BMX - BMX Freebie

Trading out computer work, I wound up with an unidentified Haro 20" BMX. The bike was obviously a beater. The front wheel was loose and sloppy, but has a sealed bearing system and to fix that, all I had to do was take the wheel off and hand tighten the inner axle nuts and then reinstall the wheel. I figured wth, check to see how true the wheels are and the front is pretty close to true, but the rear wheel is noticeably wobbly from side to side. So I definitely need them trued. Outside of that, it'll need brakes front & rear as the previous owner had either converted it to a brakeless bmx or had this bike around as a donor bike ? But that's bare minimum to make is safely rideable for a child ?

Frame finish is scraped up, so it's uglified, but the tubes aren't dented and there are no cracks either, even at the welds. Hmmmm, what else ? No trick pegs, so maybe those would be nice to add. Tubes have held air for a week now, so they are good, tires have rubber, but have that look of decade old, rarely ridden and dried out look. But they should hold up for riding around the neighborhood.

Anyway, trying to identify the specific model, looks like a Haro Mirra 540

http://www.bikepedia.com/QuickBike/BikeSpecs.aspx?Year=1999&Brand=Haro&Model=Mirra%20540&Type=bike
http://www.bikepedia.com/QuickBike/BikeSpecs.aspx?Year=2003&Brand=Haro&Model=Mirra%20540&Type=bike

What do you guys think, accurate id ?

Now that I look at it, there's a top tube bend just before the seat post that kills the Mirra 540 match. That and the crank arms aren't 3 piece. Unless this bmx is a little older than the 1999 and the frame design changed prior to it in an unknown model year.

This one looks like a closer match:

http://www.bidorbuy.co.za/item/17306011/BMX_Haro_backtrail_x1.html

or this one even:

http://media.photobucket.com/image/haro%20bmx%20frame%20logo/hun80/azutolsofordulo036.jpg

Almost convinced myself it's a 2003 Backtrail X1 with the 2004 seat. The 2003 because of the solid crank wheel and arms, but the seat is definitely the sewn panels of the 2004 model.

http://www.bikepedia.com/quickbike/BikeSpecs.aspx?Year=2003&Brand=Haro&Model=Backtrail%20X1&Type=bike
http://www.bikepedia.com/quickbike/BikeSpecs.aspx?Year=2004&Brand=Haro&Model=Backtrail%20X1&Type=bike

So it's about a $ 200 brand new bike in it's day. There might be a possibility that it could also be the X2 or X3 Backtrail that would value it somewhere between $ 250-400 ? But what kills that match is that the X2 & X3 all seem to have the 3 piece crank set. And this bike I have has a cruiser-like cheapo 1 piece crank set.

Find the serial and post it on BMXmuseum someone there should have a cheat sheet, its hard to tell with a lot of the new stuff because in many cases the same frame can and will have several "different" names, but yeah Im gonna go with X1 its for sure not a mirra.

Now that I magnified the picture of the 2003 Backtrail X1, the seat post has the same clamp and saddle the same paneled stitched design. Mystery solved 2003 Haro Backtrail X1 it is. Chromoly frame and fork, the crank set/arms could be nicer, but for a beater, this one is just fine. Probably worth about $ 20 without the brake hardware and the condition the paint finish is in. I researched a few on Craig's List for anywhere between $ 50-125 dependent upon model year and condition. Those prices are probably negotiable too. Hunt down a front & rear brake system, true the wheels and this one should be rideable in traffic and around the neighborhood. It rides pretty good as is, but I'm not enamored with the Reebok brakes.

:) A few years ago i had a similar problem figuring out what ended up being a 2001 mirra pro, i just found so many frames that resembled it sooo closely.

Thanks Fizzaly, I scraped paint off today and this bike has a history of being painted. Actually, the frame was chromed, prior owner(s) roughed up the chrome in some spots and other areas failed to sufficiently get the metal/chrome prepped properly. The bike has gray primer, red and yellow paint around the bottom bracket and rear wheel stays, which actually is proving to be the hardest to get off the frame even though the frame was prepped poorest for the paint job at those points. I'm speculating, but the yellow looks like paint that they paint curbs with, it's that tough. And it's around the welds so I'm picking at it like I'm cleaning teeth to break it free. The last coat, flat black scrapes off easily and I think the previous owner got disinterested in doing a quality stripping and prep job to go all black with it. I intend to get the chrome off it and really do the best I can, even if it takes more time than it seems to be worth. It's cleaning up really nice though and I've got 99 % of the lame attempt to go black on the bike off it.

