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What do you consider the ultimate muscle bike?

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Sped Man

Cruisin' on my Bluebird
What do you consider the ultimate muscle bike based on looks, quality, workmanship, and durability? Don't base your decision solely on rarity.
 
Best ever made would have to be hands down the Schwinn Krate line. It had the most equipment on it and was the flagship of their company. No other bike could beat it!
 
I'm also quite partial to Schwinn's muscle bike offerings. Well-built, great lines, durable paint, just generally well thought-out machines. From the perspective of quality and worksmanship, the Schwinns were only really rivaled by Raleigh.

I recently built up an AMF Avenger 5, a bit of a departure for me. The appeal of this particular bike was the slightly longer wheelbase and especially the taller bottom bracket height which takes 6.5 inch cranks in stock form. (All of the non-shortie 'Rays take 5.5 inch cranks.) The longer cranks make for better power transfer. AMF came out with lookers, as did Huffy, but the mechanical execution isn't nearly as solid as what Schwinn put out.

Cheers, Geoff
 
If you just asked what do you consider the ultimate muscle bike based on looks that would be better. We know Schwinn had the quality pretty much hands down. The other brands didn't make junk but still Schwinn seems to come out on top for quality. Now on the looks the Krate was a great looking bike. The Murray Eliminators and Sears Screamers took the look even further. Twin stick shifters, Drag brakes, Crazy handlebars Chain guards ect. Huffy had the Slingshot with the Cheater slick tires. Lots of different looks back then. Some more muscle then others. Hard to pick one for me. I love all of them.
 
Well since I'm a Murray guy, I would say the MarkII Eliminator would be my choice, Not for durability or quality, but mainly for styling and wild factor.To me the Schwinn's have been the Volvo of bicycles.Because They were built more towards durable and safe then they are towards styling & flare. and after all it's not like we are jumping them off ramps and ghosting riding them any more...lol they are more of art piece then functional equipment today.
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1968 Schwinn Apple Krate with the red line rear tire and the pogo seat post. Hmm, maybe the 1968 Orange Krate or a 1973 Apple Krate with a disc brake. Hmm, now I am thinking a 1972 Pea Picker, Damn......... I love all of them!
 
azhearse: Dude, great ride! The light is rad too. Only seen a couple of those, narrow with the stacked lenses, almost looks alien.

Yeah, if we weight it towards looks, then AMF's '72 Flying Wedge would be way up there for me. As would Ross' Marlin line. The Rollfast Stroker. The two-tone Huffy Rail 5s. Those 5-bar Sears Spyders.

So many bikes, so little time.

Cheers, Geoff
 
Schwinn's Sting-Ray was so iconic and the marketing do powerful, that even non-Schwinns were called "Sting-Ray" by other kids and parents.

The offerings from Murray, AMF, and Columbia are cool and good quality, but I'm not sure they would be the "ultimate" muscle bike. Except for maybe the Eliminator line. Either a fully loaded Schwinn Krate or Huffy Rail. Maybe even the Huffy Wheel or Dragster.

A Sears Spyder is a close second.
 
I have a few krate bikes in my muscle bike collection but when I show non bicycle collectors what I have, they get overlooked. The "Sears Screamer" and the "Firestone Flame GTO Wheel" are more popular due to their outrageous looks.
 

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