Had a bit of free time on my hands this afternoon/evening, so spurred on by being fed up with having a muddy wet stripe up my bum and back i decided that it was about time to either stop riding in the wet (which if i'm honest is my favourite option) or fit some mudgaurds to something. Scouring the bikes at the tip i came across an old Apollo ladies mountain bike with what would appear to be a pair of new mudgaurds on it! Why would you fit new mudgaurds to you old bike and then throw it all away? No matter, it worked for me, and five quid later i was riding home on a very pink ladies Aplollo mountain bike with mudgaurds. Before long i was deciding what bike to fit them to, i thought about briefly fitting them to the Raleigh Massif that i'm enjoying, but in the end, this was the victorious bike...
Why the Magna? Simple, i just can't bring myself to sell it so i might aswell be using it! So out with the 10mm spanner and before long i had gone from summertime cruiser...
To wet weather warrior...
I must admit i'm not a big fan of this type of mudgaurd, i prefer the type that follow closely the arc of the wheel, but beggars can't be choosers, and i can report that these Zéfal mudgaurds got me home tonight without so much of a hint of a muddy, wet stripe up my bum and back... So all is good, and they're going to stay for a while! It has to be said that i actually quite like the look of the front mudgaurd, it follows the arc of the wheel nicely, and suits the bike, but what is going on with that back one? It's not even close. surely if the fellas at Zéfal could make the front one wrap around the wheel nicely it shouldn't have been too hard to make the back one follow suit? Anyhoo, i showed it to Mrs Pistonpopper who said, "What have you done that for? You've ruined it!" I said that i did it because i was fed up with getting wetter from the rain coming off the road than i was from the rain falling out of the sky, and the rain coming off the road was muddy and dirty! To which she replied, "GAY! Thats all part of the fun of riding a mountain bike!" Hmm... Years ago i bought her a set of mudgaurds for her bike for her birthday, she wasn't too impressed, i'm guessing she's still not over it! Remember ladies (if there are any reading this!) Nothing says i love you like a new pair of mudgaurds! You can keep your flowers, your chocolate, your fancy wine, MUDGAURDS... That is how you know if your fella really loves you!
Now, you may remember in the last entry i made i said that i must dig out that Mustang frame and start building that back up. I dug it out! The more hawk-eyed of you may have noticed that it is just sneaking into the pictures above, but here's a better look.
I'm not planning to do a resto on this, i just want to bolt it together, and ride it. I like that it's un-resotored, you only get that patina once! Besides if i restore it then i'm into buying new parts as just bolting old parts back onto it will make them look tired. But, as no doubt you've noticed it is painted maroon and black, which i think looks quite good, and is definately in keeping with the age and style of the bike. But for a long time i have been thinking about painting it white with a rattle can, and then painting it blue where it is currently painted black, does this make sense? So just white where its red, and blue where it's black. What are your opinions on this? Should i keep it stock as it is, or do a slightly custom rough paintjob? Of course should i go for the white and blue paintjob i will then need a set of Raleigh Mustang decals to finish the look off. If anyone knows where i can get hold of a set of old Raleigh Mustang decals, or better still knows of someone who can make me up a set for it, then please let me know.
You may remember that some weeks back the cylcing gods descended on my workplace and showered me with gifts, the above Apollo Reckless frame being one of them. This i have decided will donate a great many of its parts to the Raleigh Mustang project. So i dug through my spares bin and soon had a pair of wheels and tyres for it too, and before long sitting infront of me was this sight...
One 23" Raleigh Mustang frame, one 21" Apollo Reckless frame with acillaries, one rear Rigida rear wheel with 8 cogs (so it looks like this will have 24 gears when it's done, i'll still probably only use 3 though lol!) one Rigida front wheel, one pair of tyres, and no innner tubes, great! Still, a good start never the less. I sat for a bit looking at it all, and wondering if i have completely lost the plot by stripping one bike frame down to build another, talk about robbing Peter to pay Paul! But the thing is the Apollo Reckless even if it was built into a complete and rideable mountain bike probably wouldn't be worth anything. Niether for that matter will the Raleigh Mustang. BUT... I want a Raleigh Mustang in my collection, so that was that decision made! And the next thing i knew i was looking at this.