I researched Haro serial numbers, mine is B1S3E*****, everything I found on-line indicates B1 = Model, a Backtrack X1, not sure what S3E stands for, but *****, that's either a count of frames produced, year, week & lot # ? Wouldn't surprise me, but there might be a coding for what plant the frame was manufactured in there ? I see enough 3's in the SN to convince myself that one of them is the year. Also confirming the Backtrack X1 model, the chrome on the top tube, the original sticker or branding method, that was there long enough to leave a ghost image that indicates that model too.

Uggghhh, seat post is stuck and one of the pedals won't come free. Why can't I just leave this pos by the dumpster and move on with my life ? ;)

Go to wally world and get a can of orange stripper its around 7 bucks a can coat it real good let it sit over night and in the morning you should be able to remove all the paint with just a green scrubbie, if you cant get the pedal off just cut the arm off ive had to do that on a few bikes those 1peice cranks are pretty much worthless anyways. My method of seat post removal is weird if i can't get it out with vise grips ive found banging it in a bit further will sometimes loosen it up, but sometimes it just gets it stuck worse:)
I have the same problem im always working on some old pos im a tinkerer thats the excuse i use:)

Well, I'm down to the bare frame with a stuck seat post. The chrome is 75% scrubbed, previous attempt left me all the tight areas to grind the rest of the chrome. The black paint was easy to scrape off, the other attempt to paint it they didn't use any primer. Anyway, here are some pics of where the project is now. I think I'm going gray primer and battleship gray for the color choice. With as much effort, I'm seriously considering powdercoat ? Opinions ?

184374184375184376184377184378184379

If you bring it in for powder coat you can have them chemically strip the frame for you, would save you a bunch of effort, ive never had the best of luck painting over chrome without out having it removed.

From what I've just read about it, most chrome has a light layer of copper underneath, that must be the yellowish gold hue (or at least what my lcd monitor displays as that) at the mid-points of the top & down tubes in pic #3 ? Been scrubbing that with a sheet of 80 grit and it seems to have roughened it up, I think that might be rough enough for a base primer coat to adhere to ? Reading on painting copper, there seems to be a concensus that there are no adhesion issues with primer and enamels with copper. I'll probably try a wire attachment to a 3/8" drill and see where that gets me on the bottom bracket and head tube to try to make that lighter work. I'm also in the process of contacting a guy that I know that has a custom paint shop. Not sure if he has any experience with it, but yeah, I'm all for getting it done the easiest way, but also the best way for the best results without raping the bank account.

As for the 1 piece crank, I'm going to try to reuse that, the bearings aren't worn and they were quite smooth. Besides I'm looking at the bottom bracket shell and it has these cups that I can't seem to see a way that they are removed easily. Inspecting the head set bearings and bottom bracket bearings, this bike has very little mileage on it and show no wear at all. I'm not ready to invest in a bottom bracket and crank set, although modernizing the bike has also crossed my mind. I will put new pedals on it, the resin ones are scuffed and worn.

Previous owner just didn't like the chrome I guess and wanted it a solid color. That finish is pretty tough, as if the chromoly steel wasn't already. Personally, the chrome annoys me, too shiny on a sunny day. Even if I clear coated it as scuffed, that's preferable to the reflection, glare & sunburst the chrome would have.

Prepped the top tube with 80 grit sandpaper, then did a test spot with Plasti-kote's gray automotive sanding primer paint, it seems to coat evenly & adhere to the scuffed steel properly. I think this is going to work and I'll put a couple quality layers of primer on it, a better quality enamel is going to finish quite nicely. I'm thinking using spray cans, even for the enamel, that this will be just fine ? Just not looking forward to sanding the entire frame, but I'm in this far, so I need to get busy and stay the course on demanding an excellent prep job out of myself, hopefully my resolve is as tenacious from start to finish. Just the satisfaction from the results of the test spot is encouraging.

Reading more on it, I need to use self-etching primer first, I don't think the product I tried/tested is that type of primer. Afterwards the other layers of primer and paint can be a regular primer and enamel. I guess while this worked for what I did, it may not last long, so I will definitely use the self-etching primer.

