Schwinn Stingray Chopper . Picked one up today. Bad?

Lucidvegas · Post by **Lucidvegas** » Fri Feb 04, 2011 10:59 am

So, me again hehe. Phase 1 so far of my first burning man is get some bikes. I have a few mt bikes, I want to add a cruiser or two, picked up a trike that I'm not 100% sure about, and now I just picked up this 'Schwinn Stingray Chopper".

Payed 80 bux from craiglist, and it is pretty much in mint condition. Took it to the park and rode it around a bit, and on soft dirt. This thing is tough to ride. Kinda heavy, weird position on the bike, seat kinda hurts. I have the seat all the way up, and will need to push the handle bars back some. I think it's more a kids bike?

Maybe it is because I've never been on a 'chopper' style anything before, but again, I'm not so sure how it would work on the playa. Anyone have any info on these? I have seen several mods to these, so I know people get a kick out of motorizing, or electrifying. But besides that anyone know how they work out there? The FAT tire as you can see in the picture was what made me grab the bike, figured it was wide and flat and might be nice out there. Not so sure now......

Thanks again in advance. I know I have a bunch of recent Q's on the forum, and I appreciate so much everyones input and openly invite you to whatever camp name we go with here in the near future for a beer or whatever out on the playa!

Love,
Gabe

"I don't have a playa quote thingy people put. But I enjoy lucid dreaming and have had a personal reality check questions for years.....

Am I dreaming?

Post by **AntiM** » Fri Feb 04, 2011 11:08 am

We have one, hubby thought I could use the slung back seat and enjoy riding in a more reclined position. Nope, it hurts like hell for me to ride it. So ours never made it to the playa. My opinion is that it would suck ass after a while.

Bob · Post by **Bob** » Fri Feb 04, 2011 11:14 am

Friend of mine w/ DPW brought a new one out there a few years ago, but it never left the trailer park in Gerlach. Didn't want to get it scratched.

Lucidvegas · Post by **Lucidvegas** » Fri Feb 04, 2011 11:15 am

Yea. I'm thinking the same. Maybe if you powered it it would be a hoot though heh. I'm not upset at the purchase. I'm patient.....I'll put it up for a 100....20 to cover the cost of me going to get it this morning lol.

Dunno. I'll keep it for a while and see what others think. When I was riding on super soft sand today at the park.....I wondered if that was how the 'dunes' are on the playa.

But ya know....it did have a neat feel. Novelty item if nothing else? Or do people actually rock these?

Post by **AntiM** » Fri Feb 04, 2011 11:19 am

The dunes vary wildly. That wouldn't steer well through them at all.

And there's no room for a basket, baskets are your friend. You also need to set up both a headlight and a tail light.

A woman's three speed with a front basket and a back rack you can attach crap to is nearly ideal. My old Japanese shopping bike would have been damn near perfect.

Post by **Elderberry** » Fri Feb 04, 2011 11:20 am

I would think those thick tires would be great on the playa.

JK

Bob · Post by **Bob** » Fri Feb 04, 2011 11:22 am

The soft spots are silt and clay ground to a powder, usually only a couple inches deep, but sometimes enough to make you get off and walk. A fat smooth street tire is what you want on a mountain bike, knobbies grab too much and kick the dust up.

gyre · Post by **gyre** » Fri Feb 04, 2011 11:24 am

It needs tall handlebars.
The original style scwinns were great offroad.

Teo del Fuego · Post by **Teo del Fuego** » Fri Feb 04, 2011 11:27 am

As someone who owns 13 bikes (4 mountain and nine cruisers) and has mucked about with bikes for 40 years, I think the chopper may fare better than others currently think. Why? The challenge to riding on the playa, in those years the surface is not flat and rock hard, is sand. Your chopper's big fat rear tire will work great on the sand. The frame's geometry will place you back on the bike and off the front wheel, which is just where you want to be in deep sand. The only problems you may have depend on how tall you are. If you are 6' are taller, you may experience some knee pain after along day f riding, assuming you are as old as I am.

