Would you believe I'm planning my next build? (4 Stroke Content)

[Sheik Yerbouti]

Well, I just found out that class is canceled today due to snow! So, I'm going to go check out that bike this afternoon. These are the tradeoffs that I've determined.

The Southport has 2 rim brakes. The old bike has a single coaster.
The old bike has fenders. The Southport doesn't.
The old bike is much cheaper.
The old bike has a headlight (a future investment regardless)
The old bike gives me enough wiggle room in my budget to invest in a front drum brake down the road.
The southport is geared. The old bike is a single speed.

Basically, it all depends on the condition of the schwinn when I go see it, so I'll take some pictures and report back with my findings.

 

[SirJakesus]

There could be any number of problems with a bike that old. The hub bearings could be shot, tires and tubes dry rot. Paint may be chipping away and in need of sanding/priming/painting. Rusted out nuts and bolts. Rusted/bound up chain that could be ready to break (especially bad with coaster brakes). Cracked uncomfortable grips... The list could go on and on. I dont know how well the bike was cared for so seeing it would be a great idea. But on the subject of you being on a budget I think the older bike is going to have a lot more hidden costs over time especially with the added stress of a motor. Given that its $50 I would think that its not in primo shape or has been sitting and binding up for some years now. I just bought a schwinn high timber from target as my pedal pusher as im converting my older mongoose into a motored and the schwinn looks surprisingly well made for a $120 MTB. I definitely wouldn't forgo gears if at all possible either. Straight gearing on a bike with the additional weight of a motor really stinks to pedal home if you run out of gas or throw a chain. It's up to you as its your build, seems like a no-brainer to me though. Your hidden costs are going to skyrocket the older and less maintained a bicycle is. At least with a brand new bicycle you start out with no issues of former neglect or misuse and only the small possibility of defective parts given its a schwinn.

 

[Sheik Yerbouti]

Okay. Well, I'm back. And I have news.

It turns out that the guy who is advertising the bike is actually a member of this forum! His name is Mark. You can see his "fizzer" here:

http://www.motoredbikes.com/showthread.php?t=7047

He's a really good guy. We sat around and BSed motored bikes and old bikes for a good while and he showed me the Schwinn. It's rough, it's really rough, but it's worth it. The front wheel and tire are brand spanking new, and the light on the front is new. I...I fell in love with it and bought it. I know you guys may think it's foolish but I really did see a great deal of potential in the bike. The frame was spray painted a wretched orange, and will need to be repainted, which I am plenty capable of. We have a spray booth in my school. One of the pedals is cracked, which isn't a huge deal. The coaster brakes need a bit of adjusting, there is a lot of back pedaling required for them to "activate". The chain is rusty. Both tires are great.The fenders are mashed up, the front one is serviceable, but the back one is a wreck. I'm going to take it off and see if I can stylishly trim off the really bad parts and make it still look good.

The frame itself is still solid, it just needs some love. I'm not done thinking of concepts to make it beautiful again, but when I have a solid plan I'll share it.

Pics to come.

Edit: Mark is also starting a local Vintage/Motorized bike club and gave us some free t-shirts!

 

[Scottm]

WOW that is karma. What a cool story. Have fun, I have some spare chains. Plus you have a new riding buddy?

 

[Sheik Yerbouti]

Hah, yeah. There's supposed to be a big local get together soon, and I'm now invited because of my new vintage Schwinn. He's an ugly bugger, but with a brand new paint job (maybe a powdercoat job, we know a powdercoater), some love and polish, it has potential to be heck of a bike.

 

[Scottm]

The orange make it look like solid rust. Looks good now, even if it's orange.

 

[ocscully]

Looks to me like you did fine. The Coaster Brake appears to be a Red Band Bendix and they just don't get much better than that. They are also pretty simple to repack and adjust and thats about all that needs to be done to them. I do have a question about the wheels and tires. The front looks to be a 2.125 white wall but the rear looks to me that it might be what is called a midweight 26X1&3/4 S7. If this is the case you have two different diameter rims even though they are both called 26" I hope my eyes are decieving me. Either way it still seems like a good find.

ocscully

 

[Sheik Yerbouti]

Looks to me like you did fine. The Coaster Brake appears to be a Red Band Bendix and they just don't get much better than that. They are also pretty simple to repack and adjust and thats about all that needs to be done to them. I do have a question about the wheels and tires. The front looks to be a 2.125 white wall but the rear looks to me that it might be what is called a midweight 26X1&3/4 S7. If this is the case you have two different diameter rims even though they are both called 26" I hope my eyes are decieving me. Either way it still seems like a good find.

ocscully

You have great eyes. The rear is infact an s7 and the front is a 2.125 white wall. I'm going to get another 2.125 Rim with 12 gauge spokes and another white wall to complete the package. Which portion of the coaster brake do I have to adjust to minimize the distance I have to backpedal?

 

[Sheik Yerbouti]

The orange make it look like solid rust. Looks good now, even if it's orange.

I really really....REALLY hate the color Orange. Some of the original paint is chipping through the orange paint. Anybody know how to get spraypaint off without damaging the original paint?

 

[ocscully]

floppy bendix coaster brake

You have great eyes. The rear is infact an s7 and the front is a 2.125 white wall. I'm going to get another 2.125 Rim with 12 gauge spokes and another white wall to complete the package. Which portion of the coaster brake do I have to adjust to minimize the distance I have to backpedal?

It sounds to me like you just need to adjust the hub bearings. When the brake action gets floppy like you describe its usually loose bearings. Here a a couple of links that should help http://en.allexperts.com/q/Bicycle-Repair-1824/floppy-bendix-brake.htm and http://sheldonbrown.com/coaster-brakes.html

ocscully