Murray JetCruiser

[SoulGarageOH]

Dude, we have to hang sometime. You had me at "doughnuts at cool little doughnut shops".

Seriously, one of these days, I'm going to load up a couple of my rat rods, and make a tour of the Central portion of the USA. Lots of builders in WI, MI, OH, IL that I could hit all in one trip.

Get that doughnut shop itinerary in order!

Anytime OJ.


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[SkyknightJohn]

So now a question for anyone who has read this far:
You may have seen a few posts up where I said I want to lace a better rear hub into this wheel. I am also thinking about just going to wider rims. The ones on the bike now appear to be 26 x 1. I thought it would be cool to go with 26 x 1.75 rims for an old school BMX look, but they are not as easy to find or as cheap as I had hoped, even in an off-brand or no-name. Some of the guys I ride with say it won't make much of a difference other than appearance anyway. On a cruiser/bomber like this, what is the benefit, if any, of wider rims? Would I be better served just to stick with the rims I have, which seem to work just fine?

So, for a given tire size, let’s say 2.00, a narrower rim (say 28mm) will make a taller, more rounded tire cross section. Faster due to larger diameter and less ground contact. The same 2.00 tire in a 34mm rim will be shorter and more square cross section. A little slower due to smaller diameter and more friction with the ground. (^^ this is why racers go tall and skinny.)

There’s also arguments over grip, cushion, etc. depending on use. Curb hopping? I’d prefer a taller tire to prevent bottoming out the rim. Dirt diving? Wider for more grip. Cruising rough paths? Taller, lower pressure, for cushion/suspension. On and on...

Long and short of it: Not much measurable difference for a cruiser, other than looks. Is the look worth the $$ to you? and How do you plan to ride?

 

[OddJob]

All good points by our high flyer John ^ !

Although I would add that the current (in the last 2-3 yrs) attitude about road bikes / tires is wider rims to support wider tires with lower pressure. The amount of contact on the ground for acceleration, cornering, and traction (gravel especially) has proven to be more advantageous than a tall, skinny tire. Say nothing of the awesome ride quality the new design offers!

That said, I always seem to default to the biggest tire that fits the frame. Besides the cool factor, I have never been disappointed with having 'too much tire' when it comes to ride quality.

 

[ParkRNDL]

So, for a given tire size, let’s say 2.00, a narrower rim (say 28mm) will make a taller, more rounded tire cross section. Faster due to larger diameter and less ground contact. The same 2.00 tire in a 34mm rim will be shorter and more square cross section. A little slower due to smaller diameter and more friction with the ground. (^^ this is why racers go tall and skinny.)

There’s also arguments over grip, cushion, etc. depending on use. Curb hopping? I’d prefer a taller tire to prevent bottoming out the rim. Dirt diving? Wider for more grip. Cruising rough paths? Taller, lower pressure, for cushion/suspension. On and on...

Long and short of it: Not much measurable difference for a cruiser, other than looks. Is the look worth the $$ to you? and How do you plan to ride?

All good points by our high flyer John ^ !

Although I would add that the current (in the last 2-3 yrs) attitude about road bikes / tires is wider rims to support wider tires with lower pressure. The amount of contact on the ground for acceleration, cornering, and traction (gravel especially) has proven to be more advantageous than a tall, skinny tire. Say nothing of the awesome ride quality the new design offers!

That said, I always seem to default to the biggest tire that fits the frame. Besides the cool factor, I have never been disappointed with having 'too much tire' when it comes to ride quality.

I am doing mostly street cruising, and hoping for an easy, smooth ride with lower rolling resistance. One point for narrower rims/smaller contact patch. Also, I occasionally need to curb-hop downtown. Another point for narrower rims/taller sidewall profile and more cushion. I do very little if any dirt riding, so I don't need the benefits of the wider rim there, and on the occasional rough surface, I could use the benefits of taller/more cushion.

Sounds like you basically confirmed, using logic and examples, what my group ride buddies told me. I'll stick with the rims I have for now. Thanks all for the insights.

 

[Wildcat]

One thing I noticed was the weight of the whole wheel. When I went with the 3G 57mm wheels, they were much lighter than the standard steel wheels I had been using, both 1 speed coasters. With the same tires, typhoon cords 26 x 2.125, I was much faster on the smooth bike paths with the wider rims. I had 55 psi in my tires and was able to catch up to a road bike who was doing 20 mph on the path. I coasted for a mile. So, the lightweight rims make a big difference.

 

[OddJob]

Yeah those single wall 57's are lightweight . I can tell the easier roll of them on my Trans-MIG-RaT , roll real nice.

 

[ParkRNDL]

Not much to report at this point. I have been putting miles on it and I really like it. There's not much else I want to do to it except for upgrading the junk rear coaster hub and maybe doing something interesting with the unused rear brake bridge.

I have been trying to find a Bendix coaster or similar locally and not having much luck. I was just about ready to give in and pick one off Fleabay, where the going rate seems to be $25-$30 plus maybe $15-$20 for shipping, when I stumbled on this one at a yard sale for 20 bucks. It just happens to have a beater Ross Europa attached to it.

I am going to lace this hub into the alloy rim currently on the bike, and I hope to get someone to true it up before September 9. If not, I have enough photos of the bike the way it sits to post in Finished Bikes.

