Commando

I'm diggin' that paint job

BicycleSafari

It's a fun one for sure! Whoever "Fishbone" was had a good eye.

Kdogbikes

Nice looking build, bicyclesafari ^^^^^. Like those handlebars. Good bike to hop some curbs like when we were kids.

BicycleSafari

Thanks! They're a motorcycle handlebar, the Emgo Chrome 7/8 in. Skinny Scrambles (7/8 is the same as 22.2 so that's fun) They're my favorite bars. I have them on two of my bikes right now. They have the right rise, the width is super reasonable, and the sweep just hits a sweet spot for me. Takes me right back to the BMX bikes I had as a kid

squarenoise 

Here's my mid 80s Schwinn Mirada. The wheels and brakes (minus the Scott Mathauser Pads) are the only original parts. I was planning a drop bar conversion, but then found other bikes that were better suited for that. This is my first/only upright build and I'm really digging it. Such a fun/cozy bike to ride.

- Schwinn Mirada Frameset (apparently made by Giant)
- Brooks B17 Saddle
- Specialized Flag Crankset
- Shimano Deore Derailleurs
- Dia Compe 981 Brakes with Scott Mathauser Pads
- Velo Orange Threadless Stem Adaptor
- Velo Orange Threadless 17 degree Riser Stem
- Non-branded Townie Bars
- Rustines Constructeur Style Rubber Grips
- Tektro FL750 City Brake Levers
- Suntour Power Thumb Shifters
- Shimano 600 Freewheel
- Sansin Sealed System Hubs (Converted the solid axles to quick release)

reluctantsuburb

Sorry to comment on such an old post, but I've been catching up on this thread and loving it. I'm looking to do a similar conversion for myself; just waiting to see the right bike come across CL.

I noticed you're in DFW and these pics seemed really familiar to me. Were these pics by chance taken in Richardson? I feel like I know this spot!

cooperryder

Good eye reluctantsuberb!

No worries on old post. Still really liking that bike and most of us love discussing
our bikes no matter how old the post or at least I think that's the case. It is with me.

Pics mentioned on post 139.
https://www.bikeforums.net/20630352-post139.html

I sometimes ride over that direction and on one trip noticed some cacti and cool architecture there.
I thought it might make a good bike pic background so I stopped and snapped a few.

There have been some great re-imagined vintage mt. bikes posted since I checked in.

Hope you all are getting a chance to enjoy them during the strangeness of our current times.
Stay safe out there.

cooperryder

That is one sweet Schwinn Mirada !

Nicely done!

It's sure decked out with nice parts.

I hope your are enjoying it.

The color looks somewhat similar to my 1985 Miyata 610 I picked up a few months ago.

eeuuugh

Here's a Trek 820 I built up last week/a lifetime ago. This bike qualifies for the clunker challenge... only new components are the bottom bracket, cables and housing, Hunt-Wilde grips, and a tube. And a 2mm freewheel spacer. Getting the chainline right took some doing with the E-mount front derailleur and 6 speed freewheel (Suntour Perfect). I replaced the grip shifts and broken rear derailleur with Suntour ax-3000 shifters and derailleur pulled from a Nishiki Backroads. 18 speeds and the rear indexes perfectly. The bars came from a department store Huffy 7 speed, the tires and rear wheel came from junk piles. I wasn't expecting much from the finished bike beyond a flippable beater, but the end result is incredibly fun to ride up and down the levee by my house, which is about all I have to do these days...

This is actually the second Trek 820 I've restored with an inappropriate and archaic Suntour drivetrain, I built one with 7 speed Accushift last year after the groupset coagulated from my parts bins. In neither case would I call the shifting 'smooth', but it is 'definite', with a nice solid clunk from the shifters followed by a nice solid clunk from the derailleur. Almost more enjoyable than modern Shimano stuff that shifts "better."

reluctantsuburb

Funny enough, my company looked at renting an office suite in that little square. I think the architecture is very notable!

If you happen to see anything come across our DFW CL that would make a good candidate for conversion for a 6'1" rider (that you don't plan to snap up yourself), keep me in mind! I don't have a very experienced eye when looking, but am eager to get a project.

Same to you in these strange days!

squarenoise 

Thanks cooperryder!

It rides great and is super comfortable!

I'd love to see your Miyata 610! Big fan of Miyatas in general and lucky enough to have a 1984 1000 Grand Touring.

cooperryder

Here's a link to a thread I started that shows my Miyata 610.

https://www.bikeforums.net/21310420-post2.html

It's a great riding old tourer.