One stripped Apollo Reckless frame! If anyone wants a surprisingly lightweight Apollo Reckless frame and forks please let me know, you can have it for free, just come and get it, or arrange a courier or something! The thing is, the reality of stripping the Reckless is that i will probably only use the crank on the Mustang as this will give me a three speed single piece crank, which i need. The rest of the parts are quite low budget, and they will probably get swapped onto other bikes that will donate their better quality parts to the Mustang therefore hopefully giving me a bike that rides like the Raleigh Euro, and Massif, and feels like it's built from quality parts! I know, I know, i should probably just keep the Raleigh Massif, or the Raleigh Euro and ride one of those instead of faffing around with the Mustang. But let's face it, if i did that, what would i write about then? I'd have to go out and buy a car every month and write about that instead, and that would be ridiculous!!
Anyhoo folks, as i said before, your thoughts and input is important here, so should i leave it as it is, or paint it white and blue?
Last Edit: Nov 13, 2016 0:51:13 GMT by pistonpopper
If i remember rightly the SIS stood for Shimano Index System. The standard Mustang was a fetching mottled Pink number...
For the xmas of 1989 all lil JPR wanted was a Mustang SIS, unfortunatley the 'rentals picked the wrong bike begining with M and I got a Maurader (because we thought you would prefer a blue bike more...)
Oh and its not just red and black, its "Vaporised Flame and Solar Sparkle" (see page 7)...
It looks pretty convincing that the Mustang stays as it is, unless i have some kind of Brexit, or Donald Trump type of moment and declare that i'm not going with the people, i know what i want, and thats what i'm doing! To be honest, much like Brexit i couldn't really decide what i wanted to do with it, part of me definately wants to re-paint it white and blue, but equally another part of me wants to keep it as it is, and preserve the patina, so i'm pretty sure i'm in agreeance with you guys, and thats what i'm going to do! But since stripping the Apollo Reckless i must admit that i've not touched either bike. Mainly because with the darker evenings drawing in i like to have a bit of a ride during my lunch break at the moment, otherwise i don't get a ride in all day! Todays ride took place along the canal path near where i live, and it was fantastic!
I took the Fugitve with it's recently fitted mudgaurds, and although it was sunny (some of the time) the ground was wet, and to be honest by the time i got home i was glad to have the mudgaurds. Really, REALLY glad!
I rode on looking at the spectacular colours that Mother Nature has bestowed upon us on this lovely Autumnal day...
Plus, there was absolutely nobody about! For once i had the whole path to myself... Bliss! Better still, this bit of the path is usually swarming with midges, which i tend to eat as i go along! But now that Autumn is well and truly here i'm guessing the annoying little fokkers have finally died off!
I must've rode for half an hour without seeing a single person! Usually this part of my ride is heaving with people out walking their dogs, but not one person, or dog stood in my way as i blezzed a little trail through the countryside leaving a rooster tail of leaves blowin in the wind. The weather was not too warm, and not too cold, i thought to myself that this must be how Goldilocks felt when she discovered baby bears porridge in the three little bears house that morning, not too hot, not too cold, just right! It was perfect riding weather, i was gliding along, wind in my erm scalp, it was great! Infact it was so great that i may well have got a little carried away with my ride, and that is why i returned to work much later than i should've after my lunch break!
