Classic & Vintage - Where are the Muscle bikes?

I have noticed a lacking in this type of bike. Is this a road-bike site exclusively? The muscle bikes played a major role when I was growing up. They were the mtn. bike of the day. There's been some old 3speed cruisers and the occasional Muscle bike. But not nearly enough. Everyone's collection should have at least one in it. Here's a spot to show off your hot-rod. I'll start with one of mine........this one is a 1999(that's right)CCM Mustang. CCM reintroduced the Mustang to commemorate their 100th birthday. It was sold in only gold. This one has been modified a little bit. 1969 Mustang chainring, forks off of a 24" mtn. bike(to give it a little more rake), and a 30+ year old back tire and sissy bar. I peeled the stickers off because they looked really cheesy. And I've since changed the seat post(found one in an exercise bike that was long enough. I'm 6'). The Torpedo 3speed hub is a pile of junk. Can't adjust it so first gear doesn't skip. I'm gonna swap in a 1969 Sturmey AW hub and be done with it. It's a fun bike to ride. Very tough. I ride it hard and put it away wet. 'Cause that's what they're for. Right? I'll post some pics of the other ones soon. Gotta dig em out.
http://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s148/thebikeguyCCM/th_Jam151.jpg (http://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s148/thebikeguyCCM/Jam151.jpg)

Lots of folks here post muscle bike pictures. Had one myself when I was a kid (Huffy Rail). But I have no interest in them now, besides nostalgia.
I DO still have my CCM hockey skates.
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I love to see them, though I doubt I would ever want a muscle bike unless I had an appropriate place to display it, such as a rec room or possibly with a muscle car.

I only look moderately foolish riding my classics, I would look REAL foolish on a muscle bike at my age!

What year top506? I collect old CCM hockey equipment too. They've been making skates since 1914. They came up with the tubular design for the blades. Besides, I thought nostalgia was the point. Preserving the past. Whatever floats your boat. As for looking "foolish". Sometimes you have to do things for yourself. I'm 47 and I don't care what people think when I ride it. Their loss if they have a problem. I have a blast. That's what counts.

What year? I collect old CCM hockey equipment too. They've been making skates since 1914. Besides, I thought nostalgia was the point. Preserving the past. Whatever floats your boat.

I have a pair of Custom Tacks from 1983, as I recall, I couldn't afford the Super Tacks and the Custom's were on sale.

There are lots of them over at http://www.schwinnbike.com/heritage/forumdisplay.php?forumid=4, although they tend to be of one specific brand. I've never been interested in them. They're fun to look at, but I'm too big to ride one, and if I can't ride it, well, why have one?

What year top506? I collect old CCM hockey equipment too. They've been making skates since 1914. Besides, I thought nostalgia was the point. Preserving the past. Whatever floats your boat. As for looking "foolish". Sometimes you have to do things for yourself. I'm 47 and I don't care what people think when I ride it. Their loss. I have a blast.
Amen bikeguy, exactly what riding should be all about, having a blast no matter what your ride of choice is. Heck had a roadie ride on our Hamilton beach cruise last summer. He was riding a home made chopper and said it was the most fun he has had riding...Ever. And you havent seen foolish till you have seen 200lbs plus guys riding kiddie bikes with 12-16 inch rims...

I'd love to have a muscle bike again, but it'd have to be in my size. I built something like one last year, on a terrible old MTB, with huge 24" ape hangers, a banana seat, and a sissy bar, but of course, it was all really designed for 20" bikes, so I couldn't get the seat high enough. I rode it twice, and it was stolen out of my back garden. I now have an appalling chinese road bike, with rubber block pedals, and gold anodised rims and hubs. I'm going to get a pair of ape hangers and a banana seat again, but this time, I'll fabricate my own sissy bar, big enough so that I can ride at my height, and I'll make my own set of triple tree forks, really long, for the proper effect. More of an alt-bikes forum project though, that one.

I would like to have a couple in my collection but man do those stingrays price up

I'm 47 and I don't care what people think when I ride it.

That must be the cutoff then, as I am 49!

I'd buy and restore the right one if it came along, but it would have to be one I really, really lusted for as a child such as the 2 or 3 speed Deluxe Sting Ray as pictured here:

http://www.geocities.com/sldbconsumer/1966/66ccpg17.html

That must be the cutoff then, as I am 49!

