POISON APPLE: '79 Schwinn Fair Lady Trike

[Bike from the Dead]

I put together a mockup of the rear basket/box using some foam core I had leftover from my college graphic design class today. I'll admit, my measurements aren't precise and I didn't use as much material as it would've taken to properly figure out the dimensions of the box, but I think I've got the general idea nailed. I don't want the box to stick out like a sore thumb, so I rounded the top and made it a little taller than the circumference of the rear tires. The box will also slide in-between the horizontal braces of the basket frame, that way I won't have to bolt it to anything. I'll make the final box out of either some wood scraps I already have, or I'll just get some plywood if I really need it.

 

[bear bear]

looking good!

 

[Bike from the Dead]

looking good!

Thanks!

 

[CRASH]

I'm catching up on your build, but had to respond about your budget dilemma. You may have resolved it and I just haven't read that far yet. But here's how I decide on budget:

Question: Am I going to keep it for family?
If yes, budget is a moot point. I will literally put in double what a bike is actually worth to make it what I want.
If no, then what can I expect to sell if for? When I do this budget, I don't factor in my labor because I do it for fun. But my Spyder project I'm sort of building for a guy I think will want to buy it, so I'm trying to keep costs reasonable, and when I make a mistake, like buy a disc brake that isn't usable, I eat that $100.
If it's a commissioned project, then I keep within their budget, but give them a reasonable expectation of what the cost will be (and then blow that up. lol)

 

[Bike from the Dead]

I'm catching up on your build, but had to respond about your budget dilemma. You may have resolved it and I just haven't read that far yet. But here's how I decide on budget:

Question: Am I going to keep it for family?
If yes, budget is a moot point. I will literally put in double what a bike is actually worth to make it what I want.
If no, then what can I expect to sell if for? When I do this budget, I don't factor in my labor because I do it for fun. But my Spyder project I'm sort of building for a guy I think will want to buy it, so I'm trying to keep costs reasonable, and when I make a mistake, like buy a disc brake that isn't usable, I eat that $100.
If it's a commissioned project, then I keep within their budget, but give them a reasonable expectation of what the cost will be (and then blow that up. lol)

No worries, you're fine.

That is a good strategy for determining your budget for your bike projects. Mine's similar, though I can't say I've worked on other people's bikes much. I plan to keep this trike for a long time, so I'm not afraid to spend more money on it than I would someone else's bike, but unfortunately, I underestimated how much it'd cost to build it the way I want, and I only have so much expendable cash to play with. So for now, I'm learning how to settle for "good enough" while still keeping within a semi-reasonable budget.

 

[Bike from the Dead]

Well, I got a front wheel for the trike for $4, but after closer inspection, I might need to get another one. For starters, the rim shape isn't exactly the same as the other wheels I want to use. That wouldn't bother me as much though, if one of the spokes didn't have such a bad bend to it. So, I'm going to have to keep an eye out for another wheel.

I also went and got a 24" x 1.75" front tire and 2 tubes at a local bike shop. All of their 24" x 2.125" tires are on backorder, and have been so for some time, so I'm most likely going to have to buy some online.

 

[Bike from the Dead]

Ok, got a new front wheel that actually matches this time. Spent a little on it than I would've liked at $10, but I've payed more for wheels before. Ran out of daylight for photos, but I'm planning on shooting more either tomorrow or Friday.

 

[Bike from the Dead]

Okay, I still haven't figured out what exact graphics I'm putting on the tank and chain guard just yet, but this is the overall flavor I'm going for on my final design for this trike. Hopefully, I'll be able to start sandblasting and powder coating parts on Friday.

 

[Bike from the Dead]

Minor update, but I just typed up a task list to help me organize what's left to do to get Poison Apple done on time. The task list is liable to change, and just because I ordered it a certain way doesn't mean that's the order in which things will be done, but it'll help break down the remainder of the build into smaller bites so I hopefully don't develop another bad case of burnout.

