# Schwinn Lightweight Meets Balloon Tire Kustom



## momo608 (Sep 14, 2016)

Getting the feeling I'm not doing enough bike stuff to justify my presence here SOOO.

What is this guy up to besides shooting off at the mouth?

This!


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## Dale Alan (Sep 14, 2016)

Now that is interesting,I really like the direction you are heading with it.I will be watching this thread.


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## Schwinn499 (Sep 14, 2016)

Oh wow! Thats one tall phantom!

I think @fordmike65 needs one of these...


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## Andrew Gorman (Sep 14, 2016)

How are you bending the frame tubes? With a pipe hickey?  Just curious.


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## momo608 (Sep 14, 2016)

Andrew Gorman said:


> How are you bending the frame tubes? With a pipe hickey?  Just curious.



The smaller size tubing is standard 3/8" new tubing bent around a large metal fan base I use in my shop. The larger tubing is cut and splice Schwinn tubing from a junk stingray and varsity. most of it is from the original jaguar frame I started with. 

It will be a ten speed with drop bars and 27" rims.


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## Metacortex (Sep 14, 2016)

Please post more details on the construction if you can, I'd love to see pics of how it got to this point if you have them. What are the head and seat tube angles?


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## momo608 (Sep 15, 2016)

I did not take many pictures because I wasn't sure where this was headed. At one point I was thinking the trash. I made a fiberglass tank for it that completely enclosed a straight top tube. There was not enough curve in the tank and it ended up looking completely out of place with the rest of the bike. So I pulled it and started using a regular diamond frame so I could use the tank I made. That project is still waiting for some new ideas to come in. So I was looking at this and thought I'll just put the curved top tube back in, had to add about 4" to it, and call it done to save the project. Mocking the bike up I discovered that the angle of the top tube looked bad with the longer seat tube so I added a couple inches to the head tube which also allowed me to use the 24" varsity fork. Also had to re-curve the fork to have even tire clearance around the down tube. One thing always leads to another and another, so you can see why taking lots of pictures of failures and dead ends would just add to the frustration. I let the project sit in my shop for a few months while I did other projects hoping new ideas would occur. What I was seeing was not that satisfying. I got the idea to put the phantom tank on and mold it in like you see, it's part of the frame now, which led to the curved tubes below it. I can't remember exactly when the rack was put on the project but it was after I put the curved top tube back in. I like what I'm seeing so far and nothing looks out of place at least to my eye. The goal of the project is to make a full size mens road bike that looks like a balloon bike and rides well. Personally I don't see the point of custom bikes that are obviously uncomfortable to ride or ridiculous performers out on the streets.  

The frame geometry is basically the jaguar geometry with the exception of the seat tube angle which puts the seat a few inches further behind the pedal crank. The distance from the head to the seat tube is the same as a 26" frame Varsity which I find comfortable. In the picture below, visualize everything above the bottom of the frame being altered. Nothing has been changed from the rear drop outs through the bottom bracket up to the head tube. Although I did spread the rear stays to get the five speed freewheel in there. The red lines mark the cuts, the squiggly lines mark where tubing has been eliminated or replaced. I'm not a design engineer but I haven't strayed too far away from original angles so I'm thinking I should be OK once this thing hits the streets. I use the 24" Varsity frame you see in the pics as a guide for overall comparison and guide for what works. There's always the trash option. 


BTW, it will have internal frame cable routing for obvious reasons. Look closely and you can see some enter and exit ports in the above pics.


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## Metacortex (Sep 15, 2016)

Very cool. Interesting that you cut and extended the headtube. Did you pick a specific length to match a fork you had? I'm guessing you'll need to have it faced to insure parallel ends for the headset. What type of welding? Thanks for posting the details.


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## momo608 (Sep 15, 2016)

Yes, I matched the headtube length on the 24" frame Varsity so the fork fits perfectly. I spliced in another headtube section from a scrap frame to get the length I needed using a wood dowel as a jig hammered in the headtube to align the pieces and then tack mig welded them together. Hammered it out and finished welding. Everything lined up fine, no binding in the fork at all with all bearings and cups in place. The irregularities on the outside of the headtube surfaces would have definitely caused problems if I went off of that. All welding is done with a mig welder on this project.

added the final rear derailleur cable stop today and redid the rear brake caliper bridge tube. Modifying the fork the way I did required the use of very short reach calipers so I changed the rear so I could use matching calipers. I stripped the rest of the paint and primed it but the stop and bridge tube came after. The goal is to get it close to ready for paint this year so next spring I can paint it in my unheated poll building.

Better look of what it actually looks like all in one color.  Lots of filling and hand sanding to come. I'll try to do a mockup soon but I don't have the right rims built up yet for the calipers I'm using. I don't like taking parts off finished bikes, might scratch it. Thanks for your interest.!


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## momo608 (Sep 16, 2016)

Well I thought I better do a final mockup no matter what, good thing I saved these rat rims in my loft. Once the paints on, small problems are major problems.

This is a 23" Continental for comparison, the standover on the custom is 1 1/4" higher than the Conti which makes it pretty much as intended, a 24" bike.

