Jonny69's chopped bikes extravaganza

[Jonny69]

Bike 1 :D

Back in early 2006 I got the urge to do my first bike. I was hacked off with fixing rusty stuff on my car so I thought about something for the summer and something I might mount one of my pulsejets on. I wanted whitewalls, I wanted mudguards, I wanted a rack on the back for mounting stuff on and I wanted practicality so a 1970s folding shopper it should be. Cue eBay and this little beaut turned up:

http://www.jonny69.co.uk/uploads/bikes/shopper/shopper_ebay1.jpg

http://www.jonny69.co.uk/uploads/bikes/shopper/shopper_ebay2.jpg

Perfect I thought and set about some simple plans in the garage to stretch it out a bit to accomodate me, a bottle of propane and something scary behind me. This is what I came up with on Photoshop:

http://www.jonny69.co.uk/uploads/bikes/shopper/shopper_ebay-stretched.jpg

Lugged it back across London on the back of my moped. Couple of hours later in the garage and this is what I came up with, lengthened, lowered, raked and the handlebars pulled right out:

http://www.jonny69.co.uk/uploads/bikes/shopper/DSC03038.JPG

http://www.jonny69.co.uk/uploads/bikes/shopper/DSC03039.JPG

And that's how it stayed for about a year. It went to Lemans with me where it was stolen by bloody pikeys and I thought that was the last I would see of it. Turned out it was a bit harder to ride than it looked and they ditched it and I found it a day or so later which was a bit of luck.

Roll forwards 6 months and I'd scored a really pretty tank off a Kawasaki sommat or other for a 125cc bobber project I had in my head which never surfaced so I decided to put the tank on the bike instead, since it fitted:

http://www.jonny69.co.uk/uploads/bikes/shopper/P1010108.JPG

http://www.jonny69.co.uk/uploads/bikes/shopper/P1010109.JPG

And that's pretty much how it is today. I've still got it, it's racked up some serious miles and it's been all over the place with me. Chelsea cruise, Lemans, hotrod events and all round here. I even punched that guy over his bonnet when he tried to knock me off it with his car. Top bike.

Here's a couple of minute videos of me riding it without the tank. They are 3gp files so I think you need Quicktime to play them:

movie 1 (http://www.jonny69.co.uk/uploads/bikes/shopper/BikeMOV00026.3gp)
movie 2 (http://www.jonny69.co.uk/uploads/bikes/shopper/BikeMOV00027.3gp)

[Jonny69]

Bike 2 :D

This one came to me under slightly bizarre circumstances. I had a mate round and we walked round to the supermarket and there was a rusty old bike laying in the middle of the high street. Everyone was stepping over it and were generally like wtf. Looked like it had been dumped because it was in a bit of a state, flat tyres, no oil etc. On the way back it was still there so I asked in all the shops and nobody knew anything about it, so hoiked it up and wheeled it home.

Anyway, it was just what I was looking for. Giant spindly rusty wheels with crusty old tyres, tatty leatherette spring seat, Sturmey Archer 3 speed hub, mudguards and ramhorn handlebars. In the garage I chopped the frame up and lengthened it about 8", dropped it about 4" and sunk the seat in the frame to try and get that 1920's look.

http://www.jonny69.co.uk/uploads/bikes/boardtrack/P1010176.JPG

http://www.jonny69.co.uk/uploads/bikes/boardtrack/P1010179.JPG

http://www.jonny69.co.uk/uploads/bikes/boardtrack/P1010182.JPG

Annoyingly I didn't take any pictures as it was because it was a really heavy short upright iron frame and you rode it like a Victorian. This is how you ride it now ;D

http://www.jonny69.co.uk/uploads/bikes/boardtrack/DSC00068.jpg

Movie 1 (http://www.jonny69.co.uk/uploads/bikes/boardtrack/BikeMOV00028.3gp)
Movie 2 (http://www.jonny69.co.uk/uploads/bikes/boardtrack/BikeMOV00029.3gp)

Sold it on eBay some time back because I was out of space. It was a hard decision to make but the shopper was marginally easier to ride. New owner seemed to like it :)

[Zirax]

Lol, the dangers of an angle grinder and a welder. Has to be said though that they both look like they would be a laugh to ride.

