Ever build a "rat bike"

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Wasn't sure if that was a term often used in non-motorized cycling circles, but... basically a crude, ugly, utititarian two wheeled contraption of some kind, some things chopped off, a few more stuck on and flat black more often than not. The plan was to use a "better than Wal-Mart but not as good as say, a $1000 MTB" frame, make it a single speed and put Michelin TransWorld-ish rubber on, paint black and ride the crap out of it. But after I "traded" my Raleigh for a sooper sweet Roadmaster Mt. Fury, the oppurtunity to transform that "bike" presented itself. Off came the questionable deraliuers, shifters and reflectors. Off came the 2nd and 3rd chainrings, cable holding thingys (had to use the crude but effective Dremel method) and excess chain. Next is to clean the spilled beer and, um... *fluids* off, sand, paint and go find mud. Aside from the bike being built and designed by people who are Taiwanese sweatshop workers instead of, oh I don't know, bicycle engineers I've got myself a nice new toy. Anybody else?

Buddy of mine sort of made a rat bike. He had a bunch of old parts laying around, and wanted a bike to ride in our crappy Northern NY weather. He took an old frame and flat-blacked it. Made it into a fixed gear. Black road bars, black cantilever brakes, black everything. He loves that bike now, rides it all over, and even did a century on it a couple of months ago.

My rat bike is my winter bike. It's not black, more a rust color. It's an old Raleigh mountain bike. Fenders, mountain/mudder tires for the snow, bar extensions, covered in rock salt and calcium chloride. I just keep spraying WD-40 on it every time I ride it and it keeps going. In the spring I'll wash it all down and replace everything that's trashed, then put it away till next winter. I did a century on that thing a couple of weeks ago. I don't think I could ever get rid of that bike, I've had some really great winter rides on it. Of course, I don't think anyone would ever want to take it either....

Well, I finished today. The frame looks great and it rides nice too. That is, for about half a block. The rear wheel is bent to crap. Damn thrice recycled impure aluminum!

I've built two or three over the past three years. It all started three years ago when I wanted a bike I could ride from the shop to the apartment (3-4 miles away). I didn't want to use my 'good bike' because it just wouldn't be cool... 2/3 of the way to work was old four-wheeler trails and hiking paths. The rest was road.

I started with an old,old mtb frame I had when back in the 90's. I had already stripped it, painted it neon yellow with some airbrushed green flames. I even spray bombed the fork a metallic gray.

I then gathered up parts from different bikes I had bought at yard sales, junk stores, etc. When I say this thing was rough, I mean it was rough:
flat bars - spraybombed
thumb shifters from back in the 90's
leftover grips
no front derailleur
44 & 54 crankset
vintage Shimano rear derailleur
old flat pedals
steel rims (complete with patina)
U-brakes off an old road bike
original seatpost
cool old seat with springs built in

The only thing I didn't skimp on was the tires: I used the best two in my collection of YSJS (yard-sale-junk-store) stash.

I rode the bike almost every dry day for three months. Then one day, I had been having so much fun, I rode my "good bike" home. As I weaved down the four-wheeler trail, I came to a screeching halt as I saw the bulldozer digging up the rest of the trail. I had to hoof the remainder of the ride on the road...it sucked.

Since then, I've built two others, both a little better than the one before. I actually priced myself out as I painted the bikes slicker and better. I ended up repainting the neon yellow bike a kandy green with pearl green inserts. I sold it on ebay to a dude in MI and he built up an awesome singlespeed, complete with chopped road bars...

i have a ratbike, it consists of,

on one the gimp frame
my old 2005 rockshox pike fork
crap sun ryhno lite rims
my old gazza juniors tires
avid mech brakes
truvativ hussefelt cranks
truvativ pedals


i just screw around on it....