Bike Project: Nearing the end
The end is in sight. Over the past week I’ve collected all but two of the remaining parts I need. I grabbed a seat post, bar tape and some bricabrac from The Hub. Then I got a saddle and seat post clamp from One on One — a store I’ve been wanting to visit for a while.
One on One turned out to be a really cool place; part coffee shop, part sleek bike store, part grease-coated part store. And underneath it all is a bike graveyard/scavenge area.
I’ll be heading back to One on One within the next few days to pick up the rear rim I ordered. Once I have that rim built up into a wheel, I should be ready to assemble the entire bike.
For the actual bike assembly I’ll probably go to Sibley Bike Depot. I’ll be able to take advantage of their space, tools and expertise. Apparently I can use their shop without becoming a member, but that hardly seems fair.
At the start of this week I finished painting the frame and applying the decals. It looks pretty good. Certainly not as good as a professional job, but it was fun to do myself. And it has no shortage of character. Here’s the head badge:
In case you don’t know, that’s Notorious LINCOLN, a rapping cat that, for reasons that I don’t understand, became the theme I designed my bike around. I dunno man, that cat just makes me laugh.
And here’s the frame:
The text on the down tube is done with two types of text. The “Notorious” part is done with dry-transfer text. It comes in sheets and you just rub on the letters you need. This worked far better than I expected, actually. The “Lincoln” text is done with stickers, as I couldn’t find dry-transfer lettering that I liked. The stickers look good, but I’m worried about their thickness. They may peel off far to easily, even though I’ve coated them with a ton of clear enamel. So after some time my bike may just say “Notorious” — oh, well.
Is the text perfectly aligned? No. But it gives the bike character. That’s certainly one thing this bike has a lot of.
Ze Totals:
Days: 46ish
Cost: 668