Bikes For Tykes of Puget Sound -- Redline PL20 Custom BMX

This bike was literally thrown away, and was headed towards a landfill. An astute friend rescued it and delivered the bike to me, along with a bunch of others that had been pulled from the same transfer station. The frame was covered with surface rust, victim of a failed sanding job. But I could tell it was a quality bike at one time, despite the nasty componentry that had been bolted to it. The frame was straight and it was generally complete. But with the surface rust, even the most desperate of recipients would want it. In order to make it acceptable, it would need a lot of work and accessories. Since we strive to recycle as much as we can, I decided to use "Scrappy Bike" - as my son called it - to see just what it would take to bring a clunker back to life. I wanted the experience of assembling something from scratch, so the goal was to tear it down and then build it up to be just like new again.

Turns out I chose the frame wisely. As it turns out, the bike was a Redline Proline 20 from the late 1980s or early 1990s. This WAS the quality bike that I thought it might be, the choice of many BMX racers back in the day. What a shame that this one ended up in the dump! It was a good one to save, and thankfully we got it before it was too late. To commemorate its Redline heritage, crusty chrome, and near-dumpster demise, we christened it The Rat Lincoln.

I stripped the bike down and boxed all the parts. Close inspection determined that the rust I saw was merely on the surface, and that the frame was not rotten anywhere. Big relief...that meant it could be cleaned up. But what does a person do when the frame is covered with surface rust? Well, there are two options when the chrome is trashed: rechroming and powdercoating. I chose powdercoating for the project because it has quick turnaround and is environmentally friendly. It's harder than paint and extremely durable once the coating is baked on. With all different colors available, I decided to have Bulldog Powdercoating of Mukilteo WA do it in Semi-Gloss Black to give it a unique look. Bulldog removed the rusty chrome by media blasting the frame and fork in a blasting cabinet. Blasting and coating took about a day. Their work was fast and the quality was above board. Once the frame and fork were home, I started gathering parts:

New 48-spoke wheelset, eBay
New Tires, Local Bike Shop
New Handlebar, eBay
New Threaded 1" Headset, eBay
Used Seatpost 7/8 - FREE
Used Redline dirt jumping saddle - FREE
Used Redline Crank, eBay
New Flat Black pedals, eBay
Used front pegs - FREE
New Rear pegs, eBay
Used Tire Tube - FREE
New Tire Tube, Local Bike Shop
New Chain, Local Bike Shop
Bearing Race cut from 27.0 to 26.4, Local Bike Shop - FREE
New 44-tooth Mongoose flat-black chainring, Swap Meet
New 18-tooth BMX Freewheel, eBay
Used Bottom Bracket, FREE
Used 21.1mm Stem, FREE
New Black Grips, eBay
New/Donated Rear Cable & Housing - FREE
Custom .45 Bullet Shell Valve Caps

Total work time was about three hours, not including parts collection. The result, as you see in the pictures, was a complete change from the original bike. It rode nicely, presented well, attracted lots of attention at a BMX event, and truly looked like nothing else. All the black pieces worked well together with the small amount of chrome the bike had. It was a thrill to build, and worth every minute of the experience.

And the best part about Rat Lincoln? This bike was given free to a 10-year old rider in August 2006! He was grinning ear to ear as he rode away.

Redline Proline 20 - Before repairs

Stripped frame and fork, lots of surface rust

Picking up frame and fork at the powdercoater's shop

Custom Valve Caps, made from .45 caliber shell casings

Rat Lincoln after all repairs and assembly