LTJ's fresh finds: Vintage looptail BMX!

[LukeTheJoker]

Been having a good run at the dumpshops around here of late, but the streak dried up about 2 weeks ago, so I have expanded my search to secondhand shops and opportunity shops, which is where I found this little JOKER! :wink:

Seems to be one of the new style big box store BMX's with the lot, but has some nice parts on it, those 48 spoke Weinmann rims would have been well sought after by me back in the day, specially with those huge 14mm axles! I am a bit wary of the cheap microdrives, but I will cross that bridge if it plays up. Threadless headstem, love the bulldog style brakes, even got some kinda cool tires on it. The ISIS cranks are super heavy steel ones. All up it is quite a heavy bike though, but as I usually mix and match parts and the frame is miles too small for me it will get split up onto different builds...

Oh, cost on this one was a measly $10, and with a name like Joker, I could not pass it by... :lol:

Luke.

 

[junknutz1975]

Very cool! 8)

appropriate too! :wink:

 

[late for dinner]

You weren't joking! Cool find for you Luke.

 

[LukeTheJoker]

Figured I would turn this thread into a running fresh finds thread (KingFish style) rather than starting a new thread every time I found something of interest...

Latest find: A PUCH Promenade road bike.

Nice details, even has Puch badges on the wheel nuts!

Very cool original dynamo mount:

Got some questions for the knowledgeable among us:

1: What is/was this? The mount is brazed to the frame, done at the factory...

2: How does a high-end (I think) bike from Miami end up at a small scrap metal place in the middle of Country Victoria, Australia?

3: Is this bike as awesome and valuable as I think it is?

The rims and cranks are beyond repair, but the frame and forks as well as the rest of the components are in good shape, thinking of throwing some nice chrome deep vee's at it, some new three piece cranks, very light cleaning on the frame and clear coat it. It is the perfect size for me to ride and is far more comfortable than most road bikes with my bad back...

Luke.

 

[LukeTheJoker]

The weird BMX:

I was not going to grab it, thinking it was just a cheap knock-off bike (no badges, stamping or logo's anywhere on the frame), but those forks with the flat sides look decent quality and then I saw the stem and bars:

Unnamed piston style stem and DYNO bars, figured it had to be worth the $5 asking price just to clean those bars up, widen them a little and put them on my 26" DYNO BigBoy BMX, the stem will go nicely on my 24" BMX build that is in the pipeline.

So, question for you, is the frame and fork worth keeping, or are they the cheap knock-off's I originally suspected?

Luke.

 

[LukeTheJoker]

What do people think about this wheelset for the PUCH? (Stickers are removable)

Possibly with these 700x35 gumwalls:

I have thought about deep vee wheels but just does not look right in my head, takes away from the cool vintage frame too much...

Luke.

 

[LukeTheJoker]

Been doing some research on the Puch, probably not as high end as I thought, but still a quality bike by all accounts, looking forward to getting it sorted out and riding!

Luke.

 

[Kreep]

The gimmick on the left side of the seat stay is a spoke lock. You would push it into the path of the spokes so the wheel wont roll. Essentially to deter a thief from being able to hop on and ride off.Looks like your missing the key for it. Very odd how far bikes can travel sometimes.The aluminum wheels will be a nice upgrade,have fun with it.
-Kreep-

 

[LukeTheJoker]

Thanks Kreep! Nice to know what it is. Should be a nice ride when it is done!

Luke.

 

[GuitarlCarl]

Is that pronounced "pooch"?
Says one smart alec to another... " Yeah, I ride a Pooch..." :lol:
or.. "You should see my other bike, it's a Pooch..."

 

[LukeTheJoker]

:lol: I thought Pooch too, but apparently it is Pook, I am not convinced though... Can anyone who knows for sure weigh in?

Luke.

 

[Nagant]

There seems to be lots of opinions on the pronunciation in the English speaking world. In militaria circles I've mostly heard it pronounced Pook but not always. Someone that speaks German and English could probably tell us the proper pronunciation in English.

 

[GuitarlCarl]

2: How does a high-end (I think) bike from Miami end up at a small scrap metal place in the middle of Country Victoria, Australia?
Luke.

Probably something like what happened to my Mom's accordion...
She left it in the back seat of her car unlocked while she ducked into the post office...
and sure enough, when she got back... there were two accordions in her back seat...hehe

Carl.

 

[alecw35]

I would say that the Puch was a catalogue or department store bike.
Ive had a few Puch bikes. I did find a Puch racer in a skip outside a house in the next village. knocked the door and they said to take it away. Had to push the Puch and the bike I was riding, about 3 miles home.
I just stripped it out for parts

I did have 4 Puch Minisprints. They are Puchs copy of the Schwinn stingray type of frame. But with 20 X 1 3/8" narrow steel rims and roadster type bars. I modded one with a long BMX seat pin, high bars from a moped, MTB curved forks. 20 X 1.75 steel wheels with Shimano 3 speed hub. SR alloy cranks. Painted it orange. It was ok. But the shimano twist grip wouldn't stay still on the moped bars. One time when out for a thrash on it. I was trying to twist that grip and the bike near wheelied into the wall.

