~ CRITTER ~ 1936 Schwinn Klunker

[Critter1]

Thanks for the thoughts. Pinch flats are no fun for sure. The rims I'm using are 38mm wide, so that may help prevent them.. we'll see. I think I'll be using a set of Maxxis Holy Rollers + tubes that I have hanging in the shop. As far as the drum hub, I'll be using a set of Paul long pull levers. That should make a big difference in stopping power. Nice ride BTW! I dig the water canteen & holder.


Justin

 

[us56456712]

Thanks for the thoughts. Pinch flats are no fun for sure. The rims I'm using are 38mm wide, so that may help prevent them.. we'll see. I think I'll be using a set of Maxxis Holy Rollers that I have hanging in the shop. As far as the drum hub, I'll be using a set of Paul long pull levers. That should make a big difference in stopping power. Nice ride BTW! I dig the water canteen & holder.


Justin

It's made from several things I found at the thrift store that had hoops. Probably candle holders or warmers that held Sterno? Not sure but they were cheap. I used a heavy duty reflector attachment. The welding is bad because the hoops are stainless and I didn't use stainless welding wire. I had to weld it many times with a lot of heat to get it to penetrate and then grind and weld again. It works great. The long spring saddle is homemade to.

 

[us56456712]

I think you might be on to something with the wider rims. Both my rims were used and different, same with my Schwinn Klunker, different front and rear rims. On the Snyder the front rim is narrower and I get most of my pinch flats there, but not all. Roots the diameter of a softball are the worst, especially if you do a drop and land on it on the front tire. I wonder if Stan's tape and sealer could be used to make a reliable tubeless set up with Araya rims? Two of my early 2000s mountain bikes are set up tubeless with Stans sealant and they never get pinch flats. I have two sets of 38 Arays rims but I have been saving them for my hybrid.

 

[us56456712]

Cover bare metal frame/fork in epoxy primer, then high build primer, sand. Paint stenciled areas black, lay down stencils (sweat). Paint frame/fork mango color. Carefully pull stencils and lay down four coats of clear, hang & wait a couple days. Wet sand frame/fork paying special attention to stenciled areas. Polish frame/fork with a cutting compound, then a buffing compound, then spay wax to a high luster. Sand and polish sling shot stem (..because it has to look as good as the paint. Yes you've opened a giant can of worms.) Open a beer, stand back and say, "Dang that looks good!".

You might be interested that I have bent the tips of the chain tensioners when klunking. Happens a lot. On my Columbia Klunker I resorted to track style heavy duty tensioners. A cheaper pair bent right away. I keep bending them on the Snyder and will probably go with the track style.

 

[Critter1]

You might be interested that I have bent the tips of the chain tensioners when klunking. Happens a lot. On my Columbia Klunker I resorted to track style heavy duty tensioners. A cheaper pair bent right away. I keep bending them on the Snyder and will probably go with the track style.

Funny... I was just thinking about this yesterday. If I bend them, I'll switch to a heavier duty track style billet tensioner.


Justin

 

[Bicycle808]

...As far as the drum hub, I'll be using a set of Paul long pull levers. That should make a big difference in stopping power. ...

FYI, Sturmey drums are designed for short-pull levers. You might get better braking performance initially with long pull levers, but you'll eventually damage the brake plates on the hub. If you move the action arm by hand, you'll see that there is very little distance between full-on and full-off; pulling extra cable won't help any. The ideal lever is an older mtb lever for cantis, or a bmx lever-- or very old dropbar road levers are good. Modern road levers have a little bit less pull than is optimal, but they're still much better for the S-A drums than a long-pull lever.

I've been running these hubs on a bunch of bikes-- some bikes are just a front drum with a coaster rear, but one of my bikes is drum f/r, as is my wife's bikes. They're strong enough brakes, but they surely ain't discs. They're super underwhelming when new, but once the pads and drum wear in, they're pretty danged good. (An advantage to these hubs is that the pads last forEVER, but you need to readjust cable tension periodically as they wear....) Best way to set'm up is to dial in the cable tension to where the pads just begin to drag, then back off a tiny bit. Too much slack in the cable, and performance suffers.

HTH
-Rob

 

[us56456712]

FYI, Sturmey drums are designed for short-pull levers. You might get better braking performance initially with long pull levers, but you'll eventually damage the brake plates on the hub. If you move the action arm by hand, you'll see that there is very little distance between full-on and full-off; pulling extra cable won't help any. The ideal lever is an older mtb lever for cantis, or a bmx lever-- or very old dropbar road levers are good. Modern road levers have a little bit less pull than is optimal, but they're still much better for the S-A drums than a long-pull lever.

