Work of Art Bike = Bike of Artwork

[DJR]

...........put so much time and effort into making a gift come to life,...........

I have to confess that I had so much fun doing this project, I felt half guilty about perhaps enjoying it too much. 

 

A full on art-bike is something I've wanted to do for many a year. To build a bike purely for the unique aesthetics and the coolness factor and (of course) make it work 100% without letting function get in the way! That's why I used parts from whatever maker, as long as they worked and looked right together.

 

We did not change the frame and kept the rear derailleur hanger, shifter bosses and cable guides. Only the ugly front derailleur mount was removed. So, it can be built into a geared bike again in future.

 

I will definitely do it again. 

[Underachiever]

The only vehicle fitted to complement that stunning piece of art is a 90 Defender.

 

@DJR, maak n plan man!!!!

[MORNE]

reminded me of the cool things bmw used to do with artists:

(then again...art only looks sexy on art....so it wont work on modern ones lol)

[Shebeen]

This is just amazing on so many levels.

I'm just disappointed that your children are too old to feature in the "riding with kids thread". You would have had so much rich gravy to add to that wonderful soup

[DJR]

This is just amazing on so many levels.

I'm just disappointed that your children are too old to feature in the "riding with kids thread". You would have had so much rich gravy to add to that wonderful soup

I have posted on there as they grew up, but the last few years I couldn't justify calling them kids anymore - from about when they started to ride faster than me.  

 

The fantastic thing is that they still ride with me and I think it is exactly because of all those early adventures   

Edited June 5, 2020 by DJR

[EddieV]

That is beautiful DJR. Love the art work. Minimalistic and inspired!  

 

That unique integrated seatpost-seatstay lug is called the "fastback" style I think? Circa 1982/3? 

 

Awesome awesome bike   

[Jakkals.]

What can I say, Landy okes rule!

[DJR]

That is beautiful DJR. Love the art work. Minimalistic and inspired!  

 

That unique integrated seatpost-seatstay lug is called the "fastback" style I think? Circa 1982/3? 

 

Awesome awesome bike   

That seatpost clamp is the most unusual thing and I hoped that it would help identify the frame, but this far nobody came up with even a guess. The seat tube is not split at all  and the clamp works with a little sliding lug that moves when you tighten the bolt to clamp the seat post. I'll post a few more close up pictures in the hope someone will.

Edited June 6, 2020 by DJR

[DJR]

For clarity: The two bits indicated with the red arrows move to clamp the seat post.

[Rocket-Boy]

In the end I decided to use Joan Miro, Spanish Catalan abstract and surreal artist, as inspiration for Davids’ bike! 

Great choice! I love Miro's work.

[zuludog]

GREAT !!

love and passion

[Maaknplan]

Very very nice, and Im so glad to see that you kept the shifter bosses and derailleur hanger.

Its sad when people make fixies and cut them off so that it becomes almost impossible to restore the bike to original in the future.

 

I have to confess that I had so much fun doing this project, I felt half guilty about perhaps enjoying it too much. 

 

A full on art-bike is something I've wanted to do for many a year. To build a bike purely for the unique aesthetics and the coolness factor and (of course) make it work 100% without letting function get in the way! That's why I used parts from whatever maker, as long as they worked and looked right together.

 

We did not change the frame and kept the rear derailleur hanger, shifter bosses and cable guides. Only the ugly front derailleur mount was removed. So, it can be built into a geared bike again in future.

 

I will definitely do it again. 

[Dicky DQ]

But is this not just another fixi?

[DJR]

Very very nice, and Im so glad to see that you kept the shifter bosses and derailleur hanger.

Its sad when people make fixies and cut them off so that it becomes almost impossible to restore the bike to original in the future.

That was the idea from the start. We still don't know what frame it is, but everything says that it is good quality, and it would just be a tragedy if we later discovered that we ruined something irreplaceable.

 

The rear derailleur hanger, cable stops and guides were no problem, because you don't really see them. The front derailIeur direct mount was ugly and I removed that, so if ever someone decides to build it into a geared road bike again, he'll just have to use a clamp mounted front mech. The shifter bosses were the difficult thing to deal with, cosmetically, because they are so visible and cannot be hidden. So I decided to make a feature of them. I took two Shimano shifter / cable guides / stops and filed and shaped them into two conical pieces that I polished to a shine. They now look like two bright eyes in between the artwork and strangely enough, they "disappear" and don't detract

[DJR]

But is this not just another fixi?

    Yes, he went around the block a couple of times with the fixed side of the flip-flop hub - and changed it around to freehub single speed - I'm kind of glad because I value his teeth!

[Beattbox]

Dawid, I've had the pleasure of seeing this bike in the flesh and was also privy to some of the secrecy and planning that went into this build, but to read the back story of the process that you went through in deciding on the colour way and collection of parts, is truly inspiring.

Reading through your posts from the beginning, I couldn't wait to see the end product in your story even though I've already seen it some months ago.

Once again well done on an incredible build for one very lucky 21 year old.