ORBO Racer MX
- Thread starter twojs.bike
- Start date
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Ooh, that's a tough call. Option A has a pretty cool look, almost BMX in vibe, but option B looks fast! Keep throwing parts at it and see what sticks!
I look at it the same way. Why not both?
Tough call. The BMX bars look great and the others look comfortable 
Plenty of time to figure out the handlebars.
My BMX stem did not work for dimpling the seat stays. The tubes were too narrow. I just brute forced it with vice grips. Used a spanner on the outside to spread the force.
Certainly not elegant, but it worked.
It took all the strength I had to squeeze the vice grips. If I build a custom tool, I will base it on the BMX stem or maybe a C-clamp. My vice grips are 8 inches. A larger pair would probably help.
The dimples caused the spacing between the dropouts to squeeze in about 20mm. I respaced the dropouts.
Still need to straighten the frame and cut the fork.
I will probably also wipe the frame and chain guard with BLO.
Luckily the kickstand is the perfect length for these wheels and tires. I was worried it would be too long.
The 2 speed kickback appears to be working great when I spin the cog by hand. Easily shifts between a direct drive and an under drive. I cannot wait to actually ride this thing.
My BMX stem did not work for dimpling the seat stays. The tubes were too narrow. I just brute forced it with vice grips. Used a spanner on the outside to spread the force.
Certainly not elegant, but it worked.
It took all the strength I had to squeeze the vice grips. If I build a custom tool, I will base it on the BMX stem or maybe a C-clamp. My vice grips are 8 inches. A larger pair would probably help.
The dimples caused the spacing between the dropouts to squeeze in about 20mm. I respaced the dropouts.
Still need to straighten the frame and cut the fork.
I will probably also wipe the frame and chain guard with BLO.
Luckily the kickstand is the perfect length for these wheels and tires. I was worried it would be too long.
The 2 speed kickback appears to be working great when I spin the cog by hand. Easily shifts between a direct drive and an under drive. I cannot wait to actually ride this thing.
I tried BLO on my Schwinn Racer (similar era to yours) for my '50 Skinny and Single' SWBO build the first year. Just on one chainstay. It never got 'unsticky' to the touch. I ended up just wiping it lightly with WD40 and that worked well for me.
I later learned that if you 'cut' the BLO to a 50/50 blend with mineral spirits or paint thinner, it goes on better and dries faster. FWIW
I later learned that if you 'cut' the BLO to a 50/50 blend with mineral spirits or paint thinner, it goes on better and dries faster. FWIW
I have been using BLO on my Raleighs. I don’t measure, but I cut it roughly 1/3 BLO and 2/3 low odor mineral spirits. Seems to dry in a few days.
My concern is the Schwinn chain guard. I am worried about a 2/3 mineral spirits solution rubbing off the “Racer” letters. That is a big part of the look I want.
Maybe I should just use car wax.
My concern is the Schwinn chain guard. I am worried about a 2/3 mineral spirits solution rubbing off the “Racer” letters. That is a big part of the look I want.
Maybe I should just use car wax.
I've never messed with BLO, but I find that Turtle Wax rubbing compound (red, not white) and SC Johnson paste wax work wonders. It shouldn't take much to shine up your bike, but here's how it turned out on a couple of my bikes. Best part is that you don't have to wait for it to dry. You just wipe it down with a sock or microfiber cloth and it's done; no stickiness whatsoever.
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Wow! Great results BFTD! I had forgotten what the process was that you use on those beauties.
Thanks OddJob! With the Schwinn I just used a bunch of old semi-course socks and rubbing compound and rubbed aggressively until the original luster came back, then went over everything with a quick round of paste wax. The key is you want to have a spare clean sock or rag to wipe down after each pass for both steps, otherwise it'll leave a film. For the Western Flyer, I had to use some #0000 steel wool with the rubbing compound to really clean up some spots, as the rust was far worse on that bike. You just need to be careful and take your time with it, but those 2 bikes required the most work to get to that point. If the bike's not too dull or rusty, it really doesn't need as much work.
