# What do you consider the ultimate muscle bike?



## Sped Man (Feb 28, 2015)

What do you consider the ultimate muscle bike based on looks, quality, workmanship, and durability? Don't base your decision solely on rarity.


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## sfhschwinn (Feb 28, 2015)

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!


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## greenephantom (Mar 1, 2015)

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


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## Jaxon (Mar 2, 2015)

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.


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## azhearseguy (Mar 2, 2015)

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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## bikecrazy (Mar 2, 2015)

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!


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## greenephantom (Mar 2, 2015)

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


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## partsguy (Mar 3, 2015)

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.


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## vuniw (Mar 3, 2015)

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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## twozs (Mar 5, 2015)

clean and to the point ..never liked the " fancy " ones ..


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## Social Suicide (Mar 8, 2015)

German engineering.


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## partsguy (Mar 8, 2015)

Social Suicide said:


> German engineering.View attachment 200797





I'm going to quote Smokey and the Bandit II....

"Gee, Daddy! Look at that big ugly thing!"


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## vincev (Mar 8, 2015)

quality and looks are in favor of the Schwinn Krates.


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## Jeff54 (Mar 8, 2015)

I grew up with the Sting-ray, and watched others mimic it, or create newer versions modeled after, custom modifications, many kids I knew, along wit myself were building. We were Customizing Sting-rays, and the industry was following the trend.. Albeit it wasn't necessarily for Muscle but for looks, street bikes.   So, back in the day, the various things, ram horn handlebars, stick shifters, smaller front rims  etc, were not so impressive to me. The basic sting ray could handle whatever dirt, bump hill etc and with modifications you'd loose the muscle. . However, Not that Schwinn was not the best in the group because, they were, the most durable hands down. However, when I thinks in terms of Muscle, none of those fit what I'd consider the description. ..

Yet, this type is what I expect a Muscle bike is like. Although, by the time these were made I was years past consideration


Even as a rusted hunk of junk this bike screams muscle to me.


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## bobsbikes (Mar 10, 2015)

b

before and after 63 stingray started it all


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## partsguy (Mar 11, 2015)

Another ultimate muscle bike would be the 1963 Huffy Penguin, only 50 were built and it was a California-only bike that predated the Stingray-by only three months.


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## Jeff54 (Mar 11, 2015)

Interesting as the time frame of the penguin takes me down memory lane. 

Here's a photo on the net of a replica:





Personally, I don't recall seeing a Penguin. Nor did I realize that Huffy was just up the street from me, or up-town, in Azusa. (Azusa originally the scrap yards of east LA which was named to mean  ''everything  from A-Z in the USA, but also had the drag strip track! ) During the period, a kid would not get caught dead on a Huffy, they were cheap then, rust buckets and unlike Schwinn easy to bend fork and or frame. However, in my neighborhood, only a lucky kid could have a Schwinn, which is more reason why I should-a, could-a, might-a seen them but don't recall. Except, never was there an unavailable Huffy or Murray in a parts junk pile that nobody wanted. Chopping their forks to create extensions on Schwinn's was freely, easy find. 

However, I do recall before then, teens with ape hangers on 26 inch bikes, and black was the chosen color. Yet, absent awareness of the Penguin, my first build of a Custom Sting-ray, complied of anything Schwinn, my chosen color was black. Or, moreover, pre-sting-ray days, the cool muscle bike, baring other modifications, would have been this: 

Of one the reasons why I snatched this bike at a flea market 25 + something years ago. It being, since my departure of Schwinn bikes around 1972 for Peugeot, the first Schwinn 'collectible' bike I owned.  Replaced the seat fer comfort and added china rear carrier. , and I always figured the ape hangers on it predated the sting-ray or were installed before then,  yet I've never checked. 

Moreover, if penguin was the first muscle bike, it's predated by Custom mods of regular styles, especially in black if only by exchanging too 'illegal', or offensive handlebars. . I especially recall, while my brother and I were sticking girls skates on 2 x 4's. the seemingly scarier teens looked so due to simply, having ape hangers on their bike.


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