Sportex 12 Project Continues

Hello and Welcome.
This morning I started to cannibalize the FUJI for the Sportex build. I like to get the threaded headset and crank squared away first.

No point doing anything else till I have the basics. To me that is frame, headset, three piece crankset and two functioning wheels. Also I need to mention I am going to use some brake parts from a NISHIKI OLYMPIC. I bought it a few years ago, and tore it down then stopped. I noticed the frame looked stressed in a couple of spots. And decided to shelf it till I found another frame.

This morning I was poking around the garage looking for a set of brakes for the Sportex. That`s when I ran across the shelf full of components from the NISHIKI. Vintage Dia Compe Center Pull Caliper Brakes,Works for me! The Dia-Compe Center-Pulls will be a huge improvement over the Chang-Star side pulls on the original bike. You might notice how dingy the brake parts look. And the wheel-set too for that matter. No Worries, just checking them for fit. They will be removed and polished,trued and lubed and what ever else they need to look and function great.


Now Here`s the BUGGER. The rear wheel went on no problem, fits like a glove. The front however was another story. The original front wheel had a basic axle, meaning no quick release skewers. So The slots in the fork dropouts were just a wee bit small (about 1/32 in). So I took my drill with the abrasive thin wheel and lightly ground them a wee bit wider. It was a very small amount that was removed, and about 1/2 of it was just paint. So I have no doubt it is sound. But I`ll give it a good hard test-ride for sure.

Ok, So now we have two wheels a fork and brakes. Also I took one of the SUGINO arms off the Fuji to see if it fit the original bottom bracket spindle. It fit perfectly, so I got that covered. I may change the entire crank if it is a match. (we`ll see) Well I had a family commitment this afternoon and early evening. So I had to wrap it up for today. But now that I`m into it, I`m eager to get back at it. So with a little luck I`m hoping to work on it tomorrow.
I have a really good feeling about this build! Happy Trails for now. RIDE SAFE and Remember to Always... RESCUE, RESTORE & RECYCLE.
Cheers,Hugh

Sportex / Schwuffy Project

Hello and Welcome. Today I stripped the Sportex-12 down to the frame. After giving it way to much thought,I have decided to cannibalize a Fuji Tour 3 for the Sportex project.

The Fuji is much to tall for me and the frame is a little rough with some rust. But it does have some excellent components. For instance the Alloy 27 x 1 1/8 Wheelset spin true and there is no grind. Also the derailleurs are good quality, As are the Sake Road Champion drop handlebars and Stem. Also the three piece crank looks good too. And I can always clean-up the Fuji frame and sell it as a Fixed Gear project. So nothing use-able will be wasted. Also I removed the stickers from the Sportex (see pic). I used a hair dryer (wife`s) to soften up the adhesive. And used GOO GONE to remove the residue. GOO-GONE is citrus based (it must be it smells like oranges). Anyway I have used it for years and highly recommend it. One other thing I want to mention. It turns out the Sportex frame is almost identical to the Fuji frame. I also noticed the Pie-Plate is identical. That`s all good, since I happen to like Fuji bikes a lot.

Also yesterday I worked on the Schwuffy-Project all afternoon and early evening. I think it wil be really cool. I would say "I`m gonna keep it" but that never seems to happen. I swapped the damaged saddle for a retro looking Bell wide comfort saddle. I also swapped the modern resin pedals for a set of Vintage Schwinn Bow shaped block pedals. Annnnd for the grips, it had foam grips (not very retro) Now it sports a set of circa 1961 "Schwinn Approved" logo grips. They look AWSOME! Then I removed the Huffy sticker badge and replaced it with a Genuine Schwinn Chicago oval badge. Next I covered up the Huffy on the chain-guard with one of my stickers. I`m considering changing the Huffy on the chain-guard to Schwuffy. And I also did all the usual polishing and rust removal. This morning I adjusted the rear axle (no-play/no-grind) and mounted a Schwinn water bottle cage. And if I do sell it. I will sell it as an imposter. The reason I did the Schwuffy in the first place is. I just kept looking at one when they first appeared at Kmart. And I kept thinking "If they had only done this or If they had only done that" Well I did and I was right...lol Well it`s getting late (it`s 7:41 pm) OK it feels like it`s getting late So I will say goodbye for now. Until next time Please RIDE SAFE and Remember to Always.... RESCUE, RESTORE & RECYCLE
Cheers,Hugh

