Summer Fun: ‘74 Schwinn Speedster Camelback

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Picked this up off of CL about two weeks ago.
Saw the listing and thought “what cool bike!”!… kept revisiting the posting and became more and more intrigued. While researching the specifics of the Speedster, found the Rat Rod Bike Forum and its expansive information resource and inspired camaraderie.

Payday arrived, met the seller… here I am!

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…3 speed SA
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… it didn’t stray too far from home… still in MN!
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I recently got back into cycling and have also been wrenching on other CL bike finds to fulfill the needs of my growing children so I thought it would be a fun summer project for me…. Thinking back, wrenching on bikes and riding the neighborhood is what we did as kids in the 70’s since we didn’t have the internet and video games to distract us!

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Someone had rodded this bike years ago to narrow drops and moved the original grips and brake levers to the lower position giving it a stance which initially caught my eye. My intent is to keep the setup “as-is” with a few upgraded components and see how it rides.
 

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"Thinking back, wrenching on bikes and riding the neighborhood is what we did as kids in the 70’s since we didn’t have the internet and video games to distract us! "
What a brilliant statement, @radnadnev That is my memory as well.
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And there wasn't anything we couldn't fix on my AMF with these 3 tools and a can of grease.
 
Alright… I have been working on this since the moment it arrived home but every time I come to RRB to update I end up reading other posts and use up my daily forum screen time!!! You will also have to excuse the lack of pics… my enthusiasm overshadowed the bloggin process!

No test rides were done since the front tire was shot and something was rubbing/jamming on the drive side of the rear wheel. Upon pulling it apart, The rear wheel issue was a spoke wrapped around the cog popping the spring ring and gear off the axle… hmm I did notice there was a spoke missing from the wheel.

The most amusing disassembly was getting the rear tire off. It had a solid core installed and between that and the dried up gum wall nothing was budging to break the bead. Sliced off the tire above the rim, cut the innards then had to use a cutoff wheel in a Dremel to break the bead wires. The bike lost about 5 lbs. removing this tire setup!

There were not any other surprises found during the dismantling and cleaning other than the rock hard grease in the bearing cups. Buffed the slightly worn races repacked the bearings and put it back together again.
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The 3 speed hub wasn’t very smooth in its operation and in need of service. That was straight forward with a YouTube tutorial.

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While in the cleaning mode I also ordered some new tires and tubes. Well, I missed the fine print in my forum readings and only found my oversight once the tires arrived. All excited, I went to set them up only to find regular 26” tires don’t fit the Schwinn rim.

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Mocked it up just to get a visual.

The quandary… pick up a set of tires to fit or get some wheels to fit the new tires. Well, purchasing tires to fit was $40+ in the wrong budget direction especially since I wanted the wider tires to navigate the rough side streets around here and the original wheels, though serviceable, we’re not in the greatest shape. That decided it. Problem was new wheels were not in the budget either. I really prefer this bike to have some gears since in Duluth you’re either going down a hill or up one! Back to CL to find a donor bike or parts. This being a college town with semester ending meant there are many castaway mountain bikes with 26” wheels to be acquired inexpensively or free… many thrashed and left at the curbside in the trash. I acquired a donor bike. This particular bike ate its rear derailleur and it was all twisted back in the chain and spokes. The 7 speed freewheel was frozen. Picked up a used 5 speed freewheel for $5 at local bike shop. I thought a 5 speed would fit better since these bikes came that way as an option. Got the wheel back together to find it has a big warp from previous derailleur incident!!
… still gave an opportunity to see it with the new shoes!
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…. next up… fender fixin, replacement back wheel and new brake calipers for the longer reach.
 
Switching to decimal point rims was the right choice. You will have so many more options, and it still can be done for less than the cost of the Schwinn size tires
 
It has been so long since posting on this forgot where I left off!

