I made a deal with Dave on Friday to latch on to another brand - a "Chain Bicycle Corporation" Ross Cycle-Truck frame and fork. The frame seems fairly solid and doesn't have any visible damage, but I noted a couple of things that will be addressed once I start moving along with it. This frame has been in Dave's stash as long as I've known him, and he kept telling me about it, thinking I may want to take a shot at building something other than a Schwinn. I finally agreed to look at it last week.
The bracket up front for the basket braces to attach will get a little modification as they are very square edged and I have already poked a hole in one of my legs moving the frame around the shop. (insert picture of bloody leg here - I didn't take one!) The frame appears to accept the same basket braces as the Schwinn, so there is one less problem to deal with. The seat mast looks to be the same as well, and the post that was in it is pretty long, so there's no issue with that either (other than no chrome?). The fork is very similar to the Schwinn as well including the same basic design for the dropstand attachment points - they look to be interchangeable too. The clamp is integral on the frame, but appears that it could be removed with a little work and an acceptable (and less worn) replacement piece used in its place. The chainguard is AWOL - this could be a problem, but at least I found a photo of what it is supposed to look like - target acquired, search on. If I can't find that one, I will find and adaptation for it. The fenders Dave had are in a word, pretty ugly. (Sorry, that was two words)
As this is going to be a wild-card bike-thing, it could get some off the wall stuff instead of reaching back to its original form. I'm looking at some other parts from another bike that is already here to move in the "wild" direction. It will retain the basket/dropstand/function of its original self, but with a more "fun" thought added.
Below is a shot of the new project - the serial number is 5744XXX, and if anyone knows how to tell the year of this, I'd certainly appreciate the info!
REC
The bracket up front for the basket braces to attach will get a little modification as they are very square edged and I have already poked a hole in one of my legs moving the frame around the shop. (insert picture of bloody leg here - I didn't take one!) The frame appears to accept the same basket braces as the Schwinn, so there is one less problem to deal with. The seat mast looks to be the same as well, and the post that was in it is pretty long, so there's no issue with that either (other than no chrome?). The fork is very similar to the Schwinn as well including the same basic design for the dropstand attachment points - they look to be interchangeable too. The clamp is integral on the frame, but appears that it could be removed with a little work and an acceptable (and less worn) replacement piece used in its place. The chainguard is AWOL - this could be a problem, but at least I found a photo of what it is supposed to look like - target acquired, search on. If I can't find that one, I will find and adaptation for it. The fenders Dave had are in a word, pretty ugly. (Sorry, that was two words)
As this is going to be a wild-card bike-thing, it could get some off the wall stuff instead of reaching back to its original form. I'm looking at some other parts from another bike that is already here to move in the "wild" direction. It will retain the basket/dropstand/function of its original self, but with a more "fun" thought added.
Below is a shot of the new project - the serial number is 5744XXX, and if anyone knows how to tell the year of this, I'd certainly appreciate the info!
REC