Kasual Klunker

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I did get to see the videos, and what I saw does look to me like a tight adjustment of the bearing cones. One of the balls is hitting a bad spot, causing the ball to grab. It starts to activate the drive cone, every time the wheel comes around to that spot.
 
I did get to see the videos, and what I saw does look to me like a tight adjustment of the bearing cones. One of the balls is hitting a bad spot, causing the ball to grab. It starts to activate the drive cone, every time the wheel comes around to that spot.
Okay, so all I need to do is just try loosening things up? I only tightened it enough to keep the wheel from wobbling, so I'm not sure what that will do. I'm willing to give it a shot though. As for your earlier comment, I did apply a potentially hefty amount of grease to everything, so I wouldn't be surprised if that played a part too. I know the axle is straight and the shoes aren't backwards, so hopefully that narrows it down.
 
Yesterday, I took advantage of one of the last warm, dry days we'll probably have in Tulsa for a while, and did some more work on the Schwinn.

First, I pulled the 2 tires off one of my donor bikes and washed off as much dirt as I could. Turns out they were the only 2 off-road tires I had in stock with no cracks. They don't match, but I don't mind.
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Then I fitted both tires to a set of wheels similar to what I had on previously, except I hadn't messed with the hubs. While I could use one of the matching sets of silver wheels I have in stock, I like these wheels because they're wider, and they make the tires look bigger too.
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Here's how the wheels and tires look on the Hornet. I like how they look, but that light peach color on the wheels just doesn't sit well with me...
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So here's what I'm going to do to fix that: I got this half-empty can of "vintage white" spray paint from one of my neighbors earlier this week, and it's a close match to the scallops on the frame, as well as the seat.
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I want to use this paint to get the wheels to match the scallops on the frame as close as possible. Truth is, I really need a whole new can of paint to cover both wheels.
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I haven't painted wheels before, so I want to try a card trick I've seen car guys use to paint their wheels. I'll mount a set of junk tires to the wheels to keep paint from getting inside the rim of the wheels, but I'll use a deck of playing cards to further mask off the paint... or not. If I'm using junk tires, it might not even matter. Either way, I'll mask off the inside of the wheel and the spokes using painter's tape and a few sheets of cardboard or paper so that only the outer wheel hoop gets painted. I'll scuff up the existing paint with sandpaper or a shower sponge first, so the paint can adhere to the wheels better. Since I've never tried this before, I may want to look up a couple tutorials to see what the best method is for painting wheels on a budget.
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Since I plan to paint these wheels with a cream/off-white color to match the scallops and seat of this bike, I'm also thinking of using a dark red paint to add a couple pinstripes on the wheels to make them look more like original Schwinn wheels. I've got this thin pinstripe paint I've been dying to try out for a while now, so this could be a good opportunity to use it.
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I'm thinking of either adding crimson pinstripes along the narrow outer ridges between the lip and middle of the wheels, or maybe painting the middle section all crimson red while the rest of the wheels are cream. Either way, I'll want to do a few test pieces first.
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Another thing I made sure to check while I had the bike mocked up was clearance for the chainring being flipped back to an "innie" instead of an "outie." I also checked clearance for the chain passing by the tire, as well as making sure the chainring and sprocket were both lined up.
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I also put the chain guard back on to make sure the rear tire would clear. Thankfully, it cleared with room to spare.
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I put the Schwinn back on the stand and took apart the bottom bracket assembly so I could flip the chainring around to an "innie" configuration. Reason for that is so the chain won't scrape against the chain guard like before. I also flipped the rear sprocket to match. Once I had everything reassembled, I threw the chain back on, and tested the new rear wheel. Bare in mind, I haven't messed with this hub so far. Thankfully, everything worked just as I'd hoped. No weird noises, no sticky freewheeling, and the brake stopped instantly, at least without me riding on the bike. In fact, during one of my tests, the rear wheel spun freely for over 2 minutes after 1 full rotation of the crank!




So what's left to do?

Well, I think I'll leave the rear hub alone for now. "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" and all that. I do need to grease the front wheel hub though, but that's no big deal. I still have that gap between the crown race and the top bearing cup, but I've noticed that gap is there on a ton of stock bikes in my collection. I don't know if it's a sign of improper assembly, or if that's just normal, but if I can't find an alternative set of bearings, cups and crown races online (I already dug through my personal collection; no luck,) I'll just use it as is until a better option comes up. I want to paint the wheels, but I need to buy some paint for that to happen. I also probably won't be able to paint for a while, unless I can use one or more of Dad's space heaters to warm up a place to good painting temperatures. It's going to drop down into the 20s and 30s for the lows after tomorrow, so I don't know what'll happen there. Other than that, I just need to install the handlebars, adjust a few things, and this bike's ready to ride!
 
