- Joined
- Jun 15, 2021
- Messages
- 1,353
- Reaction score
- 2,794
more than likely it's old greasy gunk gumming up the brake shoes.
Kasual Klunker
- Thread starter Bike from the Dead
- Start date
Help Support Rat Rod Bikes Bicycle Forum:
Yeah probably.
Okay, got some progress to report, albeit a bit later than intended.
Last Saturday morning, I swapped out the tubes on the tires, and installed a seat off another Schwinn I own in preparation for a vintage BMX bike show being held during the Tulsa BMX Grand Nationals. That all took a bit longer than anticipated, mostly due to the seat post I swapped in being somewhat narrower than the one I took out. I had to cut out a shim from another beverage can to get it to better fit inside the seat tube.
Odds are I'll swap out the seat again, mostly because it outshines the rest of the bike. It's plenty comfortable, but I may just use one of the many black seats I've got in stock instead, and add some black handlebar grips to go along with it. Just have to fiddle with it.
Last Saturday morning, I swapped out the tubes on the tires, and installed a seat off another Schwinn I own in preparation for a vintage BMX bike show being held during the Tulsa BMX Grand Nationals. That all took a bit longer than anticipated, mostly due to the seat post I swapped in being somewhat narrower than the one I took out. I had to cut out a shim from another beverage can to get it to better fit inside the seat tube.
Odds are I'll swap out the seat again, mostly because it outshines the rest of the bike. It's plenty comfortable, but I may just use one of the many black seats I've got in stock instead, and add some black handlebar grips to go along with it. Just have to fiddle with it.
Once I got The Kasual Klunker ready, I headed over to the Tulsa Expo Square for the BMX Grand Nationals. Despite living here my whole life, I had only just learned about this event this year, thanks to my friend @billn. Apparently, this event has been happening for well over 20 years! I figured this would just be a small gathering of about 100-or-so BMX racers and enthusiasts, same as most of what I see here in Oklahoma. GOSH NO! This place was packed with thousands of riders, pit crews, spectators, vendors, and staff all taking part in this event! I've been to the Tulsa Expo for multiple events and shows over the years, but I can't remember the last time it felt this CROWDED before! There were so many folks riding their bikes and scooters through the crowds that it was tough to navigate around the building whether I walked or rode my bike! Moving through the Expo with all that traffic felt like what I saw watching all those videos of traffic in India! It was crazy! Made me wish I brought my GoPro to the show!
I didn't get a ton of photos or videos of the event, but here's a bit of what I saw out at the BMX Grand Nationals on Saturday.
Once again, I'd like to give a shoutout to my friend @billn for inviting me to the event! I had a blast!
I didn't get a ton of photos or videos of the event, but here's a bit of what I saw out at the BMX Grand Nationals on Saturday.
Once again, I'd like to give a shoutout to my friend @billn for inviting me to the event! I had a blast!
MattiThundrrr
Rattus All Terrainus
Wow, there's some really nice stuff in there, love the 26ers, I can't stop looking at that Powerlite.
BFTD - Thank you for taking the time to post this write-up. Looks like it was a great show!
My pleasure! It was a great show! I'll have to come back again!
Awesome show! Thanks for sharing!
The Redline and the torker
It was pretty sweet! I still need to post the videos and photos I shot at the Vintage BMX show back in September! That show had at least a hundred vintage BMX bikes!
Nice! Thanks for sharing. You got a picture of a sidewinder. Looks just like the one I’m working on now!
Glad you had a good time!
My local club, the M.O.T.O.S. (Masters Of The Old School) have hosted this show since the early 2000s.
If any of y'all ever happen to be in Tulsa over Thanksgiving, we're here every Saturday of the holiday weekend at The Grands.
By the way, my '79 Schwinn Sting was best in show.
Attachments
Does your club have a website? I poked around, but didn't havesuccess finding anything.
Got a small update to share: I changed the seat again to something a little less flashy than the last one.
On one hand, it's plenty comfortable, and it's not as nice and shiny as the previous white seat. On the other hand...
...I hate how it looks on this bike. Instead of being too bright, it's now too dark.
Out of all the seats I've had on this bike, that older slightly faded white seat looked the best. It was by no means comfortable to sit on, but it matched the bike. Odds are I'll throw it back on for the "finished" thread, but what this bike really needs is a custom seat with an off-white cover. Right now, I've got one seat that looks good but is a pain to sit on, and a couple seats that are comfortable but don't fit the look of the bike.
One other thing I noticed as I was putting the bike back up: rust on the springer fork. My guess is it's from getting soaked during the rainy drive to the Thanksgiving BMX show I checked out last month. I bet I can clean it up using some steel wool, but I might want to clear it down the road. Either that, or I don't take this bike out unless the weather's dry.
I haven't been able to do any real work on this bike due to the weather being an ugly mix of cold and wet for the past few weeks. And unfortunately for me, the weather is only going to get worse. In fact, the low for this Thursday is -3 degrees! We've had warm Decembers and Januarys down here in Oklahoma before, but this time, I doubt it's going to warm up anytime soon. So unfortunately, I'm going to need to wait to really finish this bike the way I want. That said, I feel like I'm at a decent stopping point. The bike still needs some work done to it, both functional and cosmetic, but it's a rider. I didn't get it right yet, but I did get it rolling, and that's good enough for me. That's one more bike I own that moves under pedal power! Once the holidays are over, I'll try and get some decent shots of the bike for the "finished" thread.
In the meantime, Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!
On one hand, it's plenty comfortable, and it's not as nice and shiny as the previous white seat. On the other hand...
...I hate how it looks on this bike. Instead of being too bright, it's now too dark.
