Finished - Schwinn Racer

 

Here is the Schwinn Racer, finished up and (in the next few weeks) headed to a new home.

This bike came out nicely. Schwinn black is one of those paints that cleans up pretty well. Schwinn frame graphics are also generally pretty durable, at least as transfers go. The chrome is thick and cleaned up pretty well.

This bike got a nice set of wheels built from some very nice parts - 1950s Sturmey Archer AW, Schwinn script front hub, and new-old stock Torrington spokes.  

These bikes are simple, robust, and generally well-made. That's probably why they were used for so long by so many people for commuting to campus, class, paper routes, touring, etc.

 

"Finding" Extra Rides in Humid, Damp Conditions

 Awhile back, I wrote about "found" rides - that is, bike rides you were unexpectedly able to take. These rides might result from a little extra free time, better-than-expected weather, or a little more daylight in the evening. 

 

This evening was one such ride. We've had a period of humid, rainy weather for about a week. Monday and Tuesday evenings were too rainy, or thunderstorms were close by. This evening was supposed to be more of the same, but we fortunately had about 3 hours of humid - but dry - weather. That was enough time to take about an hour or so to ride after work on my 1953 Raleigh Lenton. Any time you have a "found" ride, all the better for a pleasant surprise.

Raleigh Model 35 Sports - Evening Ride

 We're well into summer, so it's always a good evening when you have the right weather and the free time  to ride. Recent ride on my 1940 Raleigh Model 35 Sports, a simple and fun bike.

Headsets: Shimming a Vintage Crown Race

 Occasionally you come across a project where the crown race will not tighten firmly down onto the the top of the fork crown. 

There are three common way to remedy a loose fork crown:

• Shim the steerer tube area where the crown race goes to tighten the fit.
• Use Loctite or similar products to fix the crown race in place.
• Replace the fork or crown race with another that fits tighter.

My preference is to shim. The reason for this is it allows you to use your original fork and your original, good crown race. Here's how I do it - let's use this loose Schwinn Racer crown race as an example.

 Take a piece of thin, pliable sheet metal. I have a sheet of thin brass that I use for this task. I have owned the sheet for many years and it has come in handy many times on many projects. I trim a strip of metal that is a bit wider than the area where the crown race goes. Then I wrap the steerer tube with the shim and slide the crown race down. Keep your wrap as flat and even as possible around the tube.

Above thin sheet brass. Aluminum can also be used.

 

Fitting is done by feel. The crown race should be tight enough that you have to tap it into place gently. It should not be loose, but it also should not be so tight that you have to bash it into place. To tap the race into place, I use a mallet and hardwood dowel. A punch can be used if you carefully tap around the edge of the race and not where the bearings run. A wooden dowel gives you a little more flexibility in tapping on the race. 

Tap around the edge evenly. You should see the race lowering into place gradually. Keep tapping until the race is snugly in place. You should not be able to turn the crown race in place with your bare hand. 

 

Above: crown race with shim, next is to cut off the excess brass

 

Next, carefully run the blade of a utility knife or tip of a file around the shim where it sticks out above the crown race. This is to remove the excess shim. Be careful when cutting and removing the excess shim- the knife and the shim material are sharp. Take your time and don't cut too deeply.

In a pinch, you may be able to use a strip of aluminum, such as you'd find with a soda can or a beer can. I prefer brass, but any malleable, thin metal shim is better than a loose crown race.

I've also seen Loctite used for this job. Loctite works OK so long as the crown race is only slightly loose. Loctite is not great at filling larger gaps. I like the brass shim because the soft metal conforms to the shape you need.

 

 Works for Cups Too...

Similarly, headset cups can be shimmed in the head tube the same way: by cutting a thin metal strip, shaping into a ring, and then tapping in the headset cup. Again, it should be snug enough that you can't turn the cup in place by hand. Be careful though that it is not so tight that you deform the cup or crack the frame. A flashlight is helpful to see into the head tube to make sure your shim is properly wrapped.

Another Find - 1939 Raleigh Sports Tourist

 Here's a local Facebook Market find - a Raleigh Sports Tourist. I spotted this bike for sale and decided to buy it, given it is an older Raleigh model, especially for the US market. It has many of the old-style features: hook spanner headset, quadrant shifter, chain case, old pattern fenders, old-style lamp bracket, and an un-dated "Patent Applied For" Sturmey Archer AW rear hub.

The frame is a nice, 23 inches on top of 26 inch wheels. Rims are 26 x 1 3/8 Dunlop endrick type. Although not photographed, I do have the black pump that came with the bike, which I believe is original. 

 

Parts missing: pie plate for the chain case, rear elbow for the chain case, rear sliders for the chain case. 

 

The saddle is a 1940s-50s era horsehair Lycett mattress type (actually might go with the bike OK). 

 

Brake cables look newer rubber type (the old, pre-war ones were a cloth-covered cable). 

Paint is worn but original. The original graphics on the bike are worn, though the seat tube decal is still mostly there. Fender and chain case decals are pretty much worn off. 

 

Overall, I'm happy with this. It will make a nice companion to my 1939/40 Raleigh Model 35.

 

Schwinn 3 Speed Bikes: Caring for Your 3 Speed Schwinn Bike

 I recently purchased this wonderful 1950s era guide to caring for your Schwinn 3 speed bike. This little guide came with your purchase when you bought a Schwinn 3 speed bike back in the mid or late 1950s. It has a hole for a string where the guide could be hung up from the handlebars on the dealership floor. It must have been quite something to see brand new Schwinn 3 speed bikes at a bike shop, complete with little books like these hanging from the handlebars. Click the images below to enlarge and read.

4th of July and American Three Speed Bikes

 Happy Fourth of July! As is appropriate, some shots of this week's rides on a couple very nice Schwinn three speeds: 1950 Superior and 1947 Continental.

Project - 1960s Schwinn Racer Tall Frame

 Yet another orphaned frame rolls in... this time a 1960s tall frame Schwinn Racer. 

As purchased from a bike charity:

It's not in great shape, but not bad either... It came just as you see above - frame, fork, kickstand, a few frame attachments, and a very tall seat post from an old Schwinn exercise bike. 

The first task is to strip the parts. Then onto cleaning everything, and polishing the paint. Decals were cleaned using Mr. Clean Magic Eraser. After the paint and decals are clean, matching paint is applied: gloss black for the paint and flat white for the lettering. Chrome is polished using Simichrome polish. 

 The badge is black and from 1976-77, so that has to be replaced with a correct white one.

The kickstand cam pin needed to be replaced, as did the frame pin. Cups in the bottom bracket has some mileage on them, but are otherwise OK. 

I've gradually sourced period correct parts: fenders, chain guard, bars and stem, grips, and a whole bunch of other things. 

Otherwise, a nice, black Racer that hopefully will go from orphaned charity frame to a nice, complete, rider.