No rusty spokes...evar! 
POISON APPLE: '79 Schwinn Fair Lady Trike
- Thread starter Bike from the Dead
- Start date
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I posted a want ad on here, The CABE and Craigslist, so hopefully someone might come forward with a set of wheels to help get this project rolling again.
@Bike from the Dead go to the RRB FB page and look up a member named Devon Reeh. He isn’t on this site. The guy is a bike parts recycler. If anyone has three 24” wheels like you will need, it will be him.
but those mag wheels look good too. But you won’t get them from China in time.
but those mag wheels look good too. But you won’t get them from China in time.
I can look him up, but it's going to be difficult. I don't have a Facebook account, and I really don't want a Facebook account.
As for those mag wheels, they're... okay, but between the price and the lack of coaster brake, they're basically useless to me.
Skyway, as far as I know, is still manufactured in the USA. No longer in California, but Indiana is still USA
.
First the wheels, now the weather. It's so cold that I can't sandblast or powder coat anything.
I'm seriously beginning to wonder if it was a mistake to even try building a "good enough" version of this trike, instead of just waiting until I had all the resources necessary to build this trike the way I really wanted. Every time I feel like I'm about to reach a major milestone, something happens that brings all that progress to a screeching halt. Between the weather, the pieces I'm still missing or have yet to figure out how to create, a fast-approaching deadline, and all the money I've spent just trying to make this trike happen, I'm honestly getting fed up with this project. I just want this trike to be done so I can relax and work on something without a deadline for a change.
This has become the most expensive "free" bike I've ever worked on, and I'm genuinely getting tired of it. I seriously don't know what to do about this right now, other than wait and hope that someone replies to one of my "want" ads with the wheels I need.
I'm seriously beginning to wonder if it was a mistake to even try building a "good enough" version of this trike, instead of just waiting until I had all the resources necessary to build this trike the way I really wanted. Every time I feel like I'm about to reach a major milestone, something happens that brings all that progress to a screeching halt. Between the weather, the pieces I'm still missing or have yet to figure out how to create, a fast-approaching deadline, and all the money I've spent just trying to make this trike happen, I'm honestly getting fed up with this project. I just want this trike to be done so I can relax and work on something without a deadline for a change.
This has become the most expensive "free" bike I've ever worked on, and I'm genuinely getting tired of it. I seriously don't know what to do about this right now, other than wait and hope that someone replies to one of my "want" ads with the wheels I need.
Well, I've tried to stay optimistic, but the writing's on the wall; There's no realistic way that I'll be able to finish Poison Apple by the March 1st deadline. I might, might, be able to get the wheels, sandblast and powder coat everything, service the bearings and coaster brake, and get this trike at least rideable by March 1st if the weather gets at least 15 degrees above freezing a week from now, but I doubt I'll be able to actually finish it. There's still enough left to do that requires warmer weather, especially when it comes to painting the tank and removing rust off any chrome parts. And based on the current forecast, that's not happening anytime soon.
As much as I hate that I won't be able to finish my Muscle Bike Build Off entry in time, I'm actually feeling better about it than I did before. Yeah, I'm basically stuck at home thanks to the weather, and there's not much I can do on any of my bike projects right now, but I've had some more time to think about what I want to do with this trike. I've found that I don't really know what I ultimately want this trike to look like in the long run, but I do have some ideas of how I can modify it over time using parts I already have.
I don't have a picture of it right now, but just before I started on this project, I bought a different trike axle for another trike project that would allow me to mount some car wheels to it with some minor fabrication. After realizing the frame I had planned to use wasn't sturdy enough and the project would cost to much to build, I've decided that I want to use that axle on this trike project instead, when I have the time and money.
I also have an idea of how I could get the longer, lower stance I originally wanted for this trike using the springer fork I already have. I had saved these photos from I-don't-know-where of someone's bike where they mounted the steerer tube upside down so the front wheel stuck out further and the frame sat down lower.
I did some quick figuring in Photoshop, and I realized, at least on "paper," that I could do the same thing using the springer fork I already have. I got to say, I like how the frame looks like it actually sits level, but I would want to get longer handlebars. (I should've used one of the pictures with the seat I actually plan to use, but whatever. This is just a concept.)
I also drew a few sketches to play around with more ideas of how to further modify this trike down the road. One with just the other trike axle and some Cragar SS wheels, one where the trike's completely custom, and another with the other axle plus the inverted springer.
