I picked up 3 free bikes this past week, and one $3 record!
First, on Tuesday, I finally got to meet with the seller of this '80s Schwinn Cruiser when he came by Dad's shop in Sapulpa. I was looking at the bike for the fork, but unfortunately, the steerer tube is a 1/2 inch too short for the bike I wanted to use it on. I might have another bike I could use it on instead though... He was originally asking $25 for it, but after talking about our bike projects for a bit, he just gave it to me! After I loaded the parts in my car, I happily gave him the grand tour of my dad's shop, which he loved. Looking forward to catching this guy at more events!
When I brought it home, I slapped it together just to see how it would've looked originally. It's cool, but I don't really need another Schwinn cantilever frame, especially in this shape. Still, it has plenty of good parts I can use on other bikes, so it was worth picking up!
I really love the bike shop decal, especially since I had just returned from the Springfield Bicycle Swap Meet the prior week!
I still need to look up the serial number.
The frame's not in the best shape, but I may cut it up and use the good tubes for a custom build down the line...
I also bought this Johnny Cash record for $3 at a shop I stopped by to look at PSP repairs. It's got some heavy fuzz, but at least it didn't skip when I played side 1!
And then just earlier today, I came across these 2 free bikes on Marketplace, not even a mile away from home!
I took some time late this afternoon washing off all the dust, and aired up the tires. This little 16" bike might need some work to be rideable again (if I don't gut it for parts,) but that Mongoose Dirt Jumper 682 was ready to ride! The tires held air, it pedaled fine, and it stops so hard it left a skidmark on the driveway! My phone camera sees the blue color wrong; it's more of a greenish-blue than it appears in photos.
Something interesting I noticed about this bike is that although it uses a 3-piece crank, the bottom bracket looks like it could fit on any bike that uses a single-piece crank! I might be able to use this bottom bracket assembly on a future klunker build, if I decide to part this bike out.
I changed the seat to make it easier to ride, as I hate using those rigid plastic seats that modern BMX and mountain bikes use. I need some taller handlebars to go with it though. I don't know what my exact plans are for this bike yet, but it could either make a nice BMX cruiser with a few modifications, or I could use the parts on one of my older frames to make more of a klunker/bomber build. I plan to get it out and ride it as-is for a bit before I decide.