"Hot Rod" Bicycles

[Zumo]

Hey guys I just wanted to share one of my other hobbies. My brother and I are customizing and/or restoring old bikes. Mostly Beach Cruisers but not limited to those. I have a site setup here: http://www.losmuertoscustoms.com with more info to come on that site. Here is one of our first projects I am working on. I haven't positively identified the bike but I think it's from and Indian manufacturer. I have no ideal what year it is and the serial # pulls up nothing in the internet.





After a little work this weekend.

[thelonerife]

Couple of mine

I sold this one. Western Flyer



I'll get another pic of this one. This is when I was mocking it up. Its a Schwinn American

[thelonerife]

pics of it now. It has a 40s Elgin guard that I need to paint.

[Bob 68327]

Here's mine more of a mild custom ... 72 Schwinn Manta-Ray Goodyear Eagle 134 whitewalls... Swan Neck, 10speed fenders and Wald Apes . the goodyears are nos and as old as the bike..... I ride it as much as possible......... Sorry it's so dirty like I said i ride it......

[Bob 68327]

Here's the one I sold when I bought the Manta Ray ... The 24'' and 5 speed is way nicer ... have to remember i'm 40 and 6 foot the 20'' fit ok but one gear sucked.... got lots of looks...

[67_C-30]

Oh yeah! I love old bikes. Here's some my "junk" bikes, as my daughter calls them!-lol

[67_C-30]

A few more...

[67_C-30]

Originally Posted by thelonerife

pics of it now. It has a 40s Elgin guard that I need to paint.

Awesome bike!

[theastronaut]

I've got a late 50s/early 60's Rollfast that I'm planning on raking and moving the seat back a couple inches. Haven't got as far as cutting and welding the frame yet but I've started soaking the chrome parts in oxalic acid to remove the rust. I'll be leaving everything original on it- not gunnna repaint it, just blend in the weld spots.

Here it is before I started and then mocked up.

[JRE]

Awsome bikes. I just sold my 1936 Shelby Airflow bicycle.

[JRE]

Also check out this bike web site. I go by JRE on there also thecabe.com

[67_C-30]

Originally Posted by Zumo

Hey guys I just wanted to share one of my other hobbies. My brother and I are customizing and/or restoring old bikes. Mostly Beach Cruisers but not limited to those. I have a site setup here: http://www.losmuertoscustoms.com with more info to come on that site. Here is one of our first projects I am working on. I haven't positively identified the bike but I think it's from and Indian manufacturer. I have no ideal what year it is and the serial # pulls up nothing in the internet.





After a little work this weekend.

BTW, your bike is a 50's Shelby Traveler. The swedged lower bar and the chaingaurd are a dead giveaway. Here's other that are similiar. There are lots of Shelby parts on ebay, and there is are some head badges on there now if want one.

[special-K]

I ended up having to sell my old Schwinns last spring. I had an old Streamliner with tank and all. I still have a Typhoon left to build something,though. It's not quite what people are building these days,but back around 1980 I build a "Clunker",the predecessor to the mountain bike before they were made. It started with an old Columbia springer (w/fork lock) frame I found in an old farm dump on the mountain. I read about Clunkers being built in Marin Co,CA and Crested Butte,CO and went to work. Beach cruisers had hit the scene so I found some cool anodized aluminum parts and converted some BMX parts. I grabbed a tandem bike rear drum brake,found a vintage diaper pin seat,and Ashtabula crank,and the hardest thing was finding knobby tires in 2.125 x 26. I had to grind the front sprocket to work with the pitch/width of the derailleur type chain. The front pouch carries a patch kit and tools and there used to be a gold anondized Zefal tire pump mounted under the top bar. It hasn't been ridden in years. It's a pioneer of the off road bicycle movement and I have considered donating it to the national mountain bike museum in Crested Butte. But,I dunno,I don't think I could let this old relic go:

[67_C-30]

Originally Posted by special-K

I ended up having to sell my old Schwinns last spring. I had an old Streamliner with tank and all. I still have a Typhoon left to build something,though. It's not quite what people are building these days,but back around 1980 I build a "Clunker",the predecessor to the mountain bike before they were made. It started with an old Columbia springer (w/fork lock) frame I found in an old farm dump on the mountain. I read about Clunkers being built in Marin Co,CA and Crested Butte,CO and went to work. Beach cruisers had hit the scene so I found some cool anodized aluminum parts and converted some BMX parts. I grabbed a tandem bike rear drum brake,found a vintage diaper pin seat,and Ashtabula crank,and the hardest thing was finding knobby tires in 2.125 x 26. I had to grind the front sprocket to work with the pitch/width of the derailleur type chain. The front pouch carries a patch kit and tools and there used to be a gold anondized Zefal tire pump mounted under the top bar. It hasn't been ridden in years. It's a pioneer of the off road bicycle movement and I have considered donating it to the national mountain bike museum in Crested Butte. But,I dunno,I don't think I could let this old relic go:

I love it! Definitely something different!

[special-K]

Originally Posted by 67_C-30

I love it! Definitely something different!

Here is my Schwinn Cruiser 5,the first factory built all terrain bike for adults. They were made in the late-70s-early-80s and are pretty much the same thing as what I built:


It broke my heart to sell this one. I wanted to do something special with it:

[fakerwade]

How bout mountain bikes? Before pic.

[fakerwade]

After Pic.

[67cheby]

wow...and i thought this original condition one i bought for my wife was sweet but..it can compare to the ones you guys have !!

[special-K]

Heck,that's a sweet Schwinn! Is that a Typhoon? I had a 3spd Corvette,but the paint had sun fade (good old lacquer). Sold that,too

[67cheby]

yes it is a typhoon in almost mint condition, i dig all the accesories on yours like the front rack thats too cool

[67_C-30]

That's a sweet typhoon!

[special-K]

Originally Posted by 67cheby

yes it is a typhoon in almost mint condition, i dig all the accesories on yours like the front rack thats too cool

Yours must have not been ridden much at all. The story on mine is after a swap meet I still had the fever and stopped into a bicycle shop on my way out of town. The shop sold Schwinn among other makes,but I believe it had been a Schwinn-only dealership back in the day. I get to talking with the owner about my interest in old bikes,so he takes me out back to his building with used bikes where I saw the Corvette. The bike was originally bought there along with one for the wife. They hauled them on their RV for years and ended up trading them in for newer bikes after all those years. I bought it in the mid-90s.

[wannagettachevy]

heres the start of a bike a built last summer. 1 1/2" tubing for the bars and the functioning suicide brake and shifter in the frame. It was finished off very nicely!

[67cheby]

lol thats too cool, a friend of mine bought this one at an estate sale in the mid 90's also in that same sale the got an absolutely mint condition porcelean Phillips 66 sign , it is so perfect it looks fake !!

[special-K]

There are people who would give their first born for that sign. I'd sure like to have one,but not only do I prefer time-worn patinized,I like "cheaper". (Hey,spell check says patinized is wrong. Well,I'll have you know I heard them say that on Antiques Road Show...so there!)