project bike bbq

Wiener-Mobile,
originally uploaded by tam!

objective:
this was the summer when mark and i decided to build a smoker. we got as far as making up several sketches, but never building one due to limited tools. and yea, we just got lazy. but, as i was doing some research on smokers, i crossed many different and interesting designs by stores and enthusiasts everywhere. inspired by one of those smoker set on those vintage carriages, i decided to slap a bbq grill on a bike instead.

challenges/procedure:
i already had the bike. it was sitting in my basement for years. and no, it wasn’t mine. i swear!
the bbq grill i found chucked away by my neighbor. i decided to give it a new home. it was pretty banged up and rusted, so i gave it an unbanging job by hammering out all the dents. hosed the sucker down to blast away all the cob webs and loose rust. then sprayed on a new coat of black heat resistant paint.
my main worry was making the grill stable enough to hold mega pounds of precious manly beef and hot hot hot charcoal without spilling over. i removed the seat, but kept the pole that was attached to the seat. the grill would sit on this pole and the bike’s original rear rack. it was very unstable, especially when the lid was open, shifting weight more towards the back. several hose clamps cinched it down to the bike’s rack, but the bike itself was rather unstable as it only stood upright with the rear wheel center stand. so i attached a longer rod that’ll widen the center stand and allow the bike itself to be more stable.

features:
the brakes actually keep the bike from moving. i clamped down the front wheel brakes with a zip tie or the like. the bell still works, and it’ll be rung when the food’s done. and the front basket holds all the grilling tools.

summary:
the reveal was on my first bbq at my place. over 50 people showed up, and all expressed quite delight to not only the food (thank you jennie) but to also where the food grilled off from! a crowd pleaser indeed!
project bike bbq: pass!