Just got a Worksman!

silverbear

silverbear

The Boy Who Never Grew Up
For a long time I've wanted a heavy duty paper boy Worksman Cruiser. I just never could afford one. And I've never seen one except on the internet. So I watch eBay and once in a very great while a used Worksman cruiser comes up until now selling for more than I can afford. Several days ago I found one on eBay that looked perfect for my purposes. I got it for 68.00 and will pay another 40.00 for shipping. It is missing some things and the front wheel may need to be replaced (the replacement a heavy duty Huffy with the drum brake), but I have several Wald handlebars to choose from and a nice wide Worksman seat... or if I can get the post to fit I have a restored 1940 Elgin seat which I stitched up in black elk hide. I have a set of Wald cruiser fenders on hand already. After that I'll need to replace the chain (missing) and do whatever is necessary to prepare it for a HT engine. I have a couple of questions maybe one of you Worksman people can answer. This is not going to have the frame altered to make it into a board track racer reproduction, although it will certainly look old. That said, is there any problem fitting the front mount? Will the stock pedal crank clear the muffler or will I need a wider crank (or shorter)? I believe I read somewhere that the pedal chain is wider than a regular cruiser bicycle chain. Is that so and what size is it? I really like my old Schwinn American Flyers and am partial to older bikes with heavy frames made in the USA, But I am really looking forward to this kinda beat up Worksman Cycle. I even like the name. This one is going to be my "Iron Horse" and may get the Indian fender light if it looks right. So cool. Doing up old bikes is just the best... turning that proverbial "pig's ear into a silk purse". (For you young people that's an old saying) I'll be watching for the UPS man like a little kid at Christmas.
Silverbear
 

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Nice and the $40 shipping is icing on the cake! Why can't more people ship bikes for $40 flat rate????
 
I just realized that I have a set of banged up 1940 Elgin fenders, chain guard and also the original fender skirts. Along with the Elgin seat I have just about everything I need to finish off the Worksman as a much older bike. It won't be a board track racer, but it will be the way I like it, different and all mine. The Iron Horse will be my winter project. For now I'll just try to put it all together to see how things fit and if I like it that way. You should feel how heavy fenders from 1940 are. Good metal. It will be a challenge getting the dents pounded out. Boy, is this going to be fun!
Silverbear
Silverbear
 
excellent score !!!
gonna be a nice winter build :)
don't forget pics as you go...I/we will be looking over your shoulder as it comes together :)
 
azbill said:
excellent score !!!
gonna be a nice winter build :)
don't forget pics as you go...I/we will be looking over your shoulder as it comes together :)
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As long as you don't look too closely, Bill... I'm not as skilled as some of you guys and don't have much in tools anymore. On the other hand I'm careful in what I do and unless you need to weld or fabricate machined parts, a lot can be done with simple hand tools, a little know how and not too much money.I like looking around at what I have and imagining what will look good and what won't Sometimes you don't know until you try it. Sure, I'll post pictures as I go. You guys can keep me out of trouble that way.
Silverbear
 
So you're the one that outbid me!!!!! I was stuck at work and watched it slip away, but couldn't raise my bid...DAMN IT !!! Do something good with it silverbear. I'm glad someone here got it instead of someone that doesn't know what's good about them.
 
motorhedfred said:
So you're the one that outbid me!!!!! I was stuck at work and watched it slip away, but couldn't raise my bid...DAMN IT !!! Do something good with it silverbear. I'm glad someone here got it instead of someone that doesn't know what's good about them.
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While I'm awfully glad to have gotten it, I'm also sorry you didn't. You had visions of your own on what to do with it. So, here's hoping you find another. I'm realizing that this is a good way to build a bike if you enjoy this and have the time. I paid good money for at least one of my Americans which was in nice shape... you have to pay for that, of course, but then you pay again if you turn around and change the wheels, the seat, don't like the handlebars and so on. So why not buy the frame you want and then add to it with exactly what you want and can afford? At least you end up with a bike that really suits you and which you know inside out to be good quality. A good, strong frame is the foundation as I see it. No doubt there were some who looked at the auction picture I posted and thought, " For what he spent I could buy a brand new cruiser at WalMart and a few hours of engine installation later be all done, plus have shiny new paint, spiffy chrome fenders, new tires, etc." All that is true. But this Worksman will still be solid fifty years from now while the bike from Walmart will be dust in the wind. A couple of weeks ago I saw a nice Pope frame go for
around fifty bucks. They're out there. I hope you find your bike, Motorheadfred.
Silverbear
 
Congrats, Silver B.
Keep us posted with progress photos. That will be a solid build and its in the hands of someone who knows what to do with it. You lucky man. Have fun, ride safe.
Tom
 
Ouch!.....My bike IS a WalMart bike....Point Beach to be exact. But, no harm no foul...as I said, I'm very glad it will be in the hands of someone who appreciates it. I had visions of a drop loop mod, Monark style springer and a shift kitted 4-stroke. I'll get there. I think I'll just put a 2-smoke ring-a-ding on mine and enjoy it beore passing it on to someone else. Completed motored bicycles are bringing a decent price around here.

