The Schwinn Dixie Dreamcycle

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Wood can be tricky, and I had similar problems with the cardboard elements I used - it swells, sinks and that apparently smooth finish conceals fibers that lay nicely on the surface until you put a bit of paint down.... :headbang:

I really look forward to seeing your completed machine.
Yeah, wood definitely has its quirks. Thanks. I plan to get it done soon, but I'm probably going to need to sandblast and powder coat a few parts all over again in order to finish this bike correctly.
 
Listening to the bike is more important than the deadline. If it isn't ready yet, don't sacrifice the quality just to please us clowns. Sad that you missed out, but you gotta be happy with the finished product. We'll still be watching
Thanks Matti. Yeah, I hate that I couldn't get this bike done in time, but I'll be happier to get it done right.
 
It's happening! Powder coating: take 2!
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Sorry for the delay, but here's a highlight reel of Thursday's powder coating revamp on the frame, chain guard, and seat clamp. First, some before pictures. This time, Dad and I made sure to plug all threaded holes and bearing cup attachment points.
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Here, Dad applies the first coat of powder to the parts.
BftD_Schwinn_Dixie_powdercoating_revamp_8.jpg
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BftD_Schwinn_Dixie_powdercoating_revamp_14.jpg


The first coat doesn't look all that great after curing in the oven, in fact some parts look more silver than orange, but that's where the second layer of powder comes in...
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Once the first layer of powder fully cools, he applies the second layer of powder: clear coat.
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This is the result after the clear coat cures. That's when that orange really pops!
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So now the parts are all powder coated. There's not much left to do at this stage, but I plan to make some more progress these next 2 days. I want to finish priming and painting the tank and tank mounts tomorrow and Tuesday while the weather is in the 60s and 70s. If I can get that done before it gets cold again, then all that's left is reassembly. I want to see if my fabricator friend can help me this time, since the last time I tried to put this bike together, the bearings weren't acting right. If he's able to help me, we might finish this bike before we start on my MBBO entry for this year.
 
Jealous of you for the powder booth, jealous that you can work with your dad. Nice post, the orange looks great. My favorite color
Thanks Matti! Yeah, I'm pretty fortunate that my dad can powder coat my bike parts for me. Sometime I'd like to learn how to powder coat my own stuff too! I'm super happy with how the orange turned out as well! I can hardly wait to get this bike rolling again!
 
Spent some time yesterday working on the tank. I had to sand down all the imperfections that happened when I tried to rush the process of painting this tank. Here are the befores:
BftD_Schwinn_Dixie_RRBBO_tank primer_1.jpg
BftD_Schwinn_Dixie_RRBBO_tank primer_2.jpg


And here are the results of all that sanding:
BftD_Schwinn_Dixie_RRBBO_tank primer_3.jpg
BftD_Schwinn_Dixie_RRBBO_tank primer_4.jpg


I didn't want to drive all the way to my Dad's shop to paint my tank again, so I set up everything inside the garage. It's nothing fancy, but it gets the job done.
BftD_Schwinn_Dixie_RRBBO_tank primer_5.jpg
BftD_Schwinn_Dixie_RRBBO_tank primer_6.jpg


I applied 2 coats of primer, and let it dry.
BftD_Schwinn_Dixie_RRBBO_tank primer_7.jpg


I also got the new pedals in the mail yesterday, and this time, they work just fine!
BftD_Schwinn_Dixie_RRBBO_new_pedals.jpg


I was going to sand the primer again and start painting today, but I wanted to test fit the tank inside the frame to see if all the layers of primer made an impact on the fitment of the tank. The tank just barely squeezed inside the frame, which means I need to sand a portion of the top and bottom of the tank to allow more room for the layers of paint I plan to apply. I don't know if I'm going to work on that today or sometime later, but I at least know what I need to do.
 
