If anybody has a rear rack like this at a reasonable price I might buy it and try it. Want one that says Schwinn on the back. Think with a rear rack I can keep the truss rods.
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"Rolling Heavy in the Burbs" 1973 Schwinn Suburban
- Thread starter irideiam
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That's cool ^ ! I'm not sure what planet Merle (Carl) is on right now, but Schwinn 'diamond framed bikes' were meant for racks!
When I turned 16, my dad said, " I think we need some more transportation now that you have your driver's license." He then proceeded to take my brother and I (our birthdays were one week apart) into town to the local Schwinn shop.
We picked out our colors for the Schwinn Varsity we wanted and then my dad said, "Alright, I'll see you back home," and we rode them home the 4 miles from the shop; mostly gravel shoulder and our 1/2 mile gravel road we lived on. Racks were a necessity for these 'SUB' (sport utility bikes) as they hauled books, tennis gear, duffle bags, camping gear, etc. I later added a front rack in college.
I say, "RaCk oN~!"
When I turned 16, my dad said, " I think we need some more transportation now that you have your driver's license." He then proceeded to take my brother and I (our birthdays were one week apart) into town to the local Schwinn shop.
We picked out our colors for the Schwinn Varsity we wanted and then my dad said, "Alright, I'll see you back home," and we rode them home the 4 miles from the shop; mostly gravel shoulder and our 1/2 mile gravel road we lived on. Racks were a necessity for these 'SUB' (sport utility bikes) as they hauled books, tennis gear, duffle bags, camping gear, etc. I later added a front rack in college.
I say, "RaCk oN~!"
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Huh?? I'm not sure what planet you are posting from this time Carl, but I have to disagree with your last three sentences completely.
I even have a rack on my Speedster even tough I had to bend the ends up a bit to get it to fit my 22” frame. I mainly carry my U lock on it for beach rides and pub crawls, works well and comes in handy.
Ya, I was staying opened minded but I agree with the utility of racks on all bikes, I just don’t always like the looks.
I vote "yes" on the truss rods, "meh" on any rack. That's just my aesthetic. I like a nice rack as much as any guy, just not on a bike. Very cool bike!
ROFL!
Ok kids, no more rack debates. 
I am leaving the truss rods up front and going with a rear rack. I think this Electra rack with the wood top might do the trick, like the looks and lines, it will look better once I strip it down to bare aluminum to match the stainless & chrome on the front of the bike.
I am leaving the truss rods up front and going with a rear rack. I think this Electra rack with the wood top might do the trick, like the looks and lines, it will look better once I strip it down to bare aluminum to match the stainless & chrome on the front of the bike.
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Yeah, really nice curves on that rack. Will fit in nicely!
Need some longer Schwinn truss rods...
http://www.ratrodbikes.com/forum/in...schwinn-truss-rods-for-build-off-bike.108924/
I am looking for a set of the longer postwar truss rods, looking for the the ladies because they are longer. Need them to be 22" to center of axle measured in a straight line from the end. I need them for my build off bike as the ones I mocked up in my build thread are too short to permanently mount. I have a set of Columbia rods that I can make work but I would prefer to stick with Schwinn style bends on this build. If I don't find what I need I will have to fabricate some or use the Columbia ones I have. Let me know what you have. Crusty is OK. Here's a pic of the style. Thanks
http://www.ratrodbikes.com/forum/in...schwinn-truss-rods-for-build-off-bike.108924/
I am looking for a set of the longer postwar truss rods, looking for the the ladies because they are longer. Need them to be 22" to center of axle measured in a straight line from the end. I need them for my build off bike as the ones I mocked up in my build thread are too short to permanently mount. I have a set of Columbia rods that I can make work but I would prefer to stick with Schwinn style bends on this build. If I don't find what I need I will have to fabricate some or use the Columbia ones I have. Let me know what you have. Crusty is OK. Here's a pic of the style. Thanks
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Still on the hunt:
I am learning that the prewar truss rods are the most likely to be longer because of different head tube lengths.
On postwar Schwinn's the ladies middleweights are typically 1/2 longer.
To clarify, I just need them to be between 21.75- 22" to center of axle measured in a straight line from the end of the truss rod, not the bracket.
I am getting a set from a guy on the Cabe that are 21.6, but I am not sure if they are close enough, so I am still on the hunt.
I am learning that the prewar truss rods are the most likely to be longer because of different head tube lengths.
On postwar Schwinn's the ladies middleweights are typically 1/2 longer.
To clarify, I just need them to be between 21.75- 22" to center of axle measured in a straight line from the end of the truss rod, not the bracket.
I am getting a set from a guy on the Cabe that are 21.6, but I am not sure if they are close enough, so I am still on the hunt.
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Current challenges with the inevitable custom build.
- Locating Truss rods that fit and look right in my eyes on a Schwinn
- Stripping the paint off the Electra rack is proving harder than I thought, need to get some stripper, Goof Off is not strong enough, hope it's not powder coated!
- Need to determine how to lock the rear wheel in place so it doesn't slide and rub, these dropouts were not designed for skewers to hold the wheels in place. Right now I am looking intro chain tensioners and bolt on skewers, that I have used in the past on customs.
On goes the battle of putting parts together that don't belong together!!!
- Locating Truss rods that fit and look right in my eyes on a Schwinn
- Stripping the paint off the Electra rack is proving harder than I thought, need to get some stripper, Goof Off is not strong enough, hope it's not powder coated!
- Need to determine how to lock the rear wheel in place so it doesn't slide and rub, these dropouts were not designed for skewers to hold the wheels in place. Right now I am looking intro chain tensioners and bolt on skewers, that I have used in the past on customs.
On goes the battle of putting parts together that don't belong together!!!
I know these are for a rear facing track type dropout, BUT, because they have the offset to them, maybe they could work on forward facing ones?
https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https://www.ebay.com/ulk/itm/323762578072
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https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https://www.ebay.com/ulk/itm/323762578072
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Thanks for the link. Those work well on longer threaded axles with nuts, but these are flush skewered axles (quick releases), I have used these before:
https://www.halowheels.com/shop/components/skewers/hex-key-skewers/
If they don't work on these dropouts I will have to go with longer axles and nuts with tensioners.
So much for using the parts I have on hand. I need to get a set on order.
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These look promising and work with quick releases:
https://www.jensonusa.com/Surly-Hurdy-Gurdy-Chain-Tensioner
https://www.jensonusa.com/Surly-Hurdy-Gurdy-Chain-Tensioner
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You probably might need one of these:
https://www.ebay.de/itm/Kettenspann...men-Edelstahl-Singlespeed-Fixie-/231460593207
Sorry, it's the german ebay site, but maybe you find them when you know what to look for.
The funny part in this is, that just two days ago I was sitting in the Berlin S-Bahn and standing in front of me was this nice dutch bike with exactly these tensioners...
https://www.ebay.de/itm/Kettenspann...men-Edelstahl-Singlespeed-Fixie-/231460593207
Sorry, it's the german ebay site, but maybe you find them when you know what to look for.
The funny part in this is, that just two days ago I was sitting in the Berlin S-Bahn and standing in front of me was this nice dutch bike with exactly these tensioners...
Interesting option, thanks.
Hey SwissGuy, thanks a thousand times over for this link!
Your welcome!
Looking at those I think it should be totally possible to build something like this with some tin, nuts, screws and a little bit of ellbowgrease and imagination....
