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

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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.
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Next, I tried mounting my Monark springer fork to the bike. It's got potential, but I'm still not sure...
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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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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.
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Next, I tried mounting my Monark springer fork to the bike. It's got potential, but I'm still not sure...
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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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I like the Monark fork way better! And no fenders.....
 
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!
 
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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Can you actually ride it like that? Not my cup-o-tea but definitely different. V/r Shawn
 
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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