heft3_crank_inhalt.qxp
25.11.2006
08:47
Seite 19
Well, just up to the day he saw Marco Wittwer's lowered Dyno Coaster (featured in Crank! Mag #1). He was blown away by the proportions of that bike. He just had to have something like that. But how? As mentioned above, money was short. But studying also has its benefits. Matthias is a student in industrial design, so his university had the resources to provide him with everything he needed to know and to have to build his own bike. In August 2004 he kicked off his low budget project. First he measured everything up for proper ergonomics. Then he designed the bike in CAD on the computer. The final sketch was drawn on paper with a fineliner, and off he went to the university's metal shop. His master craftsman liked the idea and welded up the frame, taking just a crate of beer for it. The frame has four old bike frames and a few extra tubes and solid rods
in it. Together with the bent fork Matthias purchased from Schellings it had a wheelbase of 1.8 meters. The drivetrain was ripped off an old abandoned ladies bike. Handmade chain guides keep the chain straight. The old "Atlas" saddle was acquired from the fleah market. Matthias wanted the bike to look like the US Army's old Harley Davidson WLA, so the frame and the fork got powdercoated in the original semi-flat olive, as well as the one meter wide motorcycle handlebars and the sandblasted old headlight. The headlight's glass was replaced with a slotted plate like they used for blacking out back in the days of World War II. For the wheels he first took his Dyno Glide apart. After only three months, the bike was ready to hit the road. Measuring 2.48 meters in length and only 85 centimeters in height, it had Matthias desired proportions. Later he was lucky
Bike – Feature
enough to snatch a Hawk Douglas from eBay. He just had to take it 'cause it was dirt cheap! The 26 inch singlespeed wheels with black 36 spoke rims, quick release hubs and 26 x 2.35 inch Schwalbe offroad tires went straight onto the army bike, replacing the Dyno wheels, as they added perfectly to the military theme of the bike. The same goes for the tool bags on the handlebars and left of the rear wheel. Maybe some of you have seen 25 years old Matthias and his army bike at several cruises all over northern Germany during the last two years. The bike turned out damn great, especially for a low buck project. But it's not just a show bike for the cruises. It's on duty almost every day, and Matthias already has many miles on it without any breakdowns! Hats off from the Crank! Mag Crew! 19