Summit Workhorse Klunker, Ol' No. 1114

[Dingus Khan]

I finally came across a good candidate for a klunky-type cruiser a while back. I thought I'd take the opportunity to document my progress here.

The pertinent specs:
Summit Workhorse industrial F/F
Honda CR high rise moto bars
BMX quill stem
Cult VANS flanged grips
Joytech front hub
Shimano CB-E110 rear hub
Araya MP-22 26x1.5 Rims
Duro Berm Master 26x2.35 tires
Bear trap pedals
32/18 ratio



As bought

 

[Dingus Khan]

Branded from a previous life of servitude

 

[Dingus Khan]

I didn't take a picture in bare steel, but you all get the idea.

Here it is with a few coats of self-etching primer:

 

[Dingus Khan]

The cranks that were on it were a bit too long for my liking. Also I wanted a shorter gearing for the occasional climb. I had a chrome crank in the parts pile, along with a 32 tooth chain ring. I roughed them up with some 80 grit and then knocked down the scratches with 320 grit. Self-etching primer again, followed by satin black.







Aluminum foil makes a great mask for odd shaped things, btw.

 

[Dingus Khan]

Sanded the bearing cups and hit them with self-etching and satin black as well. I didn't take very many shots at this point, so here they are with the initial light dusting of primer.

 

[Dingus Khan]

Sorry for the blurry pic, but here it is after letting the initial paint cure for a week. I've sanded down the imperfections (I'm still no rattle-can Picasso like some of you) and will lay a few more coats real soon.

 

[LukeTheJoker]

Looking good! You may want to clean the paint out of the bearing cups before assembling though, it will gum up your bearings...

Luke.

 

[Bicycle808]

+1 re: painted races makin' trouble...

I also agree that your project looks good so far!

I'm in the midst of a long-term project, whereby I'm building up an example of each currently-available industrial bike for klunk duty, taking measurements, and klunkin' them. I'm still in the early stages, but the Summit Workhorse has impressed me. It's a straight-up 1990s SHD clone, but with a kickstand plate rather than the tubular Schwinn-style boss. Aside from a relatively low BB, these frames have a lot of klunk potential, and an advantage or 2 over the present-day SHD....

So, you got a 32t front; what size sprocket are you gonna run out back?

 

[Dingus Khan]

Yes, I'll definitely polish the races. See, I'm not burdened with anything remotely resembling patience. Overspray is something I just accept. It also affords me a quiet moment with some fine grit paper and those cups. A zen moment at the workbench, if you will.

I'm a fan of this frame. The plate vs tube kickstand boss is a benefit, for sure. Also, if I'm not mistaken, the SHD has a 1-1/8" threaded headset, whereas the SWH has a normal 1". Also, the drops don't have cutouts. They seem especially beefy.

The bottom bracket is indeed a little low for my liking. That's why I went with the shorter cranks. Pedal strike was ridiculous with the stock piece. I'll probably upgrade the fork (and go threadless) to something a bit taller down the road. I'll gain clearance and slacken the geometry at the same time. I had grand intentions of doing that, putting a mechanical disc in front, and adapting a three-piece BB. All in due time. I'm just itching to ride the dadgum thing.

I'll be running an 18 tooth cog out back. It will be a bit lower than the normal 2:1 ratio, but I plan on taking it on some beginner to intermediate trails out here. I want it to climb.

Thanks for all of your comments and suggestions.

 

[Bicycle808]

Yeah, the newer SHDs have 1.125" threaded heads, which is arguably an advantage, as you can convert to threadless, and run a very wide selection of headsets and forks without any frame-mods or kludges. OTOH, if you want the old-school 1" threaded set-up, the Summit is the obvious move.

The SHD dropouts have changed over the years, with some identical to yours, and others markedly different. I have an early Chinese-built SHD with dropouts identical to those on my Summit bikes.

FWIW, the factory that makes Summit Workhorses used to make the SHD for a while.... when Schwinn moved the SHD production to China, the Summit guys switched to the kickstand plate and kept crankin'm out.

FWIW, I think 32x17 or 32x18 is a nice ratio, and the small front sprocket allows for a lot of clearance...

 

[Dingus Khan]

Oh? I thought it was the other way around on head tubes. Hmmm...

On the topic of forks: where is everyone getting those sweet straight leg cro-mo bmx forks? Threaded Landing Gears are going for stupid money right now. I don't want the hi-ten "cruiser" forks from Sunlite or whoever. I don't want to settle for weaker forks than stock just for "the look". Strength is paramount. I was planning on a Kona Project2 fork if/when I go threadless.

So, thanks to YouTube and a slow morning at work, I have learned a new skill. I just laced up my first set of wheels. A valiant attempt at truing will follow.

