morton
I live for the CABE
About 3 years ago, having lost my best friend and oft times riding buddy Lucky Dog, I was browsing the field at Trexlertown looking for nothing in particular.
A short time later I spotted a forlorn Racer my size for $10. It was a bit rusty with paint scrapes and chips along with a nice set of rotted tires….a perfect starting point for a tribute to Lucky Dog bike.
The repaint had to be white as in a sense it would be a “Ghost” bike and I had a spare set of 2 speed s-6 wheels so I decided to call it The Kickback with appropriate graphics. Of course they were modified when I reconfigured the bike. Graphics were stickons covered with 2 coats of clear enamel. The paws on the down tube were my wife’s idea and were time consuming as each individual piece had to be applied separately.
Problem was when finished, I hated the 2 speed. First was too easy to pedal and 2nd was too hard for my worsening medical conditions (Parkinsons, spinal issues, etc.) so I decided to return to original 3 speed. Also used plastic fenders to save a bit of weight and had NOS 3 speed SA hub laced to a 27” alloy rim. Redid the graphics and rode it for the first time yesterday and it’s just about perfect for me. Took almost 3 years as 2 hernia surgeries really delayed the process.
I felt the kick back edition with chrome fenders and wheels, and only 1 cable looked best, but better stopping and gearing were more important. The bike is not quite finished yet as I want to add a horn and lights, but I’m getting there.
If you look carefully inside the bike frame in the second photo you can see Lucky Dog’s paw shaped “tomb stone” where he was buried in our back yard. Some people may think I'm a bit nutty about "just an animal," but he was my best friend for 17 years.
By the way, you can read Lucky Dog’s story at the link below.
https://thecabe.com/forum/threads/maybe-this-doesnt-belong-here-but.115934/#post-769572
A short time later I spotted a forlorn Racer my size for $10. It was a bit rusty with paint scrapes and chips along with a nice set of rotted tires….a perfect starting point for a tribute to Lucky Dog bike.
The repaint had to be white as in a sense it would be a “Ghost” bike and I had a spare set of 2 speed s-6 wheels so I decided to call it The Kickback with appropriate graphics. Of course they were modified when I reconfigured the bike. Graphics were stickons covered with 2 coats of clear enamel. The paws on the down tube were my wife’s idea and were time consuming as each individual piece had to be applied separately.
Problem was when finished, I hated the 2 speed. First was too easy to pedal and 2nd was too hard for my worsening medical conditions (Parkinsons, spinal issues, etc.) so I decided to return to original 3 speed. Also used plastic fenders to save a bit of weight and had NOS 3 speed SA hub laced to a 27” alloy rim. Redid the graphics and rode it for the first time yesterday and it’s just about perfect for me. Took almost 3 years as 2 hernia surgeries really delayed the process.
I felt the kick back edition with chrome fenders and wheels, and only 1 cable looked best, but better stopping and gearing were more important. The bike is not quite finished yet as I want to add a horn and lights, but I’m getting there.
If you look carefully inside the bike frame in the second photo you can see Lucky Dog’s paw shaped “tomb stone” where he was buried in our back yard. Some people may think I'm a bit nutty about "just an animal," but he was my best friend for 17 years.
By the way, you can read Lucky Dog’s story at the link below.
https://thecabe.com/forum/threads/maybe-this-doesnt-belong-here-but.115934/#post-769572