Hmmm, how about flipping the front handle bars on the shopper which would then mean you could make it longer and go for a kind of harley look

[Jonny69]

Hello, what's this on my car?

http://www.jonny69.co.uk/uploads/bikes/racer/IMG_2988.JPG

http://www.jonny69.co.uk/uploads/bikes/racer/IMG_2989.JPG

It's a bike! :)

[Jonny69]

Bike 3 :D

I scored this on the local Freecycle group late last week. A cycle off Freecycle, how apt! I've been wanting a racer to chop up for a while now, in fact I've got a thing for racers because I like things that are stripped down and fast.

The guy was quite nervous on the phone like if the bike wasn't in perfect condition I'd be round there to kill him. Hearing it wasn't in perfect condition but basically rideable made me think this was exactly what I was looking for and I tried to contain my excitement and kept my mouth shut about my plans. He had some special pedals he wanted to keep so I figured for the price of a set of pedals I couldn't go wrong. Back at work I got busy sketching up some plans for the new frame:

http://www.jonny69.co.uk/uploads/bikes/racer/IMG_2998.JPG

http://www.jonny69.co.uk/uploads/bikes/racer/IMG_2999.JPG

It had to be low and sleek with skinny tube but ultimately still rideable. The mistake I've made with the other bikes I've built is I haven't moved the pedals forwards so they can be quite hard work on hills. This one will have the pedals shoved right up front so it's a bit easier going. The question is just how long do I go ;D

Oh, and it has to fit on the roofrack on the car...

[Jonny69]

I wasn't prepared to pick up what would turn out to be a really nice bike...

http://www.jonny69.co.uk/uploads/bikes/racer/IMG_2991.JPG

http://www.jonny69.co.uk/uploads/bikes/racer/IMG_2992.JPG

It's a fairly old Raleigh frame with some ultra skinny wheels, 12 gears and some of the coolest tyres I've seen:

http://www.jonny69.co.uk/uploads/bikes/racer/IMG_2995.JPG

It weighs next to nothing and has Reynolds 531 stickers all over it like this one:

http://www.jonny69.co.uk/uploads/bikes/racer/IMG_2997.JPG

Figuring this might be a "feature" I looked it up on Wikipedia.

Reynolds 531 is a brand name, registered to Reynolds Cycle Technology of Birmingham in the United Kingdom, for a manganese-molybdenum medium carbon steel bicycle tubing.

Introduced in 1935, and for many years at the forefront of alloy steel tubing technology, it has been replaced and superseded by ever more complex alloy mixtures and heat-treatment/cold work cycles as Reynolds has continued to compete with other manufacturers of steel for the bicycle industry.

The approximate alloying composition for 531 is 1.5% Mn, 0.25% Mo, 0.35% C, and is similar to the old British BS970 En 16/18 steel. Its mechanical properties and response to heat-treatment are broadly similar to the AISI 4130 standard alloy steel, also used for bicycle frames, amongst other applications. This material was used to form the front subframes on the famous Jaguar E-Type of the 1960s.

Reynolds 531 is now only available to special order. But in the past was use by "Raleigh Bicycle Company" of Nottingham, England for their racing cycles, with other Reynolds tube used for the professional models.

So cool, I've scored what is basically a pro framed bike for free! I put some pedals on it and re-wrapped the handlebars with black gel tape. The rubbers on the brake levers are a bit skanky but they cleaned up with some thinners and the way I've done the handlebar tape covers a lot of it. Over at the bike shop the guy recommended I put 100psi in the tyres :shocked: or they get pinched and burst.