Whatever you do, you know to bling it out with plenty of lights and put a basket on it, and bring a combo lock.

dragonpilot · Post by **dragonpilot** » Fri Feb 04, 2011 11:32 am

IMHO...just bring some ol' reliable piece o' crap with fat tires...drape it with tons of bling and ya gotcherself a cool ride! Nice things tend to get trashed on the playa...super alkali powder that gets into ever'thin'...

Post by **Savannah** » Fri Feb 04, 2011 11:37 am

If the seat kinda hurts even now, your butt will probably be in serious pain at the Burn.

If it's the shape of the seat that hurts, you might want to replace it. If it's just the hardness of it, you could try covering it with faux fur, which many people do.

gyre · Post by **gyre** » Fri Feb 04, 2011 11:42 am

You also need the old style seat, going further back and with a wide range of height adjustment.
For hard offroad use, I set it low in front, high in the back.

The geometry allows a lot of control on unstable ground.

Definitely smooth tires.

You need at least three speeds.

Lucidvegas · Post by **Lucidvegas** » Fri Feb 04, 2011 11:48 am

http://shop.schwinnchoppers.com/SCHWINN ... 48vkit.htm

Just found this. An electric hub motor kit for them.

lucky420 · Post by **lucky420** » Fri Feb 04, 2011 11:55 am

My daughter took one of those out to the playa last year. Hers had the chopper handle bars though and we did attach a basket to it. Had the big sweet smooth tires but she will probably sell it and get a beach cruiser. The chopper handle bars got to be a little uncomfortable after a while.

FIGJAM · Post by **FIGJAM** » Fri Feb 04, 2011 12:08 pm

Comfort is the main thing.

Whatever you choose, imagine it being a part of you 2 or 3 hours a day, if not more.

TomServo · Post by **TomServo** » Fri Feb 04, 2011 1:39 pm

brought one to the playa, only paid 50 for it. Liked the fat ass rear tire! Think Ill bring it out this year.

Â¡Niers! · Post by **Â¡Niers!** » Fri Feb 04, 2011 3:20 pm

We should just start a tally on how many bikes/trikes Lucidvegas buys before her first burn.

A few Mt. Bikes: 3

A trike: 1

A schwinn chopper: 1

How many bikes can a girl ride in one week?

Geez....what happened to the trike? That'll work like heaven.

Ugly Dougly · Post by **Ugly Dougly** » Fri Feb 04, 2011 3:51 pm

Wheee!

Lucidvegas · Post by **Lucidvegas** » Fri Feb 04, 2011 5:41 pm

She...... lol. I guess LucidVegas does sound feminine because it isn't the first time I've heard that.

I'm a dude bro hehe. Manly bartender....well...kinda manly lol.

And I have two others I'm shopping for, maybe more. Ultimately hoping most if not everyone in my crew has a bike for the playa.

I'd love a electric set up, and unless I get some fat tips in the next few months I may not be able to do it.....but who knows.

:)

TomServo · Post by **TomServo** » Fri Feb 04, 2011 6:06 pm

You dont need an electric bike! BRC is big, but not that big! Use the trike for ice runs, and the stingray for cruising the playa. Motorizing your bike, will take desperately needed cash for things you actually need.

thirt33n · Post by **thirt33n** » Sat Feb 05, 2011 12:16 am

haven't read any of the other posts yet...

here's my take on this bike

*I have one. it has been to BRC twice.

*the fat back tire is perfect for the playa.

*the front tire is also fine as it holds a lot less weight.

* the stock handlebars are horrible.
go to a hardware store/home depot, buy some electric conduit pipe. ..maybe 6' length as close to the diameter as possible. (maybe 1") borrow a conduit bender, have someone at the store with a conduit bender, or an electrician with a conduit bender bend the conduit into taller "ape hanger" bars. this way you can lean back a little more and not bend over grabbing the little anti anatomical stock bars.

