# BAD NEWS: My Twisted Take on a Western Flyer Newsboy Special



## Bike from the Dead (Sep 23, 2021)

I just brought home this Western Flyer Newsboy Special from Buddy's Pedal Fest 2021 just earlier this weekend. I'd been looking for the middleweight version of this bike, most commonly known as a Columbia Firebolt, for a while now. Imagine my surprise when I learned that they also made this style of bike as a heavy-duty balloon tire bike as well! I didn't even know this bike was available as a balloon tire bike! I traded a Murray MX bike and $125 for it, which is no small amount, but for a bike on my "Bicycle Bucket List," I think it was worth it.

I'm not sure what I'm going to do with it just yet, but I don't exactly plan to just leave it as is. It's a good-looking bike as is, but like most everything else, I see room for improvement. I've already got 2 stock red bikes as is, and I don't need or want a third. Plus, this frame has a lot of potential for customization. I don't have an absolute plan for it just yet, but I'm thinking it'd look great with the old school hot rod treatment: satin black with gloss/metallic red accents, white pinstripes, a fat whitewall rear tire and a skinnier front whitewall tire. For now though, I'm just slapping a new chain and some other wheels and tires on it, so I can ride it while I figure out my plan for it.

Here are all the pictures I took of the bike in its "as found" condition. There are a lot of these photos, over 70 in fact, so I'll break this down into a few separate posts.


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## Bike from the Dead (Sep 23, 2021)




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## Bike from the Dead (Sep 23, 2021)




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## Bike from the Dead (Sep 23, 2021)




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## Bike from the Dead (Sep 23, 2021)

Here's how _Bad News_ looks after I slapped on a new chain and some 26" x 2.35" tires I had laying around. It creaks and groans as I ride it, but I think most of the noise is from the old seat more than anything. It's not perfect, but it's a rider. Best of all, I don't have to worry about those old dry-rotted Goodyears exploding into a million pieces as I cruise around the neighborhood.


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## tacochris (Sep 23, 2021)

Bike from the Dead said:


> Here's how _Bad News_ looks after I slapped on a new chain and some 26" x 2.35" tires I had laying around. It creaks and groans as I ride it, but I think most of the noise is from the old seat more than anything. It's not perfect, but it's a rider. Best of all, I don't have to worry about those old dry-rotted Goodyears exploding into a million pieces as I cruise around the neighborhood.
> View attachment 1483457
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I will give those old goodyears a good home if you ever wanna let go of em.  I save original tires when i can.


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## Bike from the Dead (Sep 23, 2021)

tacochris said:


> I will give those old goodyears a good home if you ever wanna let go of em.  I save original tires when i can.



I might just take you up on that. Fair warning though, they are _flaky!_ They'd probably fall apart in shipping if I can't find a box big enough to put them in without folding them.


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## tacochris (Sep 23, 2021)

Bike from the Dead said:


> I might just take you up on that. Fair warning though, they are _flaky!_ They'd probably fall apart in shipping if I can't find a box big enough to put them in without folding them.



It really only matters what tube you run with old tires as to whether they last.  I have some rough ones in my stash....


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## Bike from the Dead (Sep 23, 2021)

tacochris said:


> It really only matters what tube you run with old tires as to whether they last.  I have some rough ones in my stash....



Well, there's a chance I may want to hold onto the tires for right now. I'll keep you in mind if I decide to part with them, though. But like I said, these tires are kind of falling apart, hence why I swapped them out.


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## tacochris (Sep 23, 2021)

Bike from the Dead said:


> Well, there's a chance I may want to hold onto the tires for right now. I'll keep you in mind if I decide to part with them, though. But like I said, these tires are kind of falling apart, hence why I swapped them out.



All good bud, I just like to put out the vibe just in case.  Lol


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## Bike from the Dead (Sep 23, 2021)

tacochris said:


> All good bud, I just like to put out the vibe just in case.  Lol



Thanks! I appreciate it!


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## Bike from the Dead (Sep 24, 2021)

The master link on my chain broke yesterday, so I decided to use that as an excuse to start mocking up parts on this bike. First thing I tried was removing the fenders and mounting a flipped rat trap springer fork onto the bike. I couldn't get the little front rack thing off, as the bolt is too long to pull out without removing the spring assembly from the fork, so I just left it on. I was hoping I'd like this more than I do, but it just looks weird to me. 





















Next, I tried mounting my Monark springer fork to the bike. It's got potential, but I'm still not sure...


























