Just Like The Old Days

It's taken me quite a while, but my Klunker is finally finished.  Taking a 50+ year old bike frame and adding newer parts to it has been a challenge, but a fun one.  I didn't expect it to be beautiful, but neither did those guys in that video when they built theirs.

Just because you pour syrup on shit doesn't make it pancakes.

Anyway, here it is:

Not bad, I guess.  BMX style handlebars (courtesy of  The Hub), updated wheels ( from First Flight Bikes), and some real mountain bike tires (thanks to Maxxis.)  I had to order a new seatpost because the one I thought would work didn't, so I went with one of those aftermarket layback ones. I even found a new seat, which is plenty comfortable and wide enough to hold the biggest ass (like me.)  

It actually rides better than it looks, which is to say that it's pretty damn awesome.

Photo cred:  Little Miss Sunshine

It's primarily a pub crawl bike, but yes, I will take it on a trail.  Probably not anything in Pisgah, because I'm not that dumb.  Something local for sure. It will be nice to ride a trail like our mountain biking forefathers, and I'm really looking forward to it.  It's been a long journey to make this piece of shit rideable after finding it in a barn on my in-laws' farm.  I had to modify a few things, squeeze together a few parts that didn't want to know each other in such a way, and search the Internets and bike shops high and low to find shit that would get this thing rolling.

Sure, I could've purchased a new cruiser bike for what I put into this one, but where the hell is the fun in that?  This bike has character, albeit a dirty, grimy, rusty, hippy one.

Perhaps the maiden trail voyage will be tonight after I get out of work.

Maybe.  I'm still not convinced that it's safe.  I know, that didn't stop the Marin County boys.

Klunker ride report soon.

Back To The Basics

Yesterday I told y’all I was building another bike. It shouldn’t be a surprise, since I mentioned it before. In case you forgot, I’m building my very own Klunker, so I can be just like those guys from that movie.

Oops. Not that one, this one:

I also told y’all I had to order new wheels for it. Mostly it was because it would cost too much to repair the old ones, but also because those old Schwinn wheels don’t accept modern-day mountain bike tires. The wheels came in a while ago (I talked about it already, try to keep up), and after a delay due to the snowy weather we had my tires did too. So, thanks to Maxxis and First Flight Bikes I’ve started putting together my new (old) bike.

Since it will be kinda like they did in the olden days (I like saying “olden”), I’m not gonna bother to paint it. The paint isn’t really that bad, so I’ve just cleaned it up a little (with some ProGold Degreaser Wash.) Most of the stuff on that bike was just grime from being in a barn for all those years, and it comes off with a little work. The cranks look almost new.

I got a seat, seatpost, pedals, and a new chain, but I haven’t had a chance to get everything assembled. Eventually the plan is to get some new handlebars, but with the stuff I have now I can ride it as soon as I put it all together. I can’t wait.


Maybe I should race that thing in Pisgah soon. I won’t die, right? Those old guys rode rad stuff on their old bikes, and they lived to tell about it. Maybe that’s because they were high as shit though.


Damn smokin’ the hippy trees.



I’m out.

Bikes Are The Best

Remember my little project? If you’re too lazy to click on the link, I’ll remind you that I’ve been working on building my very own Klunker from a very old Schwinn bike that I found in a barn. I ordered some new wheels for it, and headed up to First Flight Bikes on Saturday to pick them up.


I know I’ve mentioned it before (I tend to repeat myself a lot), but First Flight is home to the Museum of Mountain Bike Art and Technology, which houses a huge collection of all kinds of old bikes. You’re free to walk around and take it all in on your own, just be sure you don’t get sticky fingers and actually take something.

Anyway, I did wander around, and somehow ended up near the bathroom. Inside I found some cool shit (not literally, you sicko.) I saw some old advertisements from Schwinn hanging on the wall, one of which featuring the very same bike I just bought wheels for.

Back in the olden days this was a lot of money.


Since the wheels are newer, and the bike is uh, older, I was informed that I may have to do some modifications. The front hub was a little too wide to fit in the fork in its current configuration, and the rear hub wasn’t wide enough. That was an easy fix, so Jeff sent me down in the basement to dig through an old parts bin to find what I needed.


I didn’t even know they had a basement.

It was cold and dark down there, but luckily it didn’t take me long to find the nuts that I needed.

Even though I forgot the beer this time, I still got to hang around and shot the shit about old bikes and whatnot. I got some ideas on how I’ll make this old Klunker come to life, and I left outta there pretty excited. Jeff is always happy to share his knowledge about bikes and for that I am grateful. I said goodbye, packed up my shit, and headed back to the house to get busy on my project. I swapped the nuts around on the wheels, and immediately ran into another issue…


The axle on the old front wheel was a smaller diameter than the new wheel. I was warned that this might be the case, so I got out my tools to make that sumbitch fit.

A few minutes with the Dremel and I was ready to install the front wheel. It fit like a glove of course. The rear wheel was even easier, since I didn’t have to modify the frame.

Now I just have to order some Maxxis tires for it, find a seat (and seatpost) somewhere, and put everything together. I’ll be just like the guys in Klunkerz.

So rad.


I’ll be back tomorrow if I’m not snowed in. You know, because another round of winter weather is headed our way.

Not rad.