My new project: Schwinn Racer hack

Doesn't look too bad from this distance...

I wanted a decent city bike to run errands on recently, in order to cut down on my dependency on automobiles. It seems like such a waste to drive a gas guzzling, polluting monstrosity just to go a mile or so to pick up one or two items.

I used to own a Schwinn Typhoon for that, but the design of that bike leaves a bit to be desired. It always seemed to be a lot of work to push that tank through town! And that was considered a middleweight!

Ye olde Typhoon.

I wanted something a little more elegant, something along the lines of the Raleigh 3 speeds. Indeed, I somehow developed a fascination with the old Sturmey Archer 3 speed hub, so I started hunting on Craiglist for a likely subject.

The dear old Sturmey Archer AW 3 Speed hub!

I decided that I wanted to go with an older Schwinn 3 speed, ala the Speedster or Racer models because there seemed to be a lot of them around, and I wanted a pretty stout frame. Thanks to the patented Schwinn Electro-welding process, the Speedsters and Racers definitely were stout! Plus, the rest of the components on these models were above average, including the forged handlebar stem, decent quality "American" style one piece cranks and, of course, the Sturmey Archer AW 3 speed hub.

I suppose I have a little bias as well, for back in the prehistoric days of my youth, Schwinns were considered the cream of the crop by my circle of friends! I think I still look at old Chicago Schwinns in that light, although I really don't feel very nostalgic about the Varsity, (my first 10-speed!).

At any rate, it didn't take long to find a suitable subject. I found one on CL for $120. I went over and looked it over. Basically sound, but the the paint under the downtube had been destroyed! The right pedal also felt off, (turned out the crank was bent just a tad), but generally, a usable example of a Schwinn "Lightweight". I talked them down to $100 even and took it home.

When I first looked at the bike, I thought the bike looked almost complete. After getting it home and making initial adjustments, I was better able to ascertain what was needed. I found that a piece of the saddle's frame was broken. The fenders were pretty roughed up with some wrinkling that would have been next to impossible to smooth out. Also, there were a few dings in the steel rims which were original incidentally, the weird Schwinn size. Fortunately, a previous owner had found the proper tires and they were practically new! I could use these until I was ready to upgrade. The chainguard had a small dent which I should be able to straighten. Finally, I confirmed that there was indeed a bent crankarm.

A dent at the "C" of Racer, and the right crankarm had a slight bend.

 The paint, (coincidently the same shade red as my old Typhoon), is badly scratched up, especially under the down tube where hardly any of the color coat is left. The chrome is generally in good condition and even the red handgrips are in fine shape!

First upgrade! (A Brooks saddle with seat clamp inverted to accept it.)

After cleaning and adjusting the first thing I replaced was the saddle. The old Schwinn branded Messinger had a broken cross member. I wanted to use my old Brooks B17N for now. Although it's too narrow for an upright riding position, and has a broken bar, (I can clamp the break with the saddle clamp and use it for a while), I like having the hoops on the back for a saddlebag, and I like riding on a leather saddle. It's comfortable enough for short hops. In order to make the Brooks clamp work, I had to invert the seatpost so that a fat section of post presented itself to the clamp. Incidentally, at this point I should point out that there was absolutely no rust on the inside of the frame. Both the seatpost and the stem slid out easily. That's always a good sign when buying a old bike!

I did a little research online and discovered that this particular bike was manufactured in July of 1971, so when you think about it, this bike was in pretty good condition after 44 years! By the way, here's the link I used to find the bike's age.

I decided to replace the fenders since it would have been impossible for me to smooth out the originals. I was going to buy a new set of Wald chrome fenders but discovered that the Wald fenders only come in very wide or very narrow widths in the 26 inch size. Rummaging through my assortment of fenders, I found some Velo Orange 700C X 45mm Alloy fenders which looked very close to the original fenders in size! I only had to cut off a few inches from the front. The V-O fenders were a sort of dull silver, but a few minutes of buffing with "Simichrome" brought out a nice bright shine which came very close to the original chrome!