Here's that list:

• Figure out if I’m going to have fenders
• Figure out how to mount tank to frame
• Figure out trike brace mount
• Figure out decals/stripes for tank, chain guard and fenders (if I add fenders)
• Figure out nuts on axle ends (regular, round caps, or something crazy, like spikes)
• Figure out valve stem caps
• Get rear tires
• Make trike brace mount
• Fix trike axle chain guard
• Tweak bicycle frame chain guard
• Shine up chrome parts
• Disassemble wheels
• Disassemble and clean coaster brake and axle hubs
• Grease and reassemble coaster brake and axle hubs
• Sandblast parts
• Powder coat parts
• Reassemble wheels
• Get wheels trued
• Get rim tape, or narrower electrical tape
• Mount tubes and tires
• Color match tank paint to powder
• Get new bearings for trike axle
• Clean bearings
• Grease bearings
• Reassemble bike
• Get new chain
• Make tank
• Paint tank
• Mount tank to frame
• Make box
• Paint box
• Add box to bike
• Decide on seat

 

[Bike from the Dead]

Ok, I've got some more photos to share today. First, the new front wheel and tire I got earlier this week, on the right. While the color of the wheel may be different, the shape, size, and chrome hub matches the other two wheels. The front tire is a 24" x 1.75", while the two rear tires will be (hopefully) 24" x 2.125", in order to meet the "big and little tire" requirement of the MBBO.

Next, an idea of how to have a decent looking pair of fenders for the rear, to help hide the trike axle brace. I forgot that I had bought this deep dish fender along with some other parts back in 2019, and unlike the few other deep dishes in my collection of parts, this one's in pretty good shape. I have no idea what sort of bike it's from, but I'm guessing it's either a late prewar or early postwar bike.

I mocked up the fender on the trike to see if it would be long enough to make two fenders from one. If I just used the part of the fender after the indentation for the chain guard, I wouldn't have enough material for two fenders. If I could get rid of the dent, then I've got just enough material for both fenders.

There are a few other issues with this fender idea, though.

First, I really don't know if I want to modify, cut up, and repaint this fender. For starters, it looks older than most everything in my bike collection. It's also in really good shape for its age, with few dents and the original paint still looking salvageable. I don't want to modify something that's in this good of shape as it is. If it was a newer fender, like say from the '50s or later, or a modern reproduction, then I wouldn't really worry about it. If someone could tell me what sort of bike this fender came off of, how old it is, and how much it's probably worth as is, I'd greatly appreciate it.

Second, even if I do use this fender to make two smaller ones, I'm not sure how I'd mount them, especially around the front horizontal brace of the trike axle frame. I don't want the fenders to look too short, but I also don't want the fenders to have a bar cutting right through the front portion of the fenders.

So, that's another detail I'm trying to figure out. I'd like to have a pair of green fenders to add some color to the rear of the trike, but I don't have to have fenders on this trike. It would look nicer, I think, but I don't want to sacrifice a really good, really old fender if I or someone else could use it as is.

 

[Bike from the Dead]

Ordered rear tires yesterday, dropped the trike and parts off at my welder's shop today.

 

[Bike from the Dead]

Just got my tires in today, and they look great! I ran out of daylight before I could get good photos of one mocked up on a wheel, but I'll hopefully get photos of it tomorrow. Still waiting to get everything back from my welder.

 

[Bike from the Dead]

Still haven't gotten the trike back from my welder yet, but I did get some photos of one of the two rear tires I'll be using. These are 24" x 2.125" DURO slicks that I bought off eBay. As much as I appreciated all the tire options that everyone on Rat Rod Bikes and The CABE offered, none of them felt like they fit the build as well as these. Plus, I've rarely had a bad experience buying from eBay, and this time thankfully proved to be no different. After inserting a tube and mounting everything to one of the wheels I plan to use, I like them even more. They're not as crazy as the 26" x 4" fat bike tires, but they're still plenty cool. I was going to post a link to the tires I bought from the seller I bought them from, but it looks like they sold out already.

 

[Bike from the Dead]

Okay, I've got a good bit of progress to share!

I got the trike back from my welder today. My welder made a new mounting bracket for the trike frame, removed a dent in the small trike chain guard, and fixed the alignment on the axle. The mounting bracket didn't come out quite like I had expected, as I wanted the vertical tab placed behind the fender mount, so it'd be hidden, but the final product still turned out fine, and after sitting down on the seat, I've concluded that this trike will be solid enough to ride.

