sbarner 

I don't think that this was as true for Huffy as it was for Schwinn. Schwinn saw the other American mass manufacturers as its primary competition and, like the US car manufacturers, didn't recognize the real threat until they found themselves playing catch-up. Schwinn's bikes shared many of the quintessential American designs, but made them subtly different to keep them from being retrofitted to other American bikes. An example was the one-piece, "Ashtabula" cranks that Schwinn made for their own bikes with a different thread than the almost identical ones everyone else used. As I recall, the cups were a slightly different size as well. Most are also familiar with the Schwinn tire sizes which were based on French sizes, rather than the uniquely American sizes (for the most part) that Huffy, Murray, Columbia, Rollfast, etc. were using. With most of these components, Schwinn's were definitely superior as far as mechanics were concerned, whereas Huffy was interchangeable with most other "tire store brands" at the time. In fact, almost all non-Schwinn, US bikes of the 1960s and '70s could be repaired with the same Wald replacement parts.

sbarner 

I would be very surprised if a sharp BB tap wouldn't clean up that thread just fine, even run in from the outside. The better taps are piloted, so that the two sides are concentric to the same axis, but in reality there is only so much they can do and they still follow the existing thread, for the most part. It would be most expedient to clean this thread up with the adaptors clamped into a frame, just to hold them in place, but it is doubtful that the BB shell is terribly precise and, if the adaptor is removed and reinstalled, without being returned to the exact same position, it will likely be off just a little again. I wouldn't obsess over this, because the same is true of the adaptor if it were brand new and not buggered up, and no one would have thought twice about it. The point is, I don't think it matters what frame the adaptor gets clamped into when the taps are run through it. One of the advantages of cup and cone bearings for bicycle use is that they can tolerate a small amount of misalignment.

AdventureManCO 

We haven't had a good philosophically questioning post in a while, so thanks for bringing it up.

I'm okay with never ending story. It reminds me of a thread in some other forum I was on for awhile, can't remember which, and can't remember the exact name of the thread, but it was titled something like 'Post in This Thread Just Because'...was completely pointless other than serving the purpose of getting your post count up, and had no ryhme or reason, but I think last I remember it was up to like 43,000 posts haha.

The romance and roasting of Huffy should never end. The bike will obviously have an end, its all gonna burn one day anyway, but it is probably going to go on to at least year 2340. So we've got some time...I mean, the tubes are thick enough. I'll have to write a note to posterity about the origins, intent, and curation of the Huffy once I am long gone. I'll roll it up and stick it in the seat tube and plug with wax and wait for someone to find it like the dead sea scrolls.



Probably not for those whose minds they don't want changing. It probably won't be satisfying for those who grew up looking in the window at all that Campy gear in the glass case, who are affronted by the fact that its all going onto the bike they couldn't wait to get rid of. I don't personally have the old school connection - it was a little before my time, I didn't grow up riding road bikes. I only got into this a few years ago, so I don't have the rigidity of that style of doctrine cemented in. I'm here to provide a different perspective, and the sincerity lies in the fact that I had nothing except vibes of disdain toward Huffy before this thread started, just like everyone else. I definitely didn't start up with a bias toward the bike. But it's all good either way Life is short and if that space brings contentment for them, then I'm for it. I said it at the beginning, and I still mean it. Let's hear it all - good, bad, etc. If you don't like it, you are welcome to say anything you like. Doesn't mean I won't parody it - but still, space for all, ya know.

Plus, I know there are some on the edge. Some that have only repeated what they've been told..."Huffy is bad"..."Huffy is junk"...but they question it...quietly. They wonder. This thread is an open space for those that are questioning, those that want to believe. This thread is freedom.

Mad Honk 

I have been hanging on to these tee-shirts for quite a while waiting for the special occasion to wear them. Perhaps it is now that time. Smiles, MH

Original artwork from back in the 1980's

And in black and blue, which is what I some times feel like when working on department store bikes

P.L.Jensen

This bike should be ridden once, then sent straight to the Smithsonian…

Hondo6

Nah. It needs to go to an Eroica first.

pastorbobnlnh 

...or 'Cino first and 'Eroica second.

