Monday, January 11, 2010

THE SMALLEST PRODUCTION "ROAD" BIKE EVER?

Could this Morrison Monkey be the smallest production road bike ever made.
I don't know, but I do know it sure is one of the craziest modern production bike's I have seen.
Check out the clearance( or lack of it) of the rear derailleur.

As you can see, it used to have a a gear shifter on the top tube, just one of several unusual features on this crazy machine, I love it.
I have decided to give this ugly duckling a full restoration, so will post some photo's when it's back to it's original glory.

HOW NOT TO SET UP A 1949 SIMPLEX


Yes, that is the end of my 1949 Simplex derailleur, the very one that I had been saving just for this restoration., oh well, it did go out being used on a racing bike and not just sitting around in some collection gathering dust, that's what I keep telling myself anyway.

I guess the cable stretched a bit,the lower jockey wheel caught the spokes ( all of this happening at high speed), and the next thing you know, I'm flying through the air, though not for long, as gravity quickly takes over in the proceedings.
At lest it wasn't a Suzuki GSX1100, which is what came sailing over the top me last time I went over the bars on a bike and bit the dust.

The Empire back on the road now, with a Campagnolo Grand Sport filling in for the Simplex for time being, a friend is sending me a another broken Simplex, which I hope to rebuild using the spares from mine, which, unfortunatelywas more wrecked than it looks in the photo.

Left a real nice bruise, arm and back looked about the same.