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yep.... it is assembled wrong, and has a number of other problems, too. Some bozo used some sort of green glue (locktite?) on the stem, and on the headset bearing nut. AND somebody tried to drill out the stem, but only succeded in making it more difficult to remove. The stem bolt was just...

thank you! now my old buddies will be able to catch up with me!

Hello ALL.... here is my lastest Barn Find: a 1962 Schwinn American Heavy Duty. In spite of it's ugly orange spray paint, it is actually in good condition and all original. A riend of mine actually found it in a barn, called me, and I had to have it! When they named it the Heavy Duty, they...

Hello All.... by way of introduction, or more correctly re-introdution, I'm Dave.... aka TornadoDave. This is the third iteration of me, hence the "3" added to my name. I guess I could get my old name back up and running.... but since I don't have the old e-mail address, or remember my...

808 Bike.... you and I build wheels the same way. I use an older version of the calculator, and determine my spoke lengths for new wheels that way. Since I've been rebuilding bikes for a rather long time, I've got a goodly stockpile of old spokes taken from derelict wheels of all sorts...

OK Nate..... I am one who tends to like to see a bike in that good a condition stay original.... BUT I must admit that the wheel looks pretty COOL! BTW.... is your right crank bent a little, or is it just the angle of the pic?

I remember those! That's the 10 speed version of the Breeze.... from 77 or 78 or thereabouts. My girlfriend in college had one just like it. the bike was GREAT..... unlike the girlfriend.

MW.... bonntrager Road Warrior tires are perfect. They take up to 90 psi, and can turn an old clunker into a nice ride. Now... about feeling dumb riding them: the idea here is to be cool, and have fun... so if riding a particular bike doesn't do it for you, then it's time to find / build...

Re: What model Schwinn is this? That's easy-peasy..... it's a Tornado from the late 50's or early 60's. The twin bars that end at the seat stay are a dead give-away. If it's all original, it should be red, have a Komet coaster brake and cream colored painted rims. It's a cool bike, but...

if the problem is with chain fit, you can always file 1/16th of an inch in thickness off of the chainwheel's teeth, and use a standard chain and rear sprocket..... since the pitch is a compatible 2x situation.

Riding like a Drunken Elephant is usually not caused by a bike's age or weight. It's caused by it being out of balance with the Universe. I've got an old Schwinn Racer that weighs 32 lbs..... and it rides like a dream machine. Throught the years, I've discovered that 's the ERG's that make a...

I've straightened a number of old Schwinn one-piece cranks, and have found that they never break, even when bent cold. They must have used good metal back then. My preferred method is the Armstrong Proceedure..... where you put one arm in a bench vise and use a long pipe cheater bar to...

I know this is an older topic..... and i don't know if you are still working on your skiptooth bike.... but of you are, you may just want to try a standard 1/8 chain to see if it works. Not all skiptooths were made the same and I've run across some that will work with 1/8 chains. I've got a...

Over the last few years I've noticed that many local bike shops don't care much about us bike re-builder's / restorers / customizers. This is especially true of my hometown on the Gulf Coast where most of the bike shops cater only to Spandex wearing / Carbon-fiber Roadies who look like...

You are not the first person to compalin about this company's customer service.... apparently, they aren't interested in keeping their customers happy. Not too long ago I contacted them and tried to get a quote for 10 framesets to be used in a line of custom bikes. I wanted to use them because...

Getting a fixie rear sprocket is EASY..... just go to your bike shop and buy a single-speed BMX freewheel that fits your hub. They cost about $13. I guess technically it's not a fixie, since it's a freewheel.... but it is a single speed, plus you have the advantage of being able to coast...

Actually.... a lot of cleansers use oxalic acid and a mild abrasive to work their magic. Plain old "Comet" works like a charm, as do a lot of cleaners. None of this is Rocket Surgery..... my personal technique is to use whatever I have under the sink.

I've repainted dozens of rims in the last few years, and I've found that unlacing them works the best.... rather than trying to mask the spokes. It's actually easier to unlace them if you know how. I use masking tape to hold the spokes in the correct pattern, and then remove the nipples...

If it were me... I probably would not buy it, even if the $50k for tools was right. Starting a bike shop is EASY, and the "good will" or "established customer base" in that particular market is very fickle. Typically, bike folks tend to deal with the people they like and once word gets out...

That's their standard heavy duty front hub. While heavy, they tend to last forever and can carry a LOT of weight. If it were my bike, I'd keep it since they are great hubs.