Since we have just seen the two nicest minis on the planet(the Proflie and Hutch) I have some questions about our little brotherin bikes.
Was it common for them to have the intergrated seatpost clamp?. And what size exacltly are those tires? I have an NOS Norco mini I'll have to post a pic of. It's not as decked out in great components as the Hutch or the Proflie by any means. I plan on giving it to my son this summer to ride! Should be fast.....

post some more mini pics....



Al.

My youngest daughter's mini Titan with 18" wheels. She loves her race bike!

Here are a couple Mini Rippers that I just can't seem to finish. They will be for my sons once they get a little older.



I think the white one will be getting white tuffs with blue comp IIIs.

The polished one will be getting silver Araya 1.5s if they will fit. The chain stays are so narrow on this one that it may only fit 1 3/8 or 1 1/8.

Some companies used the integrated clamp as a means to save weight. It came and went depending on the year. Hutch had the integrated clamp for only one year (1983). JMC had it longer I think and also used it on their larger bikes. I do not believe Profile ever had it but I could be wrong.

The real skinny tires are sew-up, tubular tires. Self-enclosed, they ARE the tire and tube. They must be mounted to sew-up compatible rims. They are stretched and carefully rolled-onto the wheel and glued into place (so they don't roll right off when riding). If you are 6-ft, 240lbs like me, then you obviously do not plan to hop on and take it for a spin....so you can skip the glue. Just mount it dry. But if you are building it for your son to ride, then use glue!

Sew-up tires are not all that common, and are downright hard to find at times. Especially era-correct ones. Clement (super-rare and very cool), Panaracer, Comp V, and Cycle Pro (snakebelly) all made sew-up tires. For old school hoops, Araya is probably the most common. Italian-made Nisi rims are a great choice and lighter than Araya.

It's an old picture that you may have seen already, but it's my all-time favorite picture of any bike I own:

not to be overly humble, but there are several minis around here that are at least equal too if not nicer than mine (like tom's above... my inspiration)... I do appreciate the compliment though. thanks.

just off the top of my head, John De Bruin and Alan McCorkle have some beautiful minis...

a note about seat clamps. my 1982 profile still does not have one yet. it requires a 7/8 clamp which seems to be more of a mid-school thing. it IS cut for a clamp though, so I know they're out there. but, it also has a factory hole in the front of the seat mast... for which i'm told is for using a nut and bolt set-up (forgoing a seat clamp all together thus save weight). If anybody has a picture of this route being used "properly" (personal or magazine scan), I would greatly appreciate it.

Speaking of NISI rims and sewups, here's a couple of my favorite detail shots...

I have a Mini Ripper I am "In Progress" with. I am going with the 1 3/8". And still have no idea on the forks. I have a set of NOS Mini LG's I bought that unknowingly are for a 3.5" head tube and I am thinking of welding an extension into it to make it fit. I think they would be cool, but just don't think I could modify them like that...But before I do anything drastic, I am thinking about using the NOS Redline forks I have or getting some JMC forks. This is my biggest dilemma.

In the meantime...

Rockford 2007 Mini's anyone?

Trickster - I am building a mini for my 5 year old daughter. You have hit the nail on the head with your build. I know this is an old thread, but I'm hoping you could tell me where you got the pink spokes, or if you painted some standard spokes.

Thanks for any info.

Steve M.

Adult men collecting mini's is akin to collecting Beanie Babies. Its just odd..LOL

Now pit bikes are another story. Having a pit bike collection is the coolest!

Heres one of mine, from a member of this site whos name I always forget. Hate to see them hanging and not be used, and sure is fun watching the reactions!

One more,

Nothing beats a mini with sew ups!

mine isnt built, but its still a mini, LOL

Jetmugg,

Those pink spokes came in the wheelset I bought on E-bay. I think you can get pink spokes from Ginny's or Dan's Comp.

Good Luck with your build.

Paul

I respect a nice build.
I even more respect when a nice build is ridden.
But I have the utmost respect for when they are used for what they were intended to do. That photo is awesome!

Thanks John, that means a lot coming from, well the owner of Hutch! We dont use them alot, but they all see the tracks once or twice a year. I didnt recall how bad the forks flexed bitd till you do it now! Then again, Im not 135 lbs anymore either! Thanks, that made my day , see ya buddy, Shawn