Unless anyone can convince me otherwise, I am going with a self-etching primer, a clear adhesion coat and then Ford Gray engine enamel for a finish.

http://www.autozone.com/autozone/accessories/Rust-Oleum-12-oz-Self-Etching-primer/_/N-259g?counter=8&itemIdentifier=246429_0_0_
http://www.autozone.com/autozone/accessories/Dupli-Color-11-oz-clear-adhesion-promoter/_/N-259g?counter=6&itemIdentifier=460112_0_0_
http://www.autozone.com/autozone/accessories/Rust-Oleum-12-oz-Ford-gray-engine-enamel?itemIdentifier=851535
http://www.google.com/products/catalog?hl=en&rlz=1G1GGLQ_ENUS300&q=engine+enamel+Ford+gray&um=1&ie=UTF-8&cid=3411991331476908566&ei=1bAiTa-eMIKClAfz7vzGCw&sa=X&oi=product_catalog_result&ct=result&resnum=3&ved=0CDsQ8wIwAg#

Pros: For as long as Rust-Oleum, the bike and or Ford continue to exist, there will be paint that matches. Even so, the paint has a code and can be mixed even by a custom paint shop. The stuff is relatively inexpensive. Virtually all these products prevent & resist rust. I intend this to be the last and only time that I ever paint this thing. It's really a lot of work at this point (damn chrome).

Cons: Not sure how it will hold up to exposure to direct sunlight as an external application, most engines aren't directly exposed ? Not sure how durable or rather resistent to stones and chipping ? On cast iron blocks laid on thick enough it'll take a beating from wrenches, so I figure it should hold up.

So far, itemized estimate on getting this one restored:

F&R wheels trued $ 25.
Origin 8 u-brake, everything from hand lever to the pads $ 50.
Paint job, I estimate will run about $ 25-30 for the rattle cans or self etching primer to finish coat (and a lot of blood, sweat & tears).

Some day, it'll need new tubes & tires, but I'll save that for down the road. Hmmm, I probably should've just hunted down a desperate or distressed Craig's List bmx for sale ?

I say go with the engine coat thats a pretty tough enamel should last a while don't know about the sun exposure though.

I've been putting off the frame for sanding. In the interim though I have the fork (everything except the dropouts), 1 piece crank and crank gear prepped for primer and painting. I'm contemplating whether or not to do the handlebars. Those are high ten and have some rust, a single dent on the underside near the stem collar & scratches where stickers were scraped off. And I still have to get that seat tube loose.

I was thinking if there was an easy way to do it, that cutting out sections of the solid crank gear would be nice. Give it a cheap but more modern look, by a couple of years ? Modifications though are too tough for me. If I had a drill press, that might be a nifty idea to make it customized ? And it would save me from having to worry about a solid flat crank gear from having to be perfectly painted without possibility of paint runs.

You could probably find a used chain wheel for pretty cheap, it you lived closer i would just send you one

Actually found one on Amazon.com, a Redline 44T that is pretty reasonable for what I want to pay for a replacement. I think that I will paint the one I prepped last night and see how it comes out though first.

http://www.amazon.com/REDLINE-Flight-Style-OPC-Chainwheel/dp/B000C14PT4
http://www.amazon.com/REDLINE-Flight-CNC-Aluminum-Chainwheel/dp/B001AV163I
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001BONZB0/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_sr_2?pf_rd_p=486539851&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B001AV163I&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=1F2NR2FHD444TWRESFH3

This place has several, some not as cheap as others though:

http://www.niagaracycle.com/index.php?cPath=96

Mine ends up looking like this after it's done ?

http://www.niagaracycle.com/product_info.php?products_id=404967

Can't get over how perfectly thin and durable the paint on the factory item is. Again prior owner/painter had drip runs and then didn't prep the part. Weird though, the rust was surface rust, very little to no pitting, but pitted and it almost looks like an acid rain drop attacked the finish and steel after I had sanded it in some spots. Anyway, the primer should fill whatever pit is left and harden, then I'll paint it with the finish coat.

Here you can see the spots that sanded easily, some of that I attribute to the paint that was applied after the factory job (larger, more complete areas exposed to the bare metal), but the smaller spots had light surface rust that pitted. I'm thinking the chainwheel was exposed to fertilizer, bug spray chemicals that caused that. The larger areas that has to be a reaction to the fusion or bonding from the additional paint, perhaps even acidity of the paint ? Maybe I'm over-analyzing it, nothing I can do about it anyways, just thought I'd share ?

if you want a real smooth surface just use some paint stripper from a can it will remove it all.