I know that there's still a decent amount left to finish on this trike, but without that deadline looming over me, I think I'll be able to relax and build this trike in a way that I'll feel good about in the end. Sure, it's great to have a deadline to help motivate one to finish a bike project, but sometimes, it's better to just take your time and not rush it. I think that's how this project's going to be. I'm going to still try and get it looking "good enough" like I had originally planned, but I can always tinker with it and improve it down the road.
I'll still update this build thread whenever I make some progress; it'll just take a bit longer than originally planned.
By the way, if anyone can help me find out the source of that custom Cheater Slick bike, I'd appreciate it.
As much as I hate that I won't be able to finish my Muscle Bike Build Off entry in time, I'm actually feeling better about it than I did before. Yeah, I'm basically stuck at home thanks to the weather, and there's not much I can do on any of my bike projects right now, but I've had some more time to think about what I want to do with this trike. I've found that I don't really know what I ultimately want this trike to look like in the long run, but I do have some ideas of how I can modify it over time using parts I already have.
I don't have a picture of it right now, but just before I started on this project, I bought a different trike axle for another trike project that would allow me to mount some car wheels to it with some minor fabrication. After realizing the frame I had planned to use wasn't sturdy enough and the project would cost to much to build, I've decided that I want to use that axle on this trike project instead, when I have the time and money.
I also have an idea of how I could get the longer, lower stance I originally wanted for this trike using the springer fork I already have. I had saved these photos from I-don't-know-where of someone's bike where they mounted the steerer tube upside down so the front wheel stuck out further and the frame sat down lower.
I did some quick figuring in Photoshop, and I realized, at least on "paper," that I could do the same thing using the springer fork I already have. I got to say, I like how the frame looks like it actually sits level, but I would want to get longer handlebars. (I should've used one of the pictures with the seat I actually plan to use, but whatever. This is just a concept.)
I also drew a few sketches to play around with more ideas of how to further modify this trike down the road. One with just the other trike axle and some Cragar SS wheels, one where the trike's completely custom, and another with the other axle plus the inverted springer.
I know that there's still a decent amount left to finish on this trike, but without that deadline looming over me, I think I'll be able to relax and build this trike in a way that I'll feel good about in the end. Sure, it's great to have a deadline to help motivate one to finish a bike project, but sometimes, it's better to just take your time and not rush it. I think that's how this project's going to be. I'm going to still try and get it looking "good enough" like I had originally planned, but I can always tinker with it and improve it down the road.
I'll still update this build thread whenever I make some progress; it'll just take a bit longer than originally planned.
By the way, if anyone can help me find out the source of that custom Cheater Slick bike, I'd appreciate it.
Bummer you won't make it. I'm struggling to make the deadline as well. Tomorrow/Tuesday will be crucial for me. Make or break.
Well, I hop you at least get your bikes finished in time, You've got a lot of good ones!
Kind of a loose fit for the build thread, but I figured I'd share it here too, since it involves a bike that at one point was a parts donor.
Shot these today after the 2nd wave of snow passed through Tulsa. I had been staying indoors since the storm began a few days ago, but after seeing my brother (pictured directly below) shooting pics with his '49 Chevy 5 window pickup out in the snow, I decided to have some fun outside for a bit. I busted out Sasquatch, my fat tire Mongoose Beast, and decided to try it out in the snow for the first time since I bought it last year. My brother and I both took turns riding it up and down the cul-de-sac while the other shot photos.
My turn on Sasquatch. My brother got more good photos of me than I did him, oddly enough. Still, we both had fun out in the snow.
Sasquatch next to a pile of snow that was shoveled off the driveway before and partly after the 2nd wave of snow from last night/this morning. Sasquatch has tires that measure roughly 29.5 inches high, just to give you a sense of scale.
A shot of the neighborhood, and the skid marks where my brother spun out his Chevy while having some fun. Sorry, but I wasn't out there at the time, so no photos. Dad did get it on video, though.
Shot these today after the 2nd wave of snow passed through Tulsa. I had been staying indoors since the storm began a few days ago, but after seeing my brother (pictured directly below) shooting pics with his '49 Chevy 5 window pickup out in the snow, I decided to have some fun outside for a bit. I busted out Sasquatch, my fat tire Mongoose Beast, and decided to try it out in the snow for the first time since I bought it last year. My brother and I both took turns riding it up and down the cul-de-sac while the other shot photos.