That would make a cool klunker for sure! I'll jump bikes a little but I don't try for catching much air any more so my old frames should be safe. I think you would do fine using this as an all roads bike built up as a klunker with knobbly tires. They are pretty fun to ride as well. Whichever way you decide to go should be a ton of fun!
Thanks Pondo! I don't jump bikes at all (way too cautious for that,) and I'd hate to abuse a nice old Schwinn like this. Using this as an "all-roads bike" like you said is just what I want to do! I like the whole klunker vibe this bike's taking on, but I'm not going to race this bike downhill like some of the veteran off-roaders would. I'll just stick to level trails with minimal changes in grade or elevation. Still, that won't stop me from seeing just how much dust I can kick up by pedaling this Hornet as fast as it'll go on dirt and gravel!
 
Thanks Pondo! I don't jump bikes at all (way too cautious for that,) and I'd hate to abuse a nice old Schwinn like this. Using this as an "all-roads bike" like you said is just what I want to do! I like the whole klunker vibe this bike's taking on, but I'm not going to race this bike downhill like some of the veteran off-roaders would. I'll just stick to level trails with minimal changes in grade or elevation. Still, that won't stop me from seeing just how much dust I can kick up by pedaling this Hornet as fast as it'll go on dirt and gravel!
Yeah, that will be fun. You certainly don't have to get radical to have a good ride on an old bike. It is fun watching people run hard on old iron though. Old clips of the original klunker crowd running Repack hard are available on youtube. Plus the Klunkerz movie. Someday I'm going to take a couple of my old klunkers over to Mt. Tam to ride Repack. I'm not planning to run it hard though, just cruize down. :cool2:
 
Yeah, that will be fun. You certainly don't have to get radical to have a good ride on an old bike. It is fun watching people run hard on old iron though. Old clips of the original klunker crowd running Repack hard are available on youtube. Plus the Klunkerz movie. Someday I'm going to take a couple of my old klunkers over to Mt. Tam to ride Repack. I'm not planning to run it hard though, just cruize down. :cool2:
Amen to that! I was born to be mild! :bigsmile:

Oh yeah! I was just watching a couple videos about klunkers and mountain bike history on YouTube just the other day! Crazy to think that mountain bikes are actually not that much older than me! It's amazing how a "goofy hobby" shared by a few friends turned into what it is today! Kind of fitting that BMX bikes and mountain bikes both found their roots around the same time back in the 70s. Folks wanted to blaze new trails and ride their bikes like nobody had before!

That'd be awesome to ride a klunker where it all began! You'll have to share that story when you do that!
 
That'd be awesome to ride a klunker where it all began! You'll have to share that story when you do that!
When I go to Mt. Tam I'll definitely document it. I may try to go to an event there and do a Repack ride with some of the originators of the sport. I've already met several of them. They're a super chill bunch.
 
Ok, BIG update to report from yesterday!

First, yesterday morning I bought a couple cans of spray paint that are a close match to the Hornet's original colors. These are the colors I'll use to paint the wheels so they'll match the rest of the bike.
Yeah, I didn't expect to go over that $50 budget I originally wanted to stick to by spending an additional $12-$14 on paint, but I also didn't expect to
1. fall in love with the original paint on this bike,
2. build an off-road klunker, and
3. enter the Off Road Build Off either. So you know what? If I'm going to build this Schwinn as a kool klunker, then it's got to have a set of wheels that match the rest of the bike. It's like going to a job interview; you want to dress your best to make a good impression, so you don't show up wearing white socks with black pants. That would just look silly!
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The paint's not the big update though. This is: I got the bike RIDING yesterday! In less than a month's time, from the moment I began to seriously try and start building this bike, to the moment I turned the pedals with my own 2 feet, I got this bike riding again! Granted, if we're talking from day of purchase to first ride, my RRBBO 2022 entry, Shoestring, is the fastest I've built a bike to riding condition, since I bought it in April and got it rolling in September. Still, from teardown to test ride, this is my new personal record!

