Swap meet 3 - Cool Evans, Trek, and Murray BMX

[Toeslider]

Day 2 of the Auto Swap today and manage to score some bikes. Found this cool step-thru Evans, I've not seen anything like it before:

I have what I believe is an Evans-Colson with the same chain guard, so I'm guessing this one is earlier since it is just "Evans".

The reason I had to have it, besides the cool chain guard, is the awesome squared-off fenders:

Plus I was digging the unecessarily complicated frame:

Next up is this Murray "track certified" BMX'er, which appears somewhat cobbled together, and has what may be a gold anodized rim on it:

Gave $10 for it from the same guy I got this from:

also for $10. He wasn't too keen on loading his bikes back up to take back home. This Trek Antelope 800 qualifies as ratty as-is. It needs just about everything serviced or replaced. I really just bought it as a challenge to myself to see if I can resurrect something this bad. It's really horrible, like, I'm-gonna-need-shots-after-working-on-this bad. But hey, I figure any bike with a kickstand is worth 5 bucks, and I can probably get 40 quarters out of a hipster just for the rack on the back.

 

[Daddyar]

That Evans is pretty cool!

 

[Mayberry]

Give me 20 minutes with any Trek and you'd be riding like the devil, i just did it to a Schwinn Crisscross, dumpster to sold in less than an hour and a butt load of profit.

 

[80sbikedude]

Cool Murray......front rim would be steel, not aluminum it appears.

 

[Toeslider]

I thought the Murrays front rim was just rusty at first, but when I got it home and looked closer I realized it's got some kind of gold-colored coating on it. Too bad the rear one is different.

 

[Jpromo]

Sweet bikes, maybe anodized gold on that front rim? Yes, too bad the rear isn't the same.

Evans actually was the later badging. The square fenders became their schtick. It's probably the most easily attributable feature to recognize designer Harley Earl's influence in. The idea was that it would resemble a car's fender (think '58 Chevy double headlight). The company bought out Colson in '53 and used the Evans-Colson moniker for a few years until they felt they had built up their own brand name well enough.. they switched to just Evans in '58 or '59 and were done by '62 so it didn't work too well.. to me, they'll always be the little company that could almost.

 

[kngtmat]

Nice scores and I like the Murray, Murray had some nice rims with some I believe were done the same way but blue.

 

[80sbikedude]

I thought the Murrays front rim was just rusty at first, but when I got it home and looked closer I realized it's got some kind of gold-colored coating on it. Too bad the rear one is different.

It is a steel rim with gold plating on it that will flake off.........they did it with blue as well.

Best wheels they did were the the ACS hubs with regular steel rims.

 

[Green Dragon]

Great finds.

Nice Evans, I have a near twin Evans-Colson, different guard on mine but same square fenders, neat to hear about the years, makes mine mid-late 50's so cool.

I love the murray - killer score for 10 bucks, those are starting to have some following, early dept store BMXers.

Trek too, cha ching, definate flipper, even around the economy here in upstate NY that'd bring a hefty profit.

sounds like a great day

 

[Gold Street Customs]

Evans is real nice, even for a girls bike, has some style.

 

[Outlaw90]

I love that Murray BMX thats rad. And that Evans is pretty cool too. those fenders are shaped really cool

 

[Toeslider]

To be more specific, it is a Murray BMX FRAME, lol! The bars and fork match each other and say "Dream Catcher" on them, so they are likely from some POS girls Wal-MX bike (I just made that term up - BMX bike from Wally World).

 

[Rustinkerer]

I have an Evans Viscount 400, from probably close to the 62 end of production, same color I think. -Adam