But there is something about riding in the Autumn, it is probably my favourite season of the year, i love the colours, i love the smell of the musty damp leaves that have fallen from the trees, i love the sound of the beach nut shells cracking as i run over them, it was a brilliant ride. I genuinely believe that from time to time you need to say, stuff work, i'm going out for a ride, or whatever else you like to do when you're not at work. As i've explained to various bosses over the years, i work to live, i don't live to work! The amount of bosses that really havn't understood where i'm coming from when i say that is truely bewildering! But i'm guessing that that's the frame of mind you have to have to be in charge, work is it, it's the main thing, it's what i get up for in the morning! Sadly, this isn't me. I work, and have always had a job of some sort or another, but come the end of the day, when work is over then i am outta there! But i digress. It's funny, i've been getting a bit bent out of shape recently, but riding along today on a quiet path through the countryside i had not a care in the world, all the stupid little things that have been bugging me lately just sort of evaporated as i pedalled along, just listening to the sound of my own bike as it whirred away beneath me. I need this, i need to do this, not just for my physical health, but for my mental health also! It's such a smiple thing to do, and it doesn't even cost anything really apart from the cost of the bike in the first place, and as you all know, the Fugitive cost me next to nothing! I hate the darker winter evenings, it makes me not want to go out, but sitting here writing this to you all, and still riding on the high from my ride i feel much better about the darkness outside, i actually feel like taking my bike out for a spin in the dark! I've got lights, as i'm sure you all remember, so why not? I have a couple of friends who suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder, or SAD if you like. This is made worse by the fact that they live together, and so come the darker late autumn/winter evenings they kind of shut the world out and sort of huddle together dwelling on the miserable weather outside. I have suggested to them that they should go out on their bikes in the day, as Physical exercise has shown to be an effective form of depression therapy, particularly when in addition to another form of treatment for SAD. Infact a study noted marked effectiveness for treatment of depressive symptoms when combining regular exercise with bright light therapy. Patients exposed to exercise which had been added to their treatments in 20 minutes intervals on their bike during the day along with the same amount of time underneath the UV light were seen to make quick recovery. But they don't seem that interested, or maybe they just don't want to ride with me! But never mind, it's their loss, todays ride was fantastic, clear blue skies (A little bit of the time!) peace and quiet with not a soul around, fantastic scenery, with just epic colours! Infact it was almost a perfect ride... Almost! It was only marred by one thing, and that thing was the camouflage effect that the fallen leaves have on dog poo! Clearly due to the colour similarities it was invisible to the dog poo fairy too, but it wasn't invisiable to my olfactory system, and my nose detected it almost as soon as i mowed through it! Thank goodness for my new mudgaurds lol...
Autumn dog turds, you know they're there, you just don't know where!
Halfway through this thread atm PP, really interesting as always! Great to see what you get from the tip, as a teenager I was into bikes (as kids are usually tbf, and I'm just old enough for it to not be a nintendo wii bike!) And growing up in Devon I could get a bike from the tip without any worries, maximum outlay would be a packet of chocolate digestives! However now,in Gloucestershire, when I went tohave a looksie I was yelled at, told that what is binned is binned and that I could sod off. Needless to say I 'borrowed' what I wanted anyway! Tips up here even try to ban swapping in the carpark! House moving atm, imust add 'neess to he near a tip which are can scrounge from'to the search particulars! Keep up the interesting posts bud(esp when I get to catch up!), I think you have inspired me to start a thread about my bikes too now tho!
Glad to have you along for this ride too s1105117 I know what you mean about local tips and how they've changed, some of the things i look at they want big money for, i then usually leave them. The camera i use, the 1963 Kodak Retinette they wanted a tenner for that, i originally left it, but i kept thinking about it, and how it would just end up going to landfill, which presumably would mean they would need to pay someone to take it away to the landfill site. Went back a couple of days later, there it still was, sitting there, patiently going "save me, save me" I put it on my eldest pistonpoppets shoulder, we walked around for a bit, then we walked out! Saved them a bit of room i the skip going to landfill, i helped them out really lol! As for swapping stuff in the car park, they're really hot on that around here. Ive seen people literally get chucked off site for doing it! They've even had a right go at me for letting someone have something i was ditching. If i see anything anyone is bringing in that i want i ask them to just drive up the road a bit and i take it from them there! It saves the aggro!
As readers of my regular drivel might know i have manged to sell that Muddy Fox Coca Cola bike! The unfortunate person who bought it got it for a massive £5.50, but he was also the lucky person who won my Fiat Bravo, so every cloud has a silver lining!
I'm sure that he's going to do something with the Fiat, i can only hope that he uses the Muddy Fox for spares for something great that he's building for himself! Speaking of building something great for yourself, the Mustang build has been progressing slowly. I took what you guys said about leaving the frame of the Mustang unrestored to preseve its natural patina, and have so far i have managed to turn this...
So far the only thing that i have had to buy were the pair of inner tubes because all the tubes i had didn't have long enough valves to go through those very deep V rims! Everything else has either come off that Apollo Reckless, or from my parts stash! I think i've added some nice parts too...
Rigida Safety line wheels, red Shimano DX brakes (I don't suppose they're any better than any other type of Vee brake, but i pulled them from my stash simply because they were red!) Also, although the picture doesn't show it very clearly, the red wall tyres.
I have also managed to find myself a pair of 'VICTOR' style pedals which i thought was in-keeping with the era of the bike, and speaking of in-keeping of the era of the bike.
I realise that i am probably about to ask the impossible here, but do you remember (those of us who were cycling in the eighties!) the old BMXs had those bottom bracket boots, like this one...