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Assembled with new brake calipers and cables. The old chain was just long enough to attain a reasonable chain-line alignment with a rear sprocket that wouldn’t want to jump off. Went for a quick test spin. Being the first time riding it since bringing it home I didn’t know what to expect. It was a blast! The narrow bars and the cockpit posture makes ya want to go Speedstering!!
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Compared a brake lever that came with the new calipers with an original … no perceptible mechanical advantage and totally lost in the authentic aesthetics factor.
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The new rear caliper was barely long enough for brake pad reach so ordered a 1080 sized one in a different brand. Top is the new 1080 and bottom is the other new. Again, definitely prefer the Weinmann style for this bike.


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The fender stays and brackets needed some alterations in order to tighten up the fender and wheel clearance. Fabbed new clips and silver soldered them onto the front stays. Made some other longer slotted brackets for frame attachments.
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Needs some tweaks for sure but pretty certain this bike will will elicit miles of smiles when completed!
…up next…
-Parallel the rear dropouts after cold-setting
the frame.
-Rear derailleur
-Bar end shifter
-New saddle
-Longer seat post
-Taller and longer stem
 

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View attachment 195468Picked this up off of CL about two weeks ago.
Saw the listing and thought “what cool bike!”!… kept revisiting the posting and became more and more intrigued. While researching the specifics of the Speedster, found the Rat Rod Bike Forum and its expansive information resource and inspired camaraderie.

Payday arrived, met the seller… here I am!

View attachment 195469View attachment 195464
…3 speed SA
View attachment 195465
View attachment 195466

… it didn’t stray too far from home… still in MN!
View attachment 195467
I recently got back into cycling and have also been wrenching on other CL bike finds to fulfill the needs of my growing children so I thought it would be a fun summer project for me…. Thinking back, wrenching on bikes and riding the neighborhood is what we did as kids in the 70’s since we didn’t have the internet and video games to distract us!

View attachment 195470

Someone had rodded this bike years ago to narrow drops and moved the original grips and brake levers to the lower position giving it a stance which initially caught my eye. My intent is to keep the setup “as-is” with a few upgraded components and see how it rides.
SUPER cool bike…. I’ve been looking for a camelback bike for a fair price for some time!

best of luck on the build. I look forward to following the project!
 
It has been so long since posting on this forgot where I left off!

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Assembled with new brake calipers and cables. The old chain was just long enough to attain a reasonable chain-line alignment with a rear sprocket that wouldn’t want to jump off. Went for a quick test spin. Being the first time riding it since bringing it home I didn’t know what to expect. It was a blast! The narrow bars and the cockpit posture makes ya want to go Speedstering!!
View attachment 205182
Compared a brake lever that came with the new calipers with an original … no perceptible mechanical advantage and totally lost in the authentic aesthetics factor.
View attachment 205028
The new rear caliper was barely long enough for brake pad reach so ordered a 1080 sized one in a different brand. Top is the new 1080 and bottom is the other new. Again, definitely prefer the Weinmann style for this bike.


View attachment 205195

The fender stays and brackets needed some alterations in order to tighten up the fender and wheel clearance. Fabbed new clips and silver soldered them onto the front stays. Made some other longer slotted brackets for frame attachments.
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View attachment 205032View attachment 205035View attachment 205034
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Needs some tweaks for sure but pretty certain this bike will will elicit miles of smiles when completed!
…up next…
-Parallel the rear dropouts after cold-setting
the frame.
-Rear derailleur
-Bar end shifter
-New saddle
-Longer seat post
-Taller and longer stem
Gorgeous build!
 
I like the look as a one speed: quick, compact, and efficient
I like the look as a one speed: quick, compact, and efficient
Whoa!… what a response-reply timelinesses bogart I am! Matti, totally agree with your observations…. I’m going to keep to the one speed look, after all, It is the original aesthetic that suckered me into buying the bike to begin with. However, I still would like some gears to take on the hilly roads here. Now that I know the bike “fits”, going to save up for a better set of rims with 3+ internal gear hub. Thanks for helping keep the focus!!
 

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