This is my 1955 boys 24" Schwinn Spitfire that i collected from the trash here in Royal Oak, MI.

It was green and white, and looked like it sat outside for 20 years. Both wheels, seatpost, and stem were frozen, and it was in general disrepair. After disassembly and cleaning, I rebuilt the bike with a 26" aluminum mtb wheel in the front, along with a skinny bmx style knobby, and a new steel 24" coaster brake wheel out back with a chain pattern tire that was of the few usable parts on the schwinn.

The original schwinn chainwheel is attached to crankarms from a 1970s era huffy 10 speed (also a garbage find), and the seat is from the same bike. A 1970ish KOKO womens 3 speed donated it's fenders and handlebars, which i assume are aftermarket. The pedals and chrome kickstand are off of my 1973 Schwinn Supersport (I'm currently building it as a tourer with updated everything and a nexus drivetrain). I kept the green grips and headtube badge original for some authenticity.

I was going for a '50s hotrod/rat/bobber motorcycle look for the bike, so i painted the frame and fork flat black, and the wheels, stem, and chainring sweet tomato satin red. So far i have ridden this bicycle around the neighborhood, to the store, and so on, and its a great ride, lots of positive comments from people. future plans involve a complete dissasembly, cleaning, sanding, and repaint with many more coats of paint. I was eager to get it together and ride it, so the paintwork was quick and dirty. This summer i rediscovered my joy of biking when i bought my wife and i new bikes. I had a lot of fun putting this Schwinn together, and only spent $60 doing it, due to garbage picked donor bikes!

Thanks for the great site, and your consideration!

cjc_nrc@yahoo.com