Spent some time yesterday working on the tank. I had to sand down all the imperfections that happened when I tried to rush the process of painting this tank. Here are the befores:
View attachment 177410View attachment 177411

And here are the results of all that sanding:
View attachment 177412View attachment 177413

I didn't want to drive all the way to my Dad's shop to paint my tank again, so I set up everything inside the garage. It's nothing fancy, but it gets the job done.
View attachment 177414View attachment 177415

I applied 2 coats of primer, and let it dry.
View attachment 177416

I also got the new pedals in the mail yesterday, and this time, they work just fine!
View attachment 177409

I was going to sand the primer again and start painting today, but I wanted to test fit the tank inside the frame to see if all the layers of primer made an impact on the fitment of the tank. The tank just barely squeezed inside the frame, which means I need to sand a portion of the top and bottom of the tank to allow more room for the layers of paint I plan to apply. I don't know if I'm going to work on that today or sometime later, but I at least know what I need to do.
Hey Austin, Where"d you find those whits bow pedals? Their pretty cool looking.. RaToN.. RaZiN...
 
Yesterday was a roller coaster of progress and setbacks. I met with my friend Allan yesterday, and we worked together on the final assembly of The Schwinn Dixie Dreamcycle. It took a few hours, but we actually got the bike fully assembled and even riding! All that was missing was the tank, because it's not finished being painted, and the pedals, because I accidentally left them at home. Even though it was missing the tank and pedals, I was still happy to see this bike that got me into this hobby more than 3 years ago fully assembled and ready to ride! Allan was pretty excited too, especially with that beautiful orange powder it was wearing. I was thrilled to ride this bike for the first time, (even though it may not show in the video, as I was currently in assessment mode.)
BftD_Schwinn_Dixie_RRBBO_glory_and_defeat_1.jpg

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Unfortunately, what started out as the sweet taste of victory instantly turned into the painful agony of defeat. After that first test ride, I took it for another spin around the airport... and in less than a minute, all heck literally broke loose. The fork steerer tube snapped right around where we had repaired it months ago, causing the front wheel to jump ahead of the frame, and causing me to scrape my hands, knees and elbow against the tarmac.
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The crash didn't damage the bike too bad. Aside from the fork, most of the damage was cosmetic. I'll want to get a new fork, sandblast and powder coat most of the parts again, and maybe replace the seat and handlebar grips. I, on the other hand, got banged up worse than I've experienced in a long while. I didn't break anything thankfully, but I'm really sore, especially in the entire length of my right arm.
BftD_Schwinn_Dixie_RRBBO_glory_and_defeat_7.jpg



Left hand got a blister and some road rash, and I'm a bit sore at the wrist too. Thankfully, it's not too bad.
BftD_Schwinn_Dixie_RRBBO_glory_and_defeat_8.jpg


On the other hand, my right hand got scraped really bad on 3 of my fingers, and my wrist, elbow, and even shoulder are all sore and stiff. This is particularly bad, as I write, draw, turn wrenches, and do pretty much everything with that arm/hand. I hate to say it, but because of what happened today, I'm going to need to take a break from working on bikes while I let this heal up.
BftD_Schwinn_Dixie_RRBBO_glory_and_defeat_9.jpg


While it's painful enough to have been injured like this, it's even more painful knowing that my bike was this close >< to being done, only for it to break before I could really enjoy it. And I wasn't the only one who was seriously bummed out about it. My friend Allan, who helped me fix this bike and helped me put it together was so stoked to see this bike come together, and equally disheartened to see it break in two. Mom and Dad were pretty shocked to hear what happened too. Despite the emotional crush this crash dumped on us, none of us want to give up on this bike. My family wants to see this bike completed, my friend Allan wants to see this bike completed, and I want to see this bike completed. So, whenever I'm in better shape, I'm going to fix up this bike again, probably after I finish my MBBO entry, if I can get back to work on that bike soon. I might even slap my repop chrome Schwinn springer fork on this bike, since the bearings are still greased, and ride it around like that while the bike waits its turn for repairs.

Until then, my plan from this point on is to let my body heal, and to see how everyone else is coming along on their bikes.
 
Yikes! It was looking real good before the forks broke. Sorry about the mishap. It should come back together real nice after you're healed up a bit. I have a set of forks I want to replace the tube on. I'll be sure to sleeve it when I do.
 