VO alu fenders getting a Simichrome treatment.

 In trouble-shooting the crank arm problem, I bought a new set of cheap pedals and installed them. The crank still felt odd. so I reasoned it was a bent arm. I then removed the pedals and took a long length of heavy steel tubing and, inserting the right arm into the tube, I gave a steady, hard push. This method probably only works on a frame as strong as the Schwinn's, but it does indeed work. Otherwise, I would have removed the crank from the frame.

So, here is my Racer in it's current form. The paint job is still hopeless. It will get a paint job in the future, probably a powder-coat. I also plan on getting rid of the steel rims. I found a set of Sun CR18's in the more traditional English 26 inch size...nominal tire bead seat diameter of 590mm...otherwise known as 650A! These are really nice rims and will increase the effectiveness of the rim brakes quite a bit. I haven't yet decided on what I will use for hubs for these rims. If the 3 speed on the bike now proves to be reliable, I will probably use it. If not, I will look for a more modern version of the 3 speed hub, or maybe I'll go with a 2 speed hub! Those look fun.

Shown here with the new saddle, fenders and pedals.

I have to say I am still betting used to a 3 speed, but I like it so far! It seems perfect for around town traveling. I would hesitate to go to 2 speeds because I find I use all 3 in this rig.

I've had a couple of minor problems with the bike so far. One is a popping sound that seems to be coming from the front wheel. I think the bearings may be binding, although I had adjusted them. When I did adjust them I noticed a fair amount of damage to the axle's threading, maybe there is some travel occurring  that is binding the bearings.

Another problem may come from my lack of experience with a 3 speed. I'm not sure it's adjusted perfectly. Sometimes the shift rod seems to hang until I shift the pedals back and forth. I'll have to play with it some more. Could be that the hub is a little sticky and may need more or better lubrication.

This year's century.

Dog Bar Bridge at Bear River.

I guess retired life agrees with me, since I was able to ride my normal century ride at the end of May this year, as opposed to later in the Summer as has been my routine in the past years. Like last year, I rode in a counter-clockwise route, going to Auburn, Meadow Vista, Grass Valley, Olivehurst, Wheatland, Lincoln and back to Loomis.

Along Dog Bar Road, heading toward Grass Valley

On the climb to Grass Valley; This year, no water flowing!

This route allows you a nice steady climb up to Grass Valley. This year, I didn't feel the need to stop at Grass Valley, I just pressed on through. I did stop at Penn Valley off of Highway 20 and picked up some refreshments there. I continued on HWY 20 then turned off at the Beale Air base turnoff and took Smartsville Road down into the valley. Descending on highway 20 is much more enjoyable than climbing it!

On Smartsville Road.

I had to stop near Olivehurst to check my maps for the correct turnoff to Wheatland, (Griffith Ave.). Finding that I then enjoyed the peaceful farm roads that took me to highway 65 just north of Wheatland.

Country roads above Wheatland.

It had been a great ride, I was feeling good and running ahead of schedule. Then came this ride's little adventure. Off highway 65 at Sheridan I turned west. Normally I would now take North
Dowd Road, but Dowd has now been closed for bridge replacement, a detour was posted so I figured I would take it, how bad could it be? Well, pretty bad! First I went 2 miles west, out of my way and then had to follow a gravel road for about 4 miles. The gravel was deep, but at least there wasn't too much washboard. I finally got back on the route and made it home in a decent time, but
I did experience some minor cramping towards the end. Still, I was happy with my performance.

The Mercian on this years ride.

I road my KOM, (King of Mercia), again this year, equipped with my "super compact" 46/28 crank, (See this blog entry: an-economical-super-compact-road-crank.). Combined with a 12-28 cassette my gearing was more than adequate. A handlebar bag mounted on the Nitto M-12 carried all the gear I needed. My Sugoi Evolution bibs and Brook B-17 worked well with no problems down there even after 8 hours in the saddle.

The 2015 Amgen Tour of California

The lead break away approached Auburn.

