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Need squatted bicycle inspiration? See cool designs and get ideas for your own awesome bike!

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So, you wanna know about this squatted bicycle project, huh? Lemme tell ya, it was a ride, and not always a smooth one. Took a bit of doing, but I got there in the end.

Need squatted bicycle inspiration? See cool designs and get ideas for your own awesome bike!

It all started ’cause I saw these super low, stretched-out bikes online and around town. Looked mean as heck, but the price tags? Forget about it. So I figured, why not try to build one myself? How hard could it be, right? Famous last words, as usual.

First, I got my hands on an old beater bike. I think I picked it up from a neighbor who was clearing out his garage. It was rusty, a bit sad-looking, but the frame seemed solid enough. Perfect. My grand plan was to just slam everything down and make it look cool.

Getting it Low – The Hard Part

Dropping the seat post all the way down? Yeah, I tried that first. It looked kinda goofy, not really “squatted” like I wanted. More like a regular bike with a really short owner. I realized pretty quick this was gonna be more work than I initially thought. I spent a good while just staring at the frame, sketching out bad ideas on scrap paper. Some folks I know said I was crazy to even bother, that it’d never work right.

I didn’t want to go full chop-and-weld on the main frame, mostly ’cause my welding skills are, uh, let’s just say “basic” at best. I was more worried I’d just ruin the whole thing. So, I focused on finding ways to alter the geometry with bolt-on solutions and some clever (or maybe just desperate) part sourcing. I hunted around online for different fork styles, even thought about making some custom brackets to lower the whole front end, but that got complicated fast with my limited tools.

Then there were the handlebars. I wanted something wide and low, something that gave it that aggressive stance. I went through a couple of sets I found cheap. The first ones I got were too narrow, made it feel awkward, like a kid’s trike almost. I ended up finding an old cruiser bar and actually bent it a bit more myself. Lots of trial and error, man. My knuckles still remember some of those stubborn bolts.

Need squatted bicycle inspiration? See cool designs and get ideas for your own awesome bike!

You know, I was doing all this mostly on weekends and some evenings. My regular day job, well, it pays the bills, but it ain’t exactly thrilling stuff. Felt like I was just going through the motions, ya know? This bike thing, it was my escape. Something I could actually build and see progress on, even if that progress was slow and sometimes felt like one step forward, two steps back.

  • Scrounging for parts became a weekend sport. I checked out flea markets, online marketplaces, and asked buddies if they had any old bike bits lying around. You’d be surprised what people just have sitting in their sheds.
  • I hit a major snag with the rear wheel. Trying to get that low profile without the tire rubbing against the frame was a nightmare. I had to adjust the axle position, then re-adjust it, probably about a dozen times. Lots of taking it apart and putting it back together.
  • And paint? Don’t even get me started. I thought I’d do this cool matte black finish. My first attempt with spray cans looked terrible, all streaky and uneven. I had to sand it all down again, which was a pain, and then tried again with a different technique. It came out better, not perfect, but good enough for a garage build, I guess.

There was this one evening, after wrestling with the seat position for what felt like an eternity, I finally got it to sit just right, low and angled back. I stepped back, looked at the whole thing with the wheels on, and it actually started to look like the image I had in my head. That was a good feeling. I realized then that maybe, just maybe, this whole crazy idea would work out after all.

The “Squat” Achieved

So, after all that sweat, a few busted knuckles, and a fair bit of cussing under my breath, it was pretty much done. Or, as done as these kinds of projects ever really are. It’s low, it’s a bit rough around the edges, and it’s definitely unique. It ain’t gonna win any beauty contests, and it’s probably not the most practical bike for a long trip up a hill, but man, it’s mine. I built it with my own two hands.

Riding it around the neighborhood, it’s a totally different experience. You’re way down low, you feel every little bump in the road. But it’s got character, you know? Every time I look at it, I remember the whole process. The frustration, yeah, but also the satisfaction of figuring stuff out and making it work.

Honestly, this whole project wasn’t just about building a weird-looking bicycle. It was about making something tangible, learning a few new things (like how not to paint), and kinda proving to myself I could see a dumb idea through to the end, even when it got annoying. More than the bike itself, I think I needed that feeling of accomplishment. It’s funny how a pile of old metal can teach you a few things about patience and just sticking with it, eh?

Need squatted bicycle inspiration? See cool designs and get ideas for your own awesome bike!

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