I'd buy and restore the right one if it came along, but it would have to be one I really, really lusted for as a child such as the 2 or 3 speed Deluxe Sting Ray as pictured here:

http://www.geocities.com/sldbconsumer/1966/66ccpg17.html
Nope. No cut off age. I'll probably still be riding it(or something similiar)in two years or ten years. I've found the fountain of youth. It's called immaturity. Muscle bikes just aren't your bag(except maybe for investment purposes). Life is short. Play hard.

I have some CCM Mustang hockey skates from the 70s heh.

I found an old "muscle" bike in the trash last summer, had a cantilever frame like some of the vintage ccm mustangs used. It was some Japanese thing geared way too low for me to ride, and im over 5 feet tall so I dont see how I could ride it otherwise without messing up my knees.

I've found the fountain of youth. It's called immaturity.

According to my wife, I still have plenty of immaturity! And I love every minute of it, too!

OK, here's my "muscle bike", affectionately refered to as Physical Graffitti. It's a Schwinn Apple Krate frame that had the downtube broken, so I pulled the headtube out, rewelded it with reinforcement plates and made a fork to match. Has matching Shimano disc brakes, 5 speed with fingertip shifter. I also made the sissy bar. The BB was replaced with a 3 piece type. Seat, handlebar bag, pedal bodies and rear braked mount are all done in crushed red velvet. And the spokes are red! :p

The skates are Tracker plates with the trucks replaced with Tracker Mag(nesium)'s. Boots are Reidell speed boots, and the wheels are Krypto 70's. Built those in 1982. Still have them. Top speed down a very big hill....62 m.p.h.! Believe THAT ...or don't!
Wonder what those "vintage" plates would fetch on FleaBay??!??

Thanks for letting me share the fruit of my youth! :D

I have some CCM Mustang hockey skates from the 70s heh.

I found an old "muscle" bike in the trash last summer, had a cantilever frame like some of the vintage ccm mustangs used. It was some Japanese thing geared way too low for me to ride, and im over 5 feet tall so I dont see how I could ride it otherwise without messing up my knees.
I'm 6". If you notice in my pic how high I've got the seat set. You just need a longer sissy bar and seat post. You can also gain a bit by swapping in a crank with longer pedal arms and larger chainring. You don't have to worry about the handle bars. They're already nice and tall. This repro-Mustang is a smaller frame than the original and I can still fit it.Ride Hard. Ride Free

What year top506? I collect old CCM hockey equipment too.

I got 'em used in 1972; old enough to be made of leather.
FWIW; I took my younger daughter skating this afternoon. First time I've been in a rink since my college career ended in 1982.
Didn't know you played hockey up north:D
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(Portland Pirates RULE!)

OK, here's my "muscle bike", affectionately refered to as Physical Graffitti. It's a Schwinn Apple Krate frame that had the downtube broken, so I pulled the headtube out, rewelded it with reinforcement plates and made a fork to match. Has matching Shimano disc brakes, 5 speed with fingertip shifter. I also made the sissy bar. The BB was replaced with a 3 piece type. Seat, handlebar bag, pedal bodies and rear braked mount are all done in crushed red velvet. And the spokes are red! :p

The skates are Tracker plates with the trucks replaced with Tracker Mag(nesium)'s. Boots are Reidell speed boots, and the wheels are Krypto 70's. Built those in 1982. Still have them. Top speed down a very big hill....62 m.p.h.! Believe THAT ...or don't!
Wonder what those "vintage" plates would fetch on FleaBay??!??

Thanks for letting me share the fruit of my youth! :D
Now that is a SWEET looking bike. Nicely done. It's cool because it's an Apple Krate. The Scwinn guys must dump on you for cutting such a valuable bike. BEAUTIFUL!! 62 MPH!! I believe it. A buddy of mine used to live in San Francisco in the 80s and he showed me a speeding ticket he got on his roller skates(not blades)58 mph in a 25mph. He went to court and beat it. Must be a rush on those tiny little wheels.

Now that is a SWEET looking bike. Nicely done. It's cool because it's an Apple Krate. The Scwinn guys must dump on you for cutting such a valuable bike. BEAUTIFUL!! 62 MPH!! I believe it. A buddy of mine used to live in San Francisco in the 80s and he showed me a speeding ticket he got on his roller skates(not blades)58 mph in a 25mph. He went to court and beat it. Must be a rush on those tiny little wheels.
THANKS TBG! I only cut the frame because it was already broken when I got it. And I just ran into the guy who sold it to me, those many years ago. I built that in 10th grade metal shop. I was class of '79, but took the test and hopped on that bike and rode off into the sunset! Took 1st place at the local car show 3 years running!

