Bicycles of our childhood

[dimlight65]

Someone, who shall remain... John, put the idea in my head of adult sized versions of the bikes we rode as kids.  So naturally I started looking for all the bits to recreate the Schwinn "Stingray" or "Krate" bikes that the cool kids had in the early '70s.

 

I found a NOS Huffy Cranbrook at a pawn shop, bought it, and began ordering parts.

 

 

Today I binned the fenders

 

 

Seat

 

 

and chain guard

 

 

then replaced the handlebars with a set of 24" ape hangers

 

 

The bananna seat, sissy bar, springer forks, grips, and pedals should be here next week.

 

Stay tuned... and feel free to post your bicycle projects as well.

 

 

 

Edited November 10, 2022 by dimlight65

[paradime]

VERY cool. My older brother had a Schwinn 5 speed with the nut buster shifter back in the day. 

[iceman510]

I remember going to the Schwinn store and wishing for one of those bikes like the Lemon Peel or whatever the others were named.  I had a hand-me-down girls bike (not a lot of money in the family in those days...) which I had my dad paint black, and then I can still recall the ride home in the car from the first mall in the Milwaukee area (where we went to Sears) when we bought a tiger-print banana seat, high handle bars and gold metal flake grips.  We rode our bikes everywhere in those days.

 

Earlier this year my mom died, and I spent a few days cleaning out her garage.  Those handle bars were still up in the loft area.  I think they got scrapped.  I should have kept them just to hang on the garage wall. 🙁

[Randalla]

Iceman, I live in AZ now, but have those same memories as a kid growing up in MI. Dad converted my old Schwinn bicycle to a stingray for Christmas one year. He painted it red, bought a banana seat, sissy bar, and high handlebars. It was sitting by the tree on Christmas morning. A number of years later when I had a paper route I saved enough to buy a new, green, Schwinn 5-speed with ram's horn handlebars and banana seat. Those were magical days.🙂

[Duncan]

I had Stringray bikes, too.  I also had a unicycle, which was very 60's cool. 

 

I think because of riding the unicycle, I could do a wheelie on the Stingray, and keep it on the back wheel for as long as I wanted...

 

Good times, indeed.

 

 

[datzenmike]

Missed that era but I remember it. My dad paid $20 (in late '50s money and mom was NOT amused) for a 3 speed BSA bicycle because it reminded him of 'the old country' and the one he had when a boy. It was several years and a move later before i was really big enough to learn to ride it. It was the only bike of it's kind. It had a BSA emblem on the front with three crossed rifles and the three speeds were on a twist hand grip. Something I never saw for many many years in my town. Much later CCMs were a thumb operated lever on the handle bars but far and away they were all one speed requiring you to stand up on the pedal and push down like hell and wobble all over till you built up speed. My BSA had front and rear cable hand brakes where everyone else were coaster brakes. I could out accelerate anyone else in a race because of the two preceding gears. Another thing was by bike rolled easier and on a down hill race without pedaling I was clearly ahead in a few seconds. Eventually no one would race me. I rode that bike everywhere for the next 6? years. By then someone had twisted the shifter grip too much and broken the cable and it was in poor shape. My dad and I went to a police auction and I got a CCM for $15 and that did me for the next few years till I was 18 or 19, had a job and got my dads '64 Dodge Coronet. The old BSA? at my dad's suggesting I donated to my next door neighbor's son who was about ten and was in need of something with wheels.

[Randalla]

Just remembered another kid/bike story. I rescued a small bike from the neighbor's garbage, re-furbed it, and extended the fork by about 20", using conduit and a vise to crimp it on. I was the only kid in the neighborhood with a "chopper" you could pedal. Was loads of fun till someone stole it from my junior high during school.

 

 

[paradime]

Cuz this is what happens late summer when I ran out of things to do. The Millennium Falcon 3000 was meticulously designed and crafted with duel level propulsion, a total of 15 speeds, and Hyperspace Overthusters. Boredom and a monkey wrench can be a powerful thing. Note my bare feet for improved aerodynamics. Ah the good old days.

 

 

[dimlight65]

Holy crap paradime!  How did you get the enormous balls you must have into those tiny shorts!  That bike is crazy!

[dimlight65]

Most of the parts arrived today!

 

 

Banana seat

 

 

Pedals

 

 

Springer front forks (note my aerodynamic bare foot!)

 

 

and sissy bar

 

 

Still waiting for the purple metal flake grips.  Saturday I'll install this stuff and have a ride!  

 

Oh, of course we're going to paint the frame purple as well.

Edited November 10, 2022 by dimlight65

[paradime]

28 minutes ago, dimlight65 said:

How did you get the enormous balls you must have into those tiny shorts!

