The Eliminators, 24" Elim: First Ride/tire comp

[MplsCoaster]

Hey Everybody,
Kinda hinted about this build when making the "Little Guy's" Schwinn sting ray: Mag Ray


viewtopic.php?f=21&t=48122&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&start=15

Wanted a cool muscle bike so I could ride with the little guy and Mag Ray this spring
My Dad bought me a new 1970 Murray Eliminator F3 MarkII when I was a 10 years old.
This was my exact bike (thanks for the picture member MurrayEliminator).



When doing Mag Ray, my friend Terry (did the part stripping for free, thanks again) said “Aren’t you going to build a bike like you had?” I said no, they are too small. A side note: when I was 10 years old and Terry was 14, I wouldn’t let him ride my new bike. Didn’t want to let “the big kids” ride it, they might wreck it. It took about 7 years before he forgave me and we’ve been hanging out ever since (~40 years now).

So now, going to build The Eliminator. Thought about perfect restoration like many of Murray Eliminator’s bike (truly incredible!) but again, a ~ 6foot tall guy can’t (or shouldn’t , lol) ride a 20” inch bike (unless they’re having fun, of course).



Knew I wanted a different Big and Little tire combo. 24” wheels were a must (for my arthritic knees).
Also, run coaster only. The original weight was 49 lbs. I don’t remember it being that heavy. Do remember not being able to ride a wheel very well. So a lighter bike was another goal. Need to use original shifter and frame too.

Talked with member Loco Joe (thanks Randy) about the width and shape of the frame thanks to his Western Flyer Buzz bike (cool)
http://vanscyoc.net/blog/pages/bike_pho ... Buzz_Bike/

So I bought a frame and fork from member J South (thanks).


Started thinking about taller a wheel that might fit. Talked with member Murray Eliminator (thanks) about hubs and used his extensive resources to see that there was a 24” rear tire on an Eliminator. He has such a fantastic collection!


Also saw a Sears spider with 24” on front and rear.


So decided to go with a 24” Jerald slick in the rear. The Jerald slick is 2.125 but has a thread width of 1.5 so it fits tightly into the frame.

Knew I needed to move the 24” rear wheel out farther than the drop out would allow. The drop out is perfect for modifying due to its flat plate design. Confirmed with a colleague (who helped on the Spaceliner a bit) that making/modifying the drop outs was possible.

Next, more about wheel/tire combinations.
Thanks for looking.

[Murray-Eliminator]

If I'm understanding you correct, you want to put a 24" wheel on the back of that 20" Twister V Frame?... If so without some major mods & frame.welding it won't fit. it's not only the rear drop out that would need to be changed but also the seat tube would need to be lengthened, and the top rail lengthened, you would be better off in the long run to find a 24" Murray Eliminator

[MplsCoaster]

I know, it's rather crazy but I think it can work. The proportions may be off as you say.
It won't be as nice as the original lines. Always open for a change in plans...

[aka_locojoe]

Anxious to see this play out. Ought to be cool.

[chevyshwsnbikes]

Im 6'1 and Ive rode this thing miles at a time. Peeps tend to get whiplash but I ride it all the time.

[Murray-Eliminator]

The 24" Elimintors do show up, but they are not as common as the 20" bikes. the most common ones are the western flyer badged bikes called the Wild one" They came in lemon lime fade as a coaster 1 speed, the 3 speed was red to yellow candy fade and the 5 speeds where blue. I still have the frame & fork from this 24" Gambles bike i parted out, but I would need to get 100 out of it because the original paint is in such nice condition.

[MplsCoaster]

Hey Guys,
Knew I'd get some strong opinions about this bike and especially my 6 foot guy on 20” bike comment

a ~ 6foot tall guy can’t (or shouldn’t , ) ride a 20” inch bike (unless they’re having fun, of course).

Hey Chevy,

Im 6'1 and Ive rode this thing miles at a time. Peeps tend to get whiplash but I ride it all the time.

If you can ride it, more power to ya! I wish I could ride one but my arthritic knees scream at me too loud if I mistreat them BTW I like the longer fork you put on and the nice wide rear slick.

Thanks Randy. Hopefully it doesn’t disappoint.

Murray Eliminator, PM sent.