It rides really, really nicely and the lightest touch of the pedals shoots you up to pretty decent speeds. I'm reluctant to chop this one up so I think I'm going to keep it as my daily rider instead. Plus he funny steel in the frame would be a bitch to weld...

Ok crap excuses but plans are now rub the frame down, clean it up and give it a bit of satin black and leave it basically as it is. Would be cool to stick a smaller wheel on the front for that nose down attitude and fettle the headstock angle to compensate, but it's good as it is. I'll keep an eye out for another one to chop up. Watch this space :)

[LeperousDust]

Buy some new decent brakes for it and it (chain reaction cycles) sounds like you have yourself a decent daily commuter that you can leave without fear of being nicked.

[Jonny69]

Can't justify new brakes, the ones on there work fine and this is total budget cycling :D

[Jonny69]

Et voila

http://www.jonny69.co.uk/uploads/bikes/racer/IMG_3000.JPG

[Justsomebloke]

That bike is from my era & a pretty decent one at that. Personally I had a Hugh Porter Bantel that I did my road work on as I was limited to my still at school skanking budget but it was about the same.
I'd get a lock for it mate as anybody that knows owt about bikes will rob it for a winter road trainer.
Nice find & well recycled (see what i did there :D)

[LeperousDust]

I'd get a lock for it mate as anybody that knows owt about bikes will rob it for a winter road trainer.
Nice find & well recycled (see what i did there :D)

No they won't it really doesn't justify anything, it has very little resale value. It would barely buy someone who nicked it a packet of fags. I'm not saying its not worth anything, but its not worth a thief's time, there much better stuff out there.

Get a cheapo lock only to stop scrotes just nicking it because they can. Just need a smallest of deterrents.

[Justsomebloke]

It's not about resell value it's about finding the Ideal Winter training bike for nowt.
A winter trainer is hard to find at a reasonable price & once that price is payed people don't like to use them during winter :confused: J69's is the perfect Winter trainer & if left unlocked anywhere somebody will chore it for themselves not to resell on.

[semi-pro waster]

Your chopper/cruiser looks pretty cool but I'd be slightly worried about all the stress on the extended frame as those fold-up shoppers aren't exactly very sturdy to begin with.

Well done on the third bike as well, I think you're right though about Reynolds 531 being a bit of a bitch to weld and that's a damn funky pump you've got there too.

[Jonny69]

I'm with M... er I mean Justsomebloke. Anything left in a position that makes it even remotely easy to steal will get stolen round here. Leave a bike D locked to railings round here and you'll come back to find the saddle and wheels missing. I certainly won't be leaving it anywhere out of my sight and it's locked in the garage most of the time.

However, it's only a bike and as nice as it is it still only owes me £30 :)

Your chopper/cruiser looks pretty cool but I'd be slightly worried about all the stress on the extended frame as those fold-up shoppers aren't exactly very sturdy to begin with.
Two things: 1. I have leant it up against a wall and jumped on the frame and it barely flexes, it's not going to break. New steel and sound welding. 2. It's not very far to fall because it's so low :D

[Jonny69]

I'm still bumming around off work and glued to Freecycle like a junk hoarding jippo. Today I managed to score a junked mini moto :)

http://www.jonny69.co.uk/uploads/bikes/mini%20moto/IMG_3501.JPG

It's pretty snotty but it's almost complete and the engine turns over. Plenty of rust so I reckon it's been at the bottom of someone's pond or shoved behind their shed. More pictures...