Second, my welder removed a dent in the small chain guard that goes to the trike axle. I didn't take a good photo before the dent was removed, but the chain guard now looks spick-and-span.

I then ran around town to get some hardware to help make this trike rideable. I got 2 new sealed bearings for the trike axle, got some new nuts and bolts for the trike frame to bike frame bracket (the bolts my welder used felt just a little too tight, and were clearly used), and some 3/4" steel tubing.

Ever since I decided to leave the frame "stock" and just focus on making this trike good enough, the kickstand mounting point just stood out too much to me. Sure, I could've asked my welder to remove it, but given that it doubles as a structural element, and I still don't quite know what I'll do with this trike when I can afford to build it the way I want, I decided to leave it be, and instead add something to it. I want to make a fake exhaust pipe using some steel tubing to take some of the focus off the kickstand mount. I think I can bend it with my dad's conduit bender, and cut it to size and shape once I get the bend whereI need it.

As you can see, while the narrowest part of the kickstand mount is 3/4", the other end is wider, giving the tube some wiggle room. I'm trying to figure out how to best mount this pipe so that's solid and not wobbling around. I'm also trying to figure out how to use the small pin hole that held the kickstand in place to hold the exhaust pipe in place.

So, this is where I'm at right now: I basically have almost everything I need to make this trike a rider. I'm just waiting for when my Dad's ready to powder coat again, so I can have everything sandblasted just before then. If I start taking everything apart and sandblasting it all now, everything's going to rust before Dad can powder coat all my stuff properly. I'll make the box and tank after that's all out of the way. There are still a few things I can do in the meantime, but for the most part, I'm just waiting for the next big step.

Also, as of today, I've already past my "$100 on top of everything budget," but thankfully I still have plenty of bike money left to play with, and it really shouldn't take much more to finish this trike. I'm going to try my best to get this trike built within the time I have left and with a decent amount of cash left to finish my other bikes.

Stay tuned for more!

 

[Bike from the Dead]

Small bit of progress to report today.

I had these two old bread/meatloaf pans that my parents nearly threw away, and I had the idea to make my own custom license plates for the trike out of them. I had Dad handle the cut-off wheel for this idea, since I wear glasses now and I don't have a pair of safety glasses or goggles that fit over the giant frames needed to fit over my one-size-does-not-fit-all head. After Dad made the initial cuts, I roughly sanded and trimmed down the pieces. They could still use some work, but for now, they're fine.

Next, we tested out an idea for the custom exhaust pipe I wanted to try. I don't know if Dad's tube bender can make a tight-enough bend for my exhaust pipe idea to work yet, but we did figure out how to make the tip into this teardrop/appleseed shape I want.

I also tweaked the chain guard so this one minor crease that was bugging me is now gone, but I didn't think to take photos of that. I got a little something-something from Michaels to hopefully add a little polish to the final product. And finally, I got some more bolts that are slightly shorter than the ones I had on the trike before, so that'll hopefully clean up the look of the trike. Also, on that note, I've got an amusing anecdote: What does it take for one to bring the line at Lowe's to a halt? Apparently, four stainless steel bolts. Felt sorry for the cashier trying to find the price for these four unmarked bolts.

 

[Bike from the Dead]

Well, it was definitely Monday today. I had planned to make way more progress today than I did, but a number of unexpected things happened that set back not just me, but also my parents today. For me at least, it wasn't an "I freaking HATE Monday" type of Monday, more of a "well THAT was annoying" kind of Monday. I won't bore you with those details, but I will share what progress, however little, I did make today.

First, I returned some of the nuts and bolts I know I won't be using in the final version of this trike, then I bought a replacement nut for the bottom bracket on my fat tire Mongoose Beast bike, Sasquatch. Turned out that I didn't need to buy that nut, but oh well. I also bought the seat I plan to use for this trike. It's not a small seat, but I am surprised that it doesn't look bigger when mocked up on the trike. Still, I feel it's right seat for now, unless I find something better later.

