# Stingray paint rub through



## 60sstuff (Mar 9, 2022)

Over the years on Stingray related forums I’ve noticed some people seem to think the “paint rub through“ on the down tube is from running into a curb, wall etc. Not True! This is the opposite, as this action would bend the fork back, therefore when you turned the wheel completely around it would have plenty of clearance from the down tube.

Popping wheelie’s is the cause of paint rub through.
When you slam back down to the pavement, this bends the fork ”OUT” resulting in the front tire to rub the frame when turning the wheel completely around.

I have this paint rub on a couple of my Stingrays, including this FA Coppertone Survivor.
I purchased this bike in 2001 from a friend of mine in the Chicago area and it was completely covered in hard road tar on the bottom half of the bike.
After a time consuming cleaning using Prep-Sol it turned out very nice.


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## Oldbikeguy1960 (Mar 9, 2022)

I am confused about this. Could you help me understand it more clearly?

When one pops a wheelie, s I have done thousands of times, wouldnt the fork flex forward and down, not backward and up considering the forward angle it already has?

Also, that is a lot of flex for the fork to spring back to normal from.

Thanks in advance for the elaboration.
Rob


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## GTs58 (Mar 9, 2022)

Oldbikeguy1960 said:


> I am confused about this. Could you help me understand it more clearly?
> 
> When one pops a wheelie, s I have done thousands of times, wouldnt the fork flex forward and down, not backward and up considering the forward angle it already has?
> 
> ...




Just read the complete post and the light will shine. Middle paragraph.


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## jammer (Mar 9, 2022)

I am also very confused, I read the post numerous times, I never turned the wheel when doing wheelies and I've done a lot of them?


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## 60sstuff (Mar 9, 2022)

Yup, like I said, some are still perplexed as to how that paint gets rubbed off the down tube 🙄


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## coasterbrakejunkie1969 (Mar 9, 2022)

jammer said:


> I am also very confused, I read the post numerous times, I never turned the wheel when doing wheelies and I've done a lot of them?



60 is saying it bends the fork out doing the wheelies. When the wheel then gets spun around at any other time which is often with kids it would then wear the paint. He did not so much mean while one was doing wheelies.


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## Oldbikeguy1960 (Mar 9, 2022)

GTs58 said:


> Just read the complete post and the light will shine. Middle paragraph.



I got that now. I guess I should've been harder on them. I didn't remember this happening to me so I was not catching the bending forward and spinning the wheel.
I probably never dropped the front end that hard, plus I was only about 125 lbs in high school.
Thanks man.
Rob


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## jammer (Mar 9, 2022)

But the fork in Chris's copper stingray does not look bent. Does he mean that whilst doing a wheelie, the kiddo turned the wheel completely around while doing the wheelie to put a little "English" in his wheelie? My friend Calvin used to do one handed wheelies while giving the peace sign.


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## GTs58 (Mar 9, 2022)

jammer said:


> But the fork in Chris's copper stingray does not look bent. Does he mean that whilst doing a wheelie, the kiddo turned the wheel completely around while doing the wheelie to put a little "English" in his wheelie? My friend Calvin used to do one handed wheelies while giving the peace sign.



It's been 58 years since I rode a Sting Ray, does the front tire rub the down tube when you spin it around 180 even if the fork isn't bent?


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## coasterbrakejunkie1969 (Mar 9, 2022)

GTs58 said:


> does the front tire rub the down tube when you spin it around 180 even if the fork isn't bent?



No


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## coasterbrakejunkie1969 (Mar 9, 2022)

I would think taking it off jumps would more likely be the culprit.


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## GTs58 (Mar 9, 2022)

coasterbrakejunkie1969 said:


> I would think taking it off jumps would more likely be the culprit.




I agree with that! In 64 I was doing wheelies on the Varsity killing all the kids on their Sting Rays, and if I was in second gear I was going pretty fast. I started from a dead slow rolling start and when the front wheel hit the asphalt it was like a jet airliner landing on the runway, but no smoke. I actually wore my front tire out twice as fast as my rear from it skidding when landing. 😂  I doubt doing wheelies could bend the fork.


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## 60sstuff (Mar 14, 2022)

Post #6 spelled it out clearly about the wheel being turned around either in the still position or riding, like kids tend to do.
Looking at other members Stingrays that have been posted in the past I see several other ”paint rub through“ Stingrays.

You can clearly see several layers of the Schwinn paint process.
Step One - raw steel or phosphate.
Step Two - brown primer coat.
Step Three - aluminum coating.
Step Four - final finish coat, Coppertone.

I think the bending of the fork (wheelies or jumps) happens at the bottom of the fork stem, not the fork blades.
This area is the weak spot on the ‘65 and earlier forks because of the thinner wall fork stem.
As noted in the Schwinn Reporter the revised 1966 forks had a thicker wall on the fork stem.

I show two NOS forks, a early ‘65 Opal and a ‘66 violet having the knurling.


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