Ratted treader

[g-funk]

great, those backwards tandems are crazy looking! cant believe your eyes at first.

if you ride one of the backwards tandems on the road, may cause drivers to crash

my favourites are the 'swing bikes', where they weld an extra steering tube in place of the seat post, 'breaking' the bike, but looks like great fun to ride. (around 3 mins into the bicycle rodeo video).

 

[chunkolini]

We rode it round a festival site , I will never forget the Dreadlocked guy, looking at us, scratching his head, then looking at his spliff, then back to his us, and back to his spliff, and shaking his head mumbling to himself as we cruised off into the distance.
I've got a swing bike as well, my exmate Bob, 'borrowed' my Cannondale and left his old Kona behind, he never came back so I hacked u the Kona and grafted an extra steerer tube into it.

This was the first ride, after a while I can ride it around a manhole cover, along the kerb one wheel in the road one on the footpath, and sidesaddle. Another one that confuses the pot heads.

Chunko'.

 

[andypocock]

One front wheel aquired...

...and a couple of rusty bits of pipe which will make nice forks.

 

[chunkolini]

Ha Ha
That will handle a treat, comfy angle on the fork,not sat to far back.Poifick. Not tippy, not floppy, just very stable.

A contender in the klunker Classic 2009 if I am not mistaken.

Geniune functional transport* if I am not mistake.

*Functional Transport?

A four mile round trip, uphill from my place to the A40/A49 roundabout at Ross on Wye, 2nd right on the A49, visit my mates cider farm, taste the product, in volume and get back home in one piece. we did this on the Longpig tandem. Once.

Andy, your life is ruined. You are now The Official Town maniac. Your next job is a Tallbike. Sorry Old Bean, no option.

Ha Ha , The Infestation Spreads.
Chunko.

 

[madkayaker]

Chunko the first cider powered welder!

 

[chunkolini]

Ha ha!!
Chunko'.

 

[andypocock]

"A contender in the klunker Classic 2009 if I am not mistaken"

I'll end up in some mad West Country hospital where they think a cow pat compress and stinging nettle tea is the answer to all ills.

 

[English Steve]

"A contender in the klunker Classic 2009 if I am not mistaken"

I'll end up in some mad West Country hospital where they think a cow pat compress and stinging nettle tea is the answer to all ills.

Isn't it then? Seems to work for most of mine.

 

[andypocock]

Today's silliness...

... ran out of gas half way through sticking the forks together. If Mig, Tig and Arc aren't open in the morning that will be the end of play until next week

 

[chunkolini]

10:10
That looks rideable and original. But wait is that PAINT on the forks?
How high is that bottom bracket? definitely no ground clearance problems there.

May I offer my apologies to your family before they disown you.

Does 'It' have a name? Does 'the man formerly known as Andy Pocock' have a name?

Time to to do the ritual.

Ahem, you need to drink vast quantities of appley based mildly toxic fluids, then at the cruciall point you need to open your mind to the great freewheel, and you will hear a name present itself, a message from The Great Rat, scrawl it down in indelible pen so you dont forget it.

I was The First to do The Ritual, and became Bennitto Chunkolini Prince Of Darkness. Chunkolini is fine Chunko', is ok, but Chunkums, Chunky etc can be fatal. Let alone Chunkypoos.

A bizarre story here. My halfwit henchman M23, Deputy leader in RatpatrolUk did just this ritual, Hmm M23 what a stupid name, suits him. We googled it and this was the first thing that came up http://ratmap.gen.gu.se/ShowSingleLocus.htm?accno=23 Truly The Great Rat works in mysterious ways.

Now google Klunker Classic

Chunko'.

 

[andypocock]

Red oxide over the welds - does that count as paint?

Apart from running out of gas the only problem I had was finding that one stem I had was 21mm and the other 22mm. I'll need another 21mmm to stuff up the bottom of the steerer. Off to the bins again.

It doesn't have a name yet but I expect I'll think of one the first time I fall off. That said it did quite well on the scoot test.

Not too far off the ritual now. Join two chains together and hook up a seat. Then say goodbye to the family.

 

[andypocock]

As predicted by the Head Rat it handles like a dream. You could do the Tour France on this baby...

As a therapeutic exercise I can highly recommend sawing up an old bike and then welding it back together. It's just like OT in the nut house but with more sparks.

The man formerly known as Andy Pocock

 

[wyn]

Is that a sort of "Springer" type thing you've got going on at the front end Andy ?

 

[andypocock]

Only in so much as there is quite a bit of spring in small tubes I used to brace the forks

They really would have been better around the back in tension

 

[chunkolini]

Whay hey, 'The man formerly known as Andy Pocoak' tidy bit of kit. Top marks, does it have a name?
re forks, an interesting set up. It's great to see something new going on. That will ride an absolute treat, raising the front allows a nice long fork without too ridiculous a fork angle. You could add another piece to bridge it up to the top of the top stem bolting it under the clamp bolt, make a hell of a difference.

Fantastic, now then which bit fails at the drop off on the Klunker?????

There was one guy who took three years to finish the race, If I am right he rode the last half mile on the front disc brake.

I think I will have to organise another ratrace, see this link to the first one
http://www.rat-patrol.org/RPUK/RatRace.html
as well as a few other events we have participated in.

What do your family make of all this nonsense? or have they already left?
Interestingly most of the guys we know who do this have supporting wifelets, the kind who go ''Hmm lovely dear, take a sandwich and some plasters'' and when we get together they get on like a house on fire, almost like a counselling session, ''What? your husband is as crap as mine''

Great stuff.

'The man formerly known as Andy Pocock' your next challenge is to make either a tallbike or a swing bike.

Blown away, Chunko'

 

[andypocock]

I like the head brace idea Chunko and not just because I have an half an inch to lose on the over long steerer (currently filled by a spare top nut with the middle turned out. I wasn't going to buy a spacer).

My wife just gives me the "For Christ's sake you are 47. Are you ever going to grow up?" look.

Off to Arundel tomorrow morning so I might take it along to try out the hilly streets. Good practice for the Klunker and it will give me something to do while she is at mass.

I think I feel a tallbike coming on next. It could end up a longbike. It just depends which way the bits seem to want to go together.

Anyway I think this one is called the sloper because it looks like it's verticals have gone a bit slopey.

The man formerly known as Andy Pocock

 

[twowheels]

Like the bike

When do men ever grow up I certainly dont want to. Just need leather jacket and dark shades.

 

[chunkolini]

Tidy, seeing The Sloper with you on board I cant see any weird handling problems developing, until you try and pop out of the 20ft deep bombhole and rail the berm.....
What is that on your head? A silly hat always helps. When you go out in public you must practice the ramrod face, no gurning or smiling think 'Victorian Bloke' he never smiled or reacted to anything.

I have always been surprised by the reactions of the Yoofs, even the hoody wearing low lives like it. I have even had bad ass bikers give us a wave, no that is not a surprise, they are as mad as the rest of us.

Buy your wifey some flowers and then offer to make her a bike.

Chunko'.

 

[simon718]

or make a mental tandem

nice work andy, gonna have to give it a go meself at some point

 

[Wozzaaah]

I've got to say, I'm sooooo tempted to knock something together, better start freecycling for bits
Actually, I know where there's a complete ladies mtb dumped in a hedge, that'd be a good start