Picture stolen from the internet obviously! Well, i really quite fancy one for my Mustang, but ofcourse supplies of them dried up years ago. But ideally it would want to be a 'SHARP' one like the one in the picture, and just to make things really difficult, it has to be black (or maybe at a push, red!) If any of you guys out there has one kicking about in your shed doing nothing, then please let me know!
Thanks for the heads up mikeyp247 I appreciate that. I must admit i nearly bought that, and had it have been black i would've been far more tempted, but i kept thinking that £19.99 is a helluva price to pay for a bit of old blue plastic! Although, having said that, had it have been black, and say 'SHARP' on it then i probably would've stumped up the money, then sat their waiting for it to arrive and whinged to myself about how that was far too much money to spend on an old bit of plastic. I am quite surprised that they don't still make them, but it would seem that nobody does. Anyway, after the auction ended i thought about asking if the seller could let it go for about £10 (which i still thought was too much... I dunno, i'm such a tight-ass!) But i had put the word about on various other places that i was looking for a bottom bracket boot, prefereably in black on various other places on 'tinternet. Yesterday i had a knock on the door, and i opened it to see one of my friends who is into old BMX's in a big way. He asks me if i'm still on the lookout for a bottom bracket boot? I say i am. I stuffs his hand in his pocket and pulls out...
One brand new old stock Associated Polymer Products bottom bracket boot, fresh from the eighties! He then apologised for it not being a 'SHARP' one, but said that they go for a lot of money when they do show up for sale, and this was the only black one he had in his stock. A stock which i might add he never shares! I am truly honoured!
With the bottom bracket boot sorted out and fitted my attention was turned to something else that i probably don't need, and that is the reflectors. Now for me usually this is one of the first things i ditch, usually followed by the bell. But i didn't ditch them from the Magna, and my feeling is that i would very much like them on the Mustang too. I sifted through my box of relectors (oh yes, a whole box of them, although i usually take them off my bikes, i do tend to keep them to fit to bikes that i sell so that they have a complete set!) However, none of them were jumping out at me in an eighties-tastic stylee. They were all a bit too small, a bit too thin. In my head they needed to be a matching pair... And chunky! Then i had a thought...
Here's a pair!! Yes they are still attached to the Magna, but i'm planning on selling that (if anyone wants it let me know!), so after a brief think about it, the Magna got a reflector-ectomy, or a Reflectomy if you will!
Off with the chunky reflectors, and i was going to leave it at that, but i figured that as i have a box of reflectors it would be wrong to leave it without, even if i am selling it, so some more modern, thinner, and more elegant reflectors got fitted in their place. I actually think they look quite good on there!
The chunky eighties-tastic reflectors were then transplanted onto the Mustang. Strangely i think they look too chunky on the Mustang, but this is probably due to the fact that they are not obscured by brake and gear cables... Yet! I realise that these reflectors are not of the style that Raleigh would've fitted to the bike when it was new, and probably infact the reflectors that are now fitted to the Magna are far more likely to be of the style that the Mustang would've come with, however, i like the style of these. I think they suit it quite well! I even quite fancy getting hold of some of those 'Comet' style reflectors for the wheels, and as luck would have it... Remember that old woman racer i found?..
Erm, no, no not that one, the one i found waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay back in the summer, the one i pulled out of the woods.
This one! Well, look closely at the wheels.
'Comet' type reflectors, and better than that, i even took them off and put them some place safe! Now if only i could remember where the heck i put them . i'd clean them up and mount them on the Mustang! No, they're not in the box of reflectors, that would be too easy! Just out of interest guys, do you as a rule take your reflectors off your bike, or leave them on? Hmm... I think i'm getting far too excited by reflectors, i reckon i've been couped up inside too much lately and starting to go stir crazy!!
LET'S RIDE!!... uuumm... Tomorrow... It's too dark right now!
Last Edit: Dec 9, 2016 11:04:24 GMT by pistonpopper
How do you respond to motorists who hate you for cycling if you don't have a bell? Well melle what i usually do is mutter under my breath what a cock they are and carry on peddling! But for the most part i don't ride on the road. A lot of my cycling is done on cyclepaths near were i live. I must admit though, mikeyp247 i like your idea lol!
So today, this happened...
