# New guy with an Iver Johnson project



## pikljoose (Apr 7, 2015)

Gentleman.  Ladies.

My name is Gerald.  I live the NW corner of CT.  I have been mechanic, restorer (mostly auto), and bicycle nut since I was “knee-high to a grasshopper”.

On the work bench we currently have a ‘22(ish) Iver Johnson Mobicycle (19”,  S/N 354222) that is undergoing a partial renovation.  It was purchased as a basket case gone bad.  Someone had stripped the frame clean and then walked away from the pile. 

It did come with nearly one-of-everything, except for the truss and drop stand nuts/stops.  It sits on the original (once) painted wood wheels (IJ front/Corbin rear). 

The direction for the build is to pair “perfect paint” with “rusty rat”.  Frame is fresh and black,  fenders are red and rusty.  All other parts will be correct/appropriate nickel-era parts, either weathered or rusty.  It will be a display bike, well-enough sorted for an easy once-around the neighborhood.  (We call that a rider in these parts.)

So Far:
Frameset has undergone extensive wet sanding prep process, shot in basic black lacquer. 
Original fork crown nickel plating has been retained.
Repop Mobicycle decal applied to downtube.
Bike is currently mocked-up dry to prep for final assembly.
Most components have been cleaned and sorted.

And Then:
I am currently test fitting fenders (w/ glass reflector), drop stand and clip.
I still have some weathering/patina work to do to frameset as I sort and assemble.
Rear wheel needs a few spokes and some truing.
Saddle needs to be restored.


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## 66TigerCat (Apr 7, 2015)

Welcome to the CABE. Nice job with the Iver.


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## cmarkley (Apr 7, 2015)

Looks good


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## ivrjhnsn (Apr 7, 2015)

Yes,,,welcome neighbor and fellow Iver owner. Nice model to own.


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## Wheeled Relics (Apr 7, 2015)

Nice looking bike. Killer drive train; love the wheels!


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## pikljoose (Apr 8, 2015)

As requested, more pics of tires.  They are Dugast Pipistrello 700x34.  If warmed slightly in the sun, they'll pop right onto the 28" rims with no struggle.

I haven't ridden them yet.  The rear wheel isn't up to the task just yet.


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## pikljoose (Apr 8, 2015)

ivrjhnsn said:


> Yes,,,welcome neighbor and fellow Iver owner. Nice model to own.




Thank you.  This is my first Iver and first singletube bike..... which of course lead to the second one, and then....well, you know.


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## pikljoose (Apr 8, 2015)

I am still playing with handlebars and positions.  The mustache style are Torringtons,  the others are IJ bars that came with bike.


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## pikljoose (Apr 8, 2015)

I like the red, but I think I still might shoot them in black too.


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## Iverider (Apr 8, 2015)

I think black fenders would look great!!!! Nice work.


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## catfish (Apr 8, 2015)

Looking good.


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## okozzy (Apr 8, 2015)

Very nice work...


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## schwinnspastic (Apr 9, 2015)

Welcome Gerald, nice job so far on the Mobicycle ! It looks great in black with the aged wood wheels.
I have been working at piecing a Mobicycle together the past couple months and its now in ride able
form with modern rims and tires, its my best riding prewar bike, very light yet feels solid as a rock !
Mark


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## pikljoose (Apr 9, 2015)

Krautwaggen said:


> I think black fenders would look great!!!! Nice work.




Thanks, and I agree.  My original plan was for "basic black" all over.  

Luckily spring is here.  Finally I can drag project back up to my (unheated) workshop.


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## pikljoose (Apr 9, 2015)

schwinnspastic said:


> Welcome Gerald, nice job so far on the Mobicycle ! It looks great in black with the aged wood wheels.
> I have been working at piecing a Mobicycle together the past couple months and its now in ride able
> form with modern rims and tires, its my best riding prewar bike, very light yet feels solid as a rock !
> Mark




Cool.  I have been contemplating second modern wheelset.  Do you have a pic?  What kind of rubber did you choose?


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## Handyman (Apr 9, 2015)

Nice looking Mobicycle escapeartist........................I don't really mind the red fenders but I do agree that the black may look better. I have a similar Iver Mobicycle, same frame size I believe, that I'm slowly piecing together myself.  Good luck.  Pete in Fitchburg


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## schwinnspastic (Apr 9, 2015)

Gerald , since you ask here you go !
Still a work in progress as my hunt continues for more parts.







Fake knotty finish not so popular



running Schwalbe Little Big Ben tires 700 38c on Blunt 35s
MARK


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## pikljoose (Apr 9, 2015)

Mark, I love that paint.  I am a sap for anything aged, crusty or weathered.

It took a few moments to connect the dots...  Soooo that's what the wood patterned Blunts look like!


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## gator49 (Apr 9, 2015)

escape*artist said:


> Gentleman.  Ladies.
> 
> My name is Gerald.  I live the NW corner of CT.  I have been mechanic, restorer (mostly auto), and bicycle nut since I was “knee-high to a grasshopper”.
> 
> ...




I think black fenders: Nice job


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## schwinnspastic (Apr 10, 2015)

Thanks Gerald , I spent several hours removing two repaints to get that original paint back !
I bought the rims in black and had a buddy of mine do the wood grain paint job as he is a 
much better air brush artist than I am, the next pair wont have the knots just the grain and
shading around the spoke holes.
Mark


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## pikljoose (Apr 11, 2015)

Hmmm.  I've done restoration, patina and counterfeiting type stuff since is was a kid, but have never ventured into "repaint removal" territory.  Mostly due to lack of opportunity.   What was your process for such a task?