I've thought about that too, apartment complex won't let me leave that laying around. Inside apartment, toxic fumes ?

The orange based stuff you can get from walmart is what i use and its non toxic so long as you dont have a painted bath tub just throw some plastic down and leave the window open it only smells like oranges and it works great.

I couldn't find it on walmarts website but here it is on home depots http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10051&productId=100164441&langId=-1&catalogId=10053&ci_src=14110944&ci_sku=100164441&cm_mmc=shopping-_-googlebase-_-D24X-_-100164441&locStoreNum=4702&marketID=44

Thanks but reading up on it, it looks like they just mask the odor with orange scent:

http://www.wmbarr.com/msds.aspx?catid=10

I'm almost done with the paint sanding anyway. But you know what, that orange scent might just fool the watchdogs. When I frist started the project, the busy body nosier neighbors had to concern themselves with whether the bike was stolen and what was going on. Funny, one of the older women in the complex, complains incessantly about the stray cats around the complex. Yet I constantly catch her not only feeding a few on her doorstep, but taking them into her apartment. There's a nut job for you, but for the most part you throw her a nugget of gossip and she's basically harmless and out of your business. Just need to know when to deflect and steer her onto a bigger story. And she's that inquisitive that she'll remain preoccupied with getting to the bottom of irrelevant events for weeks on end.

Man i wouldn't last a week in your complex, that spray hasn't seemed to bother me, but i can see what your talking about:)

Wow, thats alot of time, effort and money in a bike that when your done is still gonna be a $25 dollar bike.

Wow, thats alot of time, effort and money in a bike that when your done is still gonna be a $25 dollar bike.

Yeah, agree with that to an extent. But I've priced this model and vintage, they run $ 80-125 on CL, what I'll have put into it, is middle of that range. There aren't that many listed and what is also available isn't close to home, I'd burn gas to drive and get it. Most everything else in South Florida is hi-ten in that range too. This bike is a Haro 100% chromoly frame & fork and to get today's version is $ 490-600 brand new MSRP. This bike, potential for my efforts will do just fine refurbished with fresh paint. Wheels trued up perfectly, they are a little rough, need new tires, but these also have life left in them. Used chromoly bmx are $ 275-350 on CL in this area for ridden only a few times. Anyway, I am not interested in buying new or near new for that price or what the MSRP for a just out of the box bmx. Is what it is, but $ 25 bike was probably where it was, it's not going to be that when it's done though. I should be able to get what I have into it for paint and labor that I can't/didn't do for myself, that's if I intend to flip it. But I intend to use it, recycled something that is perfectly good. Outside of the brake, the wheel true was $ 25, the paint is going to run about $ 30, so $ 55 and a lot of work, not bad. I just have to get moving on freeing up the seat post and painting now. The brake, I haven't bought yet, so I'm not out anything there. Haven't bought any paint either, but that's down the street, I'm out $ 25 so far and my time to strip paint. I can still abort & walk away if I choose, put it back together and sell it for $ 25 ?

I also looked into getting the 25/9 gearing. With a 20 inch wheel it's 55 GI, staying with the 44/16, that's 55 GI too. Doesn't bother me that I have the mega crank gear, it's just as fast either way. Frame style, the dimensions are pretty much identical to the newest frames, even though it has the bend designed in front of the seat post. Effective top tube length 20.5", pretty standard in the industry, almost perfect for my height according to fit charts for a 5'10" male, I don't care if it's a straight pipe vs the bend, that's a preference. No cracks in the frame or it's welds. No dents, rust or pitting that sanding and the primer coat won't fill. Bike will essentially be new again, higher end than a Wal-Mart or Sports Authority bmx and those can range from $ 59-279 for hi-ten or a hybrid hi-ten/chromoly frame, again this is 100% chromoly, even the forks. My LBS has Giant bmx's for $ 300-350, this Haro is worth more to me refurbished and kept as a personal use bike, than flipped. I want it and it should last as I don't intend to do the aerials and jumps that will destroy it or worse yet, hospitalize me for broken limbs at the emergency room. I'll get the money's worth out of it.

I have around 7 or 8 bikes that may only be worth a few bucks but after doing much the same as fuji they look bada$, i would much rather have my 40lb diamondback than a fit or the like anyday.

