My JUICE custom bicycle started life as a Murray Light 10 speed. I bought it at a flea market in 1997. It was in good mechanical condition except for a bent rear wheel. The paint was shabby and the alloy components badly oxidized. Upon inspection though it appeared to be worth saving due to the excellent lugged frame and alloy components. I had in mind custom building it in the form sometimes referred to as a "City Bike". I transformed it mounting upright alloy bars, a more generous seat, larger tires, and by modifying the drive train. In modifying the drive train, I built a new rear wheel using a new old stock 1981 Sturmey-Archer model AW 3 speed gear hub. To accomodate the gear hub, I had to reduce the space between the dropouts. This was accomplished with a simple tool consisting of a threaded rod and 4 large washers and nuts. Frame symmetry was checked and corrected after the frame modification. To achieve lower gearing I removed half of the splines of a 25 tooth Shimano free wheel sprocket to fit the hub. This allowed the use of a 7/32 chain. I retained the original 2 speed crank and chainrings. The original derailer was used in fixed lateral position to provide chain takeup.
The paint is a brilliant neon orange shaded with a raspberry color that deepened the orange where it was applied. The color coat was topped with clear coat containing a very small amount of Prisma Flake to create highlights. Son John, a pro painter, did the painting. The true color is hard to capture as can be seen by comparing the photos. The text graphics consist of white adhesive backed letters with wide green and yellow auto striping tape as highlights.
Original components retained are: the frame, forks, crank assembly, rear derailer and brakes. All other components are new or restored salvage parts. The result is a very attractive and tractable bike whose 6 gear ratios bracket those of the average 3 speed and whose low range is lower than most 10-12 speed bikes. The riding position is not as upright as a cruiser but much more erect than a typical road bike. The bike was completed in October 1998. Juice and other custom bikes of mine appear in the BikeRod&Kustom web magazine.