I put the rear fender back on, which made the space between the fender and the seat tube match the space between the front tire and the down tube. It's not bad, but I still don't quite know what I want here. I'll have to keep tinkering with it.


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## ian (Sep 25, 2021)

Bike from the Dead said:


> The master link on my chain broke yesterday, so I decided to use that as an excuse to start mocking up parts on this bike. First thing I tried was removing the fenders and mounting a flipped rat trap springer fork onto the bike. I couldn't get the little front rack thing off, as the bolt is too long to pull out without removing the spring assembly from the fork, so I just left it on. I was hoping I'd like this more than I do, but it just looks weird to me.
> View attachment 1484308
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> ...



I like the Monark fork way better! And no fenders.....


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## Bike from the Dead (Sep 25, 2021)

ian said:


> I like the Monark fork way better! And no fenders.....



Thanks! The Monark fork doesn't look too bad on there, but I'm still not sure just yet. Same with fenders/no fenders.


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## CURTIS L LINDGREN (Sep 25, 2021)

If the Monark fork was painted to match , I think that would be a benefit to the looks of the bike. It probably rides better than the rat trap anyways.   I like the tires you put on.  I am also a fan of "No" fenders on this bike.   🤓     Thanks for sharing your thoughts and progress 😎


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## Bike from the Dead (Sep 25, 2021)

CURTIS L LINDGREN said:


> If the Monark fork was painted to match , I think that would be a benefit to the looks of the bike. It probably rides better than the rat trap anyways.   I like the tires you put on.  I am also a fan of "No" fenders on this bike.   🤓     Thanks for sharing your thoughts and progress 😎



Trust me, I wouldn't have the forks one color and the rest of the bike a different color. I'm just mocking up parts as they are to get a feel for what I want to do with this bike. I do like the Monark springer fork, but part of me wonders if it would be better to just use a standard rigid fork so nothing interrupts the line the straight bars provide. I want to like the no fenders look, but it's a bit difficult, as the rear tire is obnoxiously further from the seat tube than the front tire is from the down tube. I don't know why that bothers me as much as it does, but I always feel like those gaps should be uniform, or the front wheel should stick out further from the frame than the back wheel. My OCD is weird like that. I just put those tires on temporarily so I could ride the bike, but I do like how they look on the bike too. Thank you! Glad you're enjoying it! Hopefully I'll have more progress to share soon!


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## Bike from the Dead (Sep 28, 2021)

I was going to mockup a few different front wheels, forks and fenders today, but I decided to start with my craziest idea first... and well, now I almost feel that there's no need to mockup the other parts. I took the repop 26" Schwinn-style springer fork I plan to use for my "_Poison Apple_" trike project, and flipped the steerer tube upside-down so the bike would have a greater rake to it. (Shout-out to @Reallybigtim for the inspiration!) And boy, _what a rake!_ This is that aggressive rake I was looking for ever since I got this bike! Those straight bars that make up the rear rack are almost in-line with the front axle! And the bike has that hot rod/rail dragster vibe I was aiming for! I'm loving it as is, but I think with some refinement, this idea could turn into something awesome!


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## Bike from the Dead (Sep 28, 2021)




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## Freqman1 (Sep 29, 2021)

Can you actually ride it like that? Not my cup-o-tea but definitely different. V/r Shawn


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## Bike from the Dead (Sep 29, 2021)

Freqman1 said:


> Can you actually ride it like that? Not my cup-o-tea but definitely different. V/r Shawn



Not as it's currently set up. The crank arms need to be shorter, the handlebars need to be taller, and the seat needs to be leveled out, but once that's resolved, it should ride like a lowrider bike. It won't steer that well I'm sure, but it'll still be rideable. Worst case scenario, if I don't like how it rides, I can just change it. Thanks.


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## coasterbrakejunkie1969 (Sep 29, 2021)

Bike from the Dead said:


> Not as it's currently set up. The crank arms need to be shorter, the handlebars need to be taller, and the seat needs to be leveled out, but once that's resolved, it should ride like a lowrider bike. It won't steer that well I'm sure, but it'll still be rideable. Worst case scenario, if I don't like how it rides, I can just change it. Thanks.



Did you get a chance to look at the knurling of those handlebars?  I'm always interested in early Stingray bars.


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## Bike from the Dead (Sep 29, 2021)

coasterbrakejunkie1969 said:


> Did you get a chance to look at the knurling of those handlebars?  I'm always interested in early Stingray bars.