Oh, I'll be the first to admit that if money wasn't the issue, I'd drop $ 600 on a brand new one and be the original owner, being the first to break and scratch it up. Unfortunately this is where I am with it. Probably could have just rode it like it was too. But here's kind of where I want to go with it and this guy went too far and added the blue, which hurts my eyes, but those parts are where I'm definitely staying black or battleship gray on (handlebars, grips & stem gloss black, wheels (tires, spokes, rims & hubs) black, fork will be the battleship gray, no chrome, brake will be black, same with seat post collar and seat post) and the crank set/entire drivetrain will be gloss black.

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This pic has potential too, WW II Germany black, gray and white camouflage:

http://media.photobucket.com/image/battleship%20gray%20bmx/concreteaziz/MYDC2422.jpg

And the other choice for color was/is Olive drab green (with possibility of khaki tan):

185119

http://bmxmuseum.com/image/sunday_bmx_003_blowup.jpg
http://media.photobucket.com/image/olive%20green%20bmx/vonan/03092010147.jpg

Hey, money no object and subject to availability how about this for a concept bike ?

http://www.theblogismine.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/hubless-bmx-concept-bike-nikolay-boltachev-1.jpg

The bike I'm doing here could be white frame, with the black components outlined in the prior post. Krylon has engine enamel (the finish coat I am leaning towards) in a wide variety, yet still limited color palette. I want a durable chip resistant paint that will wear like iron nails, yet be available as a touch up paint. Today's bikes are custom colors that'll change from year to year as the manufacturer sees fit to change. A Ford battleship gray engine enamel is the same as it was decades ago and with a code that several paint companies produce, Krylon & Dupli-Color to mention a couple, finding it on the shelf, even at Wal-Mart is going to be an inexpensive and painless find. I won't have to go very far out of my way, can even pick up groceries over there if I need a touch up spray can.

I'd be interested in seeing some of your restorations Fizzaly, I'm really starting to get into this one. Good therapy for the soul ? Anyway 40 lbs for the Diamondback, I feel fortunate that this one runs around 31 lbs from what I can find specs on-line for.

Sorry to go hog wild on html linking stuff, but putting this in a thread might help another search and gather information in one location should they stumble upon the thread. I thought this link was pretty nice, like bikepedia and several others.

http://www.bikesdetails.info/Haro_Backtrail_X1_2002.html
http://www.bikesdetails.info/Haro_Backtrail_X1_2003.html

The 2003 link listed the weight as unspecified, but the 2002 model is a clone of the 2003 except different colors. I'm curious as to whether the chrome weighs more than the painted models. And once this is done, I'm going to weigh it at the outdoors scale at the local grocery store to get a rough approximation of how much it weighs in lbs and not the ounces. I've weighed other bikes, I have a roadie, SS/FG, atb and now bmx. The 31.2 lbs indicated for the 2002 X1, that is actually heavier than my 26" atb rigid fork, hardtail made of hi-ten by only 1.5-2 lbs. But something I can live with after thinking about 40 lbs. Wow, that's cruiser weight class for a 20" bike ?

Anyway, the one question I've been curious about. The sealed bottom brackets all seem to be a press fit into the frame. Just curious as to why they don't thread them in like other bikes. I realize the bottom brackets are significantly larger, but the bmx sealed bb looks like a pressed bearing on the rear axles of a car. I realize too that bmx's go thru more torture for jumps and that's enough reason. But if they're that big anyway, threading it in makes just as much sense as pressing it ?

Anyway, the one question I've been curious about. The sealed bottom brackets all seem to be a press fit into the frame. Just curious as to why they don't thread them in like other bikes. I realize the bottom brackets are significantly larger, but the bmx sealed bb looks like a pressed bearing on the rear axles of a car. I realize too that bmx's go thru more torture for jumps and that's enough reason. But if they're that big anyway, threading it in makes just as much sense as pressing it ?

I think its a lot cheaper. The larger bearings make for more strength and they are easy and less heartbreaking to replace when they are shot. There could be another reason but I am not sure.

