Ross Polo Jr. – Rollin’ in Style
For a long, long time I have wanted a sweet cruiser/low-rider from the 70′s. A nice Schwinn Orange Krate would be the ideal, but this hot little yellow number popped up on Craigslist and I could not resist. It is in near perfect condition, right down to the original tires, and it is already super fun to cruise around on.
Despite my oafish size, the bike is actually a pleasure to ride. The only things holding it back are the short cranks and miserably low gear ratio. I will be replacing the chainring with a Pyramid 52t monster, and the cranks are going to be switched from the 4 1/2 inch length to full 6 1/2 inchers. Will this cause pedal/ground clearance issues? Most likely. I am excited to try never-the-less.
I was intrigued by the “Mini Velo” phenomenon I read about a week or so back. Apparently, they’re all the rage in Japan, and there are some advantages to riding them over full size bikes (mainly something to do with revolving weight or something sciencey like that). So, I figured I could take a small bike (enter the Ross Polo Jr.) and make some adjustments to make it friendlier to ride on the roads, taking advantage of whatever it is that makes the Mini Velos so appealing, besides their beautifully quirky geometry. Stay tuned to see how frankensteined this bike gets; I have a nice foundation to work with.
Thursday, July 23, 2009
10 Comments
The double fork thing should do you good.
You mean a springer fork? I am going to keep this simple and light. The springer would be cool for cruising and what not, but I want to fly on this puppy.
Saw this on your site, and as a fellow biker/banana seat afficionado, I’d recommend swapping the fork for easier riding (I’m 6’6″). Find a road bike fork that has the same headset length, and swap for it. Velocipedes would be perfect for this, and under 10 bucks.
I have a Schwinn Stingray that I did this with, and it looks/works/rides amazing. I’ve been running it as a reverse chopper, and if you’re interested, I can share pics with you. It has a 20″ back, 26″ front wheel, and the fork is off a Schwinn road bike, so it matches perfectly. Testy and invigrorating to ride.
Nice find!
I forgot to add that when you swap the fork, you can put on full size cranks and have no clearance issues. Plus, it’s more “chopper” and just looks cool.
@Ryan: This sounds like a pretty good idea. Heads up for an email.
Andy – This bike is exactly like my very first bike. My parents bought it for me in about 1976 in Somerville, New Jersey (home of the bicycling hall of fame). Wow, I gotta find one of these for old time sake…. Had it for probably 15 years. Miss that bike.
its my bike now..hit me up.
I had a blue one! Yhose photos (great pix btw) that really punch my nostalgia button. Nice job, Andyman
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