BO15 A Missing Schwinn

[rrtbike]

I am still waiting to see which tires you are using.....

 

[rickpaulos]

Yikes, what a summer. Covid. All vacations canceled. Then, it hit. A derecho storm. A new word for a whoop ass straight line wind storm on August 10. Some numbers: max wind speed recorded 126 mph. Max wind speed estimated by the National Weather Service at 140 mph in my neighborhood. 3400 power poles snapped off in town. 75,000 trees destroyed. 1,250 houses condemned, later revised down to 900 after huge trees were removed from them. A nearby strip mall was flipped over. Trump came to town but didn't even leave the airport. I have 60 trees on my lot that were destroyed or damaged. 12 hours a day for the last 20 days of chainsawing, shredding or hauling out to the street for city pickup. First focus was getting trees off the house and sheds and other things. Van window smashed and some body damage. 10 days without power. Our Honda generator worked very well keeping the 1 fridge going and charging batteries. The local bike coop that I manage lost the entire roof. shingles, plywood, rafters. The AC unit was thrown a block away. Debris up to 300 yards away. The insurance check is about 50% of the cost of a new roof. Been off work for 3 weeks now. I'm thinking I'll be cutting trees for another month at least. Most evenings I ride around town looking at the damage. Every house has some damage. From trivial to having upstairs bedrooms ripped off. Many subsidised appartment units were destroyed near by. Not a drop of rain since the storm so now everything is dried up and very dusty and of course saw dust from chain saws everywhere. I needed a break so I finished up my bike today. the wife is out of town so I could do that without getting grief.

started the day by finishing up this 24" Tony Hawk bmx cruiser and taking it for a ride around the block. This was a derecho curb find with a bent wheel. I replaced both rims so they would match.


back to the project:
decals applied (yuck) and cleared


I did get the wheels done about 6 weeks ago. I had to squeeze the chainstays a bit to make room for the tires.

final assembly and a ride around the neighborhood.



parked with my previous rrbbo entry Undeniably Irish


build cost.
starter frameset: free
125th Annual Sting Ray (for bars & seat) $135-
125th Annual Sting Ray frame sold $100+
125th Annual Sting Ray wheels sold $100+
125th Annual Sting Ray crank sold $25+
125th Annual Sting Ray Pedals sold $20+
Schwinn Bi-Centennial decals $30-
rims, spokes, hubs, tires, tubes, pedals $20- at local coop.
2 new gold chains $20-
3 cans spray paint & primer & clear $20-
total cost $20 ahead.

 

[rickpaulos]

 

[rickpaulos]

So I need a better name for the bike.

26" Schwinn Stingray in Bicentennial colors.

any suggestions before I post in the finished forum?

 

[rrtbike]

Wow... You have been unfortunately busy.
Very sorry to hear all the damage. I live in Western Iowa and we were lucky here compared to you.
You bike looks great! I like the paint.

 

[horsefarmer]

Tough times in Iowa - glad you are OK. Awesome you were able to complete your build off bike!

We have had straight line wind damage here in N.E. Wisconsin twice in the last 10 years. First one wrecked shingles and knocked down some trees on the farm, and power back on in a few hours. The second one did extensive damage nearby and only a few trees down around here, but power was off for 5 days. 2500 watt generator kept fridge and freezer and even the water pump usable by rotation. We had the luxury of being able to travel to nearby towns for meals, and gas as the storms were not extensive...

 

[OC_Rolling_Art]

Cool ride, dang - that was a serious storm...

 

[kingfish254]

Dude, that is brutal!!!!! Big hurricane level stuff right there.
Glad that you are safe and amazed that you found time to finish your build!
I really dig the build, but more importantly I dig your drive to keep plugging away and moving forward through that mess! God Bless you man!