Plans might be changing...
Thanks for looking

[SCHWINNRAY69]

Sweet! I'll be watching

[MplsCoaster]

Hey Schwinnray,
Thanks, I hope the next part will meet your Big and Littles approval

So while some things are pending, I'll continue with my other plans

I’m a huge fan of Big and Little’s but less of tall and smaller (though others make it work really well).
So I went back and forth with a 20 inch front wheel (and how thin of tire was available) and 24” front wheel (and how I’d pull that off).
Used a Kenda Kwest 20x1.5 high pressure tire on Mag Ray but I'm not the biggest Kenda fan.
The 26” wheel represented the total height of the 24” Jerald slick (~25"OD). First 20”fork then 26”fork( for a bit more rake)



Didn’t really like either. So thought maybe matching 24” fork and wheel tire on front.
Found out about 24” wheels. ISO 507 are the older sting rays, older youth road bikes and new youth hybrids.
Unfortunately there are only several choices for purchase of a thin wheel/tire set.
Closest could find for an aluminum rim was Wheelmaster with 1.75 width rim.
Trek has a nice 24” wheel on its FX 24 but not available through the dealer unless warranty (bummer).




Limited tire choices were 24x1.5 (narrowest) Kenda Kwest ($20), Specialized Nimbus ($30), Bontrager H2 ($20 and nicest IMHO) and Schwalbe Kojak ($50).

If I wanted a thinner tire, have to go to modern BMX/Recumbent size (ISO 520).
They have some very nice wheels but are severely pricey. Could get all the way down to 23mm (.9”) tire width though.




Rethought the size and tried a 27” road bike fork and 26” narrow wheel. Didn’t seem to look right but still shorter (~24”) than the Jerald slick (~25”).
So I bought a 24” inch fork and thought more about the 24” wheel. Just wanted a stronger/light/cheaper wheel than the Recumbents.
Put the 26” wheel from my 2010 Giant Boulder SE and it looked good with the Primo Racer 26X1” tire.
Found out about a used Specialized 26” high end MTB wheel for $40 at my LBS. Very narrow like my Giant and bought it.
I struggled with the look of the 27” fork though. It looked too “Cartoonish”. (20” inch fork and wheel underneath)



So after getting the 24”Nexus Wheel (more in next post) in the mail, mounted the Jerald slick and tried the Specialized 26” wheel and 26X1’ tire with the 24” fork. I think it looks pretty good for price/time/effort. (please excuse the messy basement)



With the Slick inflated, the axle ends up on the bottom of the bracket so I have (maybe had) a bolt-on, non-destructive, aluminum plate drop out design that my colleague thinks will work. It would also strengthen the dropout for not much of a weight penalty.



So mock up is done. The tire setup “should” work. Now the hard part, getting it to work
Like the proportions of the 24" bike better. Easier to ride too.
We'll see how that goes...

Next the Nexus hub/hardware to Shimano 333 nondestructive adaption. Got an idea on how to make it work
Sissy bar has to move to the drop out too.
Then the color scheme idea.
Thanks for looking

[Murray-Eliminator]

I will dig out that frame. it's in storage. but this may be another option for you?

http://classicmusclebike.yuku.com/topic ... r-Wild-One

[aka_locojoe]

Where you're at now looks really cool.

[MplsCoaster]

Hey Murray Eliminator

I will dig out that frame. it's in storage.

Sounds good. Its a good change and I'll practice my painting on another frame.

Where you're at now looks really cool.

Glad your like the direction, even with the change I can still do something similar AND it will be easier to ride.

On a side note, as soon as I mentioned buying Murray's frame to my wife, she instantly "dibs'd" the 20" inch frame.
Looks like we got another build in the que. I'm a lucky man

[Murray-Eliminator]

Here are the Pictures of the frame/ Fork. what you see is what you get! It's hard to get the depth and luster of the candy colors in pictures, it looks really nice in person. if your planning on repainting it, you may want to wait on a frame that has trashed paint. You can prob get one for around 50.00! The money in this frame is in the condition of the original paint..Price is $100.00 plus shipping. let me know. Thanks. Eddie. murrayeliminator@yahoo.com

[Murray-Eliminator]

Here are some Pictures showing the differences between the 24" & 20" frames

[SCHWINNRAY69]

Looks good!

Your getting that frame! That's awesome