This is a Grifter custom I am building for my wife for Christmas

Here is the spec:

Frame: standard Mk2 Grifter resprayed in a one-off purple pearl metallic
Decals: Bespoke ones based on the Mk 2 Stars ‘n’ Stripes with a difference
Handle Bars: standard Mk2 with foam removed and a matching bar pad instead
Grips: BMX of some sort haven’t decided yet
Brakes: MX 901 with two finger levers with slick cables with purple outers
Wheels: Black Mags (free wheel no gears)
Seat and post: Alloy post and ATB/BMX saddle (not decided yet)
Tyres: Odyssey Red walls 20x2.125 (already checked clearances)
Crank set: Standard Mk2 refurbed/NOS
Pedals: Standard Mk 2 refurbed/NOS or O/S BMX (haven’t decided)


Got a Mk2 off Ebay that was advertised “partially restored, just a few bits to add” well straight away you know that was    , especially when your saw the pictures but it was cheep and perfect for me as I was going to do a full strip and custom.

So here it is, I already stripped most of the standard bits off and put the good bits into storage for full resto I have planned.

Also the wheels are just some I had laying around.







Here we are mid strip down



Time to get the forks out



mmm….partial restoration, I will give £20 to the first person to spot any lubrication on these bearings!



Bottom bracket out next along with the stand using my cunning stand tool ( A Grifter owner should always have one of these)



And there we have one stripped frame ready to have its decals removed



Out came the toffee wheel and the decals were off in a jiffy



All ready to strip the paint off



That’s it for now    

--Last edited by wood5tock on 2007-01-03 23:34:54 --

Cool bike

Hey I might fit alloy bits to my silver Grifter.

Got a fluted alloy Burner seat pin, I got it at car boot sale for 50p in the packet.

But also got a micro adjusting seat pin from a DB FS20.  Diamond back are owned by Raleigh

Got 3 or 4 pairs of alloy 3 speed wheels.  And theres lots of alloy brakes in my spares box.  Even got those black Weimmann brakes Raleigh put on bikes, why do they not have lock nuts on the adjusters tho?

But I dont know about modding it.  It goes nicely as it is.  My other Grifter is heavily modded.  

hey chris

how did you get your decals off , as i am trying to get the ones off of silver 79 and its a pain in the ass , what is a toffee wheel ?

Quote :

steve edwards wrote : hey chris how did you get your decals off , as i am trying to get the ones off of silver 79 and its a pain in the ass , what is a toffee wheel ?

This is a Toffee wheel



It's a rubber wheel used in the automotive refinish industry for getting the sticky goo and stickers off of cars with out damaging the paint underneath took me all of five mins to get the decals off the frame  

it even smells a bit like toffee when it heats up too

Big update on the PMG fellas,    

less than a week to go before it HAS to be completed!!!

Got the frame, forks and handlebars stripped back to bare metal

Then it’s on with the etch primmer





After that on with a guide coat and flat back and imperfections, you can just see the guide coat on the cross bar.

Then I mixed up a “one-off” deep purple pearl basecoat and sprayed the frame, first few coats shown here    



Also sprayed the bars and forks back to gloss black

Then on with the clear coat all five coats off it, mmm…deep ‘n’ shinny







Will give that a couple of days to harden off at 20oC  

Also have got all the bits through from various sources

Mmm…Black Mags



Red wall Bermudas



New saddle and alloy seat post





Dia-Compe MX901 brake callipers old skool kool



Two finger levers, haven’t decide which ones yet HELP!!!    



Purple linear cables, (purple cables were quite hard to find)



Red chain to match the tyres and a DB freewheel



Decided to go for a set of MK1 decals as I wont have enough time for bespoke ones



Also got some Shrooms



So all that remains is checking and polishing the frame, forks and bars, then its build up time    

Almost forgot these New Union pedals

nice one !

all the work you have done so far looks top notch.
what did you use to get the frame etc. back to bare metal ?
i pressume if your using the mags it will only have the one gear, yes ?

bet you can't wait to get it finished off.

and remember to get some pictures up of it once it's finished

Quote :

grifter.ste wrote : nice one ! all the work you have done so far looks top notch. what did you use to get the frame etc. back to bare metal ? i pressume if your using the mags it will only have the one gear, yes ?

Cheers mate

Q1 I used paint stripper first as although the frame was powder coated it make the coating brittle so you can use a rotary wire brush to take it off. Next time I will get a frame shot blasted but I was up against time you see

Q2 Yes it will be a free wheel no gears, although I am in the future goin to make 3spd mags

PICTURES!!! Hell yeah me lika da pictures      

thats it my girlie is now ever so slightly damp , that is looking so georgeous , and go for the top brake levers with the brushed alloy .

well done a credit to the marque

  love the paint job did you use rattle cans? or use base coat and clear and put it thru a gunn? either way it looks great. i have a spare frame and forks now you've got me thinking about a custom Grifter Mmmmm. will those wheels be left black or are you gonna dye them? Koooooool well done

Cheers for the comments guys

@ Steve, glad you said that re levers as I am swaying towards the silver ones as well. So YOU have confirmed the choice  

@ Agent Orange, All done with a gun mate the only way to spray , as far as the wheels go I am keeping them black for the mo but i do have an idea to flat the hub and spokes down and use the purple and fade it out, like this



but not spray the rims where the brake blocks make contact  

--Last edited by wood5tock on 2006-12-19 13:54:51 --

have you checked that the 901 brake calipers are long enough to touch the rim as on some bikes they arent long enough

   love the wheel colour  
did you get the wheels from the bay? if so was it markanthony?
i've just fitted a pair to my Goose i recon they r cool,

i always use a gunn and comp always a better finnish

Quote :

Agent Orange. wrote :    love the wheel colour   did you get the wheels from the bay? if so was it markanthony? i've just fitted a pair to my Goose i recon they r cool, i always use a gunn and comp always a better finnish

I was going to get them from him but I noticed these for a little less (same wheels I think)

Quote :

Time Lord 1 wrote : have you checked that the 901 brake calipers are long enough to touch the rim as on some bikes they arent long enough

First thing I checked before and after I got them