B*****d Rat Bike
- Thread starter accountantpete
- Start date
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Rob3rt
Man or Moose!
- Location
- Manchester
A fashionably low key beaten up old sh*t heap as far as I understand.
Rhythm Thief
Legendary Member
- Location
- Ross on Wye
Some of us have been driving around in what are now called "rat cars" for years, all without having to have a special name or be part of "scene", FFS.
ComedyPilot
Secret Lemonade Drinker
- Location
- The Kingdom of Yorkshire
?
I found the series to be quite a refreshing tonic - a much-needed antidote to the incessant back-stabbing, judging, popularity contest, OTT soap opera, reality, z-list non-celeb drivel dominating the tv schedules at the moment.
Opinion - that's all.
ComedyPilot
Secret Lemonade Drinker
- Location
- The Kingdom of Yorkshire
Yes, but after three of them I was ready to ram his camper van up his bottom!
Opinion too!
He was only at the show (where the rat camper was mentioned) on the 8th episode?
What did he do that was irritating?
IMO he came across as quite a nice bloke....?
(apart from the fact he was driving everywhere)
A show like that on a touring bike would be good....?
Night Train
Maker of Things
- Location
- Greater Manchester
From what I understand, the 'rat' term was used to describe motorbikes and cars that are kept going with no recourse to new parts or proper maintenace schedules. If it breaks then fix it with what ever comes to hand with minimal cost and effort.
It lead to vehicles that are kept working with anything, hence the piles of scrap parts, and were never cleaned or properly painted over, hence the rust patches.
Modern rat fashion is the complete opposite.
Effort and expense is put in to paint removal in the same way as stone washing and prefading new jeans.
Items of scrap are bought and then fixed on to look 'just so'.
My hack bike is a true rat. I got it on freecycle, it has the wheels and pedals from a scrap yard find, the seat came off a bent and twisted sub £100 MTB, the cables were made up form shortened cables left over from my KMX, the brakes were made up from bits I found in a box of assorted bike parts that came with a Silver Fox frame, the chain is the best bits of scrap chain linked back together to make one long chain.
The only 'new' parts are the MTB tyres that came off my Marin when I put road tyres on it.
My car is also a rat in the making. It still looks great as a car but slowly the gaffer tape and zip tie repairs are showing in the wheel arches, the blobs of paint on the bonnet are just to stop holes from appearing from stone chips, The additional wiring to make things works are stopping the carpets from lying flat.
It has a towing pintle and a winch, a bit of PVC gutter over the back seat back to allow long lumps of wood to be slid in onto the dash board, wires poking out from the dash to run the satnav, phone and FM transmitter. I fixed one of them last night with a band aid.
It will gradually decay away in a pile of gaffer tape and zip ties a I run it into the ground.
It lead to vehicles that are kept working with anything, hence the piles of scrap parts, and were never cleaned or properly painted over, hence the rust patches.
Modern rat fashion is the complete opposite.
Effort and expense is put in to paint removal in the same way as stone washing and prefading new jeans.
Items of scrap are bought and then fixed on to look 'just so'.
My hack bike is a true rat. I got it on freecycle, it has the wheels and pedals from a scrap yard find, the seat came off a bent and twisted sub £100 MTB, the cables were made up form shortened cables left over from my KMX, the brakes were made up from bits I found in a box of assorted bike parts that came with a Silver Fox frame, the chain is the best bits of scrap chain linked back together to make one long chain.
The only 'new' parts are the MTB tyres that came off my Marin when I put road tyres on it.
My car is also a rat in the making. It still looks great as a car but slowly the gaffer tape and zip tie repairs are showing in the wheel arches, the blobs of paint on the bonnet are just to stop holes from appearing from stone chips, The additional wiring to make things works are stopping the carpets from lying flat.
It has a towing pintle and a winch, a bit of PVC gutter over the back seat back to allow long lumps of wood to be slid in onto the dash board, wires poking out from the dash to run the satnav, phone and FM transmitter. I fixed one of them last night with a band aid.
It will gradually decay away in a pile of gaffer tape and zip ties a I run it into the ground.
biggs682
Itching to get back on my bike's
- Location
- Northamptonshire
i would take that to be the same as a rat bike , ie somethink that can be left where ever without the owner worrying if it got stolen etc etc
Fnaar
Smutmaster General
- Location
- Thumberland
By the definitions above, I've worked out that I have a "b*st*rd rat body"
Yellow Fang
Legendary Member
- Location
- Reading
I see Cinelli offer a range of Bootleg Rat cycles. I can see they sell mystic rats, racing rats, hoy hoy rats and dos rats, but I can't see any bastard rats.
http://www.cinelli.it/scripts/prodotti.php?Id=3&lang=EN&IdBici=479
http://www.cinelli.it/scripts/prodotti.php?Id=3&lang=EN&IdBici=479
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