Western Flyer.....reproduction??

Rat Rod Bikes Bicycle Forum

Help Support Rat Rod Bikes Bicycle Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
Joined
May 19, 2013
Messages
222
Reaction score
181
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Seller says these are 1980/81. Was reading where Western Flyer stopped making bikes in 1959.
Found some info that these were made in 1980/81 and said they were reproductions?????
Would like to know if I should go for them...thanks!!!!! He wants 100 for the pair.
wf1.jpg
wf2.jpg
wf3.jpg
 
Western Flyer was a brand name, they didn't make the bikes. Murray made those bikes. They may have been new in 1981, but not repros. That was the latest offering.
They look to be good riding bikes and in decent shape. If they are, 50 bucks each isn't a bad price.
 
Western Flyer was a brand name, they didn't make the bikes. Murray made those bikes. They may have been new in 1981, but not repros. That was the latest offering.
They look to be good riding bikes and in decent shape. If they are, 50 bucks each isn't a bad price.
OK...Thanks! Will try to get tomorrow!
 
Picked them up today.....they need some cleaning and lube but I figured that.
Need some cleaning advice. Included 4 pics. Seat pic, tried some bleach, fabuloso...
not really working. Painted fenders(rust) tried soapy brillo, worked a little but don't want to ruin.
Chainguard...no idea! Brillo working on rims but the pic shows the worst spot. Woman's bike going to be tougher than the men's. Took off rear baskets, rack was broken in a few spots, no big deal.
Will keep going, welcome your suggestions..Thanks!
b1.jpg
b2.jpg
b3.jpg
b4.jpg
 
Picked them up today.....they need some cleaning and lube but I figured that.
Need some cleaning advice. Included 4 pics. Seat pic, tried some bleach, fabuloso...
not really working. Painted fenders(rust) tried soapy brillo, worked a little but don't want to ruin.
Chainguard...no idea! Brillo working on rims but the pic shows the worst spot. Woman's bike going to be tougher than the men's. Took off rear baskets, rack was broken in a few spots, no big deal.
Will keep going, welcome your suggestions..Thanks!View attachment 138243View attachment 138244View attachment 138245View attachment 138246
The chrome and paint look like the corrosion has eaten through them, but that's normal for bikes that age. A good cleaning and scraping the rust off the chrome is about all you can do. They will look better in this original condition than with new chrome and paint, imo.
I would use a small brass wire brush on the chrome to remove all the flaky rust. Then I would use a scrubbing pad (not scotchbrite which would take off a layer of shine) with some dish soap to go over the chrome and painted areas. Then I would use paste car wax over everything chrome and painted. A couple coats will bring out however much shine there is. That should make both bikes look as good as they will get in original condition. The patina left on the fenders and wheels should look great.
 
The chrome and paint look like the corrosion has eaten through them, but that's normal for bikes that age. A good cleaning and scraping the rust off the chrome is about all you can do. They will look better in this original condition than with new chrome and paint, imo.
I would use a small brass wire brush on the chrome to remove all the flaky rust. Then I would use a scrubbing pad (not scotchbrite which would take off a layer of shine) with some dish soap to go over the chrome and painted areas. Then I would use paste car wax over everything chrome and painted. A couple coats will bring out however much shine there is. That should make both bikes look as good as they will get in original condition. The patina left on the fenders and wheels should look great.
Thanks for the information.....doing it right now!
 
The most important tip is in the language.
Stop calling it rust, it becomes a desirable design element, when you say patina.;)

Done.....a lot more work than I thought! Should have looked at more closely when I got them.
Rims were really rusty but hours of scrubbing made them a little better(women's better than men's)
Looks like nothing was ever greased...sluggish and noisy...fixed that. Took off rear baskets...rack was broken in a few places. Replaced seats, like my black Mesinger and she likes the Schwinn seat.
Took apart men's rear coaster assy...heck of a time getting back together! Need kickstand for men's as it is bent and wobbly. Replaced front tube, has newer tires which was good, adjustments,cleaning, lube, etc. Looks like they were sitting for awhile! Going to tackle squeaking pedals...maybe new chain. Think I am okay, have not done this much on a bike in awhile...
guess is was worth it...right? Maybe some Rat Rod touches?
wfwf.jpg
wfwf2.jpg
 
Bike is kind of hard to pedal. I know, single speed, fat tires.....took apart rear hub, greased, spun by hand...seemed ok. Also greased bottom bracket, cleaned and lubed chain. Front wheel spins freely...
raised seat to get better leg extension... Just feels sluggish, maybe so used to riding my nice smooth Raleigh Sports 3 speed. I just feel like I had a leg workout riding around a few blocks.
 
I'd pay that. Even just for two piles of parts, it'd be worth it, but I like that they match. And it's not a hundred, it's ninety five, I'd pull those chicken cages off the step through and sell them for five.
I have a matching set
 
Bike is kind of hard to pedal. I know, single speed, fat tires.....took apart rear hub, greased, spun by hand...seemed ok. Also greased bottom bracket, cleaned and lubed chain. Front wheel spins freely...
raised seat to get better leg extension... Just feels sluggish, maybe so used to riding my nice smooth Raleigh Sports 3 speed. I just feel like I had a leg workout riding around a few blocks.

Yep, these department store/ gas station bikes were cheap bikes when new. Gas pipe frames, stamped sheet metal dropouts, minimal brazing at the joints. Lots of energy sucking frame flex. Nothing you can do about that. I often find the skinny spokes are too loose on these bikes. You can tighten them up a turn or two. If they don't want to turn, start with a drop of penetrating oil on each spoke at the nipple, then try to loosen first to crack the thread rust loose. Normally fresh rubber will help but those knobby Bell walmart tires are pretty lousy tires. Go all out and replace the rims with aluminum alloy and new tires. Rusty chains that have a lot of drag so a new chain can help too. I have a bunch of similar bikes. It would have to be pretty special to justify $100 for new tires, rims, chain, etc.

BTW, I put some new Sun alloy rims on one of my old English 3 speeds and the ride difference is amazing.

Those colors are very "Western". Most bike sellers changed to jets, rockets or space themes in the early 1960 as the Space Age was getting underway.
 
Last edited:
The wheel reflectors on both bikes appear to be the Spoke-A-Roo reflectors.
Subject of a patent lawsuit.
A summary of the decision is linked here.
Decided in December 1979 so the sellers date of 1980 or 1981 is pretty close.
Anyhow it sets the time.
https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/appellate-courts/F2/619/3/200706/

I've attempted to remove Spoke-A-Roos from bikes being junked out. I can tell you the plastic tabs that hold them on are extremely brittle. The best way to remove them is to slide them off the end of the spoke. Trying to flex those tabs to reinstall them will surely break them.

Rick
 

Latest posts

Back
Top