I'd have to double check. I don't think I've got any genuine Schwinn Syingray bars, but it'd be cool if I did.


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## coasterbrakejunkie1969 (Sep 29, 2021)

Bike from the Dead said:


> I'd have to double check. I don't think I've got any genuine Schwinn Syingray bars, but it'd be cool if I did.



Post s pic of the knurling and we will be able to tell.


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## Bike from the Dead (Sep 29, 2021)

coasterbrakejunkie1969 said:


> Post s pic of the knurling and we will be able to tell.



I'll have to do that later. I'm house/pet-sitting for the rest of the week.


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## coasterbrakejunkie1969 (Sep 29, 2021)

No problem, I was just curious


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## Goldenrod (Sep 29, 2021)

I would call it the "Knuckle Dragger"


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## Bike from the Dead (Oct 12, 2021)

Decided to mock up a few more parts earlier this morning. I tested out a few different fenders for the rear, swapped the bottom bracket parts out for the correct chainring and a shorter crank, lowered and leveled the seat, and I made some adjustments to the fork and handlebars. Normally, I like having at least a bobbed rear fender on my bikes, but this frame just doesn't look right with fenders, at least not when I've got this wild fork setup going on. So, I think I'll just leave the fenders off of this bike.





I liked how the fork looked on the previous mockup, but the way it was assembled, I had no suspension travel, and the handlebars had to be set behind the frame because the stem wouldn't clear the front tire. I had an idea of how to at least remedy the first issue, by simply flipping the... spring... collar? I have no idea what that piece is called. Regardless, I flipped the spring hardware around, and not only did I get my suspension back, but as a bonus, it kicked the front wheel out a little more, giving me more than enough room to rotate the handlebar stem so the handlebars could sit ahead of the frame. It also had another unintended side-effect of increasing the rake of the bike, making the straight bars of the frame point _just under _the front axle, as opposed to pointing a little above it earlier. More importantly, due to the increased rake, the pedals on the shorter crank arms sit at about the exact same height as the pedals on the original longer crank arms when the fork wasn't quite as raked. The pedal clearance is even worse this time though, since the fork spring compresses when I sit down on the frame, making the pedals bottom out. Oops.










As I keep mocking up this bike, I keep finding new things. For instance, these 2 holes under the back of the rear rack, and the 2 holes at the base of the rack braces. They look factory, but I don't understand why they exist. Anybody else with a Newsboy Special or Firebolt know anything about this?










Ok, this looks much better. That fender really took away from the overall look of this bike. I still need to do something about the fork/pedal clearance problems, and I need some taller handlebars so I can actually take this bike for a proper test ride, but overall, I think this is the look I want to go with for this bike. It's kind of got a "lowrider bike" stance, but the aggressive rake of the frame, especially at the straight bars, gives me some serious "funny car" vibes. Kind of fitting, since this bike is better for straight-line riding in this configuration than it is for regular riding.





































So, what's next? Well, I really need to get this bike rideable so I can decide whether or not this is the direction I really want to go or not, and that means either getting or making some longer handlebars I can reach comfortably, and solving the fork/pedal problem. At the same time, I'm trying to figure out the sort of paint scheme I want on this bike. Originally, I was thinking of painting it satin black, with gloss red scallops and white pinstripes, but nothing is set in stone yet. Plus, now that I've got "drag racing" on the brain, I feel like this bike needs less of a "traditional hot rod" vibe, and more of a "nitromethane-burning funny car" vibe. I'll try to sketch up some ideas this week, but I've got a few other things going on this week, so we'll see.


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## coasterbrakejunkie1969 (Oct 13, 2021)

Bike from the Dead said:


> these 2 holes under the back of the rear rack, and the 2 holes at the base of the rack braces



My guess is that they are weep holes from the factory. A way to let fluid out of the frame perhaps as part of the assembly process. They may have been put there to allow moisture that accumulates from rain to leave the frame. I would think the former , some thing to do with the manufacture process. 


Bike from the Dead said:


> spring... collar?



It is called a yoke


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## Bike from the Dead (Oct 13, 2021)

coasterbrakejunkie1969 said:


> My guess is that they are weep holes from the factory. A way to let fluid out of the frame perhaps as part of the assembly process. They may have been put there to allow moisture that accumulates from rain to leave the frame. I would think the former , some thing to do with the manufacture process.
> 
> It is called a yoke



Makes sense. Thanks!


