V-Twin - December 2001

"The Tangelo Crate - What's In a Color?"

Way back when we were kids, Schwinn created a line of custom bikes (the kind you have to peddle) that every kid in the neighborhood was just dyin' to get their hands on. If you're old enough to remeber these trick little factory "customs", you'll no doubt recall the springer fork, 5-speed shifter, banana seat and the names they were dubbed with. Names that reflected the color scheme - like Lemon Peeler, Cotton Picker and Apple Crate.

Now picture yourself all grown up, finding that yoou still have a hunger for that little custom ride, only this time you don't want to have to do any peddling. Instead, all you wanna have to do to get this mutha rollin' is thumb the starter button on the OMP controls to bring her to life - a far cry from life on the Schwinn in your schoolyard days.

Tom Cauoette from Crofton, Maryland, found himself injust that situation not too long ago, and he knew just how to solve the situation. No, he didn't wedge a Briggs & Stratton in an old Schwinn frame, instead he enlisted the crew at C&C Cycle to help him bring back that good ol' feeling of cruisin' around on a bike that turns heads.

Starting with the Boyce Pro-Street chassis, C&C added a 2-under set of forks equipped with Ness lower legs (not quite a Schwinn springer but cool nonetheless). American Suspension shocks soak up the bumps out back and a pair of Sullivan rims provide a place to mount the Avon skins.

Now, like we said, there will be no peddlling this baby, since C&C had Hot Shot assemble a smokin' 108-cubic-inch tire shredder that sends power through a set of Andrews back-cut gears housed in a polished tranny case.

To give the bike a look that would be a reminder of those cool ol' bikes from the schoolyard, Chuck B., from Advanced Collision, laid down coat after coat of House of Kolor Tangelo that looks miles deep and added a tasty dose of graphics to lend additional personality. I don't know about anyone else, but I can't help but want to call this machine the Tangelo Crate. I wonder how Schwinn would feel about that?

written by:

Ken Ross

photographs by:

Mike Lichter

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