I love your Schwinn Racer rebuild. The Chicago Schwinn's were designed and built with quality materials that hold up to decades of use. I'm so glad to see you doing such interesting things with this bike. I've gone from 27x1 1/4" wheels on a Varsity to 26x1.75" wheels with no problems. It looks like you have proven the 26x1 3/8" wheel to 700c x 32mm wheel on the Racer model. Cool. I love your fenders, nice job. I'm going to post a thread about repainting my Chicago Varsity recently. I had it powdercoated which came out way, way better than anything I'm capable of. I especially love the pictures from another time when you and your brother were young. I lost my brother to cancer a few years back with no pictures of that era for the two of us. Keep up the good work.
50, Skinny, and Single
- Thread starter OddJob
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Thanks for your comments and I agree with your insights about the Chicago Schwinns. Cue me when your post goes up about your repaint on the Varsity!
I'm getting close on this build. I think it's going to be a good rider,and a change of pace from my usual rat rod bike builds.
Sorry to hear about your brother. My brother and I fought most of our first 20 years, didn't see each other much for the middle 20 years, and have been better friends the last 20 years. But we had the time together. I'm sorry your time with yours was cut short.
I'm getting close on this build. I think it's going to be a good rider,and a change of pace from my usual rat rod bike builds.
Sorry to hear about your brother. My brother and I fought most of our first 20 years, didn't see each other much for the middle 20 years, and have been better friends the last 20 years. But we had the time together. I'm sorry your time with yours was cut short.
Made some good progress in the past 24 hrs. New cream bar tape on the vintage Brahma Bars, mounted to the 21.1 road stem that arrived at 11 a.m. Monday, original Racer brake lever and caliper, NOS Matthauser salmon brake pads, and finished off the rear fender.
First test ride complete. This baby rides smoooothhh...!
More to come, RaT oN ... sKinNy oN~!
First test ride complete. This baby rides smoooothhh...!
More to come, RaT oN ... sKinNy oN~!
Good to see the original sidepull brakes have enough room to adjust to the 700 size wheel. In the era of this bike Schwinn always put open cable rear brake operation on their diamond frames. Most manufacturers used a closed cable operation for rear brakes if they were sidepull. I'm also wondering if the original front fork was too short to take the 700c with fender or even at all. This bike turned out really nice. I love these electro welded Schwinn frames and their forged front forks. Schwinn used 1020 mild steel and I feel that this contributes to the vibration absorbing qualities inherent in Schwinn's lower line diamond frame designs. My Varsity rides smoother and more comfortably than the other bikes I have.
@Tallbikeman , this fork is actually a 27" wheel fork. I got it so I'd have a little more room for the 700 x 32c wheel / tire and fender.
You are right about the ride quality of these Schwinn frames!
You are right about the ride quality of these Schwinn frames!
This reminds me a lot of the Schwinn varsity that I bought at the swap meet for $12 without a seat. Otherwise it was a rideable bicycle.
I tore the whole thing apart on the picnic table and rebuilt it while my new wife told me, “ Why did you buy that thing?…you can’t fix a bicycle! “
I regret the day I gave that to my worthless ex-son-in-law. I don’t think he rode it more than once, and it sat in back of his garage and got rusty.
I don’t have a good history with Schwinns of the 70s but I wouldn’t mind owning one of this style/vintage.
I tore the whole thing apart on the picnic table and rebuilt it while my new wife told me, “ Why did you buy that thing?…you can’t fix a bicycle! “
I regret the day I gave that to my worthless ex-son-in-law. I don’t think he rode it more than once, and it sat in back of his garage and got rusty.
I don’t have a good history with Schwinns of the 70s but I wouldn’t mind owning one of this style/vintage.
Had some early sun this morning, then clouds moved in. Temps dropping from 80° on Tue, high of 60° today, and high of 45° Thurs. It's here.
Had a skinny ash piece left from my fenders, so I got to work on the woody chain guard. Drilled out the rivets on the original Racer guard to relieve the brackets. I used the original guard to form the wood after my steamed towel soak over night. Matched up the holes in the brackets to the wood guard and marked and drilled those. Tbe wood got the matching Golden Pecan stain with the Amber Shellac top coat.
Mounted it up and got a test ride in before the drizzle started. Couple of photos from 'picture rock' in the BACK 40.
Hope you're having a good one!
Had a skinny ash piece left from my fenders, so I got to work on the woody chain guard. Drilled out the rivets on the original Racer guard to relieve the brackets. I used the original guard to form the wood after my steamed towel soak over night. Matched up the holes in the brackets to the wood guard and marked and drilled those. Tbe wood got the matching Golden Pecan stain with the Amber Shellac top coat.
Mounted it up and got a test ride in before the drizzle started. Couple of photos from 'picture rock' in the BACK 40.
Hope you're having a good one!
This was the post I thought of earlier when my sister made a video call to me from their new 28 acre property they bought west of Bayfield. She was showing me the lakefront and all the foliage and he got me thinking of my Midwestern brethren. I told her it sure is pretty right now but I don't think she will enjoy her 1.5 mi driveway to their getaway cabin in a couple of months
Very ni
Very nice chainguard. Hopefully it is enough to keep the pants legs from getting into the chain. Of course shoelaces also. I'm a big fan of chainguards. Because of my dryer location I don't use fenders on my bikes. Wasn't expecting the chainguard and was pleasantly surprised by your inclusion of a nicely home made part.
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Beautiful!!!!! The cream bar tape looks amazing!
the wood fenders and chainguard…. awesome
and of course, the SEAT!
It’s pretty cool but it looks rather tropical to plant in an evergreen forest.
I think it would look better with some palm trees.
I think it would look better with some palm trees.
That's a great looking bike! I'm really liking the wood work on this one too!
I love incorporating wood on bikes. There is something elemental in the cycling experience; the wind in your face, rolling over the changing terrain, and around here many of our rides are through parks and around bodies of water.
To add wood to the build seems very 'natural'.
To add wood to the build seems very 'natural'.
I see guys on the Internet making hoops from wood. I see people making entire bicycles from wood. People make steel bikes that look like wood.
Just skateboards for me so far…
To me it seems odd to put wood on a bike, and I have often been known as an odd fellow.
Yet not so Odd as this! It’s so odd as to be influential in an odd way.
Usually I toss fenders and chain guards like yesterday’s Band-Aid; but now, even I am having an odd urge to actually put custom fenders on the BO skinnybike.
And, God help me, I had this odd vision that the Manhattan chainguard might fit.
Noooooo!
Just skateboards for me so far…
To me it seems odd to put wood on a bike, and I have often been known as an odd fellow.
Yet not so Odd as this! It’s so odd as to be influential in an odd way.
Usually I toss fenders and chain guards like yesterday’s Band-Aid; but now, even I am having an odd urge to actually put custom fenders on the BO skinnybike.
And, God help me, I had this odd vision that the Manhattan chainguard might fit.
Noooooo!
Winter Build Off , you say? Why, yes, yes it is.
That hasn’t happened for 25 years here. It was gone within 12 hours.
We got the same here in Brainerd, to soon, but won't last.........Curt
Winter Build Off Test Ride Video #1
Maybe building a wooden toolbox in-between tire and seattube wood do the trick... 
Another great video. Looks like it's a sweet riding bike too. I think the wood offers a real nice accent. Nice! 
