First of all, let me explain the title of my build-off entry. Since this is an "anything goes" category, I am going to use a type of bike that most people part out and throw away. I feel that it's unfortunate that "girl's bikes" get almost no respect in the vintage bicycle hobby. Some of them are much more stylish than their "boy's bike" counterparts. Therefore, I prefer to use the term "step-through" when describing this frame style. It's a less "taboo" type of name. So for this build-off, I am entering a cool old step-through style frame that I found on ebay a couple of weeks ago. I was the only bidder on this auction, so I was able to buy it for next to nothing ($40). I guess that nobody else respected this "girl's bike" enough to bid on it. I think it's cool! It's a beautiful NOS early-30's Elgin curved seat tube frame in an unusual 2-tone beige and maroon. I am not exactly sure of the year, but it is early enough to be a pre-headbadge model. It has some minor shelf wear, but otherwise it is a beautiful starting point for a cool custom build. On June 6th, I attended the Bicycle Heaven Swap Meet in Pittsburgh. The first swap meet near me that hadn't been cancelled this year. There, I was able to find a correct set of original forks with all the hardware and the correct truss rods for only $5. I will also be using a nice tan '34 Colson girls seat and lucky seven seat post from a $5 donor bike that I found at a garage sale last year. I will either use the correct up-side-down style stem or a Torrington stem (which is sometimes found on bikes of this era). My objective is to build a mostly stock bike while using a few custom ideas to give it an stylish art deco look.
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