Streched Elect. Cruiser/board track/mid drive shifter

A1mightym

A1mightym

New Member
I'm noob here, but have built a few bikes, owned a few too, haven't ridden much since I got my DL, but I'm trying to get back into it, always liked riding as a young man.

Planned project is outlined in the title. Sort of.....

main Q for today: If I purchase a used bike, say off of craigslist, with decent components on it, and buy a custom frame I have picked out from one of the Ca. custom shops, what do I need to look out for Re: compatibility in swapping stuff over to the new frame? When I was a youngster, I dragged home all manner of junk, and built bikes out of the stuff, and sold them to my friends, I'll date myself here by saying that I was converting "stingray" style bikes to BMX when BMX bikes were rare... and nobody wanted the stingray bikes anymore. back then I was either extremely fortunate, or everything was pretty much standardised, I don't remember having problems swapping cranks, or headstocks from one bike to another. Any advice , or the suggestion of apropriate literature would be appreciated.

John
 
Let me start by saying I have never used a custom frame or a stretch frame, but I have built with a ton of junk bikes lately. I find that there are three types of cranks I have come across. three piece one piece and 16" and less. It looks as though all 20" or larger bikes's one piece cranks are pretty much interchangeable... I assume the same is true of the three piece cranks though I don't have much experience with them.

The front forks seem to come in different lengths but I have been able to use them pretty much interchangeable anyway. Sometimes I have had to make a spacer to cover the extra threads of a fork too long for the frame. I have switched rear wheels from one size to another and coaster to mt bike and vice versa. Even road bikes. I have used coaster chains on mt bike elements and mt bike chains on coaster bikes elements. In general I have been able to make things work. Since all my bikes so far have come from the thrift store, I have lots of parts laying around. Well I did till I cleaned up the shop a couple of weeks ago.

I use multi sprocket front chainrings with coaster crank sets often. I find that crank sets from 20" bike work best for me. So I switch out a lot of cranksets. Anyway good luck,

Welcome to the site by the way you will like it here Im sure
 
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I have always messed with bikes myself. What I have found is that "Most" of the parts interchangable. There are the newer componets that are mainly on high end bikes like threadless heasets and such that can be tricky to swap out. Some makes have gone up to the 1 1/8" head tubes..with 1" being what I call standard.

I have built a couple old JC Higgins bikes and found that most of the componets were easy to come by. The only trouble I have found is messing with the older Schwinns. They have some odd sizes for just about everything.

Schwinn parts are readily availabe but the original wheels (S7) require specific tires.(fractional).
The bearing cups are schwinn specific sizes. The seat post are different. The newer Schwinns are the same size parts as most bikes. There all made in China with different badges put on them.

There are enough adapters made out there to put just about any part on a bike.
 
Deacon, Red, thanks for the replies. I've been scouring the local CL for a suitable donor bike, and was glad to find out the Schwinn info.

Plan is to buy a donor, then measure everything, and contact the frame builder to make sure it will fit.

John
 
yeah those old schwinn seat tubes give me fits they show up now and then. I have a great old schwinn collegiate seat that won't fit anything I have had since. Another problem I have had is that the seat tubes on most all bikes I come across are too short for my needs.
 
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