More questions from a newbie

[Mark Todhunter]

First I would like to say thanks to all of you who see this as something bigger than yourselves and promote something that has so much intrinsic value as cycling. Life really is about people pouring their gifts into others and being intentional about it. Bikes are something affordable to all generations in this country and have a cool factor that is as broad as each persons imagination.
I need some opinionated advice that has been forged by experience. I really want to build a klunker! But the tiny dollar bills that burn a hole in my pocket will not allow for much experimentation at this point. So the process for me is style or function early. My favorite frames are the early 50s straight bar, tank, or whatever you call the style (Panther,hornet,Hawthorn) with the curving top tube and the straight bar under that. But I need one that I can roll on while I accumulate upgrade funds. Now with that said I also like the early (pre 80s) Schwinn cantilever frames. My question is what would I be giving up as far as modernizing if I chose the straight bar over the cantilevered frame. And can someone please tell me what you call those iconic (straight bar) frames that are on the gallery of klunkerz?
Thank you.
Mark

 

[Bicycle808]

Mark,

This post is much better than your first one.

The popularly klunkerized Schwinns go by a couple of different names, but the one from the early 50s tends to be called a "straightbar". There were DXs, which had the second top-tube (the "mid-tube") with a curvature that followed that of the top top-tube. The original klunker guys supposedly preferred pre-war Schwinns, and apparently the most prized iteration was pre-war frame with the "Excelsior" badge, but in truth, most any balloon-tired cruiser is klunkable. Most middleweights are klunkable, too, although some examples will have a little less tire clearance.

First stop, if y'ain't been there yet, is Alan Bonds's site: www.clunkers.net Tons of awesome pictures, info, history, and technical tips. If you can, check out Billy Savage's "Klunkerz", which is an awesome movie and Billy used to be a member on here.

To more specifically answer your question, a Chicago Schwinn balloon-tired cruiser didn't undergo much of a technological transformation between the early days and 1980. Pre-wars had rearward facing "track ends", whereas post-war had forward facing semi-horizontal drop-outs. Straightbars came both pre- and post-war, although only the post war ones had the straight down-tube, which looks killer and will theoretically be stiffer. Going with a straightbar versus a Cantilever frame, you're giving up zero in terms of modernization-- I guess you can find Chicago-built canti frames that took derailers from the factory, but not straightbars, but you can convert any of these to derailers if you'd like... just a matter of spreading the rear from 110mm to 120mm, adding a bolt-on derailer hanger, and some bolt-on cable guides. The guys in the 70s added front and rear derailers to their strightbars regularly. As for the rest of it:

-both the straight and the canti take an oversized 1" threaded headset. In either case, you can run basically any 24tpi 1" threaded or threadless fork you want, so long as the steerer tube is the right length for the headtube. Incidentally, the 26" canti frames have the same length headtube as the 26" straights. Also, being that they both have the oversized (32.5mm ID) headtubes, you can make a modern 1.125" fork work in either frame style with some mods, if you so desire.

-both will have narrow rear ends from the factory; either 110mm for ss bikes or 120mm for multispeed versions. By now, many have already been spread to accept wider rear hubs.

-both have american bb shells,identical. Both can run 1 piece cranks, bmx cranks, or road/mtb cranks with adaptors.

-both have the same stupidly skinny seatpost: 13/16" of an inch. These tend to bend, and are definitely the weak link of Schwinn-based klunkers. You can't change that without some serious frame mods, ie, chop'n'weld stuff.

-not a tech thing, but another consideration: given the same condition, a canti frame will likely cost less than a straightbar, and prewar frames worth having tend to cost the most.

So, yeah, you're not giving anything up, tech-wise. Makes the most sense to buy whichever your aesthetic preferences and/or budget dictates. A prewar straightbbar would have the most authenticity-appeal for the snobbish epicures, but they'd all get the job done.

hth
-rob

 

[GuitarlCarl]

I got involved by finding a 36' CWC at a garage sale... I love that frame even tho the one I have is jacked up. IF I were to start over I would sit tight, and scour all the avenues available to me... eBay, the For Sale thread here, Craigslist, garage sales and antique malls. Get the bike that speaks to your aesthetic, you have to ride it, and you have to look at it.

Carl.

 

[yearz]

as i read this i thnk wheres my wd40!