* the gearing is pretty tough and along with the position...tougher... and if your legs are not used to pedaling a lot your quads are going to need a break....so, bring an alternate bike too. i bring three bikes for this reason and still get fatigued and i'm a bike racer.

I LOVE cruising around on mine.

have fun..but get your legs a little conditioning.

Â¡Niers! · Post by **Â¡Niers!** » Sat Feb 05, 2011 9:48 am

Lucidvegas wrote:She...... lol............I'm a dude bro hehe.

Oops! Sorry.

Lucidvegas wrote:Manly bartender....well...kinda manly lol.

We'll just let the Playa decide how "Manly" you really are. HEHE

The playa tends to take grown men and slap a tu-tu on em. Even as a homo, I still don't get the tu-tu thing.

So anyway......I'd leave this bike at home. Looks exhausting. I'd bring the trike and a mountain bike.

Elorrum · Post by **Elorrum** » Sat Feb 05, 2011 11:05 am

that chopper looks great. if it's sized for a small person, kid, get higher rising handlebars. easy. longer seat post? different seat if that is bothersome, it doesn't look uncomfortable. easy. longer crank arms if those are really short. they look like cotterless crank arms, pretty easy.

electric hub motor on front wheel, pretty easy if not inexpensive. seat post mounted rack for the batery. could do the same on the trike, which is a better ride IMO> I like the golden motor website for ideas.

moonrise · Post by **moonrise** » Sat Feb 05, 2011 1:10 pm

AntiM wrote:baskets are your friend. You also need to set up both a headlight and a tail light.

A woman's three speed with a front basket and a back rack you can attach crap to is nearly ideal. My old Japanese shopping bike would have been damn near perfect.

I don't ride bikes anymore, but I do look at the prices for freinds, new and used, women's bikes seem lower cost and plentiful. I think this is good to know... and set up like AntiM suggests, w/the right fat tires too.

If I needed to outfit a camp Lucidvegas, I'd recommend every man, woman and child get a decent women's beater playa bike, (at least two of them with $12 METAL baskets on front)... you'd save some money and imho maybe they're easier to get on and off of while wearing all manner of dress, skirt, kilt, outfit, costume, riding double, drunk and or tired...
(Yup, bring any men's bikes you have and if possible at least one trike)

Riders and pedestrians can be 5 to 10 deep in each direction, on dirt roads, at almost any given time. Bikes are truly popular!! Some friends regretted not having enough to go around their camp in 2010.
Everyone will want a bike of their own to ride from now on.

If driving from almost anywhere in the USA, it should be easy enough to rack 'em up or strap 'em on and haul them to and from BRC.

With ratchet straps and many vehicle styles, they probably hold loose camping gear nicely in place, especially after the burn...your stuff does seem to grow bigger.

dragonpilot · Post by **dragonpilot** » Sat Feb 05, 2011 5:11 pm

Savannah wrote:you could try covering it with faux fur, which many people do.

*Note to self...go to Joann Fabrics, buy faux fur*

Martiansky · Post by **Martiansky** » Wed Feb 09, 2011 4:22 pm

Anybody made any modifications to their choppers?
Like maybe change out the handlebars?

TomServo · Post by **TomServo** » Wed Feb 09, 2011 5:34 pm

It didnt start out as a chopper..

was a pain in the ass...literally! felt every pebble. Next time Im using the fat ass Schwinn tires. and thats not me riding it.

lonestoner916 · Post by **lonestoner916** » Thu Feb 10, 2011 11:56 am

Best Playa bike ever, 2007! In 2008 I had the Stingray Chopper and hated the way it rode, maybe changing the handlebars would help...

Martiansky · Post by **Martiansky** » Thu Feb 10, 2011 1:25 pm

Cool! Did you build it?

lonestoner916 · Post by **lonestoner916** » Thu Feb 10, 2011 2:16 pm

Build is a strong word, fixed it up and decorated it more like. I wish I had pics of it all lit up at night it was really cool...