The Tripod Trike aka Schwinn "Town and Crunchy"

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Joined
Feb 16, 2007
Messages
108
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Location
Sandy, Utah.
I have started a couple of build off bikes over the years, but have yet to actually post pictures of a completed bike by the deadline... It's been fun anyway, so here we go again! I think I might actually get this one done because I'm on a serious bike building kick lately. I've already buillt three bikes since the build off started, so had I kept a journal on any of them, I'd be pretty much done! For a little closure, I'm including a pic of the last build off bike I started and the three I just completed.
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And of course, the hardest part... deciding what to build next... I've got two worthy projects, but this old Schwinn 10 speed is the one Im using. I threw it together to make sure the trike was gonna work. it has a broken tooth on one of the cogs and I can't get it apart, but it seems to work fine with the super short chain so I think we're good to go!

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I building this one specifically for my dog Tripod, so let's call it the Tripod Trike. 😊 I'm pretty happy with most of the parts I tossed on it for the shakedown, so most of the build will be focused on Tripod's accomodations. Poor guy looks like a cat in a box in that tiny wagon, but he prefers the stability of the trike over riding up high on a rear rack like we do now, so he's literally on board. 👍
 
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Sweet. We have a lot of trikes this year!

:thumbsup:
I actually considered entering a different bike because of that, but I'm pretty jazzed on this build and have lots of energy for it as a result. Being a late entry, it's the best way to make sure I plow through the inevitable hang ups and actually get it built in a just a little more than a month. 😉
 
Tripod looks pretty content sitting in the wagon!

So, is he a three legged dog?
Yep, it's a tree-wheeler for a three-legger. He's pretty good with it! He always gets a little anxious when we stop on the regular bikes, but with this one he's totally at ease. I'm sure he also appreciates the zero lean style of riding that I'm not quite used to yet.
 
Zero lean in a trike is not the only option, although I can understand why he would appreciate it.
 
Diggin' that trike! Great patina already on the frame and rims, bars and seat are kool. Great that you jumped in!

Tripod looks to have some Cairn Terrier in him? I could never get my Dusty, a Cairn, to ride on a trailer bed, which was low to the ground behind my bike. He would almost hyperventilate. But he was anxious in the car too. We loved him for 14 yrs, issues and all!
 
Diggin' that trike! Great patina already on the frame and rims, bars and seat are kool. Great that you jumped in!

Tripod looks to have some Cairn Terrier in him? I could never get my Dusty, a Cairn, to ride on a trailer bed, which was low to the ground behind my bike. He would almost hyperventilate. But he was anxious in the car too. We loved him for 14 yrs, issues and all!
He's a mutt, but he definitely has strong terrier attributes... Loved to herd the kids when they were little. 🤣
 
Diggin' that trike! Great patina already on the frame and rims, bars and seat are kool. Great that you jumped in!

Tripod looks to have some Cairn Terrier in him? I could never get my Dusty, a Cairn, to ride on a trailer bed, which was low to the ground behind my bike. He would almost hyperventilate. But he was anxious in the car too. We loved him for 14 yrs, issues and all!
The patina on this build is cherry picked for sure... The rear wheels came off a bike that was already built, the bars were left in the weather specifically because I knew someday I would want some really crusty bars, and the saddle has been sitting with the trike kit for years, I always knew they'd end up together. I wasn't even gonna build the Schwinn but when I started parting it out there wasn't a single stuck part. Everything was well greased and obviously well taken care of. I just couldn't scrap something that well loved, a trike with a broken cog I could putter around on with my doggo seemed much more appropriate.
 
Wish I had an update, but yesterday was spent with this sweet score. local backyard bike mechanic is calling it quits after 10 years cause he can't get parts to stay in business. Going back on Saturday, he called me today and said I could take anything he has left. I already bought all the vintage bikes, but there's a whole bunch of Cranbrook type stuff and lots of vintage parts I didn't have an immediate use for.
 

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I like that frame and fork against the fence
Thanks... I've been spraying it with penetrating oil every few hours since I got home with it. Got the seatpost out Friday, cranks and pedals broke free today but the stem ain't budging. managed to break the bolt using too much leverage and I got it to go down just a little with a hammer, but not up. I wish I didn't love the rusty ones so much.😅
 
This is just gonna be a thread full of stuff I'm doing other than work on the trike if I'm not careful. 🤣

Got the blue Columbia from the above pic put together and took it for a quick shake down. The steer tube is bent and it has ovalized the headtube a bit, but I REALLY like the way it rides. I'm almost afraid if I straighten the steer tube it wont be as snappy.you might recognize the bars from the trike..i did end up doing that one thing I did do to the my actual build off bike. 🤣🤣🤣 the Cranbrook bars were just too big, so I went back to the original equipment for now, but it hardly seemed worth an update since I have a different plan once I find the right stem.
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So that's 4 bikes put together this week, plus some I bought this one after thinking about it pretty much non stop since I first went on Thursday. It was already built and that's not my style, but it looks so pretty next to my spaceliner. I'm a 50 dollar bike guy, but it's my favorite color so really how could I pass it up for 100?
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And finally, the amazingly generous gift. My first prewar bike, and a really cool one at that. I didn't even know what to say. Needs some work, but I put some air in the tires and took it around the block. I also flipped the bars, boy howdy is that a drop. 😳 This bike is gonna get it's own thread, I'd love to know more about it. The guy said overland built their own bikes for one year, 1937. Can't find anything to confi that yet, but either way, I'm beyond stoked.
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That's all for now... He gave me something else cool, but I don't have pics yet so we'll save that for another time when I don't have an update on the trike. 🤣
 
Welcome back to the fun. I like your Tri-4-Tri build!
Cool scores too.
 
The blue Columbia is a Monark :grin:. Should have an aluminum tag on the underside of the BB with serial and model...if not, it's ~`54+ and it will have stamped info instead.

The Overland looks Snyder built, to me.

Cool scores :thumbsup:
 
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Tiny update! I had these crusty ape hangers that look great on the bike, but one side had been chopped for some reason...
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I thought about cutting the other side to match, but I'd like to run a brake and they were trimmed so much it didn't leave room for a lever...the one side was actually too short for the grips. My welder is broken, so I used my friends... It was my first time using a stick welder, and it shows. 🤣 good thing my repair will be covered by the grip, and good thing it was pretty dark by the time I finished so y'all can't see just how bad my welds turned out. 🙃
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as my old man would say: "good enough for the girls we go with!"
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That's all for now, but I should have another update later today or tomorrow... Time to get serious about getting this thing done!
 

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