I sold the Magna Fugitive! I was planning to sell it anyway, just not so soon! Infact i even tried to convince the buyer to buy something else of mine, but it was this he wanted, and oddly, only this! I was riding past the tip when i thought i'd call in to see if they had anything interesting to me, but pickins were really slim, then i noticed some fella looking at my bike, so i went over to it and took hold of it. The fella then asked me what i thought i was doing, as he was about to buy it! So i said to him that it is mine, and i had ridden in on it, and i planned to ride it out again! He then asked me if i wanted to sell it. So i said that i was plannig to sell it at some point, but not nessasarily now. He asked me how much i would be selling it for, and i said, i dunno really. He said, how about twenty quid!? I thought about it and then said that i had another bike like it, and if he'd like to follow me home he could have that one if he liked! So we headed off for Pistonpopper Towers.
Once back at base i wheeled out the other bike i have which is of the same, erm, build quality.
He gave the Murray mountain bike a good looking over, but said he wasn't really interested in it. I pointed out the similarities betweem the Murray Timber Mountain, and the Magna Fugitive, even going as far as to say that they were probably built in the same factory in Taiwan alongside one another! But no, he wanted the Magna Fugitive, so in the end, figuring that i still have the Murray to play with, i let him have the Fugitive! I asked him why he wanted the Fugitive so bad, and he said that he has a really nice mountain bike at home that he uses to ride to work on, but he didn't like to ride it during the winter months as it gets filthy, so he was just looking for a cheap mountain bike to get him through the winter. He saw mine, and figured that it would fill the bill! I guess i can't argue with that, the Fugitve is ready to ride, whereas the Timber Mountian is kind of a project! So, i took my lights off the Magna, and off he went with it! Pity really as i actually like riding it, but nevermind, lets have a look at the Murray.
This is easily as bad a bike as the Magna Fugitive was, however like the Magna i picked it up because i thought that nobody else would want it, and i couldn't let it just go in the skip. I really believe that they were probably made alongside one another in a factory in Taiwan despite having a sticker on it that said 'Proudly Made In The U.S.A.' When i picked it up originally the wheels were rusty, and the tyres were ruined so i put on another set of wheels and new Orange tyres.
I also added new Orange grips and some Shimano Brake lever/Shifters that i had in my spares box.
I got it all working, then never rode it. It's just been sitting on my balcony for five years! So, the tyres went flat, and perished, and the grips have turned into a gooey rubbery mess that just falls apart whenever you touch them! So, what shall i do with it now? Well, it really needs completely doing again, and with my enthusiasm renewed by the Magna, once the Mustang is finished, i'll get this back on the road again and ride it!
Make no mistake the Magna wasn't a particularly good bike when i got it, and it probably wasn't a very good bike when it was new, but after i'd fettled it a bit i had got it to the point where i really enjoyed riding it, and actually i kinda miss it already. But i'll take what i learned from the Magna, and use it on the Murray, and build another curse word bike thats good to ride!
But, i may get sidetracked from both of my projects tomorrow. Because a friend of a friend of a friend has told me about a cycle shop that has some old mountain bikes up for grabs. I phoned the bike shop today to see if that was true, and they said that it was, and tomorrow i'm going to have a look at a load of bikes that all came in for repair, but the owners never came back to collect them. By all accounts they have them in their storage shed for over a year, and they're having a clear out, so who knows what tomorrows treasure hunt will reveal, but i will keep you posted!
he said that he has a really nice mountain bike at home that he uses to ride to work on, but he didn't like to ride it during the winter months as it gets filthy...
What a pansy!! Why have a mountain bike that you don't use because you're worried about it getting dirty! I thought that was what you are supposed to do with mountain bikes! lol!
Last Edit: Dec 9, 2016 17:29:59 GMT by pistonpopper
Thanks for the offer mikeyp247 , just how big are they, and how do they work? Do you have any photos of them?