Center to center axles measure 42 3/4" on the Conti, 43 3/8 on the custom and for reference 70's 26" varsity's and conti's measure in at 43 1/4" 

Not that anyone cares but this represents a ton of work


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## Rob Black in Portland (Sep 18, 2016)

In my worthless opinion, the drop handlebars just look...wrong.  You could sell that design, though, nice work!


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## Dale Alan (Sep 18, 2016)

I like it,has some wild lines . That must be a ton of work. What will the paint scheme be ? Going to be one nimble tank bike.


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## SirMike1983 (Sep 18, 2016)

I would drop the tank and run it as an open frame. I think the design is a lot about lines, and you lose that with the tank.


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## momo608 (Sep 18, 2016)

Having a road bike sized frame with a tank is the driving force behind the whole effort. You never see that. Handlebars can always be changed but I really want drop bars, a first as far as I know with a tank bike. If it looks like what someone else already did then why bother. There are a few non negotiable ideas behind this. Actually the tank is a low quality reproduction that is itself causing me more work than would otherwise be. I plan on going with a variation of a phantom paint scheme. Lots of really good ideas on existing bikes so It's just a matter of picking colors. Although I'm thinking silver for most of it and either green or blue accents. Plenty of time to think about that and I would like to use some paints I already have. Silver and Flamingo?


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## Metacortex (Sep 18, 2016)

I think the drops are interesting and part of the concept but what struck me as weird looking was the bend in the forks. At first I thought you swapped in some strange forks but I see from the above pics that you heated and bent them. I think the sharp bend looks out of place, the original bend flows more with the curves on the rest of the bike. But take that with a grain of salt, I'm very impressed with the whole project!


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## momo608 (Sep 19, 2016)

Metacortex said:


> I think the drops are interesting and part of the concept but what struck me as weird looking was the bend in the forks. At first I thought you swapped in some strange forks but I see from the above pics that you heated and bent them. I think the sharp bend looks out of place, the original bend flows more with the curves on the rest of the bike. But take that with a grain of salt, I'm very impressed with the whole project!




The fork bend was out of necessity. The contour of the down tube was all wrong with the 27" wheel. The tire wasn't close to hitting but it was closer in one area that made it not look right. Trade off I suppose. Haven't completely given up on a springer idea. I have a reproduction springer on another bike. It looks nice but these things are cheaply made and are too flexible, makes for less than sure footed steering to be sure.


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## Metacortex (Sep 20, 2016)

OK I see the need for the additional rake, if you could achieve it with a more gradual bend it would fit the curves on the frame much better. 

A springer on the other hand would be awesome, but I'm not sure that will work without more customizing. I know the vintage #9858 springer fork box was marked "7" stem for 5-3/8" frame head" and I believe that also matches the dimensions of the 1980+ Deluxe Cruiser springer as well. From my measurements that would be the same frame head dimension as on a 21/22" EF frame, so it wouldn't be long enough for a 24" frame. I'm not sure you can just weld on a longer steerer tube without changing the other parts of the springer as well.


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## momo608 (Oct 22, 2016)

The springer. The style bars and stem I'm going with as well. Now that the springer is there I couldn't imagine the bike without it.


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## Andrew Gorman (Oct 22, 2016)

That does look just right! I like the drop bars too.


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## Metacortex (Oct 22, 2016)

MUCH better! Very nice! I take it that is a custom made springer? If so I am not worthy...


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## Dale Alan (Oct 23, 2016)

I like it .The rack really sets it off for me .


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## momo608 (Oct 23, 2016)

Metacortex said:


> MUCH better! Very nice! I take it that is a custom made springer? If so I am not worthy...



Yes, thanks. It's all home made with the exception of the springs of course. It has an active suspension but it is configured and tensioned to be a solid fork so it will work right with a caliper brake. If I want to spend more money I'd have to go with disc or drum brakes with an active suspension. I'm not a fan of springer bicycles. The ones I have ridden were too flexy right to left not only up and down. I got the look and the needed tire clearance, good brakes to boot which is a must.


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## momo608 (Nov 10, 2016)




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## Andrew Gorman (Nov 10, 2016)

Coming along!  Is there any reason for the long saddle nose other than looks?  I keep thinking Lauterwasser bars would look good on this bike-
https://www.google.com/search?q=lau...zZ_QAhVprlQKHQKoCvcQ_AUICSgC&biw=1094&bih=487


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## momo608 (Nov 10, 2016)

Andrew Gorman said:


> Coming along!  Is there any reason for the long saddle nose other than looks?  I keep thinking Lauterwasser bars would look good on this bike-
> https://www.google.com/search?q=lau...zZ_QAhVprlQKHQKoCvcQ_AUICSgC&biw=1094&bih=487



I made the saddle pan about the same size as your typical drop bar road bike saddle. For one thing it would have looked too small if I didn't.  

I like those bars you recommend, not crazy about them. They look to much like tourist bars turned upside down. Trying to use what I have laying around first, I can always change bolt ons. 

These are nice with these brake levers $$


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## Andrew Gorman (Nov 11, 2016)

Those do look sharp, but on my bike with Lauterwassers I am always riding with my hands in the reach, so put road levers there.


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## mbstude (Nov 14, 2016)

I have a new Lauterwasser bar that I didn't use that I'd sell at a loss. Pm if interested. 

Sent from my SM-S820L using Tapatalk


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