My turn on Sasquatch. My brother got more good photos of me than I did him, oddly enough. Still, we both had fun out in the snow.
Sasquatch next to a pile of snow that was shoveled off the driveway before and partly after the 2nd wave of snow from last night/this morning. Sasquatch has tires that measure roughly 29.5 inches high, just to give you a sense of scale.
A shot of the neighborhood, and the skid marks where my brother spun out his Chevy while having some fun. Sorry, but I wasn't out there at the time, so no photos. Dad did get it on video, though.
It's 65 degree and sunny here. Snow is so... foreign to me.
Well, I'll say this much about snow: it's fun and beautiful, until you actually have to go somewhere; then it's dangerous and scary.
The good news is that the weather's finally starting to warm up where I live, so it should be safe to drive in the coming days.
Okay, you guys remember just how burnt out I was with this project these last few weeks? Well, I finally had a chance to get all my trike parts and mockup everything again, and now, I'M ECSTATIC! I'm so enthusiastic I can barely keep my OCD under control! I'll try to post some photos, and maybe even a time-lapse video real soon. I won't able to get better photos until either tomorrow or Monday, but I might be able to get a few half-decent ones tonight.
I still don't think I'll be finishing this trike before the March 1st deadline, but I'm about to make some good progress again!
I still don't think I'll be finishing this trike before the March 1st deadline, but I'm about to make some good progress again!
Okay, I was finally able to pickup the trike parts from my Dad's shop today, and start mocking up everything... again. This time, I started by mocking up my other trike axle on the Fair Lady frame. I had originally intended to use this axle on a Sears Space/Flightliner girls' frame so I could mount some Cragars or Rockets on the rear, but now I'm thinking about using that axle/wheel combo on this trike at a later date.
Sorry for the bad photo, but this trike hub is a 3-speed coaster brake hub. That should come in handy later.
Again, sorry for the bad photos, but here's why I'm so excited for this trike project again: I changed the way I mounted the springer fork. I took a lot of inspiration from @Reallybigtim's bikes, which usually use a lowrider-style springer, and decided to test his technique with the cruiser-style springer fork I have. The initial result looks awesome! The chain guard and frame sit nearly level now, the trike looks more "chopper-like" with a longer-looking fork, and the pedals nearly touch the ground it's so low!
The only thing I don't like is that the seat-to-handlebar height ratio. The seat has to sit high for me to sit and pedal comfortably, even though it doesn't look as good, but the handlebars sit too low compared to the seat, even though they look great where they are. One solution is to just get a taller pair of ape hangers. The other is to do what I had initially intended to do: move the seat down and above the rear axle, maybe even a little bit behind it, and make the handlebars longer, but still sit relatively low.
Now that I've seen the trike like this, I think I know what direction I'd ultimately like to push this trike in the end. It's going to be a while until I get to that point, but I'll definitely want to keep improving this trike whenever I get the time and money to do so. In the meantime, I'm just going to use what I have, and just find a bigger set of handlebars and 3 new wheels so I can get this trike functional until I can afford to build it the way I really want.
I'll try to get better photos soon, and maybe even post the time-lapse video I shot of me mocking up the parts earlier this evening.
Sorry for the bad photo, but this trike hub is a 3-speed coaster brake hub. That should come in handy later.
Again, sorry for the bad photos, but here's why I'm so excited for this trike project again: I changed the way I mounted the springer fork. I took a lot of inspiration from @Reallybigtim's bikes, which usually use a lowrider-style springer, and decided to test his technique with the cruiser-style springer fork I have. The initial result looks awesome! The chain guard and frame sit nearly level now, the trike looks more "chopper-like" with a longer-looking fork, and the pedals nearly touch the ground it's so low!
The only thing I don't like is that the seat-to-handlebar height ratio. The seat has to sit high for me to sit and pedal comfortably, even though it doesn't look as good, but the handlebars sit too low compared to the seat, even though they look great where they are. One solution is to just get a taller pair of ape hangers. The other is to do what I had initially intended to do: move the seat down and above the rear axle, maybe even a little bit behind it, and make the handlebars longer, but still sit relatively low.
Now that I've seen the trike like this, I think I know what direction I'd ultimately like to push this trike in the end. It's going to be a while until I get to that point, but I'll definitely want to keep improving this trike whenever I get the time and money to do so. In the meantime, I'm just going to use what I have, and just find a bigger set of handlebars and 3 new wheels so I can get this trike functional until I can afford to build it the way I really want.