I like the wood grain airbrushing, and don't mind the knots so much.  It does look like it can go one step further though.  Maybe a semi transparent top coat over the wood grain to mimic aged wood color or varnish?  Or may some stray overlay patches of faux peeling original paint (see pics)


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## pikljoose (Apr 25, 2015)

Since workshop is not yet set up, I had to send the fenders out to bead blasting shop.






I returned home later in the day to find that the postal carrier left this bit of deliciousness on my doorstop.


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## pikljoose (Apr 30, 2016)

The Mobiproject has creeped at a snails pace over the past year.  I often have to thread bike related tasks in with working on house maintenance on weekends.  Never mind the boat rescue currently in progress.

Still lacking a rideable wheelset, bike sat for most of the year stuck in display mode.


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## pikljoose (Apr 30, 2016)

One day in the shop, I happened across an ND M front hub, 28h.  In the same drawer, a NIB S/A SRC3 32h and an unused 10t skiptooth adaptor cog.

Some daydreaming ensued...

I was off to mimic the look of the original wood wheelset that came with the bike.

I promptly ordered up a pair of Blunt SS in 28/32.  

A little prep, a little paint to fancy them up a bit.

The tires are Specialized fatboy black-tan in 700x45.  Tire measures 44mm on  a 30mm rim.

Add a 20s quadrant shifter.

And some Thompson grips. [emoji869]

Currently doing test and tune.


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## dfa242 (Apr 30, 2016)

Wow, that looks really nice - good for you.


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## Junkhunter (Apr 30, 2016)

Looks great! Nice ride.


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## Handyman (May 1, 2016)

Great paint job on the wheels!!  Looks very much like the original wood wheels.  Love to see a closeup if you get a chance.  Pete in Fitchburg


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## Junkhunter (May 1, 2016)

Sent you a personal message about some things going on in CT down in New Haven. Not sure if you know how to check your messages yet, but give it a shot. CT has a good cycling community riding antique bikes.


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## schwinnspastic (May 1, 2016)

The Mobicycle is looking great, I think you'll like the the ride on the blunts ..they make for a good solid wheel set ! Enjoy !
Mark


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## pikljoose (May 22, 2016)

The blunt ss has a different profile than the original wood so I dialed in the stripe/pinstripe, placement/size to look more at home with the different ss profile.







I had to install a straight seat post to give myself a couple more inches in the cockpit.





I'm currently experimenting with several additional patina options for tires and rims.


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## pikljoose (Aug 24, 2016)

Who doesn't love an update episode!?!  

The tan-walled tires are mellowing nicely from being parked outside full time.  

Just added some rat Torrington tillers today.

I have all the bits to retrofit the Iver drop stand onto the S/A rear axle...maybe I'll get to it by the end of the week.


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## Freqman1 (Aug 24, 2016)

I like the color/stripe combo of the wheels. I think it looks a lot better than wood grain. Kinda ironic that IJ went to a faux grain pattern on some their product. V/r Shawn


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## azbug-i (Aug 24, 2016)

Great looking iver!!!


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## locomotion (Aug 25, 2016)

escape*artist said:


> As requested, more pics of tires.  They are Dugast Pipistrello 700x34.  If warmed slightly in the sun, they'll pop right onto the 28" rims with no struggle.
> 
> I haven't ridden them yet.  The rear wheel isn't up to the task just yet.
> 
> ...





love the look of those A. Dugast tires, can you tell me the exact model and size you got? and where?
this is my new favorite tire
from what I fond the is different models of Pisi.... and can't find them in 34 mm


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## dnc1 (Aug 25, 2016)

Fantastic looking machine, great job!
I'm also very interested in hearing more about the A. Dugast tyres.


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## dnc1 (Aug 25, 2016)

locomotion said:


> love the look of those A. Dugast tires, can you tell me the exact model and size you got? and where?
> this is my new favorite tire
> from what I fond the is different models of Pisi.... and can't find them in 34 mm



A. Dugast pipistrello 'Flying Doctor' model is 700 x 34, all white sidewalls and tread, just seen them for sale widely in Europe for around €89 (euros) plus postage.
Search for cyclocross tyres. I assume someone must sell them over their in the U.S.


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## locomotion (Aug 25, 2016)

thanks for the info, found a dealer in Canada, but I wanted to be sure which one to order
this is definitely my new favorite tire for my riders


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## stoney (Aug 25, 2016)

Beautiful bike, has a nice mellow look to the finish. Also like the color combo on the wheels rather than wood.


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## pikljoose (Aug 25, 2016)

dnc1 said:


> A. Dugast pipistrello 'Flying Doctor' model is 700 x 34, all white sidewalls and tread, just seen them for sale widely in Europe for around €89 (euros) plus postage.
> Search for cyclocross tyres. I assume someone must sell them over their in the U.S.




Yeah.  What he said!

They now come with a plain file tread now (no side dirt knobbies).  They are beautiful, and worth the 89E each.

My 34mm Dugast mic'd to 35mm wide.  

IMO they were a bit skinny for the Mobicycle once it had fenders installed on it.  I wanted a little more volume for that bike.

I think the 34mm size tubular shows better on fenderless bikes.  

Here is a pic of our '13 Pope with a nearly identical tire.  

This is a Tufo Flexus Dry Plus 34mm in Carmine Red.  Also file tread, w/ side knobbies. They mic to 36mm., and are mounted on 1920s KantWarp cast aluminum single tube rims.


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## locomotion (Aug 25, 2016)

very nice match to the patina of that bike


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## dnc1 (Aug 25, 2016)

Anymore cool tyres that you know of, these just get better and better.


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