Last time I was in Portland Or., I stopped at several yard sales and flea markets along my usual routes around town. I must say that PDX has some of the best yard sales I have ever been to. I don’t know exactly why that is but it just is. Even when residents throw out stuff from their garages and basements, they usually put a sign on the pile that says “Free Stuff” and often times the “stuff” is really good, and it doesn’t take long before the entire pile disappears. I’ve scored tools, hobby items and collectables often new-in-box from just one pile. Now that I think about it, the fact that they have basements (unlike here in L.A.) might be why they hold on to generations of stuff until they decide to have a yard sale or toss it to the curb for anyone to pick through.
One day I happened upon a garage sale on NE 33rd. There was a tall blue Schwinn World road bike with warped wheels and bent drop bars leaning against the house. I was mostly interested in the frame for a forward slanting pursuit bike I had always wanted build so after a brief negotiation, I got it for $10. But after some months of it sitting at my house, I started to have different ideas as to what I could do with it to make it my own design.
I took notice of the Dutch step-through frames that are gaining popularity, thanks to Flying Pigeon LA in Cypress Park flyingpigeon-la.com , and realized they all seem to have a tall head tube in common.
The other signature feature of a Dutch frame is the gracefully curved top tube. For this, I would have to purchase yet another tool. A tubing roller (not bender). I got lucky and scored one from Harbor Freight for $130. After a quick trip to my new favorite place, Industrial Metal Supply in Sunland, I was ready to make a bike.
This build presented few problems due to the fact that all the cuts to the frame did not allow for the critical angles to change or have to be jigged back into shape. The cut frame held all angles for an easy and straight refit of the new tubes and fabrications.
The only part that gave me concern was the gross imperfections of the Harbor Freight tubing roller, but with some coaxing it gave me the results I wanted. I would never consider this roller for a production tool but it's good for DIY projects.
When I bought this frame in PDX, I told the seller, Chelsey, I was going to modify it and would email photos of the build as a gesture of thanks for the bargain price. The bike’s original rider was her father, Alan and because I like to brand my two-wheeled creations I dubbed it the VANALAN (Van-Alan) with some decals I found at a local model train shop. Although it was rather tedious to slide on fragile water transfers one by one, it was the most rewarding part.
I used as many original parts as I could. You would be surprised at how much one can spend on just low-end components for a single bike. As I have no resale number (because I am not a commercial enterprise), I have to pay retail for everything.
Original Equipment: Headset and Stem, Seatpost, Front and Rear Brake Calipers, Bottom Bracket, Chainrings, Crank Arms and Pedals.
New Parts: Front and Rear Alloy Wheels with Single Speed Hub and 17t Freewheel Cog, Tires and Tubes, Grips, Saddle, Brake Cables and Housing (the good stuff), HD Single Speed Chrome Drive Chain, Bell, Dust Caps for Crank, Kickstand and Tail Light.
Recycled Parts from other Bikes or Parts Stash: Handlebars, Old-School Dia-Compe Brake Levers, Seat Clamp, Hardware Bits to modify rear caliper cable entry from below, and Wheel Reflectors.
This bike has become one of my better builds as I refine my process to a higher standard. My bikes will always have that “hand-made” quality about them with slight imperfections that, as my wife says, only I can see.
