Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Huffy Bicycle Build

This bicycle was originally an old 1970s Huffy road bike. I can't remember the model on the decal, but it was rusty, the freewheel was rusted shut, and had a bad orange colored paint. I had originally was inspired by the French Porteur bicycles and the English city bikes.

I purchased the Velo-Orange zeppelin fender set, I believe the 58mm. These fenders took hours to get just right it was worth it in the end, but it really did take forever.

 I went ahead and cleaned the original Shimano Lark derailleur. I switched the wheels with some newer 26 1 3/8 chrome rims. The new freewheel is a Shimano Free Wheel. If the rust gets too bad I might opt for some aluminum rims. 
I removed the chainring guard because it was too badly dented. I like the design of the ring. The outer ring can be removed. Unfortunately a lot of the chrome is missing and will have to do in the mean time. the pedals are Wald "rat traps" I like the all metal design quite a bit. I hardly use the front derailleur and have considered removing the outer ring and adding a chainguard. 

The Brooks aged B67 was the last addition. I originally had an old Messinger, but it was fairly worn out. I picked it up from H&S Bike Discount in Germany as they had the cheapest Brooks.

Picked up the rear rack from ebay for ~$20. It attaches to the seatpost clamp bolt. I commute with this bicycle and added the motorcycle license plate for added reflectivity at night and allowed me to put another reflector on. 

The original stem shifters were Shimano and were on the upper tube. I didn't want something to scratch paint and got some from my local bike shop for a good 5 dollars.


 The grips and the levers came from Velo-Orange. They are the Dia Compe inverse levers and corresponding grips. They fit quite nicely on the handlebars from an old AMF 3-speed. However, I would not recommend these levers. They have too much sideways play for my liking. I should have bought the Tektro. The front rack is hard to find apparently. I took it off a scrap bike pile from a folded bike shop that eventually fell down on itself. The chrome is in horrible shape, but if I keep the bicycle inside, it should be fine. I think it gives it a better look.


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