Blue SS

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cashman

cashman

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Great!!! I'll move the Blue SS over here! Rat Rod, you are welcome to delete it out of the Bike Gallery if you want to? To back up a bit, here was the Blue SS when I found it.
sscrusty2.jpg


It was just about too far gone and had parts missing. But it was worthy of rescue from the schredder. After several hours of scrubbing, that thick blue paint Schwinn originaly put on came through like a champ.

bluess1.jpg


The original blue paint really stood out. It's still got some bad nicks in it, but it's good enough for the Rat Kingdom. So I decided to add to the blue theme with matching wheels. It's not going to be a fixie or have any alterations to the frame. I'm leaving it alone as is. It will have a Bendix Multispeed two speed manual hub on the rear. I've always had a thing for fat hubs on a bicycle. Thanks!!!
 
Here is where I've progressed so far.

bluess10.jpg


It's a good rider. Makes a decent gad-abouter. It's a 23 inch frame and fits my 6'4 and 250 lbs. The gearing is 52T/19T. This was the only 52T I could lay my hands on. The Bendix Multispeed is a versatile hub. It can be locked into low or high gears and in shift mode, at rest it is in low gear. With a little Locktite and JB Weld it can be made into a two speed fixie. The shifter cable was DIY. The original Schwinn shifter works great for the Multispeed.

bluess11.jpg


The nostalgic look seemed to suit it best. A 52T front sprocket is as large as you can run on this frame in a single position without frame mods.

bluess12.jpg


The paint on the wheels was my introduction to aerosol latex paint (Krylon H2o). It goes on pretty lazy and requires about three coats. Between two cans, there was inconsistent quality. One can had a lot of spatter in it. It's fast drying and about an hour after spraying, I was lacing up the wheels. I've also laced up a Multispeed in a 27" wheel and I've got a 24" front wheel that I'm going to install. Thanks!!!
 
I really like that it reminds me of my wright brothers clone I made
your fixed multispeed hub intrigues me I might have to look into that for mine so I can have a deeper gear yet use a larger sprocket
 
Thanks guys!!! The multispeed is great as is for sidewalk crawling. Especially in conjested areas like busy intersections. For me, the low gear makes it easier to get rolling from a stop and high gear is about right for my style of riding. There is a web site devoted to the fixed gear multispeed. See 63xc.com or Bendix 2FG. It involves doing irreversable mods to the hub shell and driver and includes includes doing away with the hub brakes. I don't plan on doing any, but it's a cool idea. I'll show pics later of what it looks like with mounted a 27" rear wheel and a 24" front wheel on it. Already took a fall on it like that and added some new scars to the old Schwinn. Ain't life great!!! Thanks!!!
 
nice ride. i love the look of these old roadbikes. mine is still drying and my red tires are on the way. am putting in a single w/coaster brake an a triple tree front end w/ 26" wheels. post pics of yours w/ the wheel changes.

Outlaw :mrgreen:
 
That things gotta FLY! LOOKS great! .......You've got some really interesting "stands". Maybe run a post on those.
 
Here is the Blue SS with 27/24" wheels:

bluess24.jpg


After seeing old track bike pics in a recent thread, I wondered what this style of riding was like. It took some getting use to for me. It's great for pumping the pedals, but the first time coasting and going down hill was kinda scarry. It biases more weight forward. When coasting, it felt like I was about to do a Superman across the bars. But you soon get use to it and it's pretty stable. It corners faster. One time while rounding a curve with more enertia than brains, I pulled the valve stem out of the front tire and kissed the asphalt. I was OK. The tube was old and didn't have any problems after I replaced it.
On a side note: The stand shown earlier was patterend after one I remembered from years ago made out of cast iron. I store my finished bikes indoors and don't want kickstands scratching hardwood floors. Being made from plywood, they are not intended to support a bike and rider, but will hold most large cruisers with no sweat. And when it comes to carpentry, I am of the real backyard variety, so I know there are better ways to make them.
I bummed some scrap birch plywood from a cabinet shop. The verticle pieces are approx. 14 1/2" tall. They measure 7" at the base and go up to 1" at the top. They will hold a 28" wheel. They are spaced 5 1/2" apart. Measure your wheel and adjust height and width as needed. The base is 1/2" plywood and measures 9" wide and 14" long. I put four stick-on felt furniture pads underneath. The verticle pieces are joined to the base using wood screws and two pieces of red oak measuring 1" X 2" X 7". Use proper shop safety including eye protection when building yours. Thanks!!!
 
very nice. like the way it looks. those tubes on the front end, did the bike come with those or did you install them. i like the looks of em, know where i can get some?

Outlaw :mrgreen:
 

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