The 2015 edition of the Amgen Tour of California brushed by the eastern edge of Auburn yesterday, so I decided to ride up and watch the racers fly by.

Riding up towards Bowman school, I was beginning to fret that I left too late and would miss the peloton, getting a flat on the way didn't help. But I found a good spot just past Bowman school and waited with a handful of other enthusiasts for the race to approach, turns out I had plenty of time to change out my inner tube while waiting.

The lead breakaway reached us at just about 12:15, having started in Nevada City at 11:00. An hour and 15 minutes to cover a stretch that has taken me at least twice that time! 

 

They were moving at a smart pace at this point.

This stage would eventually end in Lodi, 120 miles in 4 hours and 47 minutes with Cavendish winning in a group sprint. In reading about the stage in the Bee, there was mention that the only

climb of the day was on Highway 49, going up to Cool from the American River confluence. It also said that that climb was a mere category 4, the least difficult! That's a little ego-deflating! What an  hors categorie climb is like I can only imagine!

The support vehicles were following.

...and bringing up the rear.

I got a surprise as I was snapping pictures of the peloton zipping by. I heard something plop into the weeds next to me as the riders as the riders passed. I looked over and found a half empty water bottle lying there! Nice. Then as I was riding away to go home, I found a second one on the shoulder! Both discarded by the riders as they received replacement bottles on this quiet, flat stretch of road! So I got a couple of nice souvenirs from the Amgen this year!

My big score for the day!

Although I'm no racer, it's always nice to have the race come by, just to see the excitement for cycling it generates, This year, for example, leading up to the opening day there was a page-one article in the Sacramento Bee about the tire sizes the pros are using this year! Now that's something I never would have thought would happen!

Jobst Brandt, RIP

Jobst Brandt on the Gavia.

Jobst Brandt died recently after a long period of convalescence from a bicycle crash he never recovered from. For many years he had taken epic summer bicycle trips through the Alps and had documented them with wonderful narratives and photos. You might have noticed the picture on the heading of this blog, it was of him on one of his Alpine adventures.

Not much I can add to what has already been posted about the man, I didn't know him personally, but he was a strong influence on my take on cycling. J. Brandt was not a racer nor a randonneur or a bike-packer, but he was an incredibly strong and talented rider who rode his bike anywhere he wanted to!

I have emulated some of his travels with my modest tours in the Sierra, and dream someday of the Stelvio and Gavia passes in the Alps.

Jobst Brandt was an engineer and had brilliant insights into bicycle technology. He became a voice of common sense in that strange world where marketing holds precedence over engineering. He had strong opinions on the technical aspects of bikes and I agreed with a lot of what he said. (Although I didn't share his antipathy for leather saddles and fenders!).

I own a copy of his book "The Bicycle Wheel", it contains the best method of wheel building I've come across, and I refer to it whenever I have to build a new wheel.

A link to some of Brandt's writings.

I'm grateful for his influence and that he shared his views for us to learn from.

So long Jobst Brandt, RIP.

Stelvio Pass, Italy

An economical super compact road crank.

Shimano "RSX" triple road crank re-purposed into a wide-range compact double.

I'm still trying to find a lower priced compact double which will give me the ability to run a 46/28-30 tooth combination. I did buy a V.O. 50.4 mm "Rando" crank some time ago. While I do love the gearing it allows, it has proven quite finicky to install. The most successful installation is my latest, on my '82 Mercian Olympic which features fairly long chainstays, a 120mm, 5 speed rear wheel, and an old Campy Nouvo Record front derailleur. I couldn't make it work well on my new Mercian.

I also tried converting an old Shimano STX 94mm BCD MTB crank. This wasn't entirely successful because the shape of the inner face of the spider pushed the chainrings too far outboard.

I have been reading about Sugino's recent super compact cranks, the OX801d and OX601d. These double cranks feature a 74mm BCD and a 110 BCD chainring. This would provide the gearing I'm looking for in a more modern crankarm shape, allowing me to use a normal Front Derailleur and my 135mm 8 speed rear wheel. Unfortunately, these cranks are also staggeringly expensive! $490 for the 601!