Sportex 12 Resto-Mod

Hello and Welcome. I have been busy refurbishing two bikes I found at a thrift shop the other day. I don`t care for the term "flipping bikes". I think it implies a quick wash a couple of adjustments (if your lucky) And a quick buck on craigslist. I honestly try to make sure the bicycles I sell are in good working order. And safe to ride. And hopefully won`t nickel and dime the new owner to death in the first month. Anyway, I found this 12 speed SPORTEX at the Thrift Store today. It has a really nice Lugged frame. It reminds me a lot of some of the Asian built Schwinn`s of the 1980`s. Also the paint is in wonderful condition with minimal scratching. But all the components are crap. Ok maybe cheap is a better word. But I have enough parts laying around that I think I can make it into something special. What I really like about this bike is that I have never seen or heard of them before. I rushed home so I could check on oldtenspeedgallery.com . I did not see one on the list, that means this might be a first for the OTSG. The OTSG is really cool especially if you love old ten speeds. And who doesn`t..lol. So with ten-speeds being submitted from all over the world. It is cool to submit a "first". I imagine as time goes by that is going to become tougher to do. So check it out sometime. And if you have an old ten-speed Road Bike you would like to share. Send it in and tell them Hugh sent you. Before I go. I have another "Beach-Cruiser" project I am excited about. I am calling it "The Schwuffy Project" I will probably be posting that one real soon. So stop by and check it out. Mean-time Ride Safe and remember to RESCUE RESTORE & RECYCLE.
Cheers,Hugh

Huffy U.S.A. Asylum 18 speed Cheap-Ride

Hello, I found this little Huffy at the Thrift Store it was 24.99 but 50% off. I think the camel-back frame with the wish-bone rear end are interesting. I noticed it had steel chrome wheels and that the rear wheel was badly bent.Then I remembered a Pacific full suspension mountain bike back in the garage with a bad front end.I have kept the Pacific around hoping suspension fork would turn up. Well that never happened.But the Pacific has the same size wheels (but alloy) as the Huffy. Also some pretty good all terrain tires. So I figure for 12.50 I`ll take it home and see what I can do with it.

As it turned out the wheels were a good fit. And the sprocket count (6) in the back is the same. Also I had some Jagwire X-Caliper brake shoes in stock that were very reasonable. So after installing the wheels and tires I replaced the brake shoes. Then it was time to clean-up the derailleurs and chain-rings and guard. I used the White Lightning Clean Streak on the derailleurs. For the guard and chain-rings I used Simple Green bio-degradable de greaser. I also used it on the top of the bracket shell where the tubes intersect. I forgot to mention than the one piece crank was a bit loose. I tightened that up before cleaning up the chain rings & guard. Well now we are getting somewhere. I noticed the seat post (black) was badly scratched. Well I removed it with the saddle still attached and sanded it down quickly. Then after wiping off the dust I gave it a quick coat of black satin enamel. I used the still attached saddle as a handle while spraying the post. Now it is just a matter of cleaning up the frame and wheels and tires. I did have to straighten the front reflector bracket. That only took a minute. Once I put the seat post back on minimal insertion (fresh paint). This little $12.50 bike is looking pretty good.