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## razinhellcustomz (Oct 13, 2021)

Bike from the Dead said:


> View attachment 1483403
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Nice SCORE Austin... Great bike for a really great price.. I bought one of those reflecters for my Rambler.. Just love the looks of this old Columbia.. Congrats!!! RideOn.. Razin..


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## razinhellcustomz (Oct 13, 2021)

coasterbrakejunkie1969 said:


> My guess is that they are weep holes from the factory. A way to let fluid out of the frame perhaps as part of the assembly process. They may have been put there to allow moisture that accumulates from rain to leave the frame. I would think the former , some thing to do with the manufacture process.
> 
> It is called a yoke



He said YOKE!!! HA!! HAAA!!


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## razinhellcustomz (Oct 13, 2021)

Bike from the Dead said:


> The master link on my chain broke yesterday, so I decided to use that as an excuse to start mocking up parts on this bike. First thing I tried was removing the fenders and mounting a flipped rat trap springer fork onto the bike. I couldn't get the little front rack thing off, as the bolt is too long to pull out without removing the spring assembly from the fork, so I just left it on. I was hoping I'd like this more than I do, but it just looks weird to me.
> View attachment 1484308
> View attachment 1484309
> View attachment 1484310
> ...



Looks good so far.. Did ya run out of chain masters?? Yuck.. Yucck.. YUCCK!!!


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## Bike from the Dead (Oct 13, 2021)

razinhellcustomz said:


> Nice SCORE Austin... Great bike for a really great price.. I bought one of those reflecters for my Rambler.. Just love the looks of this old Columbia.. Congrats!!! RideOn.. Razin..



Thanks! It's the most I've spent on a single bike, but given that it's one I've wanted for while now, I think it was worth it.


razinhellcustomz said:


> He said YOKE!!! HA!! HAAA!!



Is it not called a yoke? What is that part called?


razinhellcustomz said:


> Looks good so far.. Did ya run out of chain masters?? Yuck.. Yucck.. YUCCK!!!



Thank you! Yeah, I don't have a lot of chain to work with. I just buy what I need at the time.


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## razinhellcustomz (Oct 13, 2021)

Bike from the Dead said:


> Thanks! It's the most I've spent on a single bike, but given that it's one I've wanted for while now, I think it was worth it.
> 
> Is it not called a yoke? What is that part called?
> 
> Thank you! Yeah, I don't have a lot of chain to work with. I just buy what I need at the time.



I buy it by the foot, it's cheaper that way...


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## Bike from the Dead (Oct 13, 2021)

razinhellcustomz said:


> I buy it by the foot, it's cheaper that way...



Where do you buy chain by the foot? I usually just get an $8 pack from Walmart whenever I need a chain.


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## razinhellcustomz (Oct 13, 2021)

Bike from the Dead said:


> Where do you buy chain by the foot? I usually just get an $8 pack from Walmart whenever I need a chain.



Yeah, but you always end up buyin  two cause one is always to short. I go to Fleet Farm or tractor supply...


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## Bike from the Dead (Oct 13, 2021)

razinhellcustomz said:


> Yeah, but you always end up buyin  two cause one is always to short. I go to Fleet Farm or tractor supply...



Actually, they starting selling packs that are long enough for one complete length of chain now.


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## Bike from the Dead (Oct 17, 2021)

I've been lightly tinkering with Bad News over the past few days, testing out a few suggested ideas here and there. I mocked up these baskets I had in storage, but they just busied up the look of the bike.





I just got some washers and nuts this evening to try and adjust the springer fork so the straight bars point right at the front axle, and keep the fork from compressing too much while riding. I found a spare master link for my chain, so I slapped that back on so I could test ride the bike.







What followed next was an absolute disaster. I just tried to pedal in a straight line down the driveway, but I could not for the life of me get this bike under control! I don't blame it on the bike, so much as I blame it on me. I have almost no experience riding lowrider bikes, which this bike is kind of built like. I'm used to steering with the handlebars, not... however I'm supposed to operate this contraption. And before anyone says anything, no, I don't really know how to ride a motorcycle either, so any knowledge on riding one of those won't help me figure out how to ride this.

Can anyone help me figure out how to ride this bike? I'd hate to go back to a stock-ish fork setup after coming up with this wild design, but I'd like to be able to ride this bike, even if it's just for short distances.


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## GTs58 (Oct 17, 2021)

Ya gots tah go really fast to control something like that with just a lean turning a corner. No way to go slow mo that I know of.  😂


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## SKPC (Oct 17, 2021)

I'll pile on this mess.  These types of bicycles you are supposed sit on not moving while giving it your best gangster look!  You aren't supposed to ride it to begin with Mr. BikeuntilDead!


