41 Schwinn Excelsior Patina build with Union Drum hubs.

[sandmangts]

The Elgin is pretty much done so I starting thinking about a build path for my 41 Excelsior badged DX. I found a sturmey internal and some nice Araya 7x rims and a drum for the front and I thought I was set until today. I was looking at craigslist and saw an ad that said he had some vintage drum brake wheels and he was close to me so I drove down and found the holy grail of drum brakes. Needless to say my chosen path has been altered but I think it is going to be a fun trip.

 

[scott brownsey]

it going to be cool

 

[gowjobs]

I'm in lust.

 

[Tailwinds]

Man that's really nice. You're very lucky to have a frame like that. Good luck w/ your build!

 

[Unchained]

That's going to be tasty! Can't wait to see it all together...

 

[sandmangts]

After a few hours soaking in oxcillic acid (wood bleach) all the rust is off the chrome with no scrubbing. It came out really good. One drum has some pitting but it could be re-chromed. Functionally though they are both good, the internals are clean and the shoes have very little wear.

 

[skillsthebarber]

Hubs look great, and please tell me that your going to leave the paint alone. thats too nice to strip and repaint.

 

[HotRodJen]

nicceeee those hubs do look great

 

[sandmangts]

Hubs look great, and please tell me that your going to leave the paint alone. thats too nice to strip and repaint.

Yes, the paint stays, I put alot of effort into cleaning and preserving it. The whole point of this build is to use old parts.

 

[sandmangts]

I am pretty happy with the drums. One has some pitting but they both work great. This rustoleum hammered finish paint coats nicely and looks very similar to the original finish.

 

[stretch]

i like where this is headed!

 

[motopsyco]

I like the way this one is going to! One I want to build a drum brake bike too. 8)

 

[El Duderino]

thats a sweet ride. i know a guy with one in red with original paint but he wont let it go

 

[kingsting]

The paint looks pretty nice on that frame. Looks like it will be a sweet build! 8)

When you get the wheels built up, I want to know your secret for dealing with the keyhole spoke holes on the small flange of the hub. The spokes like to fall out and you run out of fingers to hold them all in place. I did a Dynohub wheel recently and I don't think I want to do another for a while. :x
Lacing the large flange side first and using some tape on a few of the spoke heads on the small flange helped but it was still tricky until the whole wheel was laced.

 

[sandmangts]

I have almost all the parts ready. I still have not decided which levers or deraillers to use but I have cold set and checked the frame alignment and it is ready to build.

 

[skillsthebarber]

that paint is sweet, thats going to be one great looking bike

 

[41DX]

Looks good A.
What do you have in line to tie those TA's together with?
Do you need to use a TA specific BB?
I got lucky and acqired a TA BB when I found my cranks for the C project, I also just came across a set of tandem TA Cranks with no BB.
Thinking I am going to put together a Left hand drive fixie with em and wondering what BB will work.
Your frame is beautiful.......
Parts selection Top Shelf.
T

 

[sandmangts]

I actually landed a nice TA triple set with 165mm cranks so I am just going to swap the rins onto the longer cranks. I also have a vintage sturmey drum for the front. They came with a Phil Wood hub that the previous owner ran on a DX so they should be fine to use with a Truvative bottom bracket adaptor.

 

[scott brownsey]

i use the hammer paint i love it i use kmart dutch boy clear over it wow makes it look cool and SHINE

 

[sandmangts]

I finally got the wheels finished. They had proven to be the most difficult part of this entire build. I got sick of holding out for a Union front.

I don't have the right tires yet so I threw on some Kendas for now.

After that things just started falling into place.

I finally finished. The last thing I needed was a longer post. I had to order some 13/16 rod stock off ebay. Setting up the front derailler was tricky and shifting will take some getting used to but it shifts pretty well. The Union drum has a nice progressive feel and it is very powerful. I can see why they were popular on tandems. The sturmey is a little more grabby but it works well. I am not sure how well they will perform once they get hot. Overall the bike has a very solid feel and it is not too heavy. The front end is stiffer than I expected, ride quality is very good. I can't take all the credit though, I had help.