Looking over the pictures of these cranks, it seems to me that you could build your own with an ordinary 110/74 triple crank. I have a couple lying around so I thought I'd try it.

My test subject was a Shimano RSX triple I bought from Nashbar years ago. This is a decent enough crank which had a ramped and pinned chainwheel on the outer side, the inboard granny gear was a simple, plain chainwheel.

A look at the inner side, the large ring was reversed to allow the chainwheel bolts to be recessed a bit.

 Basically, what you're doing here is removing the middle chainwheel and replacing it with the outer (46 tooth) one. You will need single wheel chainwheel nuts and bolts since you're now converting the 110mm ring into a single. You also need to have the chainwheel bolt nuts(?) recessed a bit or they could interfere with the chain.

Another view. One advantage with reversing the ring is that I can use the unworn side of the teeth!

Since this was an experiment I used the original outer ring. I had to reverse it to get the recesses on the correct side. This will mean the ramps will be negated but I'm not too worried about that since this will be a double and shifting shouldn't be much of an issue. I also had to remove the little pin which catches the chain in the event of an overshift. Sadly, this pin was not threaded into the ring, just a press fit so it can't be reused.

I had to install a longer bottom bracket in order to have the chainrings clear the chainstays. A 118mm Shimano UN55 did the trick. The bolts fixing the small chainring come fairly close to the chainstay, but they do clear it and a miss is as good as a mile!

A 118mm bottom bracket provided just enough clearance.

I had to adjust both the front and rear derailleurs for acceptable shifting. The front changer had to be lowered a few millimeters and the side to side movement adjusted for the longer BB spindle. The rear short-cage Tiagra can handle the 18 tooth difference in the front sprockets, but only after I adjusted the "B" screw, turning it all the way in to increase tension on the chain. Indexing was unaffected.

The one issue which remains is that the chain contacts the little pins on the reversed big ring when the chain is on the small ring and the 5 outer rear sprockets. It clears the pins fine in the 3 inboard positions, which will probably be the only ones I use with the granny anyway. At any rate, I'm not too concerned because I will eventually replace the large ring with an un-pinned and un-ramped one which should eliminate the problem. I expect there may be some interference in the outermost sprocket positions even then, but I would never use those combinations.

My initial test ride was a success! Shifting was good and the gearing is more to my liking. The 46 tooth outer ring gives me a nice selection of gears for almost 90% of my riding, (I use all 8 sprockets with the big ring), and the 28 tooth granny offers a "27-inch" low gear which is good enough even for touring loads. Shifting was reliable and quick.

A view of the drivetrain.

There have been some cranks offered which have the same idea: Rivendell offers a nice Sugino crank which is essentially a triple with a chain-guard in place of the outer ring for only $146. The only thing I don't like is the really low gearing offered: 40-26, for my road riding that would be too low, I prefer the 46-28 combo. Velo Orange offered a crank with close to that combination, (46/30) for their Polyvalent at one time, but I can no longer find that on their website.

In the future, I will replace at the outer ring with a plain Sugino chainring that has no ramps or pins. Eventually, I will try to find a nice set of new arms to build a brand new crankset with this gearing.

Update: I have replaced this crank with a similarly modified Sugino Messenger: See: Another stab at a subcompact crank.

An S24O bike trip up Foresthill Divide Road.

The Mercian setup for an overnight trip using the Carradice Camper and Rivendell Boxy Handlebar bag.

Shelly was having an all-female dinner party the other day so I had to be out of the house for the evening. I thought, why not just be gone all night? I began planning a "Sub 24 Hour Overnight" campout, otherwise known as an S24O in Rivendell and bike tourist circles on the web now.

