boardtrack inspired Firestone Challenger

[Pinche]

I picked up a bike for my wife originally and the guy had a Firestone frame and fork that I fell in love with. So forty dollars poorer in my wallet and I came home with a 53 Schwinn for my wife and a hacked up Firestone frame. For some reason the previous owner of the Firestone cut the right side chainstay to get the chain off.

So I sparked up my trusty MIG and got her back in business.

The Firestone Challenger board track racer(if anyone knows a general idea of when I was made chime in please) It's a hodge podge of Schwinn stuff like the grips, bars, stem, fork truss rods, wheels I picked up at a local swap meet. It's ridden everyday hauling my son around in our trailer. I'm looking for more of a flat cresent moon shaped handlebar to ditch the flipped over Schwinn women's bar that are on it now. I actually won "Wildest Custom Creation" at a local antique show last month. I was pretty surprised to say the least.

 

[Unchained]

Neat! The frame is a rebadged Murray. I believe that they used that frame and tank beginning sometime in the late '40's ('48 I want to say, but don't know for sure) and used it sometime, or some light variation of it, until the late 1950's. Finding the specific date in that window would be difficult is possible. I haven't learned of a way to date Murray made bikes yet.

 

[Markm]

Very Cool!!!
8) 8) 8) 8)

 

[Hammond Eggz]

Awesome - should have been a RRBBO4 contestant! 8)

 

[Boardtrack fan]

Great looking bike!

 

[Pinche]

I need to take some better pictures of the bike but my battery went dead after just these. Bad news is that I walked into the garage last night and the leather on the seat tore in half on the front and will need to be completely redone. I'm guessing for what it would cost, I could probably buy a nice Brooks seat. Bummer. I've got another Mesinger seat that needs to be reupholstered I could do. But I really like the Brooks style hard molded leather seats like this one was. Curses! It was just a matter of time before it fell apart so I'm not too surprised.

 

[dragsterIII]

freakin sweet bike man

 

[Pinche]

Poor seat...

Time to reupholster my other Mesinger seat.

 

[Uncle Stretch]

Really nice bike. I remember the first time I looked a bike chain and thought , now how in the heck did they get that chain on there with no master link. Then I found out about the mystical world of the chain break tool. :roll: I know you envision a brand new Brooks saddle on your bike , but in my opinion the comfort level is somewhere around solid material. You might as well get a block of wood and carve you out a seat. My poor seat still has an imprint of when I tried to break in a new one a year or so ago. It will teach you some things about your anatomy that you didnt know existed

 

[ifitsfreeitsforme]

that bike is fantastic looking.

 

[iRide Custom Bicycles]

Great looking bike!

 

[roadmaster]

awesome lookin bike!!! love the colors and the period look, and i agree, the flipped flat crestbars will look ever better. i havent checked out these boardtrack style bikes much, but ive been expanding my horizens as of late. very nice! 8)