JAM’s Joyride
Send it!
The Story
Our friends are having a baby! So what does a good friend get them? Diapers? Books? Cute baby outfits? Noooooope. A bike that the kid can’t use for a couple years is definitely the better idea.
These friends are some of our closest riding buddies, and it’s inevitable that their kid is going to be one helluva shredder. As soon as I heard that they were pregnant, I knew that a shitbike was in this kid’s future.
The name JAM’s Joyride come’s from the kid’s initials. At the time of painting I wasn’t allowed to know the first name, only that the initials were going to be JAM. That was enough for me to work with!
Design Goals
The Joyride has one design goal. Look cool to a little boy. If I accomplished that, then the hope is I have set him up for a lifetime of buying expensive bike parts and an ingrained N+1 mindset. Riding bikes is one of the best things in the world, and all I want is for this future shredder to agree, and eventually ride with me.
The Donor
The basis for this bike was a Craigslist-sourced camo flavored Strider that looked like it had been through a couple of kids. It was the perfect canvas.
The Problems
Tight tolerances. The original paint was very simple on this bike. A glossy black was all that covered the steel. Shitbike paint jobs are typically somewhat involved, with many (usually about 10) different coats of paint involved. It turned out that 10 coats added enough thickness to make some fittings VERY tight. I had to resort to “kinetic persuasion” (a rubber mallet) to press the seat back on to the painted seatpost.
The Outcome
JAM’s Joyride miiiiiiiiight be my favorite shitbike. I really like how the colors turned out, but most importantly I’m excited about what it represents. Hopefully this is a vessel that will get a kid hooked on what I truly believe is a lifetime sport, cycling. If this little shitbike is responsible for bringing a person joy, then it’s all been worth it.
Build Specs
Frame
Strider Balance Bike
Fork
Stock Strider Fork
Wheels
Stock Strider Wheels
Brakes
N/A
Rear Derailleur
N/A
Cassette
N/A
Shifter
N/A
Chain
N/A
Headset
Stock Strider Plastic Headset
Stem
N/A
Handlebar
Stock Strider Handlebar
Seat
Stock Strider Seat
Bottom Bracket
N/A
Crankset
N/A
Chainring
N/A
Grips
Stock Strider Grips
Tires
Strider Solid Foam
Seatpost
Stock Strider Seatpost
Paint
Custom Canz Dipsy Blue, Kiwi Lightning
The donor!
The camo was just a sticker.
Test strips, this little guy is in the middle.
Media blasted frame
Black primer.
Because the frame was so small it was easier to just paint the whole thing with the text/graphic color.
Sticker masks applied.
Main color applied.
Sticker masks removed.
Reassembly was just a little easier than a regular bike!
