Pseudo-classic becaue we ride...

Well, we made it through most of the crew, but that doesn't mean we are done with our regular '...because we ride' segment. Each of us have enough bikes to keep this going for weeks and months to come. So today we make it back to one of my rigs, my 1953 Schwinn Racer. There isn't much that is stock on this bike anymore outside of the frame, fork, and chain guard thus 'pseudo-classic'. I received this bike around 5 years ago from the owner of Europa Cycle, the shop that gave me the start in the bicycle industry.

Two bikes had come in for 'restoration', this Racer and I believe a slightly newer Suburban from the 60's. The customer wanted to take all the 'good' parts from the Racer and put them on the Suburban but then did not want any of the remaining parts. Enter me, and my boss was kind enough to let me have the parts as long as I treated the bike kindly. Well, it's been treated kindly and for a the first 4 years it was pieced back together with the combination of Racer/Suburban parts, which meant: the Sturmie Archer 3 speed hub with rim brakes with the old S-6 beaded tires, and the fenders were the from the Suburban.

This past summer I started customizing it a bit. Getting my hands on a Bendix 2-speed kickback Yellow band hub, lacing it to a Deep V rim, then building up a front track wheel with the B43 and solid flange/hallow axle hub. The bike really began to take shape. I then decided that the old fenders needed a more modern look to them so I cut them down a bit and removed the brackets. I've had a few different handlebars on it and haven't officially landed on what I'd like for it and has an old Brooks-esque saddle that has cut down by Jacobi. The purest might frown the bikes set up, but the bike is perfect for runs around downtown and simply cruising around.