I put in a stroker crank.

[gben]

I have this old "muscle-bike" which is a lot like I had when I was a kid 50 years ago, except it had such short pedal-cranks it was really bad to ride and slow. I knew when I was a kid my bike had really long cranks and I could really haul-ass with it, I was the fastest kid on the block in a drag-race and probably on top-end too as far as single-speed 20"ers went.

I found this old junk lightweight bike with longer cranks and a big sprocket and with a bit of reaming and a bit longer chain I got it on the bike. I ran it up and down the street and it really took me back to when I was a kid, this thing really goes, you just have to remember to have the inside pedal up in a turn or it grounds out. I got to be eight years old again for a few minutes today.

 

[48prerunner]

Very cool I'm building the bike I always wanted as a kid. I used the crank sprocket off a swhinn 10 speed . Mine is a one piece crank and I went with longer arms but still off a 20" bike. They were almost an 1" longer than what was on the bike to start with.

 

[gben]

Very cool I'm building the bike I always wanted as a kid. I used the crank sprocket off a swhinn 10 speed . Mine is a one piece crank and I went with longer arms but still off a 20" bike. They were almost an 1" longer than what was on the bike to start with.

My bike I got when I was eight I think was a Western Auto cheapie. It was made in Germany and I think it said "Deluxe Olympic" on the head badge. This junky bike I got at a local auction for ten bucks a few years ago. It is definitely European and the pedals on it said they were made in Germany so maybe it was also a Western Auto cheapie, it sure looks like the bike I had. I think my old bike is in the weeds rusted through behind my parents old house, I guess I should try to find it and at least take a photo of what is left, but I am sure there is zero salvageable on it, it has probably been laying there since the late 1970s!

It is cool you are building a hopped up Muscle bike. I think this bike is pretty much how it is going to stay, all of my future work will just be maintenance to make it safe and reliable because it was extremely beat when I got it, I could not believe how bad it was, as if someone rode it a hundred-thousand miles. It has loose and broken spokes, the steering bearings need to be gone over because they are not installed well, the front tire is bald and the rear is cracked etc.. It has a long way to go before I could say I would trust it to go more than around the block.

Is there a thread up with photos of your project?

 

[gben]

Here is me about 1973 on the muscle bike my parents got me for I think my eight birthday in 1970, I had beat the living poop out of it already, but back then before the internet etc. there was nothing else to do. I remember I broke the frame jumping it over a long board with one end up on about four or five concrete blocks, all the kids in the neighborhood had to jump any jump that was put together or you would be the sissy. We did some pretty dangerous things on those bikes and I got hurt bad a few times and crashed all the time, always had skinned knees and elbows.