart the coaster brake. These next few photos are here mostly for reference when I put this back together, just in case.






















Okay, to everybody who told me that the spokes on that wheel were shot, toast, broken or bound to break when I try to remove them, I just want to say:



*PB BLASTER FOR THE WIN!!!*
Seriously, this stuff is magic in a can! I got every spoke to bust loose from those cruddy spoke nipples! Granted, some of those spokes will most likely have to be replaced, but most of them look like all they need is some Evaporust and that's it! The spoke nipples, on the other hand, are all toast. Luckily, I think I have plenty of good replacements to solve that issue.

Something else happened yesterday. I was browsing Craigslist again, and saw a couple free kids' bikes up for grabs nearby. I picked up this 20 inch Huffy, mostly because it has a black coaster brake hub, which don't have enough of. Unfortunately, it's a 28-spoke hub. I really need a 36-spoke hub. Still, those 20 inch wheels might come in handy later. I'd also try using the handlebars, but there's no way to separate them from the stem, at least from what I can tell.




Today's progress so far: 9 out of 10 wheels have been completely disassembled. I started on the 10th earlier, but it's even more stubborn than those blue Schwinn wheels. I'm letting it soak in more PB Blaster before I start on it again.




I'm genuinely surprised just how much I enjoyed taking apart these wheels. It reminded me of one of my favorite childhood games, Ker-Plunk, but with wheel spokes and hubs!




That's not the best part, though. Since I've got these wheels almost completely disassembled, and Dad's schedule is open tomorrow, we're going to try and get everything sandblasted and powder coated tomorrow! I'm particularly excited to try out the new sandblaster nozzle, as the old one was absolutely wallered out! I remember having a lot of issues sandblasting my RRBBO15 entry last year because of that! (NOTE: The old nozzle and the new nozzle are both supposed to be the same size.)




I've got a bit left to do in order to get ready for tomorrow, so that's all for now.

By the way, what do you guys typically use to clean grease off bearings and coaster brake parts? I've used Simple Green before, but is there a better solution?


----------



## coasterbrakejunkie1969

Bike from the Dead said:


> my favorite childhood games, Ker-Plunk



Haha I loved that game,


Bike from the Dead said:


> By the way, what do you guys typically use to clean grease off bearings and coaster brake parts? I've used Simple Green before, but is there a better solution?



Kerosene, or if your truly well ventilated brake cleaner will cut the devil.


----------



## Bike from the Dead

WOOHOO! Last wheel's done!


----------



## Superman1984

@Bike from the Dead  purple power, dawn dish soap, gas, brake clean, carb cleaner, rags, & Dollar Tree wire brushes. 

I have thrown bearings in Gojo citrus hand cleaner with some dawn & water; the gritty citrus helps remove the inner crude in the cages (dilute just enough not to be runny) & agitate/shake it about every hour or until content.  I also then use Red & Tacky for my repacking. Otherwise I ziploc bag & sharpie wtf they came out of; sucks having so many bb bearings & not remembering if they came from The China factory in a hurry


----------



## Bike from the Dead

coasterbrakejunkie1969 said:


> Haha I loved that game,
> 
> Kerosene, or if your truly well ventilated brake cleaner will cut the devil.



I can see if Dad has some kerosene, but I don't think I've got enough ventilation for brake cleaner...


----------



## Bike from the Dead

Superman1984 said:


> @Bike from the Dead  purple power, dawn dish soap, gas, brake clean, carb cleaner, rags, & Dollar Tree wire brushes.
> 
> I have thrown bearings in Gojo citrus hand cleaner with some dawn & water; the gritty citrus helps remove the inner crude in the cages (dilute just enough not to be runny) & agitate/shake it about every hour or until content.  I also then use Red & Tacky for my repacking. Otherwise I ziploc bag & sharpie wtf they came out of; sucks having so many bb bearings & not remembering if they came from The China factory in a hurry



I know I have a few of those things, but I'm not sure I have all of that. Are those all different options, or do you mix them all together?


----------



## Superman1984

Bike from the Dead said:


> I know I have a few of those things, but I'm not sure I have all of that. Are those all different options, or do you mix them all together?



I mean you could but I wouldn't suggest it; might be napalm hazardous! 