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## vincev (Oct 17, 2021)

I have this one with lowered bars and a homemade springer.Rides good........


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## Bike from the Dead (Oct 17, 2021)

vincev said:


> I have this one with lowered bars and a homemade springer.Rides good........
> 
> 
> View attachment 1497987



Nice setup. Love the leaf springer! Thing is, your bike rides as well as it does because you didn't change the steering geometry of the fork, at least from what I can tell. Mine has the wheel well ahead of the steerer tube, which looks cool, but doesn't steer that well. I could just use a more conventional fork setup, and it'd ride well enough, but I really love the look of the straight bars pointing at the front axle. I know it's not the most practical setup, but I would really like to be able to ride my bike without sacrificing the look I've got going on right now.


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## Bike from the Dead (Oct 17, 2021)

vincev said:


> I have this one with lowered bars and a homemade springer.Rides good........
> 
> 
> View attachment 1497987



I just noticed, is that a Flightliner-style bike?


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## vincev (Oct 17, 2021)

Wards bike


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## Bike from the Dead (Oct 17, 2021)

vincev said:


> Wards bike



Got any pics of the full bike? I'd love to see it.


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## vincev (Oct 17, 2021)

Home made chainguard,...........


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## Bike from the Dead (Oct 17, 2021)

vincev said:


> Home made chainguard,...........
> 
> 
> View attachment 1497989
> ...



That's got to be one of the coolest custom chain guards I've ever seen! I dig it!


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## Bike from the Dead (Oct 18, 2021)

Great news! I'm finally getting the hang of riding this bike! @GeePig on ratrodbikes.com totally called it! Tightening down the head set dampened the steering, so I was able to keep this bike relatively under control! I managed to ride this bike around the cul-de-sac and the next more than once here in the past 30 minutes. It's far from perfect, it takes preparation and a decent amount of space to turn this bike around, but against all odds, this bike is still rideable. There's still a lot of room for improvement, but I think I can push forward with this wild design.




I did manage to scrape the pedals while I was learning how to steer, but I'm not too worried about that.


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## razinhellcustomz (Oct 18, 2021)

Bike from the Dead said:


> I've been lightly tinkering with Bad News over the past few days, testing out a few suggested ideas here and there. I mocked up these baskets I had in storage, but they just busied up the look of the bike.
> View attachment 1497951
> 
> I just got some washers and nuts this evening to try and adjust the springer fork so the straight bars point right at the front axle, and keep the fork from compressing too much while riding. I found a spare master link for my chain, so I slapped that back on so I could test ride the bike.
> ...



Hey Austin, For starters maybe try turning the goose neck around 180 and see if that makes a difference. If this doesn't work, you may have to change out the bars for a taller pair.. Good luck.. Looking good so far... Razin..


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## razinhellcustomz (Oct 18, 2021)

Bike from the Dead said:


> Great news! I'm finally getting the hang of riding this bike! @GeePig on ratrodbikes.com totally called it! Tightening down the head set dampened the steering, so I was able to keep this bike relatively under control! I managed to ride this bike around the cul-de-sac and the next more than once here in the past 30 minutes. It's far from perfect, it takes preparation and a decent amount of space to turn this bike around, but against all odds, this bike is still rideable. There's still a lot of room for improvement, but I think I can push forward with this wild design.
> View attachment 1498317
> 
> I did manage to scrape the pedals while I was learning how to steer, but I'm not too worried about that.
> ...



It's only a little ROAD RASH.. Still works just the same.. RideOn... Razin...


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## Bike from the Dead (Oct 18, 2021)

razinhellcustomz said:


> Hey Austin, For starters maybe try turning the goose neck around 180 and see if that makes a difference. If this doesn't work, you may have to change out the bars for a taller pair.. Good luck.. Looking good so far... Razin..





razinhellcustomz said:


> It's only a little ROAD RASH.. Still works just the same.. RideOn... Razin...



I was able to ride the bike okay with everything as it was. Those handlebars were just for mockups and quick test rides anyway. I'm not planning on keeping those dinky ape hangers on this bike. I plan to either buy, or better yet, _build,_ some bigger, better handlebars that go with this wild design better, and make for a more comfortable ride. I have some ideas I'm going to try sketching my ideas sometime this week, so I'll hopefully have something to show what I want to do. 

Yeah, the pedals aren't too worn. Worst case scenario, I can just replace them. Thanks Razin!


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