 

Lots of WD40 my friend. Although I'm not sure if it was balls or flat out stupidity. 

 

With that banana seat, 3' sissy bar, and springer front end you'll be the coolest kid on the block. If you could find a flared rear fender, or roll one yourself, that would totally rule the hood. 

 

I'm tempted to make another Millennium Falcon, but I don't think I could get back into those short these days. 

[dimlight65]

I need to find me some "Larry Bird with the Celtics" shorts for when I ride the thing!

[KELMO]

12 hours ago, dimlight65 said:

I need to find me some "Larry Bird with the Celtics" shorts for when I ride the thing!

Ain't nobody 'round here wantin' to see that bro.

 

BMX bikes were all the rage around here in the mid to late 70's. All the cool (richer than I was) kids had the Mongoose or one of the other popular brands at the time. I just had a beat-up old frame (might have been a Huffy) rattle caned flat black, cheap tires, some handlebars and a seat. Rode that thing all over until the one night I forgot to take it off the front porch....so someone took it off the porch for me.

Every time I see one now, I am tempted to buy one. Then I start thinking about broken hips and what not, so I stop.

 

 

[datsunfreak]

5 hours ago, KELMO said:

BMX bikes were all the rage around here in the mid to late 70's. All the cool (richer than I was) kids had the Mongoose or one of the other popular brands at the time.

 

Same. Always dreamed of having one of those cool kid BMX bikes, instead of my old KMart Murray...

 

 

 

5 hours ago, KELMO said:

Every time I see one now, I am tempted to buy one. Then I start thinking about broken hips and what not, so I stop.

 

I recently gave in to that temptation.  😁

 

Monza 26" BMX. 8th grade me would be so fucking stoked right now...

 

Edited November 11, 2022 by datsunfreak

[datsunfreak]

25 minutes ago, datsunfreak said:

8th grade me would be so fucking stoked right now...

 

And old me is pretty jazzed about it too...  😄

[dimlight65]

7 hours ago, KELMO said:

Ain't nobody 'round here wantin' to see that bro.

 

Coward!

[KELMO]

^^^Um, yeah.

[dimlight65]

I installed the banana seat and sissy bar so I could take a test ride around the parking lot

 

 

Then I blew it apart for paint

 

 

 

Leaving a stack of parts that I took off

 

 

John removed the chain guard brackets

 

 

And I stamped a Dimlight Racing serial number on the frame

 

 

Then john started applying the glorious purple paint!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wednesday we will clearcoat it and next Saturday reassemble!

[dimlight65]

Oh!  I think I have found the shorts I need!  Or these!

 

And my birthday is Monday.  So anyone who wants to buy me a pair...

Edited November 12, 2022 by dimlight65

[datzenmike]

 

Changing the VIN? I don't knowwwww.....

[dimlight65]

9 minutes ago, datzenmike said:

 

Changing the VIN? I don't knowwwww.....

 

Yeah, I thought about that but the paperwork that came with the bike specifically said that I should white it down because Huffy does not have a record of the serial numbers and they are mainly for end user's identification. 🤷‍♂️

 

Besides, I believe those crenellations under the paint on the right edge of the pipe are the original (totally illegible) Huffy serial number.

Edited November 12, 2022 by dimlight65

[KELMO]

This time I did not click on the shorts links(thank God for small favors).

 

 

When I was a kid, we had a bike somewhat similar to this. It had the seat, the sissy bar, and was even purple. Not the glorious shade you are using though. The difference was a really small front wheel. Not sure whose bike it was but I think all the kids in the house claimed it a one time or another.

[dimlight65]

9 hours ago, KELMO said:

This time I did not click on the shorts links(thank God for small favors).

 

 

When I was a kid, we had a bike somewhat similar to this. It had the seat, the sissy bar, and was even purple. Not the glorious shade you are using though. The difference was a really small front wheel. Not sure whose bike it was but I think all the kids in the house claimed it a one time or another.

 

LOL, when the shorts arrive, y'all are getting a picture!  Muwahaha!

 

With the springer forks and small front wheel, in purple, it would have been a Schwinn Grape Krate*.  The difference between the Stingrays and the Krates was the aforementioned springer forks and smaller front wheel.  This is why I'm referring to mine as a "Sting-Krate" replica.

 

*or the non-union, White's Auto/Montgomery Ward/Sears equivalent.

Edited November 13, 2022 by dimlight65

[datsunfreak]

On 11/12/2022 at 4:27 PM, datzenmike said:

 

 

 

Not sure why, but I get a very Kardashian vibe from this photo...

[EDM620]

What??? No fork extensions? Gotta have the full chopper look dude.