It Lives!

I am very stoked about the progress so far.

I ended up replacing quite a few things at this point, but as I have mostly used original longjohn spare parts from the Monark factory in Sweden, I am still pretty close to the original aesthetic. Here it is after carrying my first cargo home.

Beer and belgian chocolate, Hooray!

Things that got changed:

• Original 24 inch single speed rear wheel got replaced with a 23 inch 3 speed wheel from Monark's current Longjohn series.
• Tubes and tires front and back.
  
• Original sprockets and chain did not fit the sprocket on the new wheel. So I got a brand new Crank, pedal setup, chain and sprockets compatible with modern size standards.
• Old style Bell and 3 speed SRAM gear shifter added to the handle bars
• New springs for the stand again from the Monark factory.
• Ergonomic saddle from Hobson Associates.
• Reflector pads added front rear and sides to meet legal standards.
• After market sign added. It came with wire strips to attach the sign to the frame. Again my local bikeshop came through in a big way and added custom fixtures for the sign at no extra charge.
• Added a Ring style lock.
  

Details of the new stuff:

I know that especially the seat is a departure from the classical Longjohn look. But for me Comfort > Style > speed. My first priority is to ride comfortably with whatever cargo tickles my fancy. If original parts get in the way of that I have no qualms about changing them.

I need to add content on the sign. My current thinking is to get some custom bumper stickers made with magnetic backing so I can change the graphics as I see fit.

I have ridden the bike extensively over the weekend both with and without cargo. The handle bars may need to go, as my wrists are at a slightly uncomfortable angle when sitting upright on the bike.

This brings me into the next topic to ponder. I am seriously considering adding some basic cruiser bike styling to the longjohn. Perhaps a big chopper style handle bar and classic harley style mudgards are in order.

I am still undecided, but am very tempted to go all out on "pimping my ride".

Next post when I feel like it.
Cheers
-Tom