Clutch is a bit snotty but sort of moves and I think a bit of WD40 will free it up:

http://www.jonny69.co.uk/uploads/bikes/mini%20moto/IMG_3502.JPG

Rear gear and er, stuff, really rusty but nothing a bit of WD won't fix:

http://www.jonny69.co.uk/uploads/bikes/mini%20moto/IMG_3503.JPG

Ah well you can't see down here but it's full of stagnant water, mayonnaise and a snail:

http://www.jonny69.co.uk/uploads/bikes/mini%20moto/IMG_3504.JPG

The pull start is missing which is a bit of a jip but it looks like you can get them on eBay for under a tenner delivered. Foliage came free with the bike:

http://www.jonny69.co.uk/uploads/bikes/mini%20moto/IMG_3505.JPG

Front brake is present and looks like it'll work with a bit of fettling:

http://www.jonny69.co.uk/uploads/bikes/mini%20moto/IMG_3506.JPG

Back one is missing the caliper but I can work around that and just use one brake ;)

This is the bit I'm interested in, the engine. Turns over, seems to be complete apart from the pull start and has a little compression:

http://www.jonny69.co.uk/uploads/bikes/mini%20moto/IMG_3507.JPG

I haven't had the carb apart but my first worry was the tank being full of slime and all that being in the carburettor. I may have got lucky because there's a fuel tap on the carb and it was in the off position, so you never know...

It even has an exhaust with a little expansion chamber ;D:

http://www.jonny69.co.uk/uploads/bikes/mini%20moto/IMG_3508.JPG

Anyway plans are to chop it up and make into an ultra cheap two-wheeled terror to take to Lemans in a few months. I'll try and get the engine going but if it won't run then no loss, I'll use some of the other bits and make a push bike instead.

So far the plans are it'll use the 4ft ape hangers off a small blue chopper bike I made and I think it has to use the wheels off the mini moto. Need to get my sketch book out...

[Jonny69]

This the fella donating the handlebars:

http://www.jonny69.co.uk/uploads/bikes/mini%20moto/IMG_3510.JPG

[Zirax]

Looks like a cracking little project. Keep meaning to check out Freecycle, could probably shift some stuff on there.

I'm off to Lemans as well this year :)

[Kell_ee001]

I think you take on some brilliant projects Jonny :D

[Jonny69]

Bit of a result with the bikes! I asked for junk bikes because I'm just going to be chopping them up and robbing bits off them but these aren't as bad as the owner made them out to be and were only 10 minutes away from me!

First up is the SPACE ATTACK! Apollo kids bike:

http://www.jonny69.co.uk/uploads/bikes/mini%20moto/IMG_3511.JPG

It's just a mini mountain bike but has some funky shape frame tubes that I can use for something and seems to have massive adult handlebars which will come in handy. It's also got these grabby end bars which I've been looking for to put on my racing bike:

http://www.jonny69.co.uk/uploads/bikes/mini%20moto/IMG_3512.JPG

I'll cut them down so they're real narrow, satin black and they'll go on my black racer.

Second bike is quite a cool chrome BMX:

http://www.jonny69.co.uk/uploads/bikes/mini%20moto/IMG_3513.JPG

Again seems to have ultra wide adult bars but it's in good nick apart from the grips and saddle and has those spinny roundy brake things so you can do stunts. Or get twisted up and eat tarmac in my case.

http://www.jonny69.co.uk/uploads/bikes/mini%20moto/IMG_3514.JPG

http://www.jonny69.co.uk/uploads/bikes/mini%20moto/IMG_3515.JPG

http://www.jonny69.co.uk/uploads/bikes/mini%20moto/IMG_3516.JPG

I'll just clean the decal adhesive off the frame, polish it up and leave it as it is. Good little bike that, too good to chop up. Or is it...? ;)

Last bike is the parts bin, missing a front wheel but it's a good size steel frame in good condition that will donate its tubes to the project:

http://www.jonny69.co.uk/uploads/bikes/mini%20moto/IMG_3517.JPG

[Desmo]

Is that why they call it freecycle? :D

[Jonny69]

Three cycles from freecycle :D

[cleanbluesky]

Johnny, how did you get into metalwork?

[Jonny69]

Always been into it with the old cars. Bit of practice and some basic tools and I can make quite a lot of stuff :)