Rodding the Murray

Parts collection was the longest portion of the Murray's transition from stocker to rod. The first piece came in the form of a 1997 Shimano Nexus 7 rear hub, after all a rods got to have gears, and the internal gearing of the Nexus was ideally suited to this project. The last piece, well that still hasn't come yet, I'm riding it with plastic pedals which I hope to replace, with Shimano 323's painted to match, within the next year. In between the parts list is made up of:

Alesa "Sputnik" 36 hole rims (painted to match)

Shimano LX front hub

Shimano XT bottom bracket

MRP bottom bracket adapter kit

Shimano STX/RC crank arms and chain ring

2mm straight gauge stainless spokes

Sachs PC-41 chain

Rear wheel laced and pile of parts

Shimano Nexus 7 rear hub
The Nexus 7 hub gives the bike seven forward gears and an internal coaster brake in one clean package
The STX/RC crank arms are straight and smooth, they work well with the bike. Only the big ring of the set is installed, and placed in the number two position. I still have to build a "finishing ring" to mount outboard.

MRP adapter supports XT BB
Some filing was necessary for clearance inside the bottom bracket, and then the MRP adapter mounted the XT sealed BB cleanly. Shimano LX front hub
The LX front hub arrived in a black anodized finish. An hour spent polishing on the lathe fixed that.

The Murray has made the transition to rod smoothly, and rides quite nicely, thank you very much. Like most rods though it's not done yet. There's the ugly plastic thumb shifter to replace, the finishing ring on the drive side crank, a more comfortable seat (What you see here is the original with a new scrap of leather stretched over it.), and who knows...flat bars? Front suspension and light

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Parts collection was the longest portion of the Murray's transition from stocker to rod. The first piece came in the form of a 1997 Shimano Nexus 7 rear hub, after all a rods got to have gears, and the internal gearing of the Nexus was ideally suited to this project. The last piece, well that still hasn't come yet, I'm riding it with plastic pedals which I hope to replace, with Shimano 323's painted to match, within the next year. In between the parts list is made up of: Alesa "Sputnik" 36 hole rims (painted to match) Shimano LX front hub Shimano XT bottom bracket MRP bottom bracket adapter kit Shimano STX/RC crank arms and chain ring 2mm straight gauge stainless spokes Sachs PC-41 chain
The Nexus 7 hub gives the bike seven forward gears and an internal coaster brake in one clean package	The STX/RC crank arms are straight and smooth, they work well with the bike. Only the big ring of the set is installed, and placed in the number two position. I still have to build a "finishing ring" to mount outboard.
Some filing was necessary for clearance inside the bottom bracket, and then the MRP adapter mounted the XT sealed BB cleanly.	The LX front hub arrived in a black anodized finish. An hour spent polishing on the lathe fixed that.
The Murray has made the transition to rod smoothly, and rides quite nicely, thank you very much. Like most rods though it's not done yet. There's the ugly plastic thumb shifter to replace, the finishing ring on the drive side crank, a more comfortable seat (What you see here is the original with a new scrap of leather stretched over it.), and who knows...flat bars?