Murray Missile 

Yes, I actually paid money for this, but not very much. It's not classic or vintage but it's definitely dirty and old, well, early 80's old anyway. It's a Columbia Clipper 10 speed, circa 1982. As soon as I saw it in the back of Mr. Haney's truck I had visions of a poor man's Klunker. The only things I'll be using from the original bike are the frame and fork, I have a pile of old MTB and BMX take offs that are cosmetically challenged but still functional and heckuva lot better than what's on it now. Under all that grime the paint is solid, unfortunately it's also a very boring plain brown but I have a bunch of old rattle can paint to use up so I'll see if I have enough of something more interesting to paint it with. It's a super cheap frame and I know it would never hold up if used as a real klunker but it's a way to have some fun and put some old parts to use. I have almost everything I need but I want to convert it to a 3 piece crankset so I'll need to pick up a Truativ BB conversion kit and I just bought a BMX seatpost so I can get the saddle up where it needs to be.

Shp4man

Is that the original saddle?

Murray Missile 

Yes and it's in great shape, but heavy. The bike must have hung upside down in someone's garage for the past 30 years. All the dirt is on the bottom surfaces and it's thick. I almost let it go to the junk but when I saw it used BMX brakes a little light popped on in my head. Need to get that taken care of one of these days...... I have steel replacements for all the plastic cable clamps, Suntour thumbies and derailleurs off an early 80's Haro MTB and a Sakae triple crankset of the same vintage. I also have the Araya rim/Suntour hub wheels off the Haro, they are reasonably true, just not real pretty. Perfect for this build.

daf1009

Funny thing...I can see what you saw in it...while definitely way down on the totem pole...there is a certain element to it that just says "help me!" Great catch...will look forward to seeing the overhaul!

Johnny Mullet

Following this build!

USAZorro

It wouldn't take much to modify the model name to "Flipper".

Looks like/sounds like a fun project.

Grand Bois

You can see some beautiful Klunkers in Marin, where they were invented.

USAZorro

Is there a term for the handlebar overlapping with your knees? I guarantee I would crash within the first mile on that one.

Grand Bois

Take a look at the other picture. The bars are so wide that it would be impossible for your knees to reach them.

USAZorro

I am terribly ignorant. I saw "klunker" and presumed it was a generic term, rather than an actual style of bicycle. They do have a definite style that obviously has more appeal to others than to me. I could honestly tell someone on one, "cool bike". Just don't see myself having one.

tricky 

Excited about this! It even has a beefy front fork. Good for bombing hills.

Think you could swing some hub brakes front and rear to really keep it in the style of @Repack Rider?

Grand Bois

Klunkers are for Klunking. It all started in Fairfax, Marin County, CA, where I took those pictures. They say that they were the precursors of mountain bikes, but they were only ridden down the hill, so they bear more similarity to downhill bikes.

Video: I'd Rather Be Klunking

Repack Hill got its name from the coaster brakes that would overheat and boil out the grease.

https://www.marinij.com/general-news/...e-of-the-sport

SquidPuppet

This is a must watch if you are interested in the birth of mountain bikes.

djkashuba 

This is a great read; not just about bikes but about an era:

https://www.velopress.com/books/fat-tire-flyer/





-D

Repack Rider

Thanks for the plug. I supplied words and images, but my publisher took them and did a job of artwork and printing that made it a classic of bicycle literature for all time.

The klunkers in the rack shown above are built by a longtime friend of mine, and they are intended strictly for town bikes. He does not "klunkerize" them for off-road.

Here are a few reviews of my book, Fat Tire Flyer, Repack and the Birth of Mountain Biking.

Dirt Rag

Red Kite

Pez Cycling Bookshelf

Murray Missile 

Thanks guys, if this one turns out to be as much fun as I anticipate I'll do something more true to the real thing down the road. I'll have to snag a copy of the book and movie.

Murray Missile 

Update: Stripped it down to the frame last month and had planned to paint it because the dingy "Meadow Muffin Brown" was a real turn off. i drug it out today to wash it so I could sand and prime it today, I discovered it was actually a kind of cool Metallic Root Beer Brown, not a "great" paint job but not bad. It was pretty dull so I took some 3M Micro Cut polishing compound to it and it shined up decently. I got the gumwall knobbies mounted and stuck the wheels on it, I'll get a picture tomorrow. I think it's going to turn out pretty decent for an el cheapo. Spent some money on it tonight though. I ordered the 3 Pc. BB adapter, a set of dirt bike (motorcycle) handlebars, a slingshot quill stem and a few other pieces.

bane

I'm glad you're keeping the brown. When done well it can look great.

bikemig 

It's a graceful bike in a 50 lb. kind of way,

I like the old clunkers though.

Murray Missile 

I'll have it down to a svelte 40 by the time it's done LOL.

NormanF

If I'm not mistaken, that's a Lepper Primus 215 saddle! Sweet!

Henry III

That was the main reason Gary Fisher added derailleurs to his klunker so it would be able to climb. That was a turning point in klunkerz was adding derailleurs so they became more versatile instead of just something to bomb down Mt Tam.

Murray Missile 

Stuck the old bars and stem in to make it easier to move around, not much to see right now but it's a bit of progress.

cs1

Bought a copy for a buddy. I liked it so much I got another for myself. Great read!

Repack Rider

Thanx X 2! The world needs millions more like you.