Out of all the seats I've had on this bike, that older slightly faded white seat looked the best. It was by no means comfortable to sit on, but it matched the bike. Odds are I'll throw it back on for the "finished" thread, but what this bike really needs is a custom seat with an off-white cover. Right now, I've got one seat that looks good but is a pain to sit on, and a couple seats that are comfortable but don't fit the look of the bike.
One other thing I noticed as I was putting the bike back up: rust on the springer fork. My guess is it's from getting soaked during the rainy drive to the Thanksgiving BMX show I checked out last month. I bet I can clean it up using some steel wool, but I might want to clear it down the road. Either that, or I don't take this bike out unless the weather's dry.
I haven't been able to do any real work on this bike due to the weather being an ugly mix of cold and wet for the past few weeks. And unfortunately for me, the weather is only going to get worse. In fact, the low for this Thursday is -3 degrees! We've had warm Decembers and Januarys down here in Oklahoma before, but this time, I doubt it's going to warm up anytime soon. So unfortunately, I'm going to need to wait to really finish this bike the way I want. That said, I feel like I'm at a decent stopping point. The bike still needs some work done to it, both functional and cosmetic, but it's a rider. I didn't get it right yet, but I did get it rolling, and that's good enough for me. That's one more bike I own that moves under pedal power! Once the holidays are over, I'll try and get some decent shots of the bike for the "finished" thread.
In the meantime, Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!
I've used aluminum foil and wd-40 to effectively remove rust like this off chrome. Might want to try it. Take the aluminum foil and crunch it up is almost a ball and spray the wd on the chrome. Rub away the rust.
Sorry - we don't. That would require some degree of organization. There is usually a little buzz on the vintage BMX sites/pages but that's it. I'll be sure to keep folks here posted in advance of future events.
I've got a small update I probably should've shared earlier this week.
Earlier this Monday, I went back out to the local reservoir and shot photos of the Kasual Klunker for my finished build thread. Most of Tuesday was spent sorting through all 600+ shots. I just got done editing the select few photos I'm using for the finished build thread, so now I'm working on getting that thread done.
Earlier this Monday, I went back out to the local reservoir and shot photos of the Kasual Klunker for my finished build thread. Most of Tuesday was spent sorting through all 600+ shots. I just got done editing the select few photos I'm using for the finished build thread, so now I'm working on getting that thread done.
Got an update on what's happened to the Kasual Klunker since the Winter Build Off ended a few months back.
As I had stated at the start of this build thread, red is just not one of my favorite colors, and despite how much I liked how this Schwinn turned out, I just could not fall in love (or stay in love) with the original crimson red paint on this bike. So, as odd as it was for me, I decided to part out and part ways with one of the bikes I built.
Before I took Kasual Klunker apart, I took it out for a couple last rides. I took it out to the first-ever cruise-in that my dad hosted at his shop in Sapulpa on April 13th, where I showed it off and even rode a few laps around the parking lot. That was a lot of fun!
After that, I took the bike out for one last ride around the neighborhood, before taking it all apart.
I kept all the parts I threw on the bike for the ORBO, and partially reassembled the Schwinn with all the original parts I had left. (I had traded the skiptooth chainring about a month prior because I still thought I was keeping the bike at the time. Oops.)
Finally, I took the bike with me up to the Haysville, Kansas bicycle swap meet, where I traded it for another Schwinn straightbar frame (that might also be a 1952 model,) and a Sears Spyder muscle bike. Unlike the previous Schwinn straightbar, I can strip what's left of the paint off this frame and build it and paint it the way I really want, whatever that way may be. I'm also just really excited that I landed another "bucket list bike" with that 5-speed Sears Spyder! It's far from perfect, but I'm excited to fix it up and get it riding again!
So, that's the end of Kasual Klunker's story, or at least, the end of this chapter of this bike's life. It's gone on to a new home, where it'll either be built, sold or traded by someone else. It's kind of sad to see it go, but I'm positive that I'll be even happier with the 2 new bikes I got in exchange for it!
As I had stated at the start of this build thread, red is just not one of my favorite colors, and despite how much I liked how this Schwinn turned out, I just could not fall in love (or stay in love) with the original crimson red paint on this bike. So, as odd as it was for me, I decided to part out and part ways with one of the bikes I built.
Before I took Kasual Klunker apart, I took it out for a couple last rides. I took it out to the first-ever cruise-in that my dad hosted at his shop in Sapulpa on April 13th, where I showed it off and even rode a few laps around the parking lot. That was a lot of fun!
After that, I took the bike out for one last ride around the neighborhood, before taking it all apart.
I kept all the parts I threw on the bike for the ORBO, and partially reassembled the Schwinn with all the original parts I had left. (I had traded the skiptooth chainring about a month prior because I still thought I was keeping the bike at the time. Oops.)
Finally, I took the bike with me up to the Haysville, Kansas bicycle swap meet, where I traded it for another Schwinn straightbar frame (that might also be a 1952 model,) and a Sears Spyder muscle bike. Unlike the previous Schwinn straightbar, I can strip what's left of the paint off this frame and build it and paint it the way I really want, whatever that way may be. I'm also just really excited that I landed another "bucket list bike" with that 5-speed Sears Spyder! It's far from perfect, but I'm excited to fix it up and get it riding again!
So, that's the end of Kasual Klunker's story, or at least, the end of this chapter of this bike's life. It's gone on to a new home, where it'll either be built, sold or traded by someone else. It's kind of sad to see it go, but I'm positive that I'll be even happier with the 2 new bikes I got in exchange for it!
Sic transit gloria.
