J.C. Higgins Mens bike found in The Netherlands.

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A long while ago, i think it was about the beginning of 2015.
During the restoration of my J.C. Higgins Color-Flow ladies bike.
I have spotted this J.C. Higgins bike in the center of my home-town.

Mens bike 000a.jpg

@ The moment when i spotted this bike it was used as a advertising object, for restaurant 073, lunch, diner & drinks.
Because it was in the nightlife area of the center, the bike did get in more worse condition time after time.
I kept an eye on the bike al the time, until Carnaval 2020 was coming up. (Carnaval is originally a big Christian folk festival)
With many people partying on the streets, who also break a lot of stuff on the street while partying.
@ That time the bike was lying on the street for scrap iron, as on the picture above.
This made me decide to try to safe the bike.
I went to the restaurant owner and tried to buy the bike from him.
He was willing to sell the bike, but we couldn't come to a deal.
But then a year and a half later at the end of November 2021, my daughter in law and my son came to me and they gave me the bike as a early X-mas gift.
They bought the bike from the owner, for € 30.00 which was as much as i offered him before. :bigsmile:

Mens bike 001b.jpg

When i got the bike there were a lot of bent parts on the bike.
Almost the half of the spokes in the front wheel were broken.
And the cable lock was completely twisted between the rear wheel.


Mens bike 003v.jpg

Putted some parts back in position they belong to be.

Mens bike 002b.jpg

The frame number.

Mens bike 005v.jpg

The rack on the front didn't fit well, so it destroyed a lot of spokes in the front wheel.

Mens bike 013 Front rack gone.jpg

That's why i removed the front rack, and mounted a front wheel from a donor bike.
Also mounted a pair of Electra redline tires on the wheels, so the bike would be rideable again.

Mens bike 014v.jpg

Picture taken during my 1st. little test ride.

Mens bike 015b.jpg

For more comfort mounted a Leather Dutch Lepper saddle on a custom made seatpost.
And mounted also a pair grips from a old BMX bike.

Frames b.jpg

While searching the internet trying to find out what kind of J.C. Higgins model this could be.
I ended up with the 1957 Jet Flow model through the combination of the frame model with the frame number.
Seeing the Jet Flow models during my search, i knew what i would like to do with my bike.
And i started searching Jet Flow parts for the bike.

50's Tank 2 a.jpg

After a lot of time, now it was June 2023.
I finally found this tank, and bought it.

Mens bike 016a Tank black on.jpg

When the tank was delivered, i immediately mounted the tank on the bike.
After some fidget work, i could even get the horn back to work again.
The Electra chain guard was just hanging loose over the chain.

Mens bike 020a 99% green stripped off.jpg

Because i didn't like the black paint on the tank and i wanted to know what was underneath the black paint.
I stripped the black paint of the tank.
This did me decide to strip the ugly green paint from the bike aswell.
Meanwhile, the search for more parts continued.

Parts 009.jpg

A short time later i found a lot of parts, and bought them.

Mens bike 021a.jpg

When the parts were delivered, they ofcourse needed to be mounted to the bike immediately.
Before i mounted the rear fender, i stripped the red paint of.
I noticed already that the rear rack on my bike, isn't a correct Jet Flow rack.
Because of that the stance of the rear rack is not good.
It sits at the back a little bit higher than it sits at the front of the rack.

Mens bike 024d.jpg

So i've cut of a piece of the rear rack brace, which lowered the rear of the rear rack a bit.

Mens bike 025 RR.jpg

This resulted in a much better stance of the rear rack.

Mens bike 026 Start 27-11-'21 - Progress 16-7-'23.jpg

The beginning 27 November 2021 and the progress @ 16 July 2023.
Now i have to make up my mind about what to do further with the bike.
Do i keep it a Rat Rod or do i go for a full restoration??? :39:
 

Attachments

  • Mens bike 002a.jpg
    Mens bike 002a.jpg
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Last edited:
Very cool bike, must be so rare to come across one of that age in the Netherlands.
Jazeker!

I see very nice USA bikes and parts on bikestoremember.nl but further you don't see many American let alone Canadian bikes.

