I have been looking for an early Squareback for some time and I finally got lucky and come up with this original finish “UN-DRILLED” 74 f&f it is actually the 136th Red-Line made. I wanted to get as close as I could to a 74/75 build so I used a Webco modified Ashtabula stem, the bars were custom made back in the mid 70’s, someone had later brazed gussets in them, I even made the pad the way we did back then with foam tubing and electrical tape. The crank and sprocket is Schwinn, I used a pair 75 dated Carlisle Aggressor MX tires. I am not completely satisfied with my wheel choice though, they are an NOS set of Kin-Lin hoops with .125 spokes, it just seams a little boring to me but I don’t know what else to use and keep the 74/75 era going except for Semi Motomag I’s or maybe black Tuff’s. I have a set of Webco mags but I think they are a year or so too new for a 74 bike.

I do still need a set of Northridge decals for the forks and head tube, so let me know if anyone has any for sale.

I think it looks perfect,,,,Im kinda digging the no decal thing,,,and I also like the wheels, they look like Femcos... Looks nice and durable as-is,,,what kinda pedals would go in that era, rat traps?,,Claude

old school

Wow! Now that is darn near perfection IMO...

simple and straight forward build at its best. very cool.

exactly....the perfect example of less is more.

Thank you!!!

I love the true old school bikes as you can tell by some of my other bikes and I think simple fits them pretty well. And yes, I will use some rat traps on my 74 and the wheels will probably stay as well.

My 100% original 76 DeCoster that I bought from the original owner.

My 77 Pro-Line (serial number 84xx)

My 77 MX II (serial number 59xx)

My 79 DeCoster

My 79 Motomag

Ken, that really looks awesome I like the mock up & I must say there is somethink really nice about those square backs. Cheers

Holy Bejeezzus!!! That is the bomb Ken!

Those bars and and the Webco stem really make it one of a kind... Very 70's, perfect era-correctness, very Moto... The frame and forks look so beautifully polished, not over done either. It's almost too sweet as is to add anything else except a decent set of Rat Traps!

Sheesh.... Slick, slick, slick....

One of the baddest Squarebacks on the planet for sure!

that is " IT " as in what " IT " is to be true old school !!!!!!! and I'm not just saying that because it's a REDLINE !!! good job Ken !!!

Sorry to double post here, but I'm starting to think this is one of the nicest builds I've ever seen. So many killer things are happening with this. The very first generation of any real pro BMX frames and forks ever made in America... The beauty of the Nickel and having the OG finish so well preserved... It's also the combination of the original look of the custom bars and pad, the Webco stem and just the overall raw sweetness of this gem of a bike... I'm overwhelmed by it's beauty and individuality. Nothing else like it. It looks very ridable too.

BTW, perfect choice for a sprocket too. Love those...

Ken, you really built something very special here... I can't say enough about how amazing this Squareback truly is! I'm sure I'm not the only one who see's how incredible this bike is.

Ken what do those decals your'e after look like ? I think she cool as hell naked.
This bike is too old for me but you did a killer job.

Rob

You got a great collection there and this bike fits in perfect.

Thanks everyone! I wasn't expecting this many possitive coments.





Here are some NOS fork decals


Here are the repro’s from SBS but they say Chatsworth and they should say Northridge, the larger oval one is the head tube decal, it is 1 ½” x 3”

I'd go rubber pedals. 1974/5 still used the Schwinn diamond tread pedals. An absolutely great build as is.

I could do that; I would have to rob a pair from one of my Krate projects though. They are hard to find in good shape, being they are the correct ones for the Disc Krates they don’t go cheap.

One thing is for sure, Metal Rat Trap pedals have been around for at least 100 years and there were plenty of bikes in the late 60's and early 70's that had them. Lot's of BMX'rs were using Rat Traps in 1974. They were an obvious choice for racing. Rubber pedals would certainly be cool for that era and were definitely stock on many Shwinns in '74 but somehow just don't seem "Moto" or tough enough for a real racing bike like this Squareback IMO. I would definitely go with a nice set of Rat traps to finish off this build... But that's just me.

Here's some 1/2" Rat Traps that were available in 1974 and would be perfect on this bike IMO:

I second the rubber pedal choice too. Good enough for John George and Mel, good enough for that build which is totally moto by the way

Awsome 70's build, as all yours are. I love it. I love the bars too. Very homemade. Very cool.

Meh... "Good enough" wouldn't be good enough for this bike IMO. I dig the vintage rubber pedal thing on some stuff and there were lot's of them out there in '74 for sure, but I feel that style more on the modified Sting sort of builds. Although even many modified Stings had rat traps during that time as well... Also, it depends if this will actually be ridden and how much I guess. Let's face it, those rubber pedals break much easier and this Squareback most likely would have been sporting the best and strongest parts BITD.

Again, it's a personal choice, but definitely a fun choice to have to make. I wish I owned this baby and was the one who could make that decision! Seeing what Ken has done so far, I'm sure it will be awesome no matter what...

Just for fun, I pulled a few pics for reference from that general era and I still feel the Rat Traps would be more fitting...

Rick Twomey Photo:


My photo of Rick Twomey's sidehack:

I think this might be one of your pics Reilley?

Great build. Looks ready for the track.