Enjoy brother....make us proud.

MHF
 
motorhedfred said:
Ouch!.....My bike IS a WalMart bike....Point Beach to be exact. But, no harm no foul...as I said, I'm very glad it will be in the hands of someone who appreciates it. I had visions of a drop loop mod, Monark style springer and a shift kitted 4-stroke. I'll get there. I think I'll just put a 2-smoke ring-a-ding on mine and enjoy it beore passing it on to someone else. Completed motored bicycles are bringing a decent price around here.

Enjoy brother....make us proud.

MHF
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MHF,
Oops... didn't mean to offend regarding Walmart bikes from China. Right now I'm putting motors on a couple of Huffy cruisers which are probably comparable (like new and only 20 bucks each)... also made in China. They look really nice but are so light and the fenders so thin. I'll sell them and somebody will be happy. I can't help it, though. I just like the old bikes and heavy metal. I ride quite a lot and weigh around 200 lbs. I don't want to think about frame failure from the stress of these motors and high miles. Maybe I like old stuff because I'm old, too. In the future I'd like to just deal with older bikes made in the USA. Just my preference. I see some really great builds on this forum which are of newer bikes and don't mean to criticize. To each their own. Beauty and value is in the eye of the beholder.
Silverbear
 
I wasn't really offended, actually I agree with you. I think when we buy the chinese built bicycles we have to accept that we're buying inferior materials and build quality. The only thing that redeems them is that when they build in the quantities they do, they have to be working SOME of the bugs out of them. The bearings, materials and possibly the metal alloys are all likely to cause problems with extended use. The first thing I noticed was how soft the paint is. You barely touch it and it chips. I would hope that we and others like us come up with ways to overcome these deficiancies and make them last longer.

I seem to remember that some of the initial japanese products that were sold here were pretty cheesy as well and look where they are now. Let's hope that quality eventually becomes more important to the chinese.

Good luck with your ebay score and keep us informed as you go through it.

MHF
 
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motorhedfred said:
I wasn't really offended, actually I agree with you. I think when we buy the chinese built bicycles we have to accept that we're buying inferior materials and build quality. The only thing that redeems them is that when they build in the quantities they do, they have to be working SOME of the bugs out of them. The bearings, materials and possibly the metal alloys are all likely to cause problems with extended use. The first thing I noticed was how soft the paint is. You barely touch it and it chips. I would hope that we and others like us come up with ways to overcome these deficiancies and make them last longer.

I seem to remember that some of the initial japanese products that were sold here were pretty cheesy as well and look where they are now. Let's hope that quality eventually becomes more important to the chinese.

Good luck with your ebay score and keep us informed as you go through it.

MHF
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MHF,
Good. I don't want to be judgmental and narrow minded. Old guys are like that sometimes, remembering our youth when things were made better. It isn't just imagination, either, they were. Twenty five years ago I rebuilt a 1941 Ford Panel Truck which had been sitting in the woods for twenty years with a tree fallen on it, the front windows shot out long ago and generally looking hopeless. My brother had a body shop so I took it to him to fix a couple of dents, one in the fender and another on the roof. This truck had no rust and original paint. He had never worked on an old one like that and started out with the small hammer he used on imports... then a bigger hammer... and then a bigger one yet to get that metal to move. They used better materials then and you expected to drive a truck for a long time. The ones that didn't end up in junk yards are still around. And the old bikes are the same way on a different scale. I lament the throw away planned obsolescence of our society. A lot of technical advances have been made in bicycling. It's just too bad about the poor quality of materials. I will no doubt be buying bikes from Walmart and Target for customers who want something new and at low cost. I understand that and there's nothing wrong with it, but the old fart still says "they didn't usta make stuff that way when I was a boy". That's why I find the old ones for my own use. I want to hear about it when you find your old timer. Good luck. Yes, I'll keep you posted with progress on my Worksman/Elgin project.
Silverbear
 
I remember in the 70's, if you leaned on a datsun's roof, your elbow left a dent (the metal was as thin as a pop can !!!)...
now they are getting awards for quality
time has a way of changing things :)
 
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