If you have any of that handy it works. The Hand cleaner & dawn / water is if you want an inside do able leisure way. It works but unconventional to some


----------



## Superman1984

I once mixed all kinds of different flammable stuff together when I was 13 & it started melting a plastic gas jug !!! Was kinda cool but made for 1 helluva fire starter camping in my buddy's back yard burning hardwoods in the dead of winter


----------



## Bike from the Dead

Superman1984 said:


> I mean you could but I wouldn't suggest it; might be napalm hazardous!
> 
> If you have any of that handy it works. The Hand cleaner & dawn / water is if you want an inside do able leisure way. It works but unconventional to some



Ok, thanks.


----------



## Bike from the Dead

Well, here we go again. I was all set up to sandblast my parts today, and I immediately ran into some problems. The sandblaster wasn't blasting any sand. 
Strike one. 

Dad thinks there's a clog in the nozzle, which had happened before. So, he busts out some pipe wrenches to try and remove the nozzle so it can be fixed. He can't get it to budge; it's on too tight. He tries harder, and the aluminum housing around the nozzle breaks into several pieces.










Strike two. 

Dad suggests I take everything over to a shop where he sends stuff to get sandblasted, except they charge $100 per hour. I'm not about to pay someone $100-$300 to do something I could do myself at my Dad's shop, especially when money's as tight as it is for me right now. So, I'll have to wait until Dad can remove the busted nozzle and replace it before I can try again. 
Strike three, I'm out of the game. 

There is no way now that I'm going to get this trike at least powder coated and functionally assembled by March 15th now. However, as much as this sucks, this might be a blessing in disguise. 

What I'm going to do now is focus on other parts of the build that don't require sandblasting/powder coating. I'm going to try Evaporust on all my chrome parts and wheel spokes, figure out the tank and storage box, decide how I'm going to add some fenders, design decals for the trike, and figure out any other small details while I'm waiting to sandblast everything else.

I'll keep the updates coming, just going to have to do everything in a slightly different order.


----------



## Superman1984

Bike from the Dead said:


> Well, here we go again. I was all set up to sandblast my parts today, and I immediately ran into some problems. The sandblaster wasn't blasting any sand.
> Strike one.
> 
> Dad thinks there's a clog in the nozzle, which had happened before. So, he busts out some pipe wrenches to try and remove the nozzle so it can be fixed. He can't get it to budge; it's on too tight. He tries harder, and the aluminum housing around the nozzle breaks into several pieces.
> View attachment 1369657
> View attachment 1369658
> View attachment 1369659
> Strike two.
> 
> Dad suggests I take everything over to a shop where he sends stuff to get sandblasted, except they charge $100 per hour. I'm not about to pay someone $100-$300 to do something I could do myself at my Dad's shop, especially when money's as tight as it is for me right now. So, I'll have to wait until Dad can remove the busted nozzle and replace it before I can try again.
> Strike three, I'm out of the game.
> 
> There is no way now that I'm going to get this trike at least powder coated and functionally assembled by March 15th now. However, as much as this sucks, this might be a blessing in disguise.
> 
> What I'm going to do now is focus on other parts of the build that don't require sandblasting/powder coating. I'm going to try Evaporust on all my chrome parts and wheel spokes, figure out the tank and storage box, decide how I'm going to add some fenders, design decals for the trike, and figure out any other small details while I'm waiting to sandblast everything else.
> 
> I'll keep the updates coming, just going to have to do everything in a slightly different order.



Man use The Works toilet bowl cleaner for the rusty stuff. Usually a $1 bottle if you have a Dollar Tree store. Shouldn't be much any where else either. Sucks about the sand blaster but you could buy a harbor freight deal for reasonable if you have plenty of flow able media. Play sand Does Not flow.


----------



## Bike from the Dead

Superman1984 said:


> Man use The Works toilet bowl cleaner for the rusty stuff. Usually a $1 bottle if you have a Dollar Tree store. Shouldn't be much any where else either. Sucks about the sand blaster but you could buy a harbor freight deal for reasonable if you have plenty of flow able media. Play sand Does Not flow.



How do you dispose of The Works after you're done using it? Flush it down the toilet? Can't argue with that price, but I know Evaporust is reusable at least. I'll see if Harbor Freight has sandblaster nozzles, but still, _it's Harbor Freight._ Their tools aren't exactly known for their longevity. Still, even a cheap, temporary solution might work, if we can figure out how to remove the broken remains of the last nozzle from the sandblaster hose.


----------



## Bike from the Dead

After the debacle with the sandblaster, I decided to switch gears and work on the tank next. I needed to mock up the trike _again_ (seriously, how many times have I disassembled/reassembled this trike?) so I could figure out how much clearance I had with the springer fork. I used the 20 inch wheel up front since all my 24 inch wheels are disassembled.