Next, I thought I found a solution to mounting my exhaust pipe where the kickstand used to go when I found this automotive fastener at Lowe's, but unfortunately, it's still too big to fit in the hole I need it to go into. Anyone here have an idea of how I can mount my exhaust pipe without modifying the frame?

Finally, I reassembled Sasquatch back to riding condition. Unfortunately, since I didn't have the correct size of socket on hand, I found that nut holding the left crank arm was still too loose, so I'll have to fix that again soon.

I had planned to begin disassembling Poison Apple today so I could get everything sandblasted and powder coated this week, but due to circumstances beyond my control, that'll have to wait until hopefully tomorrow.

Stay tuned, more to come.

 

[Bike from the Dead]

I'll try and keep the words short this time.

Big progress today: I (almost) completely disassembled the trike today, as I hope and plan to sandblast and powder coat all the parts by this weekend. I took some last "before" photos before I started disassembling everything.

When I took the spring out of the springer fork, I found myself looking at the best stance this trike's had so far. I really wish I had the time and budget to build Poison Apple like this, with the whole chopper vibe, but I've already sank more cash in this project than I really want to think about as it already is. Right now, I just want to get this trike done so I can ride it and enjoy it. I can rebuild it later.

I wanted to try one last look for this trike before I completely tore it apart. I had this 24" fork I was saving for another project, and I just wanted to see how the overall stance would look if the frame sat a little more level up front. Long story short, I don't like it. the springer fork's staying.

One more idea I have for this trike: Since there's no longer a tire sitting between the chain/seat stays, I had this idea to put a little apple in the indentation between the chain stays. Problem is, I have no real idea of how to mount it, or if I really want to use an apple made of foam, versus something a little sturdier. I know I want to use that fender mounting hole on the frame, but that's about as far as this idea's gone.

Remember how I said that I almost completely took the trike apart? Well, this is what "almost" looks like. I peeled the tires and rim tape off the 3 wheels I intend to use, and I found that those wheels were hiding some dirty secrets. A lot of the spoke nipples are rusted bad! Full-on disintegrating, even! So, yeah. Looks like I'll have to get those replaced. I just hope I can save the spokes.

My plan right now is to take everything to my Dad's shop on Friday, get everything sandblasted, and have everything sorted by what color it needs to be powder coated so Dad can start powder coating on Saturday. I'm not sure that's what will happen, as the rest of this week's going to be a little crazy, but I'm hoping to have everything ready for reassembly by next week.

Stay tuned! More to come!

 

[CRASH]

I don't know what the finished look will be, but a "basket", or container for apples would fit instead of just one. You could make it look like fruit box art with "Poison Apple" on the sides. Something like this:

 

[CRASH]

Oh... and those spokes can't be saved with the nippled corroded like that. They've take the threads with them. You'll never get them true, and you'll break half of them trying to get them separated. Just bite the bullet and replace them all. Of course you've already spent more than you wanted, but... you need wheels!

 

[Bike from the Dead]

Oh... and those spokes can't be saved with the nippled corroded like that. They've take the threads with them. You'll never get them true, and you'll break half of them trying to get them separated. Just bite the bullet and replace them all. Of course you've already spent more than you wanted, but... you need wheels!

Yeah, folks on The CABE made that very clear to me yesterday. I'm already browsing Craigslist and Marketplace for new 24" wheels and wheel donors after my other local contacts came up empty. I might post a want ad for those 3 wheels on here, The CABE, and Craigslist, but I seriously don't want to spend even more on wheels when I already spent $30 on those junk ones, and I still have other things I'll need to pay for on this trike.

I still have roughly $250-$300 left in my bike build budget, but I want to have enough left over to work on my few other project bikes. While they won't need as much work as this trike, I do expect there to be things that I'll still need to get for them.

Aside from hoping someone on Craigslist or Marketplace has 3 identical wheels, do you have any ideas on how I could get 3 24" wheels for cheap? I have 2 1960s 26" Schwinn S7 Bendix coaster brake wheels I'd trade for them if that'd help, but I'm worried about shipping costs.