the adventure of researching parts..

I have been doing tons of research on old balloon tire bicycles for the past 3 or so years now, and when I started planning this Wild Card build I was (and still am) getting into the early board track racer motorcycles of the early 1910's to mid 1930's. I found out that these builders of the board trackers would take apart a brand new stock motorcycle and put back together after they would take off everything they could to lighten up the motorcycle. These motorcycles didnt have brakes, lights, transmissons, suspension of any kind, and were built for wide open throttle racing on oval tracks made from wood. So I took that philosophy and applied it to the Wild Card. The Wild Card frame is a Rollfast 26" boys frame and back when these balloon tires bicycles were made they would came with everything they could put on a bicycle in those days such as, fenders, lights, horn tanks, rear racks, and tons and tons of chrome on the top models, also 3 speed internal rear hubs (coaster brake). Now this is where I start to do my research in what parts I wanted to use as I want to build this bike as simply as possible... so no horn tank, or fenders, or lights, or rear racks, or tons and tons of chrome. I knew from the get go I wanted the drive train to be skip tooth, and a fixed gear (where the rear sprocket is directly connected to the rear hub... meaning the pedals are always in motion unless you stop moving you legs kind of like the BT motorcycle with no brakes or gears) which of course the parts are no longer being made. It was time to search these parts out.... {to be continued}