FujiSam

Almost done with this build, just need a brake and I'm set but I couldn't resist a test ride tonight...so much fun! Been wanting to do a BMX cruiser style build for a while for daily riding with the kids and this Sierra frame/wheels came along with just the right look. Scrounged together the rest: scored the single speed conversion spacers from a junk parts bin at a reuse store, nabbed the sweet Surly 20t cog for cheap on eBay, repurposed the 52t up front from one of my '79 Fujis, and borrowed the stem/bars from my '97 Huffy Tremor BMX bike until I can find a similar setup. Parts from 5 decades lol! Awesome ride, 52/20 feels just right, and I will totally be taking it to the dirt track, too!

squarenoise 

Great build and great thread!

squarenoise 

Oh man, I love this! I did the same thing to an old Ross Hi-Tech (Black and Gold) and REALLY regret selling it, but it was the only way I could justify my 50s Hawthorne BMX Cruiser build. I scored some parts for next to free, but paid full price for the fork and handlebars. Had a very worn Viscount Lambert crankset so I ground down the teeth for a sweet chainring guard and using the 42T up front, paired with internal 3-speed hub.

FujiSam

Thanks! That Hawthorne is AWESOME! Crank looks so good. My youngest is also named Hawthorne, so I like it even more! Almost picked up a dark green '57 Hawthorne frame recently but didn't have a project in mind...did not consider how sweet it would look as a BMX cruiser! What kind of bars and stem is on there? It's exactly what I'm looking for, but having a hard time finding at the moment.

squarenoise 

Thanks! That's extra cool your kid is named Hawthorne! The stem I've actually had since I was a kid, from an old Mongoose. I have no idea why that piece stuck around all these years and I basically built the bike around the stem. Wacky how things come together sometimes. The bars are 4" rise BMX bars from luxlowbikes on eBay (382390072814). I bought the fork from them as well.

FujiSam

Awesome, thanks for the info! That's so cool that you still have the bike you had when you were a kid. I rode a Mongoose, too! I bought the '97 Huffy because it was the same bike my best friend in elementary school had and I came across it for $20! Nice vintage BMX stems are surprisingly hard to find right now without spending too much. I totally understand doing a build around one!

reluctantsuburb

Could anyone in this thread offer some sizing advice? I'm used to looking at bikes measured in cm, not inches, and feel like it's not a 1:1 correlation, though I could be wrong!

My PBH is 89cm. I currently ride a too small for my 56cm bike; I'd guess I need something more like 58 or 60cm (6'1" tall).

There's a 21" Schwinn High Sierra frame in my market that looks like it might be worth putting some time into. Any thoughts on the fit there? I imagine there's some forgiveness when you're making the cockpit upright anyway, but wanted to get some tips!

FujiSam

21" is like an XL mountain frame, so it sounds like it would work for you. I'm also 6'1" and rode a 21" Gary Fisher for years. Plus, if you can score a High Sierra, do it! So many ways to tweak fit with posts, stems, and bars that it can definitely work. You could also consider 20" and 19" frames, but I wouldn't look bigger than 21." Depends how you want to ride it though-- I just built a BMX cruiser out of a small 15" Sierra and it's perfect for that, but not for a touring ride. Hope that helps and good luck!

jreeves 

My Raleigh ATB is a 20" seat tube with a 22" top tube and I'm 6'0" with a 34" inseam. I ride a 58 cm road bike. I think a 21" MTB is in the ballpark for your height with the right saddle height and stem extension. In my case I have an inch more crotch clearance with the ATB, but the seat to handlebar and seat to pedal geometry is the same as I use on the road bike. If anything it's more comfortable for my old bones than the road bike.

reluctantsuburb

Thanks to you both! I have a 19" Novarra right now that doesn't fit me right. The more I try to explain it, the more I realize I am bad at using the appropriate bike geometry terms. It's too short in the seatpost compared to the length of the top tube, maybe? Either way, helpful to have some folks weigh in. I'm going to contact that seller today.

reluctantsuburb

I went to check out a Panasonic MC 3500 today; it was a bit short. Otherwise seemed like a solid bike, but I think it was a 20" frame (measured 20.5" ctt, not quite large enough for me)

I've started to get a little more active on CL and reached out to a few folks that had bikes similar to what I am looking for but not exact fits. I got two hits back, was curious if y'all had any thoughts:

First, $100 (asking price) for this Schwinn Cimarron frame (22.5" ctt):


Second, Fuji Sundance, 21", no price yet stated:


Thoughts on either of these frames? Worth haggling over the Cimarron? It has been on my shortlist, especially at that size.

jreeves 

Based on what you've said that Cimarron looks like a good size frame for you, but seems a little overpriced as is. Do you have the component group to outfit it without a lot of extra expense?
I don't know what the market is like where you are but there are plenty of fully outfitted MTBs around here for that asking price, although not many Cimarrons.

reluctantsuburb

My market seems to be cornered by a guy named Robert who lists these old school MTBs at crazy markups (example). (I have a pretend feud with Robert as he seems to have every large MTB frame in Dallas)

With that being said, my parts bin is pretty light, so the seller offered to raid his. He's found a bottom bracket, cranks, pedals, stem, bars, brakes and levers, seat post,shifters , and rear Shimano dx derailleur he said he'd throw in for 75. At that point, I think I'm in business. Thoughts?



I'm wondering if this wheelset would be alright as a starting point. I know nothing about wheel building :/