Love the transformation @Lowjack'r .
I am guessing you are from S'Hertogenbosch? There are the best bikes and parts for sale/to be found. :rockout:
 
A long while ago, i think it was about the beginning of 2015.
During the restoration of my J.C. Higgins Color-Flow ladies bike.
I have spotted this J.C. Higgins bike in the center of my home-town.

View attachment 242712
@ The moment when i spotted this bike it was used as a advertising object, for restaurant 073, lunch, diner & drinks.
Because it was in the nightlife area of the center, the bike did get in more worse condition time after time.
I kept an eye on the bike al the time, until Carnaval 2020 was coming up. (Carnaval is originally a big Christian folk festival)
With many people partying on the streets, who also break a lot of stuff on the street while partying.
@ That time the bike was lying on the street for scrap iron, as on the picture above.
This made me decide to try to safe the bike.
I went to the restaurant owner and tried to buy the bike from him.
He was willing to sell the bike, but we couldn't come to a deal.
But then a year and a half later at the end of November 2021, my daughter in law and my son came to me and they gave me the bike as a early X-mas gift.
They bought the bike from the owner, for € 30.00 which was as much as i offered him before. :bigsmile:

View attachment 242716
When i got the bike there were a lot of bent parts on the bike.
Almost the half of the spokes in the front wheel were broken.
And the cable lock was completely twisted between the rear wheel.


View attachment 242715
Putted some parts back in position they belong to be.

View attachment 242755
The frame number.

View attachment 242719
The rack on the front didn't fit well, so it destroyed a lot of spokes in the front wheel.

View attachment 242720
That's why i removed the front rack, and mounted a front wheel from a donor bike.
Also mounted a pair of Electra redline tires on the wheels, so the bike would be rideable again.

View attachment 242721
Picture taken during my 1st. little test ride.

View attachment 242733
For more comfort mounted a Leather Dutch Lepper saddle on a custom made seatpost.
And mounted also a pair grips from a old BMX bike.

View attachment 242734
While searching the internet trying to find out what kind of J.C. Higgins model this could be.
I ended up with the 1957 Jet Flow model through the combination of the frame model with the frame number.
Seeing the Jet Flow models during my search, i knew what i would like to do with my bike.
And i started searching Jet Flow parts for the bike.

View attachment 242735
After a lot of time, now it was June 2023.
I finally found this tank, and bought it.

View attachment 242736
When the tank was delivered, i immediately mounted the tank on the bike.
After some fidget work, i could even get the horn back to work again.
The Electra chain guard was just hanging loose over the chain.

View attachment 242737
Because i didn't like the black paint on the tank and i wanted to know what was underneath the black paint.
I stripped the black paint of the tank.
This did me decide to strip the ugly green paint from the bike aswell.
Meanwhile, the search for more parts continued.

View attachment 242741
A short time later i found a lot of parts, and bought them.

View attachment 242744
When the parts were delivered, they ofcourse needed to be mounted to the bike immediately.
Before i mounted the rear fender, i stripped the red paint of.
I noticed already that the rear rack on my bike, isn't a correct Jet Flow rack.
Because of that the stance of the rear rack is not good.
It sits at the back a little bit higher than it sits at the front of the rack.

View attachment 242748
So i've cut of a piece of the rear rack brace, which lowered the rear of the rear rack a bit.

View attachment 242750
This resulted in a much better stance of the rear rack.

View attachment 242751
The beginning 27 November 2021 and the progress @ 16 July 2023.
Now i have to make up my mind about what to do further with the bike.
Do i keep it a Rat Rod or do i go for a full restoration??? :39:
Wow! What a great story. I personally love the bike both ways - restored and also as that cool conversation piece restaurant delivery bike.
 
Jazeker!

I see very nice USA bikes and parts on bikestoremember.nl but further you don't see many American let alone Canadian bikes.

Love the transformation @Lowjack'r .
I am guessing you are from S'Hertogenbosch? There are the best bikes and parts for sale/to be found. :rockout:
Yes Bart all you wrote is correct.
https://bikestoremember.nl/product-categorie/fietsen/usa/
Very cool bike, must be so rare to come across one of that age in the Netherlands.
Yes, that's for sure.
 
what a great save! I really like it the way it is, but after seeing what you did with that ladie's Higgins maybe you should keep going
 
kinda seems like you're on your way to a full restoration. Great story. Thanks for sharing. I wonder how that bike got there.
 