Thanks to California's drought, many roads are now open in the Higher Sierra Foothills and the weather forecast for the next 24 hours looked excellent so I decided to do it,

My goal was extreme light weight, so I came up with the bare minimum of equipment: A light sleeping bag, my lightweight 3/4 Thermarest self inflating pad, and in place of a tent, an REI "Bivy Sack", essentially a nylon sack your bag and pad slip into. It does have a mesh "window" so you can look at the stars if you like, or you can close it up to keep light rain or cold air out.

As for food, I wasn't going to cook; I planned to pick up an excellent deli sandwich at Worton's in Foresthill for dinner. Breakfast would be some cereal with dried milk. For entertainment I brought along my tablet for reading.

Had to stop at Worton's for a sandwich and the view.

 Temperatures were forecast to be mild with lows in the 40s so I didn't take a lot of clothes. Beside my riding gear consisting of a wicking "T", a short sleeved wool jersey, shorts, long tights and a windbreaker, I brought an extra pair of shorts, some light hiking pants, a longsleeved "technical" jersey and a buff for my head and wool gloves.

A deserted day-use area will serve nicely.

Everything fit comfortably into my Carradice Camper saddlebag and the Rivendell "Boxy" handlebar bag, I chose to ride my Mercian tourer despite it not having any low-low gears, it's compact crank still affords a 34 tooth small ring which when used with the 28 in the back managed to give me a satisfactory low gear.

Still, the slog up to Foresthill was a hard ride. I chose to take Highway 49 down to the Confluence, then Old Foresthill Road up to the "new one" in order to avoid traffic. After Foresthill there was no real traffic at all. I originally had hoped to ride to Robinson Flat, but, having started at almost 1 pm. I didn't reach Foresthill until 4. By 6 I was only as far as China Wall staging area. It was still bright so I decided to press on, thinking that if it got too dark, I could return and stay there as it had a toilet and some decent looking places for me to sleep.

I rode for another half hour and found a day use area, Mumford Bar Trailhead, that fit the bill. Although it had no water, (China Wall didn't either), it did have a toilet and was also deserted. It was getting late now, and there were patches of snow starting to appear in the shaded parts of the road, so I figured it was time to call it a day.

My commando camping kit consists of an REI Bivy sack, lightweight Slumberjack bag, and a 3/4 length Thermarest.

Not much work to do with this type of camping! I set up the bag in the Bivy and threw some pine boughs beneath for additional padding. (These were already fallen and lying all around). Then dinner and after brushing my teeth, I got into the sack. This was the first time I used the sack, it wasn't too hard to get used to. I did like having the mesh "window". Even so, I found that I liked to open it a bit for fresh air. Overall, fairly comfortable. That night I was able to enjoy the show, a bright moon lit up the sky.

A bright moonlit sky as seen from my bed!

 The next morning I packed up and rode off, wearing all of the clothes I had in the cool morning air! The ride home was uneventful, and took less than half the time the uphill climb of the day before!

Still some snow above the Sugar Pine Lake turnoff!

This was a nice little adventure, just about the right distance. I encourage you to try an overnight trip once in a while, just to shake things up!

February jaunt to Yankee Jims.

Todd arriving at the Yankee Jims Road Bridge over the North Fork of the American.

Unusually mild weather this February has allowed for a fair amount of riding in NoCal this year. Riding buddy Todd and I decided to have a go at a longer ride, we initially planned to ride around Folsom but changed our minds while en route and decided to head up to Colfax, ride across the North Fork of the American river, then get up to Foresthill.

At an old mining tunnel next to the bridge.

Thanks to the fine weather this year, we were able to finish the ride fairly comfortably, if somewhat slowly.

Enjoy the falls while they last!

 I've probably posted this before, but these pretty falls are a little way up from the river, heading to Yankee Jims and Foresthill. After the long climb to Foresthill, we stopped at Worton's and had a sandwich, then back to Loomis. This is a hard ride, 70 hilly miles, but we enjoyed pretty optimal conditions. Even so, it took almost 7 hours of riding! Well, I didn't say I was fast! What a great ride, the few miles of gravel give the ride a nice flavor of adventure!

Here is a screenshot of the route, as recorded by Run the Map.