 

[ParkRNDL]

And so now things get complicated. I started to take the two rear wheels apart to lace the old Bendix hub into the new alloy rim. The two rims are the same diameter at the spoke nipples, so I figured if I use the spokes that are with the Bendix hub now, I'd be fine. But then I noticed this. This is a bad thing, no?

There's at least half a dozen spokes sticking way out of the nipple like that. So for starters, I'm going to need to get some new spokes, or use the ones in the alloy rim now, but only if they're the right length.

Then I noticed this:

Am I correct in that this is in fact spoked in a 4-cross pattern, not a 3-cross? Yeah, I wasn't expecting that. If I want to do a 3-cross pattern, these are the wrong length. I'd have to make sure the ones in the alloy rim are the right length, but if I measured correctly, the hub flange diameters are just a hair off between the two hubs, so I don't know if that'll work.

Next problem: the Bendix has a 20t on it now. The Falcon currently on the bike is a 19t. The bike is geared 38/19, which I realize is pretty low. I like it geared low for cruising, but that's as low as I want to go. So I figured I'd put the 19t on the Bendix hub, assuming they all have those three little locator nubs under the lock ring, right?

Wrong. The Bendix cog is splined on the inside.

From a quick look online, the only Bendix cogs I found with internal splines like that are skiptooth. What the heck did I end up with. It wouldn't really be a tragedy, as I can just change the front ring to a 40t and end up geared the same, except the Bendix 20t looks really visibly worn. It'd probably be fine for my purposes, but I'd really rather start with stuff in better shape.

At this point, with my wife and I going on our first ocean cruise starting Saturday, and school starting up a few days after we get back (we're both teachers), I am thinking I'm going to bolt this back together the way it was and save the hub project for after the build-off is over. But who knows. My weekly group ride is tomorrow; maybe one of my fellow bike nuts will have a solution for me...

 

[handyandy1100]

I found out when swapping rear sprockets that Bendix is the only one that you can't swap with other brands. Shimano and Sturmy and all the Shimano clones can swap sprockets but not good ol' Bendix.

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[ParkRNDL]

Found a page on TheCabe that had some reference materials... apparently the original Bendix RB was made from 1961-63 and had a splined sprocket, where the RB2 that came after that had the three lugs. Maybe someone put an RB2 brake arm on an RB hub?

 

[handyandy1100]

The Bendix hubs I have are the 3 lug type, but their three lugs are different from all the others.


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[ParkRNDL]

I found out when swapping rear sprockets that Bendix is the only one that you can't swap with other brands. Shimano and Sturmy and all the Shimano clones can swap sprockets but not good ol' Bendix.

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The Bendix hubs I have are the 3 lug type, but their three lugs are different from all the others.


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so now I have a new idea (also posted in Bike Talk for those not following the Build-Off)...

I have a crusty 28h Bendix 70 in the basement. Think I can transfer all the stuff from the drive side of that hub onto the RB? At least then I can find the correct Bendix 19t 3-lug sprocket to fit; they seem to be available on Fleabay and other online sources. Whereas the splined sprockets seem like hen's teeth in any size...

 

[handyandy1100]

That's weird. The red band Bendix on my '64 Huffy Monark has a three lug sprocket on it.

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[ParkRNDL]

One thing I noticed was the weight of the whole wheel. When I went with the 3G 57mm wheels, they were much lighter than the standard steel wheels I had been using, both 1 speed coasters. With the same tires, typhoon cords 26 x 2.125, I was much faster on the smooth bike paths with the wider rims. I had 55 psi in my tires and was able to catch up to a road bike who was doing 20 mph on the path. I coasted for a mile. So, the lightweight rims make a big difference.
View attachment 101247

Hmmm. Just stumbled on the thread where you and @Dizzle Problems talk about these rims. Man, that is a cool-looking setup...

 

[ParkRNDL]

That's weird. The red band Bendix on my '64 Huffy Monark has a three lug sprocket on it.

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Yeah, that makes sense. The RB with the splined sprocket is '61-'63. The literature says that the RB-2 with the 3-lug came out in the middle of '63. Does yours say RB or RB-2 on the brake arm? For what it's worth, the brake arms are interchangeable...

 

[handyandy1100]

Yeah, that makes sense. The RB with the splined sprocket is '61-'63. The literature says that the RB-2 with the 3-lug came out in the middle of '63. Does yours say RB or RB-2 on the brake arm? For what it's worth, the brake arms are interchangeable...

I'll look when I get home. Found some pictures on my phone where I was trying to get the serial number of the bike that have the brake arm in them, but all I can make out is "Made in USA" and "Bendix"

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[handyandy1100]

It's an RB2

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[handyandy1100]

Got another 3lug red band from my Spaceliner. It's locked up and I don't need it bad enough to fool with it, but it seems to all be there.

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[ParkRNDL]

Got another 3lug red band from my Spaceliner. It's locked up and I don't need it bad enough to fool with it, but it seems to all be there.

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thanks! At the moment, between my friends locally and here on RRB, it looks like I have this hub worked out. I will let you know if it doesn't come together.

 

[ParkRNDL]

Been doing lots of bike stuff that's NOT this build, and went on a cruise, and school is starting back up, so not much at the moment...

but big thanks to @clamdigger , I have the stuff I need to get the hub together, and even a couple choices for gearing it. I laced it into a rim and gave it to our group's wheel guy for tightening/truing. Just hoping to get it back and all together in time.