All I had left to do to get the Schwinn rolling was grease and assemble the front wheel hub, install the handlebar and stem, and just get everything adjusted for the ride. Thankfully, I was able to get that all done and ride it around the neighborhood a bit before it started raining. I also got the first few test runs on video, but they're not good enough to post. I'll try to get some ride videos at one of the nearby dirt/gravel trails after the rain dries up.
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After those first couple test rides around the cul-de-sac, I grabbed a pair of matching handlebar grips, washed them off as quickly as I could, and threw those on the handlebars for a much longer test run. Well, they matched when they were dirty, but apparently they must have come off 2 different bikes! One must have come off a garage-kept, gently-used bike, and the other must have been one of the only surviving pieces of the bike it came off, 'cause that bike got abused! Still, I think they both look alright on the Schwinn.
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I rode it out to one of the main roads near the neighborhood. Between the clouds getting darker and the afternoon traffic, I couldn't get the best photos, but I shot what I could. As I rode to and from this spot, I was surprised how little I noticed those knobbier tires despite riding on asphalt the whole time. I thought they'd feel all bumpy and uncomfortable, but nope! They acted just like any other street tire. That just makes me feel all the more confident that this old Schwinn really can be a good all-terrain bike.
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Just to show how much this bike has changed so far, here's a couple comparison shots.
Before:
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After:
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Before:
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After:
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It's kind of funny to me just how this bike build has turned out so far. When I decided to build this bike, I was just going to try and slap it together using what parts I had laying around so I could ride it while I saved up the money and materials to strip it down and build it the way I wanted to later. I had no plans to save the original paint, much less fall in love with it. I've said it before, and I'll say it again: red and white are my 2 least-favorite colors, and I don't want or need more bikes in those colors. That said, after spending so much time and elbow grease shining up the paint with rubbing compound, I can't imagine getting rid of that original Schwinn-applied paint! It's survived 70 years up to this point, and hopefully it'll survive another 70 years after this point.

I also didn't expect to build this Schwinn as an off-road/all-terrain bike either! This was just going to be a simple "street bomber" build, with a used set of cream-colored tires wrapped around the wheels. I'm not really into mountain bikes or going off-road in anything smaller than a go-kart, but the moment I mocked up those knobby off-road tires, there was no point looking at the other street tires I planned to test out on this old Schwinn. Besides, sometimes it's good to step a little outside my comfort zone and try something new. There are quite a few bike trails around Tulsa meant for off-roading, and it'd be fun to check them out and get a change of scenery from the neighborhood and all the local parks I usually stick to when I want to go for a bike ride. Plus, it's just cool to have a bike that carries that same attitude those early klunkers have. Who knows, maybe down the road I'll do what those guys did and upgrade this bike to a 10-or-more-speed bike with better brakes and more serious off-road parts!

So what's next for the Kasual Klunker? Well, despite how it looks, I'm not actually done building this bike yet. I still want to paint the wheels to match the rest of the bike, so I may be taking the wheels apart to do that. Might even learn how to lace and true my own wheels while I'm at it. I also want to add a few other small touches to the bike to really make it my own, as I still feel like I've seen this exact bike somewhere else before. I don't plan on doing anything crazy, but I may want to add a number plate to the handlebars and frame, and maybe a bell to let others know I need a little room to pass them. ...Some folks just use up the whole path while they walk.

In the meantime, I'm going to try and keep myself warm by buzzing this Hornet around the neighborhood and whatever trails I find!
 
Your klunk is looking great! Looking forward to seeing how the wheels turn out. I need to learn wheel building and I think I may get into it this weekend. I'd love to find a nice original paint Schwinn frame like that to build a klunker with at some point.

Good luck getting thru all the other threads, there's quite a lot now!
 
Your klunk is looking great! Looking forward to seeing how the wheels turn out. I need to learn wheel building and I think I may get into it this weekend. I'd love to find a nice original paint Schwinn frame like that to build a klunker with at some point.

Good luck getting thru all the other threads, there's quite a lot now!
Thanks Pondo! I've wanted to learn how to build my own wheels for a while now. Lacing seems relatively straightforward and easy to do, but learning how to true my own wheels? That's what makes me nervous.
Those original paint bikes are out there, you just have to know where to look. Hopefully you'll find such a bike to build!

I'm going to need it! Last I checked, there were over 80 threads to view!
 
Love the simplicity and utilitarian aspects of the build.
Thanks! I've been thinking of little personal touches I could add to this bike to make it my own, but the tricky part for me is not overdoing it with all the add-ons. I'm used to adding stuff like custom tanks to my bikes, not stripping my bikes down to the bare essentials. I want to keep that functional old school klunker vibe this bike's already got, but as an artist, it's hard to resist picking form over function sometimes. I'm sure I'll figure something out.
 

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