sandmangts
Senior Retro Guru
Thanks to JWesty I have started a new project. Jeff sent me this lead and I took a chance and ended up with this very nice 41 Excelsior badged DX with very good original paint. Since I got it I have had it sitting around while researching the path for my build. Alan Bonds and I have exchanged a few emails and I managed to aquire some decent parts. I thought I was set to go with a rear sturmey 3 speed with a drum brake and a sturmey drum up front with Araya 7x rims, Ta Cranks, Brooks saddle, Skull Skates bars and a tuff neck mini stem. Here is the frame:
So, Like I said I thought I was set to begin, then yesterday I noticed an obscure craigslist ad that said "vintage schwinn tandems and parts" In the back of my mind I thought there was a slim possibility that this could include the holy grail of clunker drum brake hubs, the ever elusive Union Drum. They almost never surface for sale. They were used by Schwinn for some of their tandems and they are quite rare and highly sought after. I dismissed the ad and went back to work but I was still thinking there may be a chance so I called the guy and since he was very close to my workplace I drove out. Best descision I ever made:
Needless to say my chosen path has changed. These hubs look rough but they work very well and appear to have been used very little. Stay tuned and lets see how this one turns out. It's gonna be a challenge but it should be a fun ride.
So, Like I said I thought I was set to begin, then yesterday I noticed an obscure craigslist ad that said "vintage schwinn tandems and parts" In the back of my mind I thought there was a slim possibility that this could include the holy grail of clunker drum brake hubs, the ever elusive Union Drum. They almost never surface for sale. They were used by Schwinn for some of their tandems and they are quite rare and highly sought after. I dismissed the ad and went back to work but I was still thinking there may be a chance so I called the guy and since he was very close to my workplace I drove out. Best descision I ever made:
Needless to say my chosen path has changed. These hubs look rough but they work very well and appear to have been used very little. Stay tuned and lets see how this one turns out. It's gonna be a challenge but it should be a fun ride.