"502" was Sears code for the supplier, Murray.
John Higgins was a Sears employee starting in the 1890s.

IMO, a full resto deletes the entire Netherlands history. Repair what needs repair. Repack all the bearings. Wash and wax. And ride it.
 
Outstanding. This is what it's all about.
Major love for the hobby and those who see it with this.. Itch they can't leave be until its back to a glory of useful routine.

-R.
 
Yep Have to agree, the story that go's with this machine is priceless! ya saw it for years , made an offer, couldnt close a deal, years later it turns up as a gift!....what a legend! and the iceing on the cake is an absolute rarity of a bike in not just your neck of the woods but country maybe even continent!
Have you ridden to that resturant and showed the owner!
 
A long while ago, i think it was about the beginning of 2015.
During the restoration of my J.C. Higgins Color-Flow ladies bike.
I have spotted this J.C. Higgins bike in the center of my home-town.

View attachment 242712
@ The moment when i spotted this bike it was used as a advertising object, for restaurant 073, lunch, diner & drinks.
Because it was in the nightlife area of the center, the bike did get in more worse condition time after time.
I kept an eye on the bike al the time, until Carnaval 2020 was coming up. (Carnaval is originally a big Christian folk festival)
With many people partying on the streets, who also break a lot of stuff on the street while partying.
@ That time the bike was lying on the street for scrap iron, as on the picture above.
This made me decide to try to safe the bike.
I went to the restaurant owner and tried to buy the bike from him.
He was willing to sell the bike, but we couldn't come to a deal.
But then a year and a half later at the end of November 2021, my daughter in law and my son came to me and they gave me the bike as a early X-mas gift.
They bought the bike from the owner, for € 30.00 which was as much as i offered him before. :bigsmile:

View attachment 242716
When i got the bike there were a lot of bent parts on the bike.
Almost the half of the spokes in the front wheel were broken.
And the cable lock was completely twisted between the rear wheel.


View attachment 242715
Putted some parts back in position they belong to be.

View attachment 242755
The frame number.

View attachment 242719
The rack on the front didn't fit well, so it destroyed a lot of spokes in the front wheel.

View attachment 242720
That's why i removed the front rack, and mounted a front wheel from a donor bike.
Also mounted a pair of Electra redline tires on the wheels, so the bike would be rideable again.

View attachment 242721
Picture taken during my 1st. little test ride.

View attachment 242733
For more comfort mounted a Leather Dutch Lepper saddle on a custom made seatpost.
And mounted also a pair grips from a old BMX bike.

View attachment 242734
While searching the internet trying to find out what kind of J.C. Higgins model this could be.
I ended up with the 1957 Jet Flow model through the combination of the frame model with the frame number.
Seeing the Jet Flow models during my search, i knew what i would like to do with my bike.
And i started searching Jet Flow parts for the bike.

View attachment 242735
After a lot of time, now it was June 2023.
I finally found this tank, and bought it.

View attachment 242736
When the tank was delivered, i immediately mounted the tank on the bike.
After some fidget work, i could even get the horn back to work again.
The Electra chain guard was just hanging loose over the chain.

View attachment 242737
Because i didn't like the black paint on the tank and i wanted to know what was underneath the black paint.
I stripped the black paint of the tank.
This did me decide to strip the ugly green paint from the bike aswell.
Meanwhile, the search for more parts continued.

View attachment 242741
A short time later i found a lot of parts, and bought them.

View attachment 242744
When the parts were delivered, they ofcourse needed to be mounted to the bike immediately.
Before i mounted the rear fender, i stripped the red paint of.
I noticed already that the rear rack on my bike, isn't a correct Jet Flow rack.
Because of that the stance of the rear rack is not good.
It sits at the back a little bit higher than it sits at the front of the rack.

View attachment 242748
So i've cut of a piece of the rear rack brace, which lowered the rear of the rear rack a bit.

View attachment 242750
This resulted in a much better stance of the rear rack.

View attachment 242751
The beginning 27 November 2021 and the progress @ 16 July 2023.
Now i have to make up my mind about what to do further with the bike.
Do i keep it a Rat Rod or do i go for a full restoration??? :39:
What a super nice bike you have. What ever you ultimately do, I'm sure it will be wonderful!
 

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