Show Off Your Finished Huffy Cranbrook's and Nel Lusso
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I originally built this as a motorized bike and that was the tensioner I made for the motor driven chain. When I recently went back to pedal bike configuration I installed the 26 x 3 inch tires, and the only way the rear clears is all the way back in the drop outs so I repurposed the chain tensioner to avoid having to shorten the chain and move the wheel forward in the drop outs.
It's not my idea, I copied it from others I saw, it's know as an "arch tension" in the motorized bike community, however mine is shorter than the ones I saw available for purchase.
Love that tensioner and the head badge
JaxRhapsody
Rhapsodic Laviathan
yall make me want to build this cranbrook I picked up last month. Counting the Nel Lusso; this on is my fourth.
My kids Cranbrook
One I pulled out of a swamp and got running again
This was a blue Huffy Cranbrook a neighbor threw out early in the pandemic. It was a nice project to work on for my granddaughter. The original finish was rough. Mostly just rebuilt the bottom bracket, greased everything and shot it with Rustoleum medium green and Rustoleum "Key Lime" accents. She is partial to gators so I ordered the graphics off Amazon. Also installed new tires and picked up that Trek seat at Goodwill. Green glitter grips also from Amazon.
Technically a Nassau since it has the rear rack, but all these Huffy's are the same base
Flip bike I got for free with my Newsboy
Some paint and elbow grease goes a long way
Flip bike I got for free with my Newsboy
Some paint and elbow grease goes a long way
Is a newer Cranbrook klunker and trail worthy?
Some of the welds are suspect and of course it's low grade steel, but overall maybe. Everything is klunk worthy. Not saying you might not have repairs down the road
Frame is probably the only part I would personally use
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single track trails? No. Bumps, jumping curbs and popping wheelies will destroy most mild steel forks and the cheap rims.
But "Bike Trail's" have different meanings to different people. crushed stone bike trails will be fine. Paved bike trails is what they were built for.
I run a bike coop where several donated Cranbrooks are received every year. Badly rusted or split open chain stays are common. Leaving them out doors in the winter will get water in the frames that freeze up and expand or split the stays like frozen plumbing pipes. The carbon steel sheet metal used to make most cheap chinese bikes is rather weak to start with and the up curved chain stays on the Cranbrook are particularly prone to this.
But "Bike Trail's" have different meanings to different people. crushed stone bike trails will be fine. Paved bike trails is what they were built for.
I run a bike coop where several donated Cranbrooks are received every year. Badly rusted or split open chain stays are common. Leaving them out doors in the winter will get water in the frames that freeze up and expand or split the stays like frozen plumbing pipes. The carbon steel sheet metal used to make most cheap chinese bikes is rather weak to start with and the up curved chain stays on the Cranbrook are particularly prone to this.
Thanks for the quick replies. I think I will steer clear. I'm looking to build a klunker for single track use, minor curb hopping, jumping, and neighborhood shenanigans. I will keep an eye out for an old steel schwinn or the like.
Is there a thread on here that talks about different frames and forks that are good for klunkers?
Is there a thread on here that talks about different frames and forks that are good for klunkers?