Old Puchs have a slightly bigger inner diameter in the frames headstock. Than regular bikes with a 1" fork steerer tube. Its a tiny bit bigger. Not as big as some BMX frames, or the 1 1/8" oversize.

That road bike looks like its 70s or early 80s. Might have a date stamp on the rear of the brake calipers.

I have exactly the same spoke lock on a Velo star mixte bike, that I got from the scrap yard for its Sachs Torpedo 3 speed coaster hub. In European countries, such as Germany and Holland. Theres a law that states a bike has to be fully equipped with lights lock and guards, if its over a certain weight.

 

[LukeTheJoker]

Thanks for the info Alecw35! Would love to see pics of that modded minisprint! :mrgreen:

Luke.

 

[alecw35]

[/url

this is the only online photo I can find of the Puch Minisprint. Its second from left.

From left its, Raleigh Grifter, modded with longer seat tube, alloy cranks, alloy wheels, shortened headstock to take Raliegh Max MTB forks, BMX bars in MTB stem, Weimmann centrepull rear brake on tube welded between chainstays.

Puch Minisprint, modded with MTB forks, cast alloy MTB stem, Moped bars, brake bridge welded between seat stays to lower brake position to suit 20 X 175 wheels. BMX 22.2mm diameter long steel seat pin. Stainless steel full mudguards from a Vindec shopper bike. 3 speed shimano hub with chrome twist grip.

Lil Blue bike. 15" kids bike, painted a dark blue Ford colour. 20 X 175 alloy wheels with 3 Speed Strumley Archer hub. MTB cast alloy top loading stem. BMX bars. Alloy cranks with 2 chain rings. front and rear derailleurs. 3 X 2 gearing, 6 speed. Stainless steel full mudguards from a Vindec shopper bike.

3 speed BMX. Modded with 3 speed Strumley archer hub in alloy rims. SA twist grip with shortened grip, like Grip shift. Bottle dynamo mounted on bracket fitted to holes in forks drop out. special long seat pin I made. widened handlebar grip sections. big MTB brake levers.

6 speed BMX. Modded with 3 speed Strumley archer hub in alloy rims. SA twist grip. MTB forks. BMX bars in MTB stem. Alloy cranks with 2 chain rings. front and rear derailleurs. 3 X 2 gearing, 6 speed, but didn't want to shift the chain over the cranks. fiddled with it for ages.


Picture was taken a good few years ago now. I don't have any of those bikes anymore. I do have another Raleigh Grifter and a herd of BMXs that are gonna get messed with sometime.

 

[LukeTheJoker]

Some cool bikes there!

Luke.

 

[LukeTheJoker]

Another odd find today. This one is a real ratrod survivor though!

28" wheel ladies bike, peaked fenders, skirt guard holes in the rear, custom pin-striping, frame repairs and all!

Rough frame repair:

Might need some help with this one, aside from tires/tubes and a good clean and lube it is in great rider condition, but the tires and tubes may be an issue, they are marked 28x1 3/8 (37x642) but a search for matching tires brings up tires that are marked 28x1 3/8 but also 37x622 (700c rim size), these are marked 37x642 and are noticeably bigger than a 622mm 700c, they are bigger even than some 27" rims I have, obviously they will not fit! Is there two sizes of 28x1 3/8?

Really would like to keep the current rims on it, they are a nice straight pair of solid steel rims with what appears to be a good quality grease nipple equipped coaster brake...

Looking at that first pic again, it has a similarity to the monster cruiser styling, massive wheels, smallish frame...

Luke.

Edit: Just found tubes on eBay: http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Continental- ... 08e&_uhb=1 They look to be multi fit, anything between 609 and 642, still looking for tires, let me know if you know where to find some...

Luke.

 

[LukeTheJoker]

Looks like it might be an obsolete 700A size, found tires from an online store in Italy... :shock: :roll:
http://www.ilovebike.it/shop/tires-depo ... black.html

Luke.

 

[LukeTheJoker]

Pumped up the tires enough so that my wife Heidi could take it for a ride and she likes it, so going ahead with the clean and lube. (I rode it too! A bit small in the frame for me but those big tires roll over anything! :shock: )

More research has turned up that yes, they are the 700A size tires, they stopped being made in Britain in 1910's years but was still made in some of the colonies up until the 1960's, mainly Australia and new Zealand... So I bought my search in closer to home and bingo!

http://www.moruyabicycles.com.au/conten ... -tyre.html

2 tires and tubes ordered and paid for! :mrgreen:

Luke.