These were the stock hoops that came on an old Trek I found from Goodwill a while back. Same goes for the Joytech sealed front hub and front spokes. All have been cleaned up and pressed back in service. These rims have had a hard life, but that's not stopping now. I hit them with the same satin black that's going on most all the other bits and baubles. They've been "curing" in my attic for about a month. Brand new rear spokes and coaster hub are being used. It appears the online spoke length calculator got me in the ballpark. Whew!

I had ordered red spoke nipples, but they still haven't arrived. They literally took a slow boat from China. So, I'm using what I have on hand and will swap out later.

 

[Dingus Khan]

Here's a pic from the front hub refresh:

 

[Bicycle808]

Nice work.... what exactly are you looking for in terms of the fork? FWIW, few ppl are making quality 26" bmx forks anymore, especially in 1". At $105 shipped, this isn't a cheap option, but check out the Genuine Bicycle Products Red Menace fork:
http://genuinebicycleproducts.com/redmenace.html

It would be easiest to find a vintage/used fork, as they're probably more plentiful and affordable at this point.....

 

[Dingus Khan]

Thanks for all your input. I guess I'm at an impasse between looks and function. I'd like the traditional straight leg bmx look, but I'd probably appreciate a fork with some "give" for hitting the trails. I may just scoop up a late 80's/early 90's crmo mtb for the fork. I think straight forks suit this style of frame better, but curved fork legs soak up bumps. I guess I'll just have to ride it and see.

 

[Bicycle808]

Do you intend to run front brakes?

 

[Dingus Khan]

Not initially, no. If I do go off the deep end, I'd like to put a disc up front. That's why I was leaning towards converting to threadless and getting a Kona P2 fork. Disc mount only comes in 1-1/8", though. If I remember right, the inside of my headtube measures 34mm. I'll have to verify that later. If so, that puts me in 1-1/8" territory. But my quill is 21.1mm for the stock fork, which is odd.

I think I'll just not worry about it for now. I'll stay with the stock fork for a while to get a feel for the bike. That is, unless something drops into my lap.

And of course, after lacing my wheels yesterday, my snazzy red spoke nipples arrived today. Just glad I haven't had a chance to true them yet.

 

[Bicycle808]

Not initially, no. If I do go off the deep end, I'd like to put a disc up front. That's why I was leaning towards converting to threadless and getting a Kona P2 fork.

I think the Surly Instigator looks meaner than the p2 disc... i got a 410mm v-brake only p2, though. It's a great fork.

Disc mount only comes in 1-1/8", though.

Nope. Look at this:
http://www.bicycledesigner.com/bike...gid-forks-with-disc-brake-mount---chrome.html

If I remember right, the inside of my headtube measures 34mm. I'll have to verify that later. If so, that puts me in 1-1/8" territory.

It measures 32.5mm. You can kludge up a mix-n-match 1.125" headset with the stock cups, loose balls, and various loose-beaing 1.125" headset parts..., or buy a gbp retro rider. Or, get that 1" threaded disc fork.

But my quill is 21.1mm for the stock fork, which is odd.

That's pretty much the standard on cheap bikes. Husky uses a 22.2, but Summit, Worksman, 1" SHDs, Emories, etc all take 21.1 quills.

I think I'll just not worry about it for now. I'll stay with the stock fork for a while to get a feel for the bike.

Good plan. Nothing wrong with that fork, if you're not trying to run front brakes.

And of course, after lacing my wheels yesterday, my snazzy red spoke nipples arrived today. Just glad I haven't had a chance to true them yet.

They'll look hott, but i predict you'll regret the ano aluminum nips a few years down the line....

 

[Dingus Khan]

Thanks for all the fork info. I'm still researching my options, but not as feverishly. Those disc mount bmx forks are pretty sweet. They are definitely added to the short list. And while I agree that the Surly Instigator is mean, I don't think it's $30 meaner than a KP2. I would also think the Kona would beat me up less on the rough stuff. The spindly legs look "springier". Having ridden neither, I have absolutely no frame of reference. Surly would certainly give me "hipster cred" around here. They are THE brand of choice for the bearded lads at the big downtown lbs.

You're probably right about the nips. I've never used aluminum nips before, so we'll see. If they break, round off, slip, or just become an overall hassle, I'll swap them out and call it lesson learned. They were a concession to appearance, not weight savings.

Sorry I don't have any real updates. I need to spray the frame with a few more coats of white. I'm hoping to do that after work today, but the wind is supposed to be up in the 20s with gusts in the 30s. Not ideal in the least. I might have to do a makeshift paint booth in the garage. I'm saving replacing nips, truing wheels and mounting tubes/tires for the rainy days later in the week. If all goes well, I could be assembling this weekend.

 

[Dingus Khan]

Update!

Status: stage 1 complete

First, the Duro Berm Masters mounted.

 

[Dingus Khan]