The one thing I did not mention was how dirty this thing was. I think the previous owner lived on a dirt road that gets treated. (chloride) While they kept most of the frame pretty clean, the front and rear derailleurs were really bad. Once the chloride soaked dirt sets into the chrome parts you will have a tough time making them shine. I was lucky they (derailleurs) cleaned up pretty nice considering. Also I noticed the stem was up way past the minimum insertion mark. So I loosened it up and dropped it down to the max (safe) height. Also gave me a chance to align the stem with the front wheel. Now it is ready to be photographed and posted on the net. I`m not sure how much I have invested because I don`t remember what I paid for the parts bike (Pacific). I don`t imagine I gave more than 20.00 for it though. And I did strip it today and will no doubt use some of the parts on future projects. I have not started the Fuji Tourer 3 yet. I got busy with some masonry work. Tomorrow I think I will do another quick fix on a really good quality kids single speed BMX Bike (Specialized). Well that`s all I have for today. Until next time Please Ride Safe and Remember to Always... RESCUE RESTORE & RECYCLE
Cheers,Hugh

Schwinn 5 Speed LadiesSuburban Finished

Hello and Welcome,
I finished the Suburban yesterday. I think the restoration went well.

The derailleur is working fine. I polished and mounted the touring brake levers. I had a little trouble getting one of them back on the bars. I took them apart when I removed them to avoid trying to remove the original Schwinn grips.

I also put the new Jagwire X Caliper Brake Shoes on and ran the new Jagwire Basics Brake Cables to the brakes.I decided to go with new cable housings. I think that after 30 years it was due. The brakes adjusted easily (Thank you Bicycle Gods). I took it for a short test ride in the driveway and everything seems to be working smoothly. It was a real cloudy wet day so I was not able to get the pics I wanted. But these will due fine for now.

I already have it posted for sale. I think it will sell. All the kids have returned to school. And I`m sure some are still looking for a good campus bike. I`m hoping to find an old English Men`s 3 speed bike. I want a black one with the white fender tips. Also I have a tall Fuji I think I will be starting this weekend. The paint is a little rough, but dull silver should be easy to touch up. Unfortunately it is to tall for me. So I`ll be selling it as soon as it is finished. Last night I located some step by step directions for building a track or fixed gear bike. I don`t think it will be a big deal. I just want to see what all the fuss is about. Well it is very late (for me anyway) 12:49am. I think I`ll have a little ice-cream and go back to bed. Please Ride Safe,Wear a helmet. And Please remember to always RESCUE,RESTORE & RECYCLE......Cheers,Hugh

Ladies Schwinn 5 Speed Commuter

Hello, This weeks project is a ladies Schwinn Suburban 5 speed commuter bike. This bike has the Shimano Intiger F.F. System. This is my second Shimano Intiger project. So I`m not flying blind this time (which is always nice) The first was a Men`s Suburban 10 speed. I should mention just what a Shimano Intiger system is.Basically the free wheel is in the crankset instead of the cassette/free wheel. So what you have is a fixed 5 gear group in the back. And a free-wheeling crank in the front. If you are wondering why this was ever built in the first place. From what I have read and been told. The advantage was being able to shift gears while coasting.They never really caught on (in a big way) and just kind of faded away. Ok so on with the show!



I ordered Kenda 27 x 1 1/4 Gum Wall Tires for this one in advance so it is already going quicker than usual. As you can see I stripped it. And I also de greased the threaded headset stuff(cartridge bearings, cups and races, washers etc) ahead of time. So Saturday I got a good start rebuilding the head-set and cleaning-up and truing the rear wheel. I managed to get the head set done and mount the new tire on the rear wheel. Sunday ( 9-6 ) I got the front wheel done and the tire mounted on the wheel and the wheel on the bike. Also cleaned up the rear derailleur and got it hooked up. And cleaned up the front stem mounted shifter. The derailleur appears to be working fine. But with no crank installed I could not check it for adjustment. Then it was time to work on the Crank-Set. I had placed all the crank bearings, nuts and spacers in the de greaser earlier. Cleaning up the one piece crank was a little work. The chrome arms had some surface rust which I used the Turtle-Wax Chrome Polish & Rust Remover. They also required some brass brushing. As for the sprockets I did the same treatment. Now for the F.F.(front freewheel)unit, I used "White Lightning Clean Streak" The inner-bearings (of the freewheel unit) are exposed (when crank is off) so the White-lightning worked great. The outer bearings (if there are any) are sealed. So I just sprayed around the outer ring. Once it was all cleaned and polished it looks pretty good. I`ll take a few pics of the unit today. (see above) If you have never seen one it`s pretty cool. I think I have brought you up to speed on this project. Ride Safe and please remember to always RESCUE-RESTORE&RECYCLE. Cheers,Hugh

