It all fit in a Saab!

[outskirtscustoms]

So I went to the pawn shop on my lunch break from work and found a very nice cruiser. Hyper bike brand? Never heard of them but I like the frame geometry and it feels well made. For $60 I'll take it.

Then I went after work to Amboy to look at an old rusty bike and turned out to be an old Ben Hur. It's seen better days but it's mostly complete and looks like a fun project. He wanted $75 so I started looking in his junk pile and he says the more you buy the better deal I'll make.

I find this old "Monark" lol they didn't do bad on the paintwork so I think just some tires and tubes and a few parts and keep it as found.

He says $15 and says he has the wheels around here somewhere so I'm like yeah put it on the pile.

K?_me1 super? Can't make out what exactly it says.

Then I spot this kinda cool bmx bike with a 3 piece crank and small drive line he says how about $10 and we make it an even hundred for everything. Done!

Then I remember I'm driving my Saab... and forgot ratchet straps as I thought I was only getting one bike. So the Monark in the front seat, the hyper cruiser and Ben Hur in the trunk with back seat folded, and the bmx in the back seat half sticking out the window handlebars whistling in the wind the whole way home.

 

[Frankie plekhand]

Great score!

 

[Karate Chicken Industries]

I recently picked up a F&S Komet Super hub from a takeoff. Those were made really well.

 

[Mr. Monkeyarms]

Fichtel & Sachs Komet. Good German stuff. Nice group of stuff for 100 bones!

 

[MattiThundrrr]

The Hyper cruiser and BMX are Wally World bikes. They aren't terrible, just make sure there's grease everywhere. Many leave the store bone dry, and the owners don't typically do much maintenance. Or harvest the cruiser parts to get the Monark rolling. A lot of members grab up those kinds of bikes just to get the the wheels

 

[outskirtscustoms]

Thanks for the info. I kinda like the cruiser so I may just debadge it and enjoy it as a cheap cruiser. I did a quick service on it and the back wheel was loose at the bearing cones so I tightened that up and put a bit of oil in there for now. I'll pull it apart and do a full service some other time.

As far as the Monark goes I think the original wheels will work fine after a good cleaning and repacking with fresh grease. Still waiting on tires and tubes to come in from eBay which I found out are actually cheaper at Walmart... Grrr. Then I have a seat, grips, bars, and lots of stuff I pulled off another bike I parted out last week then it will probably go up for sale to put some cash back in the old pocket.

I got new tires and tubes for the bmx, put it together, and took it for a short ride. Still need to oil the brake cables and swap brake handles with the nicer pair I have in my parts drawer. And I'll probably swap it to a 1 piece crank I have laying around before I kick it down the road for a small profit.

Then the Ben Hur I'm thinking build off material and a full restoration and modification.

 

[Bike from the Dead]

Looks like you got a good deal! That Ben Hur's got some fine patina, but I could see how you'd want to restore it. While I usually just get those late-model Wal-Mart bikes for the wheels (that is, when I can get them for free,) I do like the shape of the frame on that Hyper bike. I think with the right modifications, that bike could look real sharp. It's practically begging for a tank and a chrome triple tree fork! Looks like that Monark started out as a step-through frame, and was converted to look somewhat like a cantilever frame. Whoever did the conversion and paint did pretty well, I think. I think that bike would look good just with a set of chrome wheels and some white walls. Great score! Sounds like you're a master-packer if you were able to fit all that in your car!

 

[Wildcat]

The Ben Hur is a Snyder made bike. (Rollfast), looks like early 50's. The serial number on the bottom bracket is the reverse code thing (SN 35 is 1953, SN 25 is 1952, etc.)

I bought one of those Hyper cruisers when they went on sale for 99 bucks (in Hawaii). It's a copy of the Electra basic cruiser. I just put on a new set of tires, and a neighbor offered 120 for it, away it went so I could invest in my Dyno. It rode well after I adjusted and lubed everything.

 

[outskirtscustoms]

I like the blue! You're kinda tempting me to paint it to match my fatty and use the whitewalls I have coming on the cruiser and put the cruiser's black walls on the Ben Hur.

 

[outskirtscustoms]

And wow you are right it does look a lot like an Electra.

 

[outskirtscustoms]

Looks like that Monark started out as a step-through frame, and was converted to look somewhat like a cantilever frame. Whoever did the conversion and paint did pretty well, I think.

Good eye!

So I did some close looking at that frame and I noticed the welds on the cantilever bars and top tube are different than the other welds. Not bad welds at all but just different. Where the bar would have connected down low was nicely shaved and you couldn't tell anything had been done there. The paint was all hand done and done nicely and doesn't look to be done recently. I'm kinda thinking leave it alone, keep the patina on the wheels and all. Then add some fat tires to fill those fenders. I like the bike all the more now.

 

[Bike from the Dead]

Good eye!

So I did some close looking at that frame and I noticed the welds on the cantilever bars and top tube are different than the other welds. Not bad welds at all but just different. Where the bar would have connected down low was nicely shaved and you couldn't tell anything had been done there. The paint was all hand done and done nicely and doesn't look to be done recently. I'm kinda thinking leave it alone, keep the patina on the wheels and all. Then add some fat tires to fill those fenders. I like the bike all the more now.

It's always fun to figure out the history of a bike, especially one that's been modified. I think you've got the right idea for that bike. Leave it as is, but add the right set of wheels and tires and get it rolling.

 

[outskirtscustoms]

It's always fun to figure out the history of a bike, especially one that's been modified. I think you've got the right idea for that bike. Leave it as is, but add the right set of wheels and tires and get it rolling.

I am thinking of using these parts I stripped off an old skinny tire bike I parted out. The chrome on the bars and crank are perfect just need a good cleaning and the seat and grips match perfectly and fit the vibe the frame is giving me. I'm digging it.