07 October 2009

Cloud Bike

On a grey rainy day I thought of this "Cloud Bike" I spotted on Newbury Street last week. I thought the color scheme was distinctive, when I got closer I noticed many personalized details.

powder colored bike
What do you all think of this custom headbadge? I'm intrigued with custom headbadges at the moment.

custom headbadge on a bike
I was also interested in the chainguard, as I was working out how to mount mine. My setup looks nothing like this one, both are good.

attachment of chainguard
A simple clamp works if you have the arm that comes off the chainguard. I wonder if that could be fabricated? Their chainring is a better size, aesthetically, than mine, it tucks in nicely to the guard while mine is a little small. I like the look of this one.

attachment of chaing guard
This clamp is obviously made for the job, and does it well.

8 comments:

Jon said...

I make headbadges for a lot of the bikes I refurbish/modify. I always think of them as the signature on the bike. My current runaround bike has a Soviet era Volunteer Police badge as a headtube badge (appropriate, as the bike is red).

You could easily repurpose a coaster-brake arm clamp for the rear of a chainguard, and I have used waterbottle clamps for the front, on a few bikes.

Thom said...

Wonderful. I love that they've taken a vintage bike and completely customized it. This job probably cost them a couple hundred dollars, but it looks as good and probably functions as well as one of the super high-end custom townie builds that are coming out now. Thanks for posting, it's a real inspiration.

Velouria said...

Great colour and customisation. I love custom badges as well. Jon's Soviet Police badge sounds interesting!

kfg said...

"I wonder if that could be fabricated?"

Well, ummmmmmm, how do you think it came into existence in the first place?

Charlotte said...

kfg - you're getting EXTRA snarky in your old age! :)

OK, OK, I wonder if that could be fabricate BY ME, out of common materials, without a shop or any sort of torch? (and by torch I mean heat, not a British flashlight).


Jon, I love the Soviet Volunteer Police badge, that's great!

kfg said...

". . .you're getting EXTRA snarky in your old age!"

I used to be a painfully dry wit, but now that Carlin's gone someone has to start taking up the slack; and you kids - GET OFF MY LAWN!

"I wonder if that could be fabricate BY ME . . ."

Oh, well, that's different. Never mind. A Unimat might come in handy:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZe3E3rpRTk

Bucky Fuller used to assert that one of the greatest advances that mankind could make was to give everyone a lathe and teach them how to use it. I got spoiled in my youth by being able to just wander down to the physics dept. machine shop. I need to get my own one of these days because I'm starting to get that itch again. . .

". . .by torch I mean heat, not a British flashlight. . ."

Ahhhhhhh, OK. One of those I've got. I left the other kind behind in Narnia. I hate when that happens.

For strapping, what Jon said. It's just generic stuff these days. For more real custom straps you can get the metal strips at the home store (plumbing dept.) in either galvanized or aluminium. Stuffs pretty easy to work with simple hand tools.

Anonymous said...

I have used plumber strapping material in some of my builds. You can get it in a hardware store and it comes in a roll. Basically it is like a roll of metal tape with holes in it that can easily accomodate a nut / washer / bolt combination. I used 2 lengths of it to extend some legs on a rack that I was mounting on a Sports. I envision that you could use it to mount a chainguard.
-RB

Little Tiny Fish said...

The problem with using plumbers strapping is that it is prone to rust, something that would be hard to avoid on a mud/water/salt/snow guard. If you do use plumbers strapping you might consider putting a ring of rubber around the chain stay as well as a clear coat on the strapping to prevent contact with the elements.