41 Schwinn Excelsior Patina build with Union Drum hubs.

[skillsthebarber]

that paint is sweet, thats going to be one great looking bike

[41DX]

Looks good A.
What do you have in line to tie those TA's together with?
Do you need to use a TA specific BB?
I got lucky and acqired a TA BB when I found my cranks for the C project, I also just came across a set of tandem TA Cranks with no BB.
Thinking I am going to put together a Left hand drive fixie with em and wondering what BB will work.
Your frame is beautiful.......
Parts selection Top Shelf.
T

[sandmangts]

I actually landed a nice TA triple set with 165mm cranks so I am just going to swap the rins onto the longer cranks. I also have a vintage sturmey drum for the front. They came with a Phil Wood hub that the previous owner ran on a DX so they should be fine to use with a Truvative bottom bracket adaptor.

[scott brownsey]

i use the hammer paint i love it i use kmart dutch boy clear over it wow makes it look cool and SHINE

[sandmangts]

I finally got the wheels finished. They had proven to be the most difficult part of this entire build. I got sick of holding out for a Union front.


I don't have the right tires yet so I threw on some Kendas for now.

After that things just started falling into place.





I finally finished. The last thing I needed was a longer post. I had to order some 13/16 rod stock off ebay. Setting up the front derailler was tricky and shifting will take some getting used to but it shifts pretty well. The Union drum has a nice progressive feel and it is very powerful. I can see why they were popular on tandems. The sturmey is a little more grabby but it works well. I am not sure how well they will perform once they get hot. Overall the bike has a very solid feel and it is not too heavy. The front end is stiffer than I expected, ride quality is very good. I can't take all the credit though, I had help.

[carvingbike]

WOW! That looks awesome!

[pickle]

you're starting to look like a klunker king with those bad rides in your stable

[sandmangts]

Well, so far the bike has held up to quite a bit of abuse. Overall I am very pleased, it climbs well and I can really rail the turns on it. Downhills are a bit scary but the braking is good. The fork has a springiness to it that makes hard braking on the front coming down hills a little interesting. Here is the finished product with a longer post, different saddle and the original stem. The best thing about it is the shifting. the 5 speed rear just works flawlessly and once you get used to the thumb shifters shifting is second nature.

[AKB]

I love how your drum hubs turned out I think I will have to steal your idea for the paint when I do my Sturmey Archer front hub.. I don't like how shiny they are when they're new

[SCHWINNRAY69]

Sweet bike That's cool that you have your little buddy helping you

[scott brownsey]

what size holes did u drill in the rims between the spokes very cool . bike looks awsum good job

[Floyd]

You know, I'm not normally into klunkers, but that is sooooooo incredibly nice! I especially like how you went and got it all dirty when done!!

[Carbon]

Sweet Ride!! That down hill speed pic is priceless, that grin says it all !!!

[sandmangts]

The rims are old pro class rims off an early Mongoose ATB. They are basically drilled Araya 7x rims. I did not drill them they came that way but only on old Mongoose bikes. They are kinda hard to find.

[Petrohead]

sweet klunker!