My modded bikes (and projects!)

I've just found this place, and whilst I've not done a car that would fit here (yet, but boy do I have some ideas), I've done a bus, and quite a few bicycles....

Here's my Raleigh Gran Sport. It came with a stuck seatpost, and missing it's Campagnolo front derailleur, so I sold all the Campy, and the Cinelli bars and stem for more than I paid for the bike, and then discovered the seatpost was stuck at my height. On went Shimano Golden Arrow derailleurs (matching the lovely frame), a Wrights leather saddle I had around, Simplex Retrofriction derailleurs, and some dual pivot Shimano brakes which outperform the original Campy. Then I picked up some moustache bars, and some leather bar wrap, and hey presto, and very nice Randonneur, essentially free...

Before:



After





Here are two choppers I built, one for me and one for my son. The 20"er is a BMX, we just chopped the fork and welded in a lengthy section. You'll be pleased to hear that I did tidy up the filler that's covering the weld, and spray the fork silver. The seat is from a Raleigh Chopper, with a sissy bar from some internet supplier. The 26"er was mine, just a mountain bike with the biggest ape hangers I could buy, banana seat, and a sissy bar which, being designed for a 20"er, was too small really. It got stolen from my garden, but never mind, I'll start again, this time with a bit more ambition (at least a custom sissy bar!)




Here's a single speed I knocked up from bits I had, just to give me a bike to lock up at the station that nobody would use. I had the frame because one of my projects is a super lightweight 3 speed built on a 531 touring frame. I picked this 3 speed, which had alloy rims, up at the tip for a fiver, essentially for the wheelset, but who can resist a gold frame? Finished it off from here with a gold BMX chain, a big old sprung saddle, and a rack



Here is the project du jour. At present, it's just a single speed Raleigh 20, but it's going to be pimped, rat rod style. I'm building a wheelset around red deep section rims, 48 spoke front on a BMX hub (to deal with the beating an 18 stone man riding round the city dishes out), and a Shimano Nexus 7 (7 speed hub gear) at the back. Black spokes, matt black paint job, black leather sprung Brooks saddle, leather handlebar grips (think I'll keep the Cowhorns!). It'll be a sweet ride when it's done. The wheelbuild is holding me up cos I'm an amateur.


Here's the lightweight 3 speed referred to above. It's a Dawes Galaxy frame, it has a 3 speed Sturmey Archer hub in alloy rims, and will have an alloy chainset. Should be about half the weight of the traditional 3 speed.



Another half finished project. This urban assault bike was gonna be single speed, til I acquired a set of wheels with Sturmey Archer 5 speed hub, and hub brakes. All of a sudden, it's now going to be the world's greatest rain bike. This is still in the single speed phase



Here's my Nigel Dean fixed gear conversion. I wanted to do an extreme track bike look, and it looks great, but it's hell to ride. That's exacerbated by the fact the frame is several sizes too small for me, so I actually ride with a lot more saetpost showing. I may reuse the parts on a different frame, as this is unrideable with such a seat-bars drop. On a frame my size, it could work.



And finally (for now - I have lots more), my chrome single speed. I don't know the origin of the frame, but it does look and ride lovely. I have no desire to fix this one!


And here, afer I replaced the worn out yellow tyres with black and white...