Yesterday was a roller coaster of progress and setbacks. I met with my friend Allan yesterday, and we worked together on the final assembly of The Schwinn Dixie Dreamcycle. It took a few hours, but we actually got the bike fully assembled and even riding! All that was missing was the tank, because it's not finished being painted, and the pedals, because I accidentally left them at home. Even though it was missing the tank and pedals, I was still happy to see this bike that got me into this hobby more than 3 years ago fully assembled and ready to ride! Allan was pretty excited too, especially with that beautiful orange powder it was wearing. I was thrilled to ride this bike for the first time, (even though it may not show in the video, as I was currently in assessment mode.)
BftD_Schwinn_Dixie_RRBBO_glory_and_defeat_1.jpg

BftD_Schwinn_Dixie_RRBBO_glory_and_defeat_2.jpg

BftD_Schwinn_Dixie_RRBBO_glory_and_defeat_3.jpg

BftD_Schwinn_Dixie_RRBBO_glory_and_defeat_4.jpg




Unfortunately, what started out as the sweet taste of victory instantly turned into the painful agony of defeat. After that first test ride, I took it for another spin around the airport... and in less than a minute, all heck literally broke loose. The fork steerer tube snapped right around where we had repaired it months ago, causing the front wheel to jump ahead of the frame, and causing me to scrape my hands, knees and elbow against the tarmac.
BftD_Schwinn_Dixie_RRBBO_glory_and_defeat_5.jpg

BftD_Schwinn_Dixie_RRBBO_glory_and_defeat_6.jpg


The crash didn't damage the bike too bad. Aside from the fork, most of the damage was cosmetic. I'll want to get a new fork, sandblast and powder coat most of the parts again, and maybe replace the seat and handlebar grips. I, on the other hand, got banged up worse than I've experienced in a long while. I didn't break anything thankfully, but I'm really sore, especially in the entire length of my right arm.
BftD_Schwinn_Dixie_RRBBO_glory_and_defeat_7.jpg



Left hand got a blister and some road rash, and I'm a bit sore at the wrist too. Thankfully, it's not too bad.
BftD_Schwinn_Dixie_RRBBO_glory_and_defeat_8.jpg


On the other hand, my right hand got scraped really bad on 3 of my fingers, and my wrist, elbow, and even shoulder are all sore and stiff. This is particularly bad, as I write, draw, turn wrenches, and do pretty much everything with that arm/hand. I hate to say it, but because of what happened today, I'm going to need to take a break from working on bikes while I let this heal up.
BftD_Schwinn_Dixie_RRBBO_glory_and_defeat_9.jpg


While it's painful enough to have been injured like this, it's even more painful knowing that my bike was this close >< to being done, only for it to break before I could really enjoy it. And I wasn't the only one who was seriously bummed out about it. My friend Allan, who helped me fix this bike and helped me put it together was so stoked to see this bike come together, and equally disheartened to see it break in two. Mom and Dad were pretty shocked to hear what happened too. Despite the emotional crush this crash dumped on us, none of us want to give up on this bike. My family wants to see this bike completed, my friend Allan wants to see this bike completed, and I want to see this bike completed. So, whenever I'm in better shape, I'm going to fix up this bike again, probably after I finish my MBBO entry, if I can get back to work on that bike soon. I might even slap my repop chrome Schwinn springer fork on this bike, since the bearings are still greased, and ride it around like that while the bike waits its turn for repairs.

Until then, my plan from this point on is to let my body heal, and to see how everyone else is coming along on their bikes.

Looking at the fork there is no sleeve installed, if you would of made a sleeve and rosette welded it, it would not have broken...........Curt
 
Yikes! It was looking real good before the forks broke. Sorry about the mishap. It should come back together real nice after you're healed up a bit. I have a set of forks I want to replace the tube on. I'll be sure to sleeve it when I do.
Yeah, I was so close to calling this bike done! Thankfully, it's salvageable. Thanks. Yeah, be sure to reinforce your welds, because I'd hate for you to experience what I went through.
 

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