fiataccompli

A fleeting thought about what I ought to do with my recently rescued early '80s Pinarello that's in dire need of paint, decals & general TLC led me to the idea of rather than doing another 'restoration' with proper paint, decals, & all that...what about building the bike up in the same spirit people build up rat road cars...by that I do not mean something purely aesthetic & not functional, but rather building it up with some pretty nice parts - maybe some deep aero wheels, maybe integrated shifting, maybe downtubes, but probably very good brakes and 9 or 10 speeds in the back, but paint with purposeful wear/aging, maybe some sanded/blended primer, clear coat over bare metal where it's rubbed through, etc...just an idea right now. First I need to make sure it fits well enough to be worth more thought, but if so, I'd love to see or hear about your similar projects/bikes or bikes you've seen built in this vein. Share 'em up!

at risk of greatly over-publishing this picture, this is the bike I'm thinking of doing this with (or "to" if you happen to be someone who finds himself or herself truly offended by my idea):

KvltBryce

KonAaron Snake's Cinelli SC is a perfect example, perhaps he will chime in

squirtdad

taking the advantage to over publish.

Not exactly what you are talking about.....but here is mine. the pic is cellphone and doesnt really show it but there is a lot of rust and paint issues. Stablised the rust, fixed everything up and put differnt bar/levers. I was going to put modern dual pivot brakes on, but the pair I had didn't fit...so Koolstops and it stops fine.

most important a blast to ride.

SteakKnifeSally

I've been thinking of doing this with a Fiori in my garage; the pink and blue paint was nasty then, but the triple-butted Ishiwata ain't bad. I have some nice old tubular wheels, a modern double pivot break (though centerpulls might be nice. Perhaps a 1x8 drivetrain with a single downtube shifter, bullhorns and time trial brakes. Should come in pretty light and offend nearly everyone.

Go for it and post pictures.

Italuminium

Rattlecanned mystery frame, parts bin build.


P1040941 by ctjr, on Flickr

Was thinking about upgrading a ratty Motobecane frame I have with a 9 speed ergopower group, but the group won't play nice with the frame's french threads.

sailorbenjamin

T'aint a rat with out a coaster brake and a banana seat.

sailorbenjamin

That said, here's my rat rod Lenton GP;

fiataccompli

all good...but, hey, a ratty looking bike can still be quick, corner nicely, accelerate well, shift well and stop well. I'm thinking of one that would really make the CF crowd go, "huh?" when they see it in action.

Jax Rhapsody

Check out rat rod bikes, get all kindsa ideas.

squirtdad

you want the equivilant of dropping a 427 into a Vega..... should be fun.

fiataccompli

not finding a lot of skinny tires, multi-speed, freewheel(ish) stuff going on there...some cool & interesting builds, for sure, but not what I had in mind.

squirtdad

I beg differ a bit mine was 25 for tires, 12 speed campy, suntour freewheel on an italian frame. basically a mid level italian bike from mid 80's with a differnt handle bar and brake levers. It still handles and rides like an italian and the basket makes it "stealth"

seriously someone will post what you are thinking or close and if not, just go for it

bikamper

Not a road bike and not mine*, but a pretty damn nice example of a 'Rat Rod'.



*was mine last summer but traded it for motorcycle mufflers. Used to be a girls Schwinn.

Arrowana

I suppose if I just get it running, my Cannondale kinda fits that description:


I was thinking of stripping it and doing a early 90's splatter paint job, but rat rod is another idea... It's already got a decent amount of bare metal.

Bianchigirll 

Like this?





https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...ght=Ugly+Betty

echo

Picked up this frame the other day for $20 at the LBS, I have all the parts needed from an old rockhopper I had a few years ago...it takes a real man to ride a pink bike...crank and derailleurs are going on tomorrow and it's finished.

jjvw

I don't have a full shot of its current build, but I consider my Schwinn utility bike to be in the Rat Rod tradition. While I made no attempt to intentionally make anything messy or dirty, the frame and the conglomeration of parts, new and old and handmade and cobbled together, are far from pristine. Everything is functional and arguably practical and purposeful. Rat rod doesn't have to equal rock-a-billy.

spacemanz

Hmm, I have an early-90s Italian steel bike, with that splatter paint, but I don't really care for that kinda paint, and it has a few scrapes & scratches. Maybe I just need some stickers & graffiti, to "personalize" it. For a long time, people were doing that here in Seattle, to fool the bike thieves, and it makes a lot of sense.

gaucho777 

I wouldn't call this a rat rod (I'm not even really sure what that means), but this kind of meets your description. A mid-level vintage 'Vega converted into a city/errand bike with a mix of random upgrades including an octalink crankset & BB.



I think it's a fun bike. Too bad I can't find anyone to buy it.

canyoneagle

LOL BG! The Jim Beam is a nice touch on that one!

My version was this Marinoni. I went with a Sturmey Archer 3 speed in back instead of a standard drive train - like the "Club" racers of years past:




So, when I hear "rat rod", this is what actually comes to mind: (not mine)

puchfinnland

where is the pic of the frame flipped over and the BB welded on the top of the seat tube, it kinds looked rat rod ish!

then my friends bike-clearly ratrod, he is too cheap to rebuild it but rides it as is

Road Fan

I need to buy me some a them C&V 427 quads!

But, I've found good bearings, an aligned frame (no bent forks!), true wheels, and lighter parts improve a vintage frame just like they do a new one.

Road Fan

I like that front Pletcher, and Grandma needs her cheese brought to her, doesn't she?

fiataccompli

That Dawes probably captures the aesthetic I was thinking of best...imagine that 'look' of a frame with nice wheels and an overall very nice & nicely operating build.

In the '80s, I had a very nice mountain bike that I used to commute to college, get around, etc. and when it was brand new I stickered it up, put some random splotches of paint and even purposely over-greased the components and smeared dirt on the faces of them to make it look like a valueless POS to the very active bike theiving community. I could do that approach (a lot like the Cannondale above looks), but I dunno. I was even considering hand painting the lettering in the 'ghost' of the seat tube and downtube decals and then sanding it down to give it a sort of weathered lettering look (common rat rod car approach...think of the lettering on the door of the Sanford & Son truck, if that reference isn't too archaic for you).

Chris_in_Miami

My Paramount sort of fits the mold, though the patina is from genuine neglect. I'm looking for a front basket with just the right amount of rust to compliment the rest of the bike