AdventureManCO 

We've been joking around about this project in the house today. First, we've been repainting the inside of the house, and with a big bare wall in the living room, I suggested a bicycle would look good right above the couch. But then I told the wife I didn't really have one that looked good (concours) enough to display...

wife: well, what about the Huffy?

me: Ooooooh!! I didn't even think of that

wife: actually, wouldn't that tear the wall off?




Then the family suggested I should start a non-profit organization and call it No Bike Left Behind.

Got some good folks under this roof.

jdawginsc 

Does your wife have a single sister or cousin with those cool genes???

I think that is awesome that the fam supports you on all of this fun.

i wouldn’t have ever thought of doing this and hope to aid and abet the process down the rabbit hole.

dddd

Schwinn and their proprietary tire sizes could have been to increase sales of it's tires, but was also an assurance that only tires of a certain quality standard would be fitted.

And their 28TPI crank threading was superior to the competition's 24TPI threading, because it made for greater resolution i.e. adjustment accuracy.
It also was better at resisting loosening, and I've noticed that all of Schwinn's fitting were of much higher quality than found on other brands having Ashtabula cranks.

The bottom bracket shell ID and width on Schwinns was the same as Huffy or Murray or even Japanese Vista for that matter. I believe Schwinn's head tube ID on the Supersport and other Fillet-brazed models at was proprietary, as was the seat tube diameter (but which was a standard size for chrome-moly tubing outside of the bike industry).

Huffy and Schwinn's "gas-pipe" models use different seatpost diameters for some reason as I recall, and the super-narrow post top was I believe exclusive to Schwinn.

Schwinn wasn't the only maker to offer welded-on kickstand housings, but theirs definitely stood above others in terms of quality and function.

P.L.Jensen

Correction: This bike should be ridden once, directly to the Smithsonian, where a new wing is currently being built specifically for this, out of gas-pipe covered with vintage Campy catalogs…

cudak888 

Remember you have a Paramount in the wings with a crack that will keep the PTSD rolling along

-Kurt

AdventureManCO 

We need all the aiding, abetting, conspiring, and colluding we can get. Glad to have you on the team.

AdventureManCO 

That's the one I'm talking about. The Le Grande provides sweet dreams of happiness and bliss!

pastorbobnlnh 

When the Paramount is allowed to enter the fix and build pipeline--- I double dog dare you---

1. to install steel brake calipers and levers
2. Varsity steel bars and stem
3. Varsity bladed fork
4. Huret Alvit derailleurs
5. Schwinn Varsity/Continental/Super Sports steel stem shifters (we've actually witnessed this in the past)
6. steel seat post with a Schwinn "S" two-tone saddle from a Collegiate, Speedster, etc.
7. Varsity/Continental steel rimed 27" wheels, and--- wait for it---
8. a custom-built BB adaptor to allow use of the Schwinn Ashtabula one-piece cranks

Now that would be something to see.

Hondo6

It would indeed. The adapter would likely need to be 55+mm in OD (probably more) in order to seat the cups from an Ashtabula crank (51.5mm cup OD).

But I think the real trick would be finding an Ashtabula crank with enough threading to allow the locknut to hold after installation. That might have to be a custom job too. And I suspect the Q-factor would be . . . a bit larger than most, too.

SkinGriz

If the bike ends up under 30 pounds I’d think it a satisfying conclusion.

Hondo6

Since the frame and fork weighs "only" around 8 1/2 lbs, I think around 25lb may not be out of the question with a decent alloy seatpost, lightweight saddle, stem, handlebars, and wheels - though I could easily be wrong. But I think much below that will be difficult.

thumpism 

Some of us have actually been to the mountain.

jdawginsc 

I am actually thinking between 23-24 pounds! No brake cables needed!

Hondo6

I understand it's shakedown ride will start at the summit of Wolf Creek Pass. You volunteering to be the "test pilot"?

Hondo6

WALD? Didn't the late Harry Chapin write a song about them?

jdawginsc 

Brake cables it is! I forget it’s Colorado we are talking about...

AdventureManCO 

No dare even necessary. I'd be thrilled to oblige

AdventureManCO 

Sub 23. Not sure how we are going to do it, but we will. I don't know if we can get there for the June 3/4 event, but in its final form, yes. I will be excited to see what we weigh in at in a couple months.


2 months to go.