So I had a rental car this weekend. The main reason was to go visit loved ones, friends, and family. But of course I also used it to go pick up some bikes. First I drove for an hour through blizzard conditions to go get those 50's Columbia's that had been on the Hartford CL. They had belonged to a brother and sister in the family and had been sitting in the basement for 40 years. I promised to keep them together. They are a cute duo, but the girl's bike is definitely way more beat-up than the boy's bike. Isn't it usually the other way around?
I think the boy's bike is going to be especially nice to fix up.
After dropping off the bikes back at my apartment I continued driving (in blizzard conditions) up to Rochester, with a brief stop at my brother's in Albany to ride out the storm and rush hour. Once in Rochester I was able to pick up the '67 Western Flyer 3-Speed that my friend Killmore had grabbed from a local seller for me while I was out of town. It was in such great condition that I was able to take it out on a cruise!
I am (in orange) riding the Western Flyer, my buddy Nick is (in red) riding Killmore's '64 Rollfast. They have the same exact frame, down to the little "Genuine English Light Weight" emblem. Here are the close-ups of the Western Flyer:
I think this thing is already pretty rat. Does anybody know if that Bendix 3-speed stick shift would have come installed on a Sturmy-Archer?
I packed the Western Flyer but left room in the car (even though I still have a couple old bikes sitting in Killmore's basement), because on my way back through Albany, I picked up my brother and we went up to Glens Falls to my Aunt and Uncle's place to retrieve my father's first bicycle. My aunt had sent an email a couple of months ago saying it was still there, hanging in the back of the garage. I had never seen it but all I knew was that it had to be at least 50 years old. It was hanging on the back wall of a pitch black full garage, behind furniture and refrigerators and stuff. My cousin had to climb over everything, my brother climbing halfway across the pile with the flashlight, and me climbing behind just to see. I was trying to take a picture of the scene, and get a glimpse of the bike, where my brother was shining the flashlight. All I could see was part of a red cantilevered frame, chrome fender, balloon tire... :shock: it was about this point I dropped the camera and it fell into the darkness beneath the lawnmower I was standing on. I tried to step down to look for it and somehow knocked over a can of gasoline sitting on top of the mower. Then I was scrambling to pick up the gas can and find my camera. The camera was busted, battery door broken off. Good thing it was just the cheap digital point-and-shoot and not the 10D. At that moment my brother was trying hand a bicycle back to me, to take out of the garage.
I can't tell what it is exactly, but it does have a Hawthorne seat. Hard to tell what's original.
The reflective tape has got to go, but otherwise I don't plan to alter the bike in any way. Just give it the thorough treatment and get it rolling again, that's all it needs. By the way, anyone ever see this before?:
One more bike. This was in the basement with the Columbia's. The guy was like, I'll throw that little kid's bike in for $5.
Why not? Maybe one of the neighbor's kids needs a bike. If not... there is a kids bike build off going on...
So that was the weekend, here is the haul:
And what my living room now looks like...
this is getting out of hand... :lol:
I think the boy's bike is going to be especially nice to fix up.
After dropping off the bikes back at my apartment I continued driving (in blizzard conditions) up to Rochester, with a brief stop at my brother's in Albany to ride out the storm and rush hour. Once in Rochester I was able to pick up the '67 Western Flyer 3-Speed that my friend Killmore had grabbed from a local seller for me while I was out of town. It was in such great condition that I was able to take it out on a cruise!
I am (in orange) riding the Western Flyer, my buddy Nick is (in red) riding Killmore's '64 Rollfast. They have the same exact frame, down to the little "Genuine English Light Weight" emblem. Here are the close-ups of the Western Flyer:
I think this thing is already pretty rat. Does anybody know if that Bendix 3-speed stick shift would have come installed on a Sturmy-Archer?
I packed the Western Flyer but left room in the car (even though I still have a couple old bikes sitting in Killmore's basement), because on my way back through Albany, I picked up my brother and we went up to Glens Falls to my Aunt and Uncle's place to retrieve my father's first bicycle. My aunt had sent an email a couple of months ago saying it was still there, hanging in the back of the garage. I had never seen it but all I knew was that it had to be at least 50 years old. It was hanging on the back wall of a pitch black full garage, behind furniture and refrigerators and stuff. My cousin had to climb over everything, my brother climbing halfway across the pile with the flashlight, and me climbing behind just to see. I was trying to take a picture of the scene, and get a glimpse of the bike, where my brother was shining the flashlight. All I could see was part of a red cantilevered frame, chrome fender, balloon tire... :shock: it was about this point I dropped the camera and it fell into the darkness beneath the lawnmower I was standing on. I tried to step down to look for it and somehow knocked over a can of gasoline sitting on top of the mower. Then I was scrambling to pick up the gas can and find my camera. The camera was busted, battery door broken off. Good thing it was just the cheap digital point-and-shoot and not the 10D. At that moment my brother was trying hand a bicycle back to me, to take out of the garage.
I can't tell what it is exactly, but it does have a Hawthorne seat. Hard to tell what's original.
The reflective tape has got to go, but otherwise I don't plan to alter the bike in any way. Just give it the thorough treatment and get it rolling again, that's all it needs. By the way, anyone ever see this before?:
One more bike. This was in the basement with the Columbia's. The guy was like, I'll throw that little kid's bike in for $5.
Why not? Maybe one of the neighbor's kids needs a bike. If not... there is a kids bike build off going on...
So that was the weekend, here is the haul:
And what my living room now looks like...
this is getting out of hand... :lol:
