Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Schwinn photos



So this is where it currently stands. Yes, the seat clamp needs to be switched around.

Schwinn update

At school currently, so no photos of its current state, but, Rachel's Schwinn is almost done. Since the last posting, I applied the decals, clearcoated the frame and fork and have begun to hang the parts on her. Even though the old crank was a triple, the new crank slightly rubs on the chainstay, so I'll need a new BB axle. The current one was 119mm and I bought a 126 off of eBay for $12 shipped.

So, waiting on a longer BB axle and some pink brake cable. I've also decided to wrap the handlebars using brown cloth tape with amber shellac. Going to get the tape from VO.

Also am planning on buying this rack and doing what "stepinthefunk" did (see below). He cut off the outer ring on the rack so its more sleak and minimalist.



Friday, May 15, 2009

Schwinn Cranks

Photobucket

So, I've had these Sugino "Silstar" cranks and wanted to use them on Rachel's Schwinn. However, the large ring is fixed and is 52 tooth. Rachel doesnt need a 52. Additionally, I wanted to only give her one ring up front to ease shifting.

So, I grinded off the teeth on the big ring of the crankset. Now, there will be a guard on the outside and the 40 tooth inner ring will actually be about the perfect size for a single ring up front.

Thursday, May 7, 2009

Schwinn Fork Painted



So, I sanded down the fork on the Schwinn CrossFit. I thought that the steering tube was covered in grime, it was actually rust. Schwinn didnt paint it, just bare metal. Cheap bike I suppose.

So I sanded down the steerer to bare metal, then primered the thing. On the base of the steerer it said "Spinner" looked like a brand name. Also it had stamped 1991 on it, which I had figured.



This morning, I hit it with the first coat of Jade. I will go back over it later today because I missed some nooks and crannies.

Progress is fun.

The Old Bike Blog

I'm a fan of this guy. Check out the before and after of a bike he restored:



Wednesday, May 6, 2009

Schwinn Decals



So this is on order......reproduction pink Schwinn for Rachel's bike.

Pair for $10 from Graphicity.com

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

Fenders

So I'm on the fence about fenders.

My options:

1. Buy VO 48mm fluted fenders now for $42



2. Wait a month or more and buy Honjo's for $85.


I like the look of the Honjo's better. Additionally, for my 32mm tires, I like the width of the Honjo's more. But for twice the price? Eh, that's tough to swallow.

Univega Mounted on the wall



This is partially to display the current state of the Univega and partially to show my new bike mount.

What's new with the bike since the last post?
-new wheels (Shimano 105 and Mavic MA2)
-Panaracer Pasela tires 700 x 32mm
-front derailleur
-leather saddle
-new seatpost
-rack partially mounted
-barcons in place

The bike mount is a Home Depot hack. Each bracket was about $3. So $6 later plus 4 wall stud molly type bolts and instant bike rack.

Schwinn painted



So the weather has been nice and this means that I've been painting. The Schwinn frame took 2 cans of white primer and one can of "Jade" Krylon. The jade comes in satin only, but I will be putting a clear coat over this after application of some cool Schwinn decals which the misses wants in pink.







I'm thinking I will also highlight the letters on the headbadge before I clearcoat it.