This isn't a build I intended to do, but it just sort of happened. Unfortunately, I really didn't take any in-progress pics, but I do have a before & after.
Last weekend was the big Labor Day street flea-market in our small town, and there were also yard sales all around. I found two Schwinn Exercycles at two separate sales for $4.00-each. Remembering the comments that icyuod2 made about their sheltered lives, and rust-free parts in his b.o.b.o.b. build http://www.ratrodbikes.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=28257 - but also not wanting to copy his sweet build - I picked them up without any real idea of what to do with them, and well, after I found the first one, I just couldn't leave the second one to anguish at the other sale. :lol:
Fast-forward to yesterday: There was a sale we stopped at last weekend where the guy had quite a few 70's motorcycles, and lots of other junk. He was leaving, but invited us back sometime, so I stopped by yesterday. He had previously showed me a weird Italian bike called a Dino that he was wanting $75, but it was a little too new, too ugly, and too much money for me. Yesterday, however, he drug me out to an old shed on the back of his property where he had this old Murray stuffed in among the other junk. $10 later and I was on my way!
I really didn't have a clear idea of what I wanted to do with it, but the front wheel was trashed, as well as both tires and the cranks. I thought it would be cool to try to use the cranks & sproket off one of the exercycles, unfortunately, unlike the one icyuod2 scored, mine don't have the sweet steel flywheel & covers - these are just a normal wheel with a fixed cog, a hollow hard-rubber tire/weight, and plastic covers. It did require me to flip the chainring to gain a bit more clearance, though I did still need the beat the crap out of the chainstay to make enough room. I also stuck the bars & stem on there just to make it rideable. I actually kind a like it, but I need to find a different bolt for the stem clamp. The front wheel was the first one I found in the junk pile that held air, as I don't have any 20" tubes around and am miles from the nearest place to get one. I used the exercycle pedals because they were handy - and also thinking the toe-straps may be a good idea with fixed-gearing, a 65/14 ratio, no sweep to the bars, no brakes, and a hard-rubber flywheel for a back tire. :shock:
I took it for a short ride - uphill & down - tonight. It doesn't ride too bad actually. I didn't have any problem climbing on it, and it wasn't too bad slowing & stopping. The hard rear tire, while rough, wasn't too squirrely in loose gravel. I do need either shorter cranks, or to get rid of these pedals with the lower brace, as they would scrape the ground in a straight line sometimes!
Anyway, here's the Murex. I'm pretty happy with it for being a haphazard $14 afternoon build. :wink:
Last weekend was the big Labor Day street flea-market in our small town, and there were also yard sales all around. I found two Schwinn Exercycles at two separate sales for $4.00-each. Remembering the comments that icyuod2 made about their sheltered lives, and rust-free parts in his b.o.b.o.b. build http://www.ratrodbikes.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=28257 - but also not wanting to copy his sweet build - I picked them up without any real idea of what to do with them, and well, after I found the first one, I just couldn't leave the second one to anguish at the other sale. :lol:
Fast-forward to yesterday: There was a sale we stopped at last weekend where the guy had quite a few 70's motorcycles, and lots of other junk. He was leaving, but invited us back sometime, so I stopped by yesterday. He had previously showed me a weird Italian bike called a Dino that he was wanting $75, but it was a little too new, too ugly, and too much money for me. Yesterday, however, he drug me out to an old shed on the back of his property where he had this old Murray stuffed in among the other junk. $10 later and I was on my way!
I really didn't have a clear idea of what I wanted to do with it, but the front wheel was trashed, as well as both tires and the cranks. I thought it would be cool to try to use the cranks & sproket off one of the exercycles, unfortunately, unlike the one icyuod2 scored, mine don't have the sweet steel flywheel & covers - these are just a normal wheel with a fixed cog, a hollow hard-rubber tire/weight, and plastic covers. It did require me to flip the chainring to gain a bit more clearance, though I did still need the beat the crap out of the chainstay to make enough room. I also stuck the bars & stem on there just to make it rideable. I actually kind a like it, but I need to find a different bolt for the stem clamp. The front wheel was the first one I found in the junk pile that held air, as I don't have any 20" tubes around and am miles from the nearest place to get one. I used the exercycle pedals because they were handy - and also thinking the toe-straps may be a good idea with fixed-gearing, a 65/14 ratio, no sweep to the bars, no brakes, and a hard-rubber flywheel for a back tire. :shock:
I took it for a short ride - uphill & down - tonight. It doesn't ride too bad actually. I didn't have any problem climbing on it, and it wasn't too bad slowing & stopping. The hard rear tire, while rough, wasn't too squirrely in loose gravel. I do need either shorter cranks, or to get rid of these pedals with the lower brace, as they would scrape the ground in a straight line sometimes!
Anyway, here's the Murex. I'm pretty happy with it for being a haphazard $14 afternoon build. :wink:
