The Tussey Truss.

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I think one of the reasons Ive been so absent from the forum is that I love to ride the bikes I build and unfortunately most of these cruisers are too uncomfortable for me to enjoy. Im changing that with this build though.

Ive had this late 80s Schwinn Le Tour frame since about 2008 or 2009 and ive built it into everything... except this. I cant seem to get rid of it the frame fits so well. So here we go.

A practical modern bike with a truly retro feel.

I cant seem to find my before picture of the frame but here it is after picking it up. I had my buddy Josh add the truss into it to replicate a French Truss frame with its asymmetrical center tube. It also still has the sealed headset im going to keep in it.


The bike is going to run a Shimano Nexus 3 speed rear hub with a coaster brake so that no cables will run to the handlebar. Where will the shifter go you ask? The ratio of the sturmey Archer thumby 3 speed shifter is so close to the nexus ratios that Ive read many people havent had any issues with the mixing. Im going to mount the thumby shifter to the downtube shifter boss on the frame. Im also going to see if an old New Departure brake arm will fit on this hub.


to play the part I figured I needed some cool bars so these with the cross bar will make me comfortable and look super rad. They unfortunately have what looks to be rust from the crustaceous period. I have a chome hook up but I dont know if i want to wait that long to finish the bike. Still unsure of the color for these.
 
Yesterday I was busy sanding and cutting things off the frame I dont need including the derailleur hanger, cable guides, and the left shifter boss. And this paint is a pain to get off. I dont want any red to show if my paint scratches and I dont want to pay anyone to sandblast it. im in a pickle.



I found a cool looking aluminum stem that was meant to look lugged. I think it will fit the build well. Here is a quick mock up so far.
 
Nice man. I've definitely considered doing a bike like this. Have you seen any the A.N.T bikes? Super clean/spendy stuff. Dude has all the nice phil wood, chris king, brooks bling and ontop of crazy nice frames. Droolworthy.
chessin-014.jpg
 
Nice man. I've definitely considered doing a bike like this. Have you seen any the A.N.T bikes? Super clean/spendy stuff. Dude has all the nice phil wood, chris king, brooks bling and ontop of crazy nice frames. Droolworthy.
chessin-014.jpg

I have seen his stuff. Im glad people are embracing the retro frame but i feel he missed the mark because most original truss frames had an asymmetrical middle tube and always had some sort of bridge to the top tube. All the builds he does on his truss bikes remind me of english townie bikes from the 50s or 60s.

he builds crazy nice stuff. The free frame and the parts i traded to my buddy for adding the middle tube into it was more in my budget. :)
 
So i tried the vinegar bath and it did help a bit. I can see how a lighter rust it will pull off easily. I let both ends sit in it for about half a day.


After the vinegar, some sanding, and a wire wheel this is where were at. Still more to go but its come one heck of a long way.


I also got most of the red paint off and started priming the frame and fork. I keep getting distractions from this project. In the past week my time has gone to a bike for a friend and my new bmx bike. I want to be able to ride this thing before winter...
 
Since the bike will be a daily and get beaten up I am laying the paint on thick. And lots of clear coat. I was originally thinking black wheels but as i was grabbing all polished parts I think the completely silver wheels will look good. You've got to love the Shimano 600 cranks with the engraving.

I also tried to get the brake arm off, to swap with a new departure, but it has a weird spline so im just going to keep it on and save myself the hassle.

Im going somewhat new stuff to attempt to keep the weight down. Leather saddle and grips? maybe
 
Pretty nice crank-set alright! Strong and light, and simple...
 
Enjoy my garage mess. Im getting overwhelmed with projects. Ti bottom bracket in and cranks on. And even though the original headset was sealed I happened upon this Tange one that is a bit smaller and the cups are squarer. I think it will play the part much better.
 

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