im looking to pick this up.

[bigmcgiv]

well im looking to get my first bike in 25 years. im pushing 40 this year. and im looking for bike for me and the old lady. well she has her heart set on a powder blue huffy beach crusier she saw online, she likes new. me im more of the rat rod guy. so i found this a 63 schwinn fleet custom. can anyone give me some info on these. thanks. http://columbia.craigslist.org/bik/4454298917.html

 

[ratdaddy]

how tall are you? It's a 24 inch frame frame, so it's going to run pretty small. If you are over 5'6" it's going to be really cramped for you.

 

[bigmcgiv]

im 6'3'' and a big guy.so what should i look at then?

 

[ctaccruiser]

Full size 50's ballooner tire bike or some of the other later models that are around. This forum is a great place to see a lot of different makes, models etc. It kind of depends on your budget and what you like. Regards.

 

[ozzmonaut]

If you aren't sure how far into this hobby you want to get, I'd cruise around and look for a basic 26" cantilever frame bike. Get into it for $20 give or take, and it will make a good blank canvas. And you'll have saved a few bucks and can invest in customizing it, but still have lunch money. Worst case scenario (or best case ,depending), you end up with a house and yard full of bikes and parts, an empty wallet, and you've sold your television to buy a rare crank and sprocket set specific to a bicycle you will never own

 

[Bicycle808]

Like this, only cheaper?
http://augusta.craigslist.org/atq/4431189108.html
fwiw, BITD, a few makers offered tall versions of their cruisers (Schwinn, Colson, etc). These are hard to come by, but buy one if you see one. In the meantime, standard 26"-wheel bikes should do you fine. I agree with ratdaddy that the 24" bike with the 26" wheels in it would be too small. Too\ small for me, and i'm 5'11"...

 

[junknutz1975]

These awesome seat posts are another way to gain some much needed leg room

http://www.ratrodbikes.com/forum/index.php?threads/heavy-duty-layback-seatposts.59700/

 

[bigmcgiv]

i will keep looking till i find what i want. i want a straight bar frame. like this http://www.ebay.com/itm/Black-Monar...ltDomain_0&hash=item19d71d6312#ht_2761wt_1036 i want to copy this but with brown seat and grips.

 

[dougfisk]

That is a postwar Schwinn ballooner... circa 46 to 61 or so.

 

[ozzmonaut]

Straightbar frames aren't as hard to come by as they were a few years ago. Shouldn't set you back too much.

 

[Bicycle808]

Straightbar frames aren't as hard to come by as they were a few years ago. Shouldn't set you back too much.

+1. They come up on the RRB f/s forum alllll the time.