Granny’s Nightmare
Chopper Bike
Chop an old ladies’ bicycle into something evil.
By Brad Graham
You know what irritates me? I drive out to the dump, pay my five bucks to get
in, and the only bikes laying around are those goofy granny bikes from the late
1970s. OK — enough whining — a real chopper artist can chop any bike, even
a crusty old codger cruiser.
Here’s how I hacked and welded a granny bike into something evil. Normally,
I wouldn’t even bother with a bike like this because it has a lugged frame.
This means that the head tube and bottom bracket are just press-fit and
brazed into place, rather than welded. You can’t salvage lugged joints for most
projects because they have holes where the tubing fits together, and brazing
filler metal interferes with arc welding. But this project was doable as long as
I kept most of the frame intact. >>
Photography by Brad Graham
68 Make: Volume 11