I've been running these hubs on a bunch of bikes-- some bikes are just a front drum with a coaster rear, but one of my bikes is drum f/r, as is my wife's bikes. They're strong enough brakes, but they surely ain't discs. They're super underwhelming when new, but once the pads and drum wear in, they're pretty danged good. (An advantage to these hubs is that the pads last forEVER, but you need to readjust cable tension periodically as they wear....) Best way to set'm up is to dial in the cable tension to where the pads just begin to drag, then back off a tiny bit. Too much slack in the cable, and performance suffers.

HTH
-Rob

Yeah, they got to be tight, almost dragging. Long pull levers give you twice the pull with half the leverage. You get a VERY slight improvement with long pulls but you have to squeeze twice as hard, stick with what 808 said.

 

[Critter1]

Got a few more parts in for this sucker.
-SA rear drum
-White Industries 18t freewheel
-White Industries ENO 170 crancks
-White Industries 32t chain ring w/ integrated bash guard.
-Tange 68/103 BB

All i need now are some Paul levers and a chain. I've never used one, but I'm gonna try out a half link 3/32" chain for this.

 

[Bicycle808]

https://paulcomp.com/shop/components/canti-lever/

 

[Critter1]

Yep, those are then ones I have my eyes on. Better deals on eBay than directly from Paul.


Justin

 

[us56456712]

Got a few more parts in for this sucker.
-SA rear drum
-White Industries 18t freewheel
-White Industries ENO 170 crancks
-White Industries 32t chain ring w/ integrated bash guard.
-Tange 68/103 BB

All i need now are some Paul levers and a chain. I've never used one, but I'm gonna try out a half link 3/32" chain for this.

Wow cool stuff. This will make a great looking bike. You must be young. I couldn't ride a 18 x 32 tooth single speed. I have to do some pushing with 24 x 23. I can ride almost all of the green and blue trails with 24 x 23 but not all. Forget the black diamond stuff, I have to walk about half of those trails. I am 71 and am amazed at the power available to young legs. Looking forward to seeing the finished product.

 

[Critter1]

Haha! Not quite too young, I'm 44 but compared to you sir, I guess I'd be considered young. I'll see how 32/18 does for me around my part of the world and go from there. I'm not afraid to make changes where needed. Might drop it down to 30, we'll see.


Justin

 

[Bicycle808]

Yep, those are then ones I have my eyes on. Better deals on eBay than directly from Paul.

Oh, definitely.... better deals most anywhere else but direct from Paul. He's a good guy, though... i met him briefly at the NAHBS a few years back. I love his brakes/levers.

 

[LukeTheJoker]

That is some nice gear!

Luke.

 

[Critter1]

With the 103 BB, the Whites chainring locknut bottomed out on the BB cup before I could get a 30lb torque on the crank arm bolt. So.. I just ordered a 107. If that works, I can put a small spacer under the freewheel if need be to get a good chain line. I'll tackle that when the time comes. For now, I just need to get the cranks to fit. Sorry, no pics.

 

[OneHorsePower]

Aww this is shaping up to be a heck of a good bike , such nice parts and paint

 

[Bicycle808]

With the 103 BB, the Whites chainring locknut bottomed out on the BB cup before I could get a 30lb torque on the crank arm bolt. So.. I just ordered a 107. If that works, I can put a small spacer under the freewheel if need be to get a good chain line. I'll tackle that when the time comes. For now, I just need to get the cranks to fit. Sorry, no pics.

OH, dang.... my bad. White Industries used to recommend a 103mm BB for folks who wanted to run an ENO on their track bikes. I wonder if they changed the design, or....? I feel like I owe you a BB set....

I guess the bright side is, if you had to change the rear spacing to 115mm, you can probably juggle spacers to dial-in the chainline perfectly for the 107mm set-up, and then dish the wheel accordingly.

Again, I apologize for the mix-up.

 

[Critter1]

OH, dang.... my bad. White Industries used to recommend a 103mm BB for folks who wanted to run an ENO on their track bikes. I wonder if they changed the design, or....? I feel like I owe you a BB set....

I guess the bright side is, if you had to change the rear spacing to 115mm, you can probably juggle spacers to dial-in the chainline perfectly for the 107mm set-up, and then dish the wheel accordingly.

Again, I apologize for the mix-up.

Ah.. no worries Rob. Had to start somewhere. If the 107 doesn't work, I'll bump up to 110. I was all excited to get the cranks on and got road blocked! Now the shipping wait begins.. which sucks in December.


Justin

 

[Bicycle808]

I'm wondering if the BB conversion cups had anything to do with the clearance? I feel like there's fixie kids rockin' Eno cranks on 103mm BBs out there... like, i think i remember seeing it.

 

[Scribble]

That's beautiful