Early Motobike Build

[chepe13]

So I posted this earlier in fresh finds and I got around to "cleaning" it earlier tonight. I am not sure what the year is but I know that it is a Schwinn World, it had 28" steel clad wooden wheels on it but the wheels were just to bent and damaged beyond repair for me to use. My plans are to use the hubs and lace them to some new 28'' hoops, I am going to run some 28x2'' Schwalbe cream tires and pretty much leave it as is. The frame is heavily patina'd but in a good way, I measured it and it is square and surprisingly solid. All I did was wash off as much gunk as possible with some soapy water a brush, I'll be "detailing" it tomorrow.

The leather on the seat is very hard and dry, it is not cracked anywhere though, do you guys have any recommendations on how to bring the leather back to life? Anyway, here are some pics that I snapped in my garage, this is a 700x40c wheel set, I think the 28''x2's'' will just look amazing once they are on.

 

[scott brownsey]

my favorite frames i would try mink oil on the seat

 

[chepe13]

my favorite frames i would try mink oil on the seat

Haha, my wife was telling me to use mink oil as i was reading this. I will be picking some up tomorrow. I was not clear about the seat, there are no cracks in the leather, but there is a split at the seam. I'll be putting my wife to work on it tomorrow with her sticthing kit. As far as far as the mink oil though, how would you recommend using it? light coats for a couple of days until it does not absorb into the leather anymore?
This is my favorite frame too, I was on the hunt for about a year for it, i swear I can't find old bikes here in San Diego.

 

[chepe13]

I spent a couple of hours buffing and polishing up what was left of the paint, I got a great shine out of it! I have begun my search for some hoops and started to dig into the hubs.
Next is the seat, I am about to start cleaning it and treating it with Mink Oil. It is DRY.
Here are some progress shots I took.
The Before

The after

 

[chepe13]

After some inspection, I am starting to think that this is not a Schwinn, not that it matters to me if it is, it has horizontal head badge holes on the headtube that do not match the badge that is "original" to the bike.

 

[gcrank1]

The saddle leather may be dry rotted to the point of having no strength to it. You should saddle soap it which is a cleaner, to get crud outta the pores, and start with it warmed, in the sun is good, in the oven no, that is for cooking only (really, I saw that on the net, somebody actually oiling up a seat, a stiff Brooks I think, and sticking it in an oven!). Hand rub the oil in, I prefer pure Neatsfoot Oil (NOT Neatsfoot Oil Compound), twice a day for 3 days, then once a day for 3 and it should be looking better. After that I use Pecards Leather Dressing (also used in some museums for artifacts), but the Brooks oil would be fine. Hang it up and let the thing sit. Check it once in a while, and if you want, give it another coat or two, BUT, DO NOT even think about sitting on it, or maybe even trying to stitch it back up until it is more stabilized, or it will just tear apart fibers (which it might do anyway). After a good month, feel the leather and try gentle massaging of it, you want to feel it getting like leather is supposed to be. If in doubt, use it only for dispay, not weight bearing. It is distressing to have one give out! I have nice Brooks B17 frame if anybody is interested.........

 

[chepe13]

Thanks man,
I cleaned it with saddle soap before the Mink oil, here is a pic after I cleaned it. i will be doing this over the next couple of weeks. I thought this seat was a messinger, turns out it is a 'Laclede??" (well at least that is what i was able to make out from the faint writing) Here is a quick shot I took.

 

[gcrank1]

Fortunately you have a seat pan, and the leather is just a top covering, unlike the 'hamock' style of the Brooks, Ideale, etc. Still, you will have shrinkage and high stress at the nose and seams if you put weight on it, so let it reconstitute and you may be OK.
On another note, the dye may have been better matched before oiling, which will keep the dye from wanting to take. I dont know if you could try stripping it now and recoloring, and/or touch up. Anyway, from the look of it, if you dont get impatient, you might save it, hope so!

 

[chepe13]

Fortunately you have a seat pan, and the leather is just a top covering, unlike the 'hamock' style of the Brooks, Ideale, etc. Still, you will have shrinkage and high stress at the nose and seams if you put weight on it, so let it reconstitute and you may be OK.
On another note, the dye may have been better matched before oiling, which will keep the dye from wanting to take. I dont know if you could try stripping it now and recoloring, and/or touch up. Anyway, from the look of it, if you dont get impatient, you might save it, hope so!

It will be saved! haha, trust me, I have the patience. I have a bare metal 30's seat that I will be using if I get my wheels in time. I wont use this or stitch up those seems until the leather feels "right" As far as the dye, I wont be painting this bike so i don't mind of there is patches in the color. More Soul IMO...

 

[scott brownsey]

my favorite frames i would try mink oil on the seat

Haha, my wife was telling me to use mink oil as i was reading this. I will be picking some up tomorrow. I was not clear about the seat, there are no cracks in the leather, but there is a split at the seam. I'll be putting my wife to work on it tomorrow with her sticthing kit. As far as far as the mink oil though, how would you recommend using it? light coats for a couple of days until it does not absorb into the leather anymore?
This is my favorite frame too, I was on the hunt for about a year for it, i swear I can't find old bikes here in San Diego.

yes i would keep soaking it up until its soft . i have 6 bikes with this motor bike frame i love them .goodluck and as always enjoy it

 

[scott brownsey]

those handle bars r SWEET

 

[duncan]

I love this bike, it looks so awesome from every angle. Great job!

 

[chepe13]

Quick update,
It may not seem like much has been done but imo A LOT has been done... haha. I have every square inch of the frame as polished as I could get it.
There were some things that really held me up, the stem was frozen in the steer tube, I had to soak it down with penetrating oil for 3 weeks and today I finally made some improvements.
All the bearings were shot so I ordered them and they should be here tomorrow. Same with grips, I will be using
some brown cotton grips and twine to break the color after I shillac them.
After a few days of messing with a 5/16'' axel and different bearing sizes i finally found a combo that worked on this modern hub!
Now, as far as things that I need to finish, I am waiting on a skip tooth adapter that should be here by Fri. And, i am still working on using the front fender on the back.
The saddle, after a few weeks of mink oil treatment, has started to really soften up. I might be able to sew it up by the weekend but if not, I have a black brooks that I can use.
I might even sell the saddle after I sew it up, who knows?
Here is the bike at the moment, I plan on wrapping this up by the weekend!

OH! and my Schwalbe tires should also be here by the weekend too (even though these have really grown on me!)

Good angle to see the color (or whats left of it )

And a quick pic of my parts and part of my work area.