Flea Market Find /  by Will O'Connor

Finding that perfect something at a garage sale brings much more happiness to me than is probably due. Regardless, when I stumbled upon a Schwinn World Sport for $10, I was hooked. I decided to build this bike up as a modern-multispeed bullorn commuter and reuse as many parts as I could from the original bike and make the total customization cost as low as possible. 

I wanted to replicate the appearance of the neon yellow frame accents in the handlebars to create a better color balance for the build. Modifying an online bicycle configurator to my design concept allowed me to easily visualize the success of final product. 

In keeping with the flea market mentality, I rebuilt rather than replaced as many components as possible. I swapped out components in the wheelset so that I could use the original chromed steel rims. I repacked the bearings in the bottom bracket and reused the crankset. Even though the original shifters functioned properly, upgrading the shifters were key to this build. After some research, I found that Shimano A050 shifters were perfect for this customization project. They are bullhorn compatible indexed shifters that allowed me to use a new 7 speed freewheel on the existing wheelset, but also keep compatibility with the 2 speed front derailleur. An ideal fit. 

My first iteration of the bike did not include replacing the rear derailleur, however, the new indexed shifting was incompatible with the old derailleur and required an upgrade. Unfortunately, the necessary upgrades raised the cost of this project higher that desired. Each component was bought separately, and I lost out on any option for quantity discount. The next build will need to have components purchased in bulk in order to be cost effective.

JS Bike Customization /  by Will O'Connor

My friend was having a lot of trouble with the durability of his 1980s Schwinn bike and needed new components badly. He didn't want to buy a new bike because he was very fond of the retro appearance and style of his current one, so he asked me what I thought was possible. Online bicycle configurator tools allowed me to validate my design concepts before embarking on component acquisition. The wine red frame was a little dinged up, but I thought the patina finish juxtaposed against the clean look of the black wheels with the machined aluminum sidewalls produces an intriguing and visually compelling final product. My friend agreed and I marched on with the build. 

Finding a very affordable groupset was critical to this full refurbish project to remain cost effective. I was able to find a Shimano Claris groupset that included everything to do with the drivetrain and braking system at a low enough cost and high enough quality to allow me to keep this build at a similar price point and quality of mass built bikes. I encountered an issue with the reach of the new brake calipers upon installation - an issue that occurs when the diameter of the wheel shrinks when changing from a 27" to 700c wheelset. Fortunately, the pre-existing calipers had a long enough reach to match the braking surface of the 700c rim.

The performance upgrades of a new wheel and groupset fully justified the cost of the customization - proving out that upgrading an old steel frame bicycle is worth it to maintain style.

LK Bike Customization /  by Will O'Connor

When another friend caught wind of my customization project for JS, she wanted one for herself, but purple. Royal purple. I was more than happy to oblige. A royal purple frame is not easy to acquire, but I had a women's frame laying around my garage that fit her perfectly, so I got to work.

We talked about pricing for spray painting versus powder coating the frame. Since cost was a high priority for her, we decided spray paint was the best choice. To set up the best surface for painting I decided to strip the rusted hot pink powder coat with a sandblaster to start from scratch with a bare frame. The finish on the metal was not what I expected. The bead blast was too aggressive and left a fine texture on the bare steel frame that showed through the final paint job. Fortunately, the textured surface turned out to be unique in a good way and my friend was very pleased. 

I was able to utilize the same groupset selection from JS' bike customization project on this build but was able to anticipate the issues with the brake caliper reach and bought compatible calipers from the start. The experience of spray painting a frame is not something I would repeat. The cost savings was eaten up by enormous amounts of prep work and painting time required to have a durable paint job. If a custom color is desired on the next project, it will be powder coated. Despite this, my friend was incredibly happy with such a unique bike that bridged the gap between old and new so well.