Yeah, the early '80's were the days of speed! I may have even skated with your friend. I worked in a (the) skate shop in Sacramento back in '81-82 and we had many visiting skaters from the City. Only name I can come up with from back then is Sam Cunningham. He was a skate boarder though. We use to impress each other with our vert manuevers. Yes, I also skated vert, back in the day! :eek:

A rush is kind of an understatement! :D
We used to laugh because we went faster on skates, than cars were allowed to go on the freeway! :rolleyes:
National speed limit in those days was 55.

I actually took them out for a little nostalgia party for my 44th Bday. Went to an old favorite descent and went for it! :eek:

OOOH MYYY GOOOD! I scared the &$&@# out of myself! I can't believe what we used to do on that hill!
But I went back up and did it a couple more times, just for "old" times sake. Probably hit 25 or 30! Max! :p
Personal best (ever) 47 m.p.h. on that hill. :D

Sadly I don't have this one anymore, but I sure do miss it. It's a coppertone Stingray De-Luxe Mini-Twinn. It had the Bendix 2 speed kickback hub and was simply a blast to ride around. It creaked and groaned when my brother and I rode it but that might have been the springs in the front seat which was the only non original part on it. I shouldn't have let this one slip out of my hands.

Sadly I don't have this one anymore, but I sure do miss it. It's a coppertone Stingray De-Luxe Mini-Twinn. It had the Bendix 2 speed kickback hub and was simply a blast to ride around. It creaked and groaned when my brother and I rode it but that might have been the springs in the front seat which was the only non original part on it. I shouldn't have let this one slip out of my hands.

I have never seen such a thing! What a beautiful colour, too.

East Hill

I have never seen such a thing! What a beautiful colour, too.

East Hill
I think it's the nicest color Schwinn ever made. I know there are a few more of those bikes out there, but I'll never find another in the condition that one was in for a price I'd be willing to pay.

This is almost identical to the bike I had as a teenager. Mine had a white seat and grips - was probably a 1967. I rode between villages and all over the forest trails in [then] West Germany. I'd love to have one again.

http://www.mostlymusclebikes.com/1966rodeo3sp.jpg

Back in the day, my brother-in-law picked up a trashed Sting Ray at a yard sale. Thought he could fix it up for not to much. 2 new wheels, a 3 speed hub, new chain, new seat, rechromed fenders & a metallic paint job later he had spent more than the cost of a new bike, but my niece loved it! Don

maybe search for lowrider bikes, rather than muscle bikes. More likely to find something like that in there.

http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h283/new_dharma/Bikes/th_bikes10.jpg (http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h283/new_dharma/Bikes/bikes10.jpg)http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h283/new_dharma/Bikes/th_bikes9.jpg (http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h283/new_dharma/Bikes/bikes9.jpg)http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h283/new_dharma/Bikes/th_bikes7.jpg (http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h283/new_dharma/Bikes/bikes7.jpg)

They (Schwinn) all need a LOT of work...most are 'girl' frames, a couple are Sting Ray, Jr's...

We have a discussion area specifically for musclebikes.
Plus a picture database with hundreds of musclebikes.
Plus 10+ years worth of on-line archives on musclebikes.

I am getting ready to recreate my high school muscle bike (with a slightly different but similarly styled 1955 Schwinn Corvette frame).

A 26" wheeled 3 speed with ramshorn bars and a banana seat. :D

I rode that bad boy from Tacoma WA to Kelso WA one day, then to Oysterville WA a few days later... A friend on his 10 speed couldn't keep up with me. He claimed it was because I was more aerodynamic. :rolleyes:

I have a couple. One of them is a unknown brand cantilever frame with 24" wheels. Saturday it's getting disc brake mounts, a derailer hanger, stick shift and 26" mountain bike wheels. I'm making a custom seatpost to get the seat low and way back over the rear wheel. Should be prety nifty, I'm hoping to get it built up over the weekend, stripped down during the week next week and painted next saturday.

The other is a '70 Schwinn Fastback. Right now it's just a box of parts. :(

I'm hoping to get it built up over the weekend, stripped down during the week next week and painted next saturday.
Do you work for the Tuetles over at OCC?

Saturday sounds like it'll be a looong day! :p

And posting pictures of it along the way is always fun! ;) ;)