I'll try to get better photos soon, and maybe even post the time-lapse video I shot of me mocking up the parts earlier this evening.
That looks great! I would definitely mount the seat lower and back further (and get rid of the seat post). You have the advantage of being able to mount the seat between the rear wheels. A tractor seat would look cool. Keep it low but not too far back. I would also use the higher apes and flip the stem around towards the back to bring the bars closer to the seat. That way you can keep the bars vertical to maintain that look and still be able to reach them. Maybe use that seat tube area to mount some kind of shifter for your 3-speed. Lots of possibilities there. Looks like a fun project. Good luck and thanks for the honorable mention. Here's the only low trike I ever built:
And yes, furyus was right, that green Cheater Slick is one of my freaks. Here are some others:
Thanks @Reallybigtim! That really means a lot coming from you! I agree, the seat needs to sit low and further back, right between the rear wheels. I don't know if I'll use a tractor seat, but I'm definitely considering it. I'm thinking about angling a longer set of handlebars so they match the incline of the springer strut rods, or whatever you call those parts. I really want everything to flow if I can. I'll try flipping the handlebar stem towards the back to see how that looks sometime later this week. I just did it the way I did to see how that'd look. As for mounting the shifter, you're reading my mind! I drew this a few days ago, and I had the idea to put the shifter in the opening the tank would provide:
I don't know if that's how I'll do it, but I like the concept.
Again, thank you for the kind words and advice! You've got an awesome trike and a bunch of awesome bikes there yourself! I'm going to have to check out the build threads on those soon. You've got a real talent for getting them down low! I especially love how you even made one where you could pedal it upside down!
By the way, I'll be uploading a bunch of higher-quality pics of the trike here in a bit, in case you want to check those out. I just got to copy everything to my hard drives and scale them down in Photoshop so I can post them.
MattiThundrrr
Rattus All Terrainus
Dang son! I've missed your stuff, @Reallybigtim . Still inspiRATional. I want a BigTim style bike
ARE YOU READY FOR SOME PICTURES?! BECAUSE HERE THEY COME!
The weather ended up being better than expected today, so I made sure to get a bunch of good photos of yesterday's mockup. After getting Poison Apple out where I could see it from all angles, I am 100% convinced that this is the stance this trike needs. I'm so stoked, I almost want to skip making this trike just rideable and functional, and just skip to making this trike as wicked as it can be. Almost. Budget constraints and a desire to get this thing riding ASAP tell me the wilder stuff can wait until I buckle down and get a job.
There is less than an inch of clearance between the ground and the pedal when angled like this. SO LOW!
Okay, given that this is my first springer fork, upside down or not, is the bearing supposed to be exposed like that? I don't know if this springer fork is missing any pieces as this is how I got it when it was attached to The Trashliner Trike.
That's all for now. I'll fiddle around with that time-lapse video in Final Cut Pro and see if I can get it uploaded to YouTube sometime this week. In the meantime, I'm going to sketch some new renderings of the trike, in both its "good enough/get it done" stage, and in its final, "all out" form. Hopefully I'll at least get those done by the end of this week. I'm also going to visit one of my contacts in OKC to possibly get some better 24" wheels on Tuesday.
Stay tuned, more to come!
The weather ended up being better than expected today, so I made sure to get a bunch of good photos of yesterday's mockup. After getting Poison Apple out where I could see it from all angles, I am 100% convinced that this is the stance this trike needs. I'm so stoked, I almost want to skip making this trike just rideable and functional, and just skip to making this trike as wicked as it can be. Almost. Budget constraints and a desire to get this thing riding ASAP tell me the wilder stuff can wait until I buckle down and get a job.
There is less than an inch of clearance between the ground and the pedal when angled like this. SO LOW!
Okay, given that this is my first springer fork, upside down or not, is the bearing supposed to be exposed like that? I don't know if this springer fork is missing any pieces as this is how I got it when it was attached to The Trashliner Trike.
That's all for now. I'll fiddle around with that time-lapse video in Final Cut Pro and see if I can get it uploaded to YouTube sometime this week. In the meantime, I'm going to sketch some new renderings of the trike, in both its "good enough/get it done" stage, and in its final, "all out" form. Hopefully I'll at least get those done by the end of this week. I'm also going to visit one of my contacts in OKC to possibly get some better 24" wheels on Tuesday.
Stay tuned, more to come!
