Murray JetCruiser

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Excited for my first attempt at a real big-boy buildoff. This bike has been through two different buildups with me, and neither one stuck, so maybe the third time's the charm. I made myself leave it hanging in the shed till today.

I am using a 1992 Murray Monterey frame I got right here on RRB back in 2008 when I first stumbled upon this forum. I traded some Black Friday Krate parts to someone named GTCOMA and got this:
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At the time, I didn't know what I really wanted to build... I wanted a cruiser. I wanted a Spaceliner. I wanted a strandie, though at the time I didn't know that's what it was called. I wanted multiple gears. I ended up with this (don't laugh too hard):
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It never really got off the ground, and I got frustrated and started playing with musclebikes and kinda forgot about it. Then a few years ago, I found a local group to do weekly pleasure cruises with. The 20-inchers were fun but got old fast, and I wanted to put together some 24- and 26-inch rides for variety. So I built up this pair for me and my son, inspired by the 26-inch BMX Cruisers thread here in the Other Bikes section. I used lots of parts off junker Wal-Mart kids' BMX bikes and it showed.
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I think the concept was okay, but the execution with dinky parts was the problem. I only rode this one a couple of times, and on the last ride I cranked hard somewhere and bent the front sprocket just because it was a flimsy piece of junk. So back in the shed it went to have parts robbed off it over time.

This is what's left of it, and what I'm starting with now:
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Man, that soda can seatpost shim has GOT to go.

The plan now is to do a BMX cruiser/strandie the right way, or at least as close as I can get with this frame. I've been stockpiling some parts that i think will be a major improvement:
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You all may have noticed me asking about two-tones on burgundy in Bike Talk last week. This is the bike. I am debating doing a cream/off-white head tube and trying my hand at scallops. Looking for a better Murray headbadge, and looking at lots of vintage Murray bike pics for inspiration (which is where the name JetCruiser came from; they had a lot of names like JetStar and JetFlite and like that). I love the look of strandies built off vintage frames, and I am hoping I can carry off a vintage look on this one with some creative graphics, though I might lose my nerve and just leave the paint the way it is. Also wondering about using a guard. I like the idea of using it as a canvas for cool retro graphics, but I feel like if I'm going for a BMX feel with a Sugino spider and chainwheel, I should probably skip the guard. I guess I have the next 4 months to experiment with the details. Build is underway!
 
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Call me kooky, but I really like the photo dated 03.08.2008

hahahahaha. I liked it too, at the time. I actually got as far as having a S-A 3-speed coaster laced into the rear wheel before I abandoned it. That was the only cheap and easy way I was going to get brakes on 24" wheels in a 26" frame. (Yeah I know you can get drum brakes and disc brakes and stuff, but that was, and probably still is, waaaay beyond my basic parts-swapping abilities.)

That little baby S-A 3-speed stick shift is now on my faux Manta Ray.

I'm almost embarrassed to point this out, but can you tell what the tank and trim piece on the rack are from?
 
hahahahaha. I liked it too, at the time. I actually got as far as having a S-A 3-speed coaster laced into the rear wheel before I abandoned it. That was the only cheap and easy way I was going to get brakes on 24" wheels in a 26" frame. (Yeah I know you can get drum brakes and disc brakes and stuff, but that was, and probably still is, waaaay beyond my basic parts-swapping abilities.)

That little baby S-A 3-speed stick shift is now on my faux Manta Ray.

I'm almost embarrassed to point this out, but can you tell what the tank and trim piece on the rack are from?
The photo is too small for me to tell ... maybe a Star Wars playset? :)
I've never owned a bike with a Sturmey Archer 3 speed. Does that operate similar to the Nexus internal hubs?
 
The photo is too small for me to tell ... maybe a Star Wars playset? :)
I've never owned a bike with a Sturmey Archer 3 speed. Does that operate similar to the Nexus internal hubs?
The tank is part of a Dustbuster; the thing on the rack is from the Dustbuster wall mount. :rofl:

I never had a Nexus hub, so I'm not sure, but yes, it's an internally geared 3-speed.
 
Hey, whoever posted earlier admiring the Primos and saying they needed a set (post seems to be deleted now), the guy I got them from had two more pairs last I checked, but they were both 9/16 for 3-piece cranks. If you can use them, PM me and I will check with him.
 
First order of business... swap on the set of alloy wheels with whitewalls and coaster brake that I got cheap from a friend. I didn't plan on using the whitewalls on the finished bike; this was just to get it rideable and they were on the rims when I got them. But I kinda like they way they look.
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next up: Fairdale bars and Jamis stem. The seat and grips were just what I had at hand.
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I REALLY like the stance with these bars. And I took it for a cruise around the block; it's a pretty nice ride.

Coming soon:
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But that's a 46t chainring; I think I will be looking for a smaller one before going forward. I want this to be an easy spinner. The (slightly bent) one that's on the bike now is only a 40t and it's pretty close to where I want it.

Down the road: gotta decide on a color and style for grips and seat, maybe some cosmetic tricks to give the frame a retro look, maybe experiment with tires. I have been cruising the SHOW US YOUR KLUNKERZ thread for inspiration. There are LOTS of burgundy/maroon bikes there.
 
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Latest developments:

New seat.
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Unknown Cr-Mo cranks, Sugino spider, Tuf-Neck 38t chainring, Primo Tenderizer pedals.
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Took another shakedown cruise around the block, and it's really coming along. With 38/19 gearing it's a spinner, but I like it that way.

Still evolving. Needs grips, thinking about tires, maybe a seat post, still debating using a guard, not gonna repaint it but working on a plan for retro-looking graphics.
 
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Cool upgrades for that frame. It's much like the Monterrey frames. Great base for any build.
 

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