I also found yesterday that I didn't have any wood with the right dimensions for the tank, and while Dad might have some scraps I can use, it looks like I'll possibly be shopping for materials today.


----------



## Superman1984

Bike from the Dead said:


> How do you dispose of The Works after you're done using it? Flush it down the toilet? Can't argue with that price, but I know Evaporust is reusable at least. I'll see if Harbor Freight has sandblaster nozzles, but still, _it's Harbor Freight._ Their tools aren't exactly known for their longevity. Still, even a cheap, temporary solution might work, if we can figure out how to remove the broken remains of the last nozzle from the sandblaster hose.



Yeah down the toilet. I usually use it until you can't. I have strained it multiple times before when I was soaking a motorcycle gas tank. Just through an old t shirt or something similar. Can always put it back into a sealable jug for storage


----------



## Bike from the Dead

Superman1984 said:


> Yeah down the toilet. I usually use it until you can't. I have strained it multiple times before when I was soaking a motorcycle gas tank. Just through an old t shirt or something similar. Can always put it back into a sealable jug for storage



Cool, I might just try that out. Is it safe on painted parts, or just chrome/bare metal?


----------



## Bike from the Dead

Well, I had planned on continuing with my "good enough" design, but after Dad saw how I looked sitting on the seat with the trike mocked up as is, I'm not sure what I'm going to do now. He said, and I quote, that I "look like the witch from _The Wizard of Oz_ on her bike, sitting up straight and stiff." He added that I looked all scrunched up sitting on the trike that way. He suggested just building it the way I really want, with the seat sitting between the rear tires, and the springer fork done up the way @Reallybigtim does his forks.





So, now I really don't know what I'm going to do. One option looks goofy, but fits my current budget, and the other option would look best, but I would have to let all the parts sit for however long while I gather the funds to build it. I could also use the funds to finish up my RRBBO15 entry, _Dumpster Diamond,_ and probably have more than enough left over to finish up my other bikes. Or I could put that money towards something else.




Right now, I think I need to sketch up my ideas for the "best final" design for this trike, and go from there. I think I'll do some sketches for the finishing touches I want to add to _Dumpster Diamond,_ too.


----------



## Superman1984

Bike from the Dead said:


> Cool, I might just try that out. Is it safe on painted parts, or just chrome/bare metal?



I have only used it on the rusty chrome & metal bits but you could test it on a scrap painted part? I wouldn't let it sit for long but I imagine you could use it as a cleaner to remove surface rust & oxidization haze as it's acidic


----------



## Bike from the Dead

Superman1984 said:


> I have only used it on the rusty chrome & metal bits but you could test it on a scrap painted part? I wouldn't let it sit for long but I imagine you could use it as a cleaner to remove surface rust & oxidization haze as it's acidic



I might have a part or two I could test it on. I'll keep that in mind, thanks!


----------



## Bike from the Dead

Minor update, but I figured I'd share anyway. I couldn't steer the trike with the handlebars angled back, given I'm a 6-foot guy on a bike originally designed for kids, so, as much as I liked seeing the handlebars in line with the springer fork support rods, I decided to angle the handlebars forward so I'd have some leg room. I tried angling the handlebars to match the angle of the handlebar stem, so there's still some level of continuity. I don't like how it looks as much as it did with the handlebars angled back, but I don't dislike it as much as I though I would. Besides, I'm just going for "good enough" for now. It doesn't have to be perfect, not yet anyway.












More updates coming soon. I ran out of time to shoot some photos of today's small progress, but I'll be sure to remedy that tomorrow.


----------



## Bike from the Dead

Even smaller progress report, but I thought it was worth sharing.

I want to try and figure out in 3 dimensions how this tank is going to go together for this trike. I had originally planned to use some cheap foam core from Walmart, but when I thought about trying a foam cutter on it, I decided I should probably get some actual craft foam too, just in case that foam core is flammable. I have never done this sort of thing before, but I'm excited to try it out! I'd like to get to work on this soon, but I'd like to reorganize my workspace before I do.


----------



## Bike from the Dead

Went and pulled more frames and parts out of storage (some of which I had just put into storage only a week or two ago,) so I could hopefully get a better idea of what I'll do with some of the parts I'm currently using on _Poison Apple _when I rebuild it with a different trike axle in the future. It was already dark by the time I got home and unloaded everything, so I plan to mock up both this trike and another '50s Schwinn DX bike, PROJECT QUICK CHANGE/_Schwinn Dixie_ sometime tomorrow when I have more daylight.