Very Rad, Schwinn Diamond cranks would be cool on it. I remember taking the decals off my frames and forks, alot of us did w/o factory sponsors

There are a few pedal choices that I have but since I already have a nice set of Schwinn rat traps I will probably use them for now, and I still need another set of the waffle pedals for one of my Krate builds and they are tough to find in good shape being that they broke easily.

Great pics, I love the banana seat on Rick Twomey’s bike, that is awesome.

I remember when we swtched from rubber to rat traps. Hated it becasue we could not longer ride without shoes

10 years ago whe I restored the Redline mono (now at SBS), we debated pedals. DAN hipped me to this ad (which would have been post your frame I believe).

Click to view attachment

Just an opinion.

I wanted to add, great build regardless of pedals! This got me thinking "what pedals did I use on pedals over the last decade..." I only used rubber three times. I love the Union rat traps for most builds!

Sorry for the side track

Click to view attachment
Click to view attachment
Click to view attachment

*edit to remove drama quoting *

That is one sweet Redline for sure, regardless of the pedal choice

Man, you nail the correct look for the mid to late 70's.
Love, Love the simple 75'-79' Redline, Mongoose look.
Well Done!

I'm glad you used those bars. I really like them and was thinking about copying a set if you didn't use them.

I like the rims as well. You can always watch out for a set of alloy Weinmanns or 7Bs but those look great on that bike which is a great looking bike in general. Good job!

Awesome build....I love the early Redlines. I thought about making a set of those bars even though he did use them.... Those are some cool bars. Way to go!

Chill out Rick. I already said it was a "fun" choice to have to make. I placed a few "IMO's" and "either way's" too... Your way off base with the above quote. I am well aware of what the difference between opinion and debate is, thank you very much. The two are certainly not mutually exclusive, nor should either one cause you to get your panties in a bunch. Don't try to get personal with me dooode. That's useless. I've disagreed respectfully with you before and you've made mistakes on some stuff and timelines etc... So? Who cares? Let it go... Don't tell me how to "enjoy the bikes" or how to interpret opinions. Especially when you're the only one going agro here. Reality check: We are only discussing pedals...

I originally made a comment about maybe finishing up this build with some Rat Traps because there were no pedals on it yet... Simple. Ben commented that he had a different opinion. The discussion was open. So? It's all good and a very healthy exploration of options "IMO". I totally respect Ben and we are good friends. As I said, I see both options as being viable. I only gave added details for leaning towards my choice. What could be wrong with that? If you don't like to "debate" based on personal opinion Rick, why did you post your opinion when the two basic options were both already pretty much covered?

I enjoy hearing the different opinions and exploring them further. It's always good to discuss, debate and explore these type of options regarding the parts to finish projects. This is a public forum that supports that process and this stellar build certainly deserves the attention.

Love the build! my favorite of all your builds. I too like it without the decals.

Ken C throwin' down some more Old Skool goodness.

I dig all your bike.

I was wondering about the museum section on this site. I have 19 bikes posted on that other site and about 25 more to post. I would like to post some in the museum section on this site but there is no link to do so. Is this only for some members or is it no longer an option for anyone?

Ken, my apologies on the thread hi-jack.
Sweet bike. Trying to dig up a picture that I have with some similar bars.

It’s all good; you know it’s a “family” when differences of opinions get so serious. It’s just like my house.

I’d love to see pics of other bars or any other custom made parts like these.

Really, really nice.

A couple of last comments...

* Great build. Bars and stems are over the top.
* Two left footed cruel pedals, the type where razor blades hold your feet in palce would be awesome.
* The world is burning and we can argue over pedals. How blessed are we?
* Face to face, we would laugh, discuss, praise. Text can suck as it lacks much intent
* A set of "Thruster" pedals (sans wood box) would top that baby off!

FRIGGIN SIIIIIICK

Ken,

They all look great!

Looks frikin' great to me! I'm also noticing that the Kin Lin rims are popping up here and there a bit these days. your set looks like a set i removed from a "spray bombed" Laguna I took apart a few months ago. hubs and all. I took mine apart to clean them up and swap out the hubs fo a build I'm doing. Did you find that wheel set built up? And as far as the pedals and such go, run what you want. Your judgement looks spot on to me, going by what you have done with the bike already. On that bike using hard rubber or Rat traps. there is no wrong answer.

All I can say is wow... you were born to build these bikes!
... and the padding on the bars with electrical tape?!... a masterpiece.
I feel like I'm 10 years old again when I look at this thing. Amazing job.
I would leave the pedals off so nobody rides away with it!!!
you sir, are my hero of the day.

I had an NOS set of hoops, I just took the best parts from a couple sets and laced them up. I got lucky because I only had 1 good set of spokes and you don’t find .125 spokes anywhere.

Thank You!

It's funny you say that about the pedals because I don't keep the pedals on any of my bikes, I have them off to avoid them scratching other bikes when I move them around. This has become a habit since I own so many Stingrays and Krates and it is so easy to scratch a chain guard.

Awesome build Ken!

I was 5 yrs old in 1974 so this is like a history lesson for me.

74 squareback hella rad............jp

The Squareback is rad but that 76 Decoster is crazy! I've only seen one other early Decoster like that.

ok ok DAN you have a point......but the 74 squareback! way rader than my stingray!! back in the day......

The 76 DeCosters are probably rarer than the first gen Squareback. I had two of them and found both within 3 miles of my house. I sold the other one to RobV and I also came up with a third one that I passed onto Waza. I kept the best one in my eyes since it is 100% original and I got it from the original owner.