I dont have too many before pictures but heres a few that i do have,
heres one version of my old VFR
http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j210/fizzaly/Bikes%20bikes%20and%20more%20bikes/small_bike_4_blowup.jpg
Here it is when i was redoing it for about the third time
http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j210/fizzaly/dyno1.jpg
This is the after of my 97 balance super B
http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j210/fizzaly/DSC00177.jpg
This was the before
http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j210/fizzaly/DSC00059.jpg
Heres the heavy as sin skindog
http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j210/fizzaly/skindog1.jpg
And a 06 DB nitrus
http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j210/fizzaly/DSC00115.jpg
A pic of preping the nitrus for is top coat
http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j210/fizzaly/Bikes%20bikes%20and%20more%20bikes/dsc00070_blowup.jpg
Ive redone tons and tons of bikes but alot of them weren't bmx i don't really do it to save money its mostly just something i enjoy doing.

I like ! I see you have a chrome frame model too.

My rims are a little rougher than yours, but they're trued up perfectly and the bearings are greased, roll smooth and are tight and have the right tolerance of play. That's all that matters, don't want to pretty a bike that it gets stolen after going thru all this. The rims were again, poorly prepped & ugly black spray paint. As you can see in the pics, the tires have a little meat left on them, but they really need to be replaced, sidewalls are dry, but not cracked, weathered and worn for contact patch.

I wound up getting the rear brake system today, it's a Black Ops lever & u-brake. I'm going to need a spacer or two to lift it a little higher off the chain stays, so the cable tightening bolt won't drag on the frame when I do get it painted. Odyssey Gyro loosely installed to ensure it will assemble properly. I almost want to put it back together and ride it, but I have to resist at this point, I'm going to need to thoroughly clean and grease all the bearings in the crank & head set.

If I can get this bike to look like your skindog or 06 DB, I'd take that as the measuring bar. Especially the 06 DB, it's really what I'm after as far as a completed project. I know the rims aren't ever going to be there, I'd have to take the wheels apart to have a shot at coming close, but the rest of the 06 DB, I think I can try to accomplish and come close. Until I saw the handlebars on the 06 DB, I was going to be slack and leave mine alone and try to get by with used & abused black. But now that I see the handlebars in the same color of the frame, I am definitely going to paint them as well.

Yeah i wish i wouldn't have sold the blue nitrus i liked that bike. And ditto i have always like matching the bars either with the whole bike or the forks

Anyway, the one question I've been curious about. The sealed bottom brackets all seem to be a press fit into the frame. Just curious as to why they don't thread them in like other bikes. I realize the bottom brackets are significantly larger, but the bmx sealed bb looks like a pressed bearing on the rear axles of a car. I realize too that bmx's go thru more torture for jumps and that's enough reason. But if they're that big anyway, threading it in makes just as much sense as pressing it ?

Race bikes do use European bottom brackets, these days. Actually, the minis have been using them forever, but the square taper spindle with aluminum arms just won't hold up to older riders. They finally started making them with the same spindle and arm designs they'd been using for years, and doubled up on the bearings to make them hold up better. I'm sure the fact that racing has been losing the MX out of BMX has helped.

Freestyle still uses the larger bearings, probably for durability, like was mentioned in a previous post.

Slow going at this point, primered the handlebars and 1 piece crank arms. Will do the fork and chainwheel next. This is allowing the WD-40 to work it's way in and free the seat post. I see that as the unknown hurdle for getting this thing finished for project closure.

Do you have a torch, if so heat up the frame generally they get "stuck" right around where the top tube and seat stays meet the seat tube heat it up around there a little and if you have a bench vise great if not just get someone to hold the frame and either use a pipe wrench or vise grips to get the post to at least spin a bit then just start working it back and forth while pulling up

Using the propane torch that sucker is still not moving. Just so happens when I rode the bike before starting into this, it seemed to be a nice height and fit as it was. Definitely would like to get it unstuck though because now the torch burned off the black paint and I need to do the seat post without painting it stuck any further, otherwise it'll rust and then it'll really be an even bigger problem than it already is, if that's at all possible?

Update photos: Don't ask me why, but the chain wheel on one side is dimpled. Sanded, cleaned, primed and painted the same as the other (inner) side of it that turned out significantly smoother. I used gloss black and thinking about it, the high gloss is going to make any flaws significantly more visible and obvious. Maybe I spray it with a flat or semi-gloss black to hide imperfections ? But the gray is where I want it to be. Used engine enamel so I'm going to skip a clear coat, that way down the road, touch ups will be a paint it and done proposition. I went with same as frame color handlebars and crank arms, for a two tone of the crank set.