----------



## Bike from the Dead

Okay, while I'm still going for a relatively straightforward build on _Poison Apple_ right now, I know that someday, eventually, I'm going to want to rebuild this trike with this stance...



...this 3-speed coaster brake trike hub and axle...



...and a pair of old school Cragar SS wheels.




When I can afford to rebuild _Poison Apple _into the crazy trike I have in mind, that means that the current trike axle and some other parts will be taken off to make way for the new parts. That got me thinking recently about what I'd do with those parts when that time comes. I know I'd want to use that trike axle again, and for whatever reason, I couldn't stop thinking about using it and the fat bike tires I had originally intended to use for this project on one of two identical 26" Schwinn Hollywood frames I disassembled for parts a couple years ago. So, I decided to grab the parts I needed out of storage and just mock it up for a lark.









I even made a rough mockup for a conversion tank, though I can't say I like it all that much.







Honestly, while this was just a quick mockup, I'm just not crazy about the overall look for this as a trike. The rear wheels sit too far back, the front wheel doesn't sit forward enough, the top bar doesn't really go anywhere at the back, it needs a bigger diameter front wheel than the 26" I used, the rear triangle looks absurdly large compared to the rest of the frame, it just goes on.

I would have loved to use my $10 rusty purple Space/Flightliner frame for this mockup, and I even brought it out of storage to test it out today, but the dropout extensions get in the way of the rear axle. I'd either need to angle the rear axle so it'd clear, or cut off the dropouts to make it fit for this mockup.




As much as _The Trashliner Trike's_ frame-twisting and desire to flip over and throw me off at every turn spooked me, there was just something fun about riding a trike that sketchy.




Maybe I could Reimagine _T.T.T. _with this somewhat nicer frame, a rat trap springer fork, and a TRM convertible tank, with a nice metallic purple paint job to polish it off. In fact, the whole reason I bought _Trashliner_ was because I had planned to turn my purple Sears Roebuck bike into a trike, and it seemed like a good test bed and parts donor at the time. It wasn't until I learned just how sketchy a Space/Flightliner trike frame actually performed, and after I acquired the '79 Schwinn Fair Lady that would eventually become _Poison Apple, _that I switched gears and chose not to turn my purple Space/Flightliner into a trike. Now though, I'm reconsidering it, at least for a later date. 

Don't worry though. I'm still going to build _Poison Apple_ with the parts I've been mocking it up with the past few months. I'm just working on a few other bikes that require less work to complete since the 2020-2021 MBBO is over, and I don't have a set deadline anymore.


----------



## Bike from the Dead

Sorry for the lack of updates. Ever since the sandblaster broke a few months ago, progress has been all but non-existent. Luckily, the sandblaster is just about ready to use again, so I decided to take care of one small detail before I start blasting the parts. I lost the little screw that attached this little chain guard to the trike axle, so I needed to drill the hole to be a little bigger so I could just use a regular bolt and nut to hold the chain guard in place. It's a small thing, but I'm glad I finally took care of it.










I'm not sure what my next step is for this trike at the moment, as I'm building another Schwinn for the RRBBO right now as well. There are still a few other details I want to figure out before I sandblast/powder coat everything, like the little exhaust pipe, a rear license plate, and a few other things, but that may have to wait until I get this other bike done first.


----------



## Bike from the Dead

Big news: I can start sandblasting again! Dad and I got the new sandblasting parts installed into his sandblaster, and after testing it out on my other Schwinn frame, it proves to be fully-functional!

For comparison, here's the old sandblasting tip and nozzle on the left, and the new tip and nozzle on the right.




Here's the sandblaster in question. 1950 26" Schwinn DX bike frame for scale, because there are no bananas at my dad's shop.




I didn't completely sandblast the frame, as this was just a test for now. I'll sandblast everything when I've fixed a few parts, and when Dad is ready to powder coat everything. 







So, what's next for _Poison Apple_? Well, I'm still trying to figure out this kickstand exhaust pipe idea, preferably before I begin sandblasting and powder coating everything. There are a few other details to iron out, but right now, I'm focusing most of my attention on my RRBBO entry, which you can view here. I might still go ahead and sandblast everything and have Dad powder coat most of the parts, but I'll have to wait and see.

That's all for now, but stay tuned for more!