You may remember that in my last post i mentioned that a friend of a friend of a friend has told me about a cycle shop that has some old mountain bikes up for grabs. Ofcourse this piqued my interest, and as i was within about an hour (i thought) of the place i figured that i'd have an afternoon out to see what was on offer! I called the bike shop first just to be sure that i wasn't on some sort of wild goose hunt, or wild Turkey hunt might be more apt at this time of year. Anyhoo, the shop owner said that it was true, he had a shed full of bikes that needed re-homing. So i tell mrs Pistonpopper what the deal is, and that i should only be three hours, four max, and head off into the gloom of the mid December traffic with Mrs Pistonpoppers words still ringing in my ears, "Don't do anything stupid and buy any old curse word, you've got enough!" Over two hours later i pull up outside this little bike shop, i wander in to talk to the owner, and he explains to me how come he has these bikes, and why he wants them gone. I won't go into details, but basically, all the bikes came in for repair at some point over a year ago, the owners have never come back to collect them. During the course of the year the owners have been contacted several times to try and get them to collect the bikes, but they've either been unable to contact them, or they just arn't interested in collecting the bikes. So after having them in storage for over a year, the owner of the bike shop wants them removed. So i get lead out to this shed behind the shop, the key is put into the very shiney padlock on the very rusty shed door, and the door is flung open to reaveal...
A shed full of bikes! I'm not sure that any of them are worth a great deal, but for the most part they are complete, and ready to ride, the majority of them having been fixed for their owners prior to their owners abandoning them! The oldest one is a BSA, and i would say it's of mid-sixties vintage, and the newest one is a Universal full suspension mountain bike, with disc brakes etc. and i would say this is probably two, maybe three years old. To be fair to them, most of the bikes look in very good shape, just a little dusty from storage. Anyway, for the most part i'm not that interested in them, to be fair, i've got enough bikes, and right now isn't the best time to sell them. However, i am quite interested in that 'REAL' bike at the front in the right hand corner, the coppery coloured one. So i ask the shop owner how much for that one? He tells me that he's not really interested in selling one bike, he either sells them all, or none at all! AAARRRGH!! So stupidly, because i want this bike i ask him how much for the lot? He gives me a figure which is far more than i'm willing to pay, but he says that this will cover what he's spent on the repairs of all the cycles! He goes on to say that if i didn't want them at this price, he'll take them all to a cycle auction in January, and try his luck there! I tell him i'm going to have a coffee, and give it some thought, and head off to the nearest coffee house. As i sit there mulling it over, over my skinny-half caff-sugar free-gingerbread latte with extra foam, sprinkles, and a marshmallow on top... Ha ha, only kidding, i've got no time for that pretentious coffee curse word, as i sit there mulling it over, over my latte my phone rings... Uh-oh, its the wife! I pick up, WHAAASSSSSSSUUUUUUUUuuuuuuppp!! (In a Budwieser stylee!! Yes, we still do that in my house! Even the kids do it, and they wern't even born when that advert was on the telly!) Don't gimme that curse word she said, are you nearly home? Hmm, no, no, not exactly i replied, i've not long got here, traffic was pretty bad! Ok she says, but don't be long, we've got proper shopping to do! (honestly, i'm so rock n roll sometimes it hurts!) Was it worth going all that way for, have you bought anything yet? I replied with complete honesty, No, i've not bought anything yet, but i'm trying to! There's a pause, but then comes the magic words, Ok, well don't buy more than you can fit into the truck (My Chev-suzu!) Ok dear, i replied. Then came her reply in a Dom Jolly, Trigger Happy TV stylee... CIAOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!! She couldn't have yelled it any louder... SH!T i'm deaf!! I quietly yell back, CIAO!! Maybe not qiuet enough as the bloke on the table opposite me jumped lol! I finish my latte, and head to the cash point, i withdraw roughly half what the bike shop owner wants for his bikes, and head back to see him. We go and have another look at the bikes, and i ask him again if he will just sell me that one bike, but again i'm told that it's an all or nothing deal. Ok i said, well i can't give you anywhere near what you want, (as i pull out my little wad of folded notes) But i'll give you this, and not a penny more, and take the lot right now, today, and you won't need to faff around taking them to an auction where you might wind up bring some, or all of them back home again with you. He takes the money, counts it, and puts out his hand to shake. The shake is done, the deal is made, and i'm now the proud owner of a shed load (litterally) of bikes! Right then, how do i get all these bikes in the back of my Chev-suzu pick up? Before too long it had become obvious, there was no way that ot was going in the back of my pick up complete, so spanner out, wheels and pedals off, and all the frames went into the bed of the pick up, and all the wheels and pedals went into the cab of the pick up in the back seat! I set off for home, knowing that there's no way i'm in trouble for this, as mrs Pistonpoppers words were "don't buy more than you can fit into the truck!" And i havn't, i've got them all in! Arriving back at Pistonpopper Towers i am greeted by Mrs Pistonpopper who reminds me that i had said, four hours max, and it's been nearly seven! But then she forgets all about how long i've been when she sees the bike's i'm unloading!! What the heck is this? She exclaims. I looked at her and said nonchalantly, bikes! She said why have you bought so many? So i told her about how i wanted just one bike, but the guy would only sell all or nothing. She replied, then you should've bought NOTHING! So i said, but you gave me permission, you said i could buy them all! She was pretty adamant, and said she did no such thing. So i reminded her that she said not to buy more than you can fit into the truck, and i've fitted them ALL in the truck!! Apparently this is not what she meant! So i told her that she needed to be more careful about how she worded things in the future, so that we both know what she means! lol.