186408186409186410186411186412186413186414186415

Another thing about chrome finishes, while researching them with the google knowledgebase. I think black chrome on a bike would be pretty nice if one were to chrome the frame. If the chrome hadn't already been scuffed pretty good in the easier access places I might've even gone after that for a finish instead of this color theme/scheme. Oh well, the choice I made doesn't disappoint me as settling for less or black chrome as something that I'd rather have.

http://www.rustoleum.com/CBGProduct.asp?pid=514

Some examples:

http://buy-chrome-rims.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/black-chrome-mustang-rim.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2560/3837532913_5d0830669d.jpg
http://www.flickr.com/photos/68858113@N00/3837532913

So your going with the flat gray as a final color? if so i like it, ive always like satin and flats

The gray is actually a high gloss engine enamel, Dupli-Colors DE-1611. They do have a DE-1636 Clear engine enamel that probably really makes it a really wet and reflective look. The chain wheel is high gloss black in the RustOleum product, that I was able to get at Home Depot off the shelf, but they didn't have the other engine enamel colors. So I wound up going to both Advanced Auto & Autozone to get what I needed at this point. At $ 5.89 a can Autozone was sold out of the DE-1611 and I bought the last 2 cans over at Advanced, but there seems to be more Advanced stores in the area, so I can hunt down more when I need it and am ready for the frame. But anyway, the gray doesn't look as glossy as the black, lighting is flourescent in the kitchen and the surface that was painted high gloss black is flatter and larger, so the light really gets absorbed & reflects off it more than the gray. The gray is quite striking with that high gloss black as a two-tone drive train. Forgive me, the camera is a 1.3 megapixel Motorola Razr cell phone. It never has done any of the bikes justice for photo quality, especially indoors.

With this paint, I want to achieve a solid color, non metallic, basic industrial look to the bike with enough gloss to be pretty but not gorgeous. So I don't expect it to really be like what a factory would paint it to. A strikingly rugged & durable look.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o7EkuGBugdQ

Actually the recoat window is a little better than what he indicates in the video, it's been about 1/2 a day and I didn't get any wrinkle as I hit the chain wheel earlier today for a couple of coats. That dimple effect has actually smoothed out better for today's coats. I left the inner side of it alone, it's where I want it, just the outer side is dimpled slightly. After it dried, I ran it under hot water, it runs off & beads like crazy ! Can't wait to give it the gas & oil test. And am definitely giving it a 7 day cure that the instructions indicate. :)

Looks good:) I found some more before and afters for ya, they are not BMX's though
Before:
http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j210/fizzaly/2010-10-23164218-1.jpg
After:
http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j210/fizzaly/2010-11-18161225.jpg

Before:
http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j210/fizzaly/Bikes%20bikes%20and%20more%20bikes/Trekbefore.jpg
After:
http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j210/fizzaly/Bikes%20bikes%20and%20more%20bikes/Trekafter.jpg

Before:
http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j210/fizzaly/DSC00470.jpg
After:
http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j210/fizzaly/DSC00493.jpg

That Trek turned out incredible going from beater yellow to arctic white. Are you cheating on me and using a real spray gun ? ;) I know what this one is putting me thru, I'm kind of interested in your turn around times for a typical bike. So far I've really hand sanded the 4 parts, didn't want to rake them up with a rotary drill sander. With the frame, I think I'm going to use an orbital flat sander and in the tighter places a wire rotary drill attachment for the tighter locations. Using the propane torch on the seat tube, that has resulted in a blued tinting of the chrome at the neck of the seat tube. Still going to sand that chrome off anyway, self-etch primer and then the battleship gray engine enamel is my plan.

On some of your refurbs, I see upgraded parts, but for the most part they're original saves.

My turn around time varies quite a bit, with the giant i had that done in 4 days, the trek was a different story it had the original paint plus three different thick coats of yellow over it i think that one i took 2 weeks. And yes the trek was done with a spray gun, as was the blue diamond back. But my compressor has since died and i havent had the money to buy another yet, i a while back at an auction bought a portable paint booth, and thats kinda what got me into referb bikes, most the time i end up selling them after riding them for a couple of months. But to tell you the truth since i started using the chem. stripper my turn around times have decreased quite a bit, i do miss the good ole days of just sand blasting them and being done in an hour, but to meet my needs i need a 6.5hp with min100 gal compressor and those run about 1.5k and i dont have that kinda money laying around:(
With most my bikes i get them as just a frame so i just build them up with what ever i can find for a decent price