'63 Schwinn "El Raton"

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Joined
Sep 9, 2012
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Location
Between a Rock and a Weird Place, TX
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I picked this up a couple nights ago:
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Previous owner or owners did some ratty stuff to it already including a black rattle can job. It was originally red. Interesting thing is they did something to leave the original decals because you can see all of the script on the chainguard, top tube, and seat tube. It is a Typhoon built Aug 7, 1963 per the serial number decoder I found line. It also has a BMX crank with a smaller 39 tooth Schwinn Mag chainwheel. The original Bendix red band coaster hub is still there, but with a black aluminum rim laced up with a very weird lacing pattern (all the spokes on one side go the same direction and none cross each other. Front wheel is the same way except the hub is a newer generic alloy unit.

It had some bent handlebars, so I knew that would have to go and decided to find some small apehangers for it. I also wanted a layback seatpost since I am 6'1" and like the leg room. I went to a local community bike shop (Austin Yellow Bike Project) and was able to get some perfectly crusty handlebars. I also found a layback bmx type seatpost which I mistakenly thought would fit. I didn't realize that these old Schwinns use a 13/16" post and I got a 7/8" post. I did some searching online and didn't come up with much. There is one guy who makes custom bent seatposts in the correct size, but it looks like it wouldn't have given me enough height and I didn't want to spend any more money than I already have on a post. So, I decided to do some fabricating.

The existing post was an extra-long Wald unit that appears to be an add-on, so I was comfortable using it to graft the top section of my layback post.
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The inside diameter of the larger post is smaller than the outside of the existing post. There is also about 2 inches of smaller 5/8" O.D. where the seat guts clamp which if I cut the layback post just right, would go up inside of the larger post and rest on the top side of the interior bend . I just the layback post just right so the bottom of it is just touching the part of the existing post that flares out. The 5/8" nub is supporting the layback section and fits together just so:
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Once I was satisfied with the fit and cleaned off all the burrs and exposed bare metal, I walked down the street to my neighbor who has a welder. He tacked it up for me. It ain't pretty, but neither is the rest of the bike. All that matters is it is solid.
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Swapped out my 5/8" seat gut for a 7/8" and mounted up the saddle:
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I have to say I am happy with the riding position after riding for what little time I was able to with the rain coming down this afternoon. The rain gave the bike some free water with which I wiped it down.
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Now, I can concentrate on getting the mechanicals dialed in. I will be overhauling the hubs, bottom bracket, headset, truing the wheels, and whatever else I find that needs some love. Finally, I am going to hand paint a rat on the fenders, so the head will be up front, tail out back.
 
Real nice work using existing parts. 8)

And it looks like a comfortable seating position for us tall guys.
 
Thanks everybody! I like the rack, too. I am not sure if it is original, but seems to be from the period. It is made by Wald.

So, I have been doing some work to get the bike in riding shape. Friday night, I tore it down and overhauled all of the bearings. I got everything back together and still had what sounded like bearing noise. Turns out, under power and braking, there is enough flex that the rear tire was rubbing the very bottom of the rear fender where it attaches to the kick stand. I trimmed a few mm's off and now it seems good. I still had noise while I was coasting which sounded like rough, pitted bearing cones which I knew was not the case. The noise ended up being the little rubber hairs on the tires brushing the fender stays. That was an easy fix. Last, I had to do something about the old pedals. They were so rusted, I couldn't get the nuts loose from the shaft that goes through the rubber blocks and holds the end caps together because the shafts would spin. So, I opted just to get some cheapo Redline platforms once I gave up on finding some old-school looking rat traps with 1/2" threads. I may get bored and take a grinder to these to give them a little faux age and wear:
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This morning, I made a hub shiner for the front hub. I tried one on the rear and the way the spokes are laced into the hub, the spokes picked up the strap and threw it about, so I opted not to have one on the back. Also, I stole my dice valve caps back from my wife's bike. She didn't know why I put them on there in the first place and doesn't understand why I do cosmetic things to a bike, haha.
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I am also playing around with ideas on how to carry a water bottle. I could just tie a bottle cage onto the frame or handlebars with some hose clamps or with this neat doo-dad made for such mounting of a bottle cage, but I hate to ruin the lines of the frame. I am thinking of mounting it behind the seatpost as such and using a side-loading bottle cage:
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Finally, I am starting on my artwork. I wish I was better at making detailed brush strokes and really making it look cool, but the simple and crude look sorta fits the personality of the bike. The rat is supposed to be crawling into a hole. On the front fender, it will be crawling out of the hole head-first. What was really great was right when I finished painting this, my Pandora station played a song called "Snowin' on Raton," no lie.
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Love this bike! Took it for a 20 miler this evening which was a great shake down after going through all the bearings, truing the wheels, etc. It is silent save for some faint rattles from the front rack's spring trap (mostly fixed by lashing it down w/ bungee straps) and the occasional creak from the saddle springs. It makes just the right amount of noise to remind you it is a 49 year old franken-rat.

The riding position feels great for my 6'1" frame. I am glad I didn't go any taller with the bars. Big apes and a slammed seat look neat until you try riding like that a while. The set back on the seat post is perfect. You can still stand and stomp the pedals without it feeling awkward. Gearting in 39/18 which seems to settle in around 12 mph for me at a comfortable cadence.

I also hit the paint work with some 400 grit paper to remove some of the brightness and gloss. It looks a bit worse, just what I wanted. The front artwork may get done later this week.

Some pics from my ride:
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rat1.jpg

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Well, El Raton has been rolling along nicely aside from an inexplicable pinch flat, but I can get the idea of tearing it down and throwning some fresh paint and new parts on to class it up a bit. Here is what I had in mind:

-Flat black or red oxide. I may just rattle can it, but I do have a buddy an hour drive away who has a body shop and could spray it proper.

-Bobbed rear fender and strip the front off completely. Leave the chain guard and maybe some repop decals.

-New wheels: I really want a 2 speed kickback whether it's an old Bendix or one of the new Sturmey Archer jobs. Never cared for red rims, so I'd stick with black or maybe go with polished silver. Red spoke nipples would be cool. I am pretty set on silver hubs, but not sure if I want to go with a drum up front or just a nice hi-flange track style hub.

-New tires: schwalbe makes a nice whitewall cruiser tire for around $20, though some Fat Franks would be choice.

-Brooks saddle (springer would be cool)

-clean up all of the chrome. The bars are crusty toast, so I'd paint them black or pick up some new ones at the low rider bike shop in town.

I still want to add some lights and a couple other doo-dads. The monthly swap meet is this weekend, so I will see what I can dig up for this project.
 

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