But anyway, here's the bike i was after, it's currently the only one i've put back together as i've not yet had time to put all the others back together yet, but i will!
I quite like the look of this frame, it's almost beach cruisery! I'm diggin those mudgaurds too! But i guess they'll stop me getting a muddy wet stripe up my bum and back when i'm out riding on it! As for the other bikes in my new collection, well they'll shape up to about a tenner each if anyone fancies one to try and allieviate their new found trouser size after the Christmas feasting is over!
Last Edit: Dec 11, 2016 1:50:25 GMT by pistonpopper
Just caught up on this thread and noticed this from page one - I had one of these new as my first "proper" bike when we moved from Germany back to England............in 1973
The other shopping bike i pulled out of the skip was a folding(ish) type bike called a Record.
This had some quite unique features. I quite liked the two tone pedals for a start.
Although it was only a single speed maching the coaster brake was quite cool, however the front brake left a lot to be desired.
It just sort of pushed down on the front tyre, this seemed like a bit of a bodge to me, but it did work ok to be fair. Unfortunately i failed to re-home this little beauty, and so sadly i took it to the tip. I think that it's biggest downfall was that it wasn't so much a folding bike...
it was more a bike of two halves, and the minute i showed people how to fold it i was met with a fair bit of, er, no thanks mate! I think i should've hung on to this really, but you can't keep them all, and so sadly it is probably masquerading as a baked bean tin now in the supermarket! Nevermind... I'll keep the next one, except that this is the first bike of this kind that i've seen, so the next one should be along when i'm about 92!
Just been looking at this and my other half looked over my shoulder. "Is that Mr Pistonpopper ? Good job you don't have your own money to spend or a way of getting stuff home easily"
Thanks for the offer mikeyp247 , just how big are they, and how do they work? Do you have any photos of them?
Oddly, I was discussing roof racks and things with a friend in Brazil only yesterday, so grabbed a pic and a vid of these very things.
My bikes hang upside down on pulleys in the ceiling space of my garage, so a bit of Microsoft Paint inverting and you get a snap of my bike:
Not the clearest, but it is in 2 basic parts, a bottle of air (in a bottle cage) and the horn/valve that mounts on the handlebar – connected by thin tubing.
Setup highlighted here:
The green circle highlights the thumb switch, which activates the valve (standard bike size) to release the air through the horn.
(EDIT: The air tube obviously doesn't lift over the bike lock that's imaged like I highlight, that's just me demonstrating to you guys that I am an idiot and can't actually use paint-type programs and don't really pay attention to what I'm doing. Pretty good job I have this horn then - help everyone out...)
At full chat it’s a bit loud to open up in an enclosed space, so I tickled it in a vid for my Brazilian (nothing to do with my wife) friend:
So all you need to make it work is a bottle cage, space on your handlebar and a few cable ties (or twist ties if you intend to bike hop). I put some foam round the bottle too for an extra bit of security and to stock it vibrating as I have metal cages – plastic ones would probably not suffer from ‘clinking’ while riding.
I was planning to sell it anyway, just not so soon! Infact i even tried to convince the buyer to buy something else of mine, but it was this he wanted, and oddly, only this! I was riding past the tip when i thought i'd call in to see if they had anything interesting to me, but pickins were really slim, then i noticed some fella looking at my bike, so i went over to it and took hold of it. The fella then asked me what i thought i was doing, as he was about to buy it! So i said to him that it is mine, and i had ridden in on it, and i planned to ride it out again! He then asked me if i wanted to sell it. So i said that i was plannig to sell it at some point, but not nessasarily now. He asked me how much i would be selling it for, and i said, i dunno really. He said, how about twenty quid!? I thought about it and then said that i had another bike like it, and if he'd like to follow me home he could have that one if he liked! So we headed off for Pistonpopper Towers.