Fuji Dynamic 10 Update

UPDATE FUJI FINISHED! Hello and Welcome, Well the parts order arrived today about 4pm.

I did manage to mount the tires and get the wheel-set back on the bike. One of the brakes needed a little adjustment. I think it is fine now. There was really no time for a test ride though. Also installed the new pedals, (basic quill) no problems there. After the pedals were mounted I installed the New Saddle. It is actually a BMX Racing Saddle. I just think it looks really cool. And it has very good protective side guards. So if the bike should fall over, there is a good chance the saddle will be ok. And I did also get the new S-Wrap Phat Cork Tape on the drop handle bars. That went pretty good, I did have to replace one of the mount screws for one of the suicide levers. The old one was stripped. I always remove the suicide levers when installing new handlebar tape.


Here are a few tips for the newer handlebar tape installer. First, get everything you are going to need within easy reach. I use two shop stools one on each side. Once you start rolling on the tape, you won`t be able to go looking for tools. Definitely remove the the suicide levers first. Watch out for the little spring in the receiving hole it will pop or fall out and you will loose it if you are not careful. Also stand in front of the bike, and roll the tape on towards yourself. Working from the inside (near stem) outward. If you run out of tape before you reach the end, don`t panic. Just roll it back off about 3/4 of the way back and try again with a little less overlap. You "might" want to avoid tape with adhesive on the back your first time. If the tape you use is non adhesive you will want to use a little piece of plastic tape to help hold the end in place when you start. The key word is "little" piece. About 2 inches should do it. So you start under the bar with the piece of tape in place. Then roll over once (towards yourself) making sure the plastic tape is hidden. Then just keep the tape snug as you are wrapping the bars. And when you get to the end (hole) leave enough excess tape so you can tuck it in. Then install the plug. This is the part where you will be happy that you have everything close by. I always have the scissors in my pocket. And a big slotted (normal) screwdriver. A hammer and a small piece of wood (sometimes the plugs are really tight and need a little persuasion). I always have one roll of handlebar tape on each side stool. You may have noticed that I haven`t mentioned the tape that comes with the handlebar tape to secure the ends. It usually has the logo of the tape manufacturer on it (but not always). I don`t think it is necessary, If you install the tape properly. If you think it is, I`m ok with that. When I was a kid about 45 years ago I was never taught to use it. In fact I don`t think anyone I knew back in those days did. Now before anyone gets excited, YES you do see the starter tape on the Fuji. What you may not see is that IT IS ONLY THERE FOR LOOKS. It went on before
the Phat-Tape. I just thought it might look good. And I think it does "dress it up" a little. Also I added a piece of 3M detail tape (blue) for a little color. And cover up some nasty looking scratches on the center part of the bars. Well that`s all I have for today. I still have some touch-ups to do. And I need to clean-up and install the spoke-mounted wheel reflectors. Also I need to find some nice looking chrome cable clamps (no braze-on`s) for the top tube. And I might install some pedal reflectors. They look kind of naked with just holes. I will post some pics of the bike when it is 100% finished. Until next time please Ride Safe and Remember to Always....... RESCUE,RESTORE&RECYCLE
Cheers,Hugh