----------



## Pondo

That's going to be a pretty sweet ride when you get it done.  Lots of thought and effort into it so far and it's coming along good.  Looking forward to seeing the finished product.


----------



## Bike from the Dead

Pondo said:


> That's going to be a pretty sweet ride when you get it done.  Lots of thought and effort into it so far and it's coming along good.  Looking forward to seeing the finished product.



Thanks Pondo! I've kind of stalled on it due to the sandblaster issue and the current Rat Rod Bikes Build Off, but I might be working on it again here soon. I really want to get this trike rolling!


----------



## Schwinny

It was a while back when we discussed the flipped springer idea. I saw one somewhere and then showed it to my son, then in three hours he emerged from the garage with his rat bike springer flipped.
It was fun for a minute, but the handlebars coming up from under is not the best.
In fact, after he did that he only rode the bike a couple more times and its been sitting since.

We got to re-arranging things and I was staring down the bottom of the headset, upright, when I noticed that with some machining and moving things around, the stem would go in the bottom as well as the top.

In the final stages of this, I found to make things fit in a relaxed fashion, The fork and struts needed to be shortened at the top 1".
Removed the top through bolt, ground out all the welding and chrome flash from the bottom inside of the headset and tapped the bosses for helicoil threads.
Now, a 3/8" stud on each side holds the top and will provide a great place to mount lights and accessories also.
A Schwinn 21mm "S" stem fits in the steering head now and tightens down as originally designed.

NOW, the ape hangars are representing properly.
The steering is still very peaky though. A little less so after taking 1" off the fork. Rides kinda like a swing bike, you have to get used to it.


----------



## Bike from the Dead

Schwinny said:


> It was a while back when we discussed the flipped springer idea. I saw one somewhere and then showed it to my son, then in three hours he emerged from the garage with his rat bike springer flipped.
> It was fun for a minute, but the handlebars coming up from under is not the best.
> In fact, after he did that he only rode the bike a couple more times and its been sitting since.
> 
> We got to re-arranging things and I was staring down the bottom of the headset, upright, when I noticed that with some machining and moving things around, the stem would go in the bottom as well as the top.
> 
> In the final stages of this, I found to make things fit in a relaxed fashion, The fork and struts needed to be shortened at the top 1".
> Removed the top through bolt, ground out all the welding and chrome flash from the bottom inside of the headset and tapped the bosses for helicoil threads.
> Now, a 3/8" stud on each side holds the top and will provide a great place to mount lights and accessories also.
> A Schwinn 21mm "S" stem fits in the steering head now and tightens down as originally designed.
> 
> NOW, the ape hangars are representing properly.
> The steering is still very peaky though. A little less so after taking 1" off the fork. Rides kinda like a swing bike, you have to get used to it.
> 
> View attachment 1528815
> 
> View attachment 1528816



Very cool! I might just have to try that on one of my bikes! Does the fork still feel sturdy without the bolts going all the way through the steerer tube? 

You might have noticed though that with the spring perch mounted the way you have it, there's no suspension whatsoever. I figured out a trick to get the suspension back on another bike I've been fiddling with, my Western Flyer Newsboy Special, _Bad News.





_
All you need to do to make the suspension work is flip the perch around, like this:









You might have just solved an issue I was having with _Bad News,_ but after riding that bike around with the springer flipped, I realized that my idea of using the flipped springer on _Poison Apple_ probably wouldn't work. It's tricky enough riding bike with a flipped springer, but trying to steer a trike with that much trail seems next to impossible. I know I'd want the trike to sit low and long, but I want it to still be rideable too. So... I don't know how I'm going to solve that. That's just one of many reasons I've put this project on hold for now.


----------



## Schwinny

Oh sure. I dont care if it works. Springers are pretty much for looks anyway. I think it was the other way around at first and I changed it on the re-assembly to see what it would do. What it does is requires the forks be shortened a bit. Its done now and cant go back. Cant un-ring that bell. It feels normal other than the peaky steering that was there before and Im pretty sure inherent when this is done. Putting the tire that far out front has no choice but to create a dip and raise situation. Smaller tire would help but then it would be nose diving....
But....
If I roll over something backwards, the springer gets excersized.... 
I've got another bike with one that I tightened down to keep from springing. That bike was a bit front heavy and the bike bobbed all over the place. It has an extra long spring bolt and it would lay down quite a ways to right at the point where it would start to raise the frame when turning. I've got it cranked in, and the forks tight at the pivots now. It looks like its standing up and rides great.


----------

