Cascadian Klunker ⚡️1946 Schwinn DX

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HunterExploring

HunterExploring

Joined
Jan 8, 2017
Messages
8
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Greetings

Happy to be a part of this Anything Goes Build-Off. I've enjoyed checking out many of the great rat rods yall put together for years. Respect to all those before me and us. I Never had a vintage build that I was inclined to share, but I've been gearing up for it and recently had the opportunity to buy this Schwann in the Bay Area.
I really enjoy learning about the history of klunker innovators and seeing how thriving the mountain bike industry is today. I've ridden some trails here and there in life, and recently moved to an area where outdoor sports is king.. and some of these cats have bikes worth more than their automobile. I'm definitely open to getting a modern bike in the coming year.. but I'm really stoked to hit the fire roads and forested hills of the Columbia Gorge with a classic Klunk. And maybe I can show a few guys that their 7000 dollar full suspension bike ain't all that..
 
Nice start, loving the klunker builds this winter, almost like people were expecting another off road build off! Cannot wait to see what you do with this schwinn!

And on a side note, i dont think I have ever owned an auto that was worth more than any one of my bikes!

Sent from my SM-G550T1 using Tapatalk
 
squirreldh said:
Nice start, loving the klunker builds this winter, almost like people were expecting another off road build off! Cannot wait to see what you do with this schwinn!

And on a side note, i dont think I have ever owned an auto that was worth more than any one of my bikes!

Sent from my SM-G550T1 using Tapatalk
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That says something about your choice of bikes and/or automobiles.
As long as you get to where you need to go!
 
HunterExploring said:
That says something about your choice of bikes and/or automobiles.
As long as you get to where you need to go!
Click to expand...
Yeah, lived for over 5 years carless. Commuting by bike year roud, even in the snow was a blast. Even still, i drive a 2000 jeep cherokee i bought for $800 that needed a motor. Swapped my old 4.0 in it and it has taken me acros the country twice since. But its all about the bikes ;)
 
squirreldh said:
Yeah, lived for over 5 years carless. Commuting by bike year roud, even in the snow was a blast. Even still, i drive a 2000 jeep cherokee i bought for $800 that needed a motor. Swapped my old 4.0 in it and it has taken me acros the country twice since. But its all about the bikes ;)
Click to expand...

i hear you. much respect. i guess when i first mentioned that i was referencing the guys with nice toyota trucks with even nicer FS downhill rigs in the back.
 
Picked up this old TA sprocket at a bike co-op in Portland. Going to clean it up a bit more but it's already looking good.

Need to get one of those bottom bracket adaptors. Anyone have any recommendations/guidance in regards to fitting those adaptors?
 

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HunterExploring said:
Picked up this old TA sprocket at a bike co-op in Portland. Going to clean it up a bit more but it's already looking good.

Need to get one of those bottom bracket adaptors. Anyone have any recommendations/guidance in regards to fitting those adaptors?
Click to expand...
Watch some youtube, it's easier that it first seems. Much ado is made about chainline, and there's truth there but it's also very forgiving especially if you're running a dérailleur. Think about it, there's an easy inch and a half difference between the far ends of the gear cluster, yet they all feed into the front ring. I've done two, winged it on both and have had no problems. Of course I just build rats I'm not going hypro.

Carl.
 
Hunter, check out these BB conversion kits. @MazdaFlyer and I are both using them on our current builds. Inexpensive, and your local bike shop probably has an account with JBI.Bike (formerly J & B Importers) where they can be sourced. The website is the same one the shops use, only the shop has the prices. You can call them with the part # and they can give you the price. I used the 130 mm one for better clearance of my 26 x 2.4 knobby tire in the rear when I'm in first gear.
http://www.jbi.bike/site/search_result.php?keywords=sunlite bb conversion
 
The sunlite bb conversion is decent, have used them before on builds in the past. But i prefer the threaded bb adaptor, converts from the american shell down to the euro style. Allows you to run any type of bottom bracket, not just tapered spindle, so you can install more modern, stronger cranks. Especially useful if building a klunker or anything you may abuse.
http://harriscyclery.net/m/product/...-conversion-american-to-euro-adapter-1335.htm

Sent from my SM-G550T1 using Tapatalk
 
HunterExploring said:
Picked up this old TA sprocket at a bike co-op in Portland. Going to clean it up a bit more but it's already looking good.

Need to get one of those bottom bracket adaptors. Anyone have any recommendations/guidance in regards to fitting those adaptors?
Click to expand...
I wonder if that crank has the French Pedal threading? Metric threads not the standard English? I had a French 10 speed bike in the 60s that had a cottered crank and it had a lot of stuff that wasn't standard. It was given to me because it had been crashed and I had to straighten the frame. A lot of gouging and a bent wheel. I didn't know much about bikes then so when I changed bars I had to get a new stem because the new bars wouldn't fit in the old stem. Couldn't find a replacement stem to fit into the fork so out came the file. The seat post size was also impossible to find back then. Regular 9/16 pedals wouldn't fit because the threading was metric. My current French bike, an old Peugeot, has stripped threads from where the wrong puller was screwed into where the dust caps go. I have French square taper crank puller but I had to resort to pounding wedges behind the arms to get one side off. I think TA and Stronglight had different pullers from each other as well as being different from the other old 10 speeds I worked on back then. I think my Peugeot has a Stronglight Crank but it is stored for the winter so I can't check. Some later French Cranks have the standard English pedal threads. Yours looks newer so perhaps standard 9/16 pedals will fit. Once you have figured it out it isn't to bad but a lot of times you need French specific stuff.
 

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