Greetings All,
My name is Gerald. I am a born mechanic, craftsman, artist, generally handy guy. I was born with a rusty thumb and have always been fascinated by anything that takes me back to a bygone era. I have dabbled in vintage cars over the years, but the past 12+ years of projects have been mostly (ok all) real estate related. As much as I dig working on houses I always dreamed of returning to old sheet metal with wheels.
It all started a few months ago with a chance meeting in a dark storage barn behind a thrift shop. There she was, in her original rose and white birthday suit…calling to me. I was mesmerized…until my wife caught me checking out that little Starlet’s rack. A 2 week dance ensured with the keeper of the thrift shop. It was for sale, then it wasn’t…then it was cheap, then it was priceless. Eventually, we hauled it home and the wife had her a new toy for cruising the neighborhood. We aired-up the original, slightly checked Westwinds and lubed the rusty chain and took it for a spin.
It was my first vintage bike purchase. I went with the basics….drawing mostly from my car restoration experience. Well-cared for and one owner….original parts…..no major cosmetic or structural issues…shows well. After the dust settled, I paid $100 (to a great charity) for it. I set out to further identify what I bought. It is a ’60 Schwinn Starlet. As for what series, I dunno. It is apparently a transitional year that combines some cool features of the 1 and some updated (ie not-so-exciting) features of the 2.
After all that fuss with the Starlet, I was still standing on the side of the road as a spectator. In my head I envisioned a roving fleet of bombers, ne'er do wells, punks, hooligans.....different one for every day of the week. We have the space to store and restore, and a place to ride. Why not? (Any thing that scares all the Audi-driving neighbors is surely worth the price of admission, no?)
And then it all spiraled from there (down or up, depending on who you ask). There are now a total of 9, with a 10th on the way. A couple are for parts, some are future projects, some will be sold to fund the other projects. Most were had for a song, one or two I paid too much for.
I have been a forum scanner (everywhere) for years but have never felt compelled to post anything. Once I comprehend the pic posting thing, I will share them with y'all. Take care for now.
My name is Gerald. I am a born mechanic, craftsman, artist, generally handy guy. I was born with a rusty thumb and have always been fascinated by anything that takes me back to a bygone era. I have dabbled in vintage cars over the years, but the past 12+ years of projects have been mostly (ok all) real estate related. As much as I dig working on houses I always dreamed of returning to old sheet metal with wheels.
It all started a few months ago with a chance meeting in a dark storage barn behind a thrift shop. There she was, in her original rose and white birthday suit…calling to me. I was mesmerized…until my wife caught me checking out that little Starlet’s rack. A 2 week dance ensured with the keeper of the thrift shop. It was for sale, then it wasn’t…then it was cheap, then it was priceless. Eventually, we hauled it home and the wife had her a new toy for cruising the neighborhood. We aired-up the original, slightly checked Westwinds and lubed the rusty chain and took it for a spin.
It was my first vintage bike purchase. I went with the basics….drawing mostly from my car restoration experience. Well-cared for and one owner….original parts…..no major cosmetic or structural issues…shows well. After the dust settled, I paid $100 (to a great charity) for it. I set out to further identify what I bought. It is a ’60 Schwinn Starlet. As for what series, I dunno. It is apparently a transitional year that combines some cool features of the 1 and some updated (ie not-so-exciting) features of the 2.
After all that fuss with the Starlet, I was still standing on the side of the road as a spectator. In my head I envisioned a roving fleet of bombers, ne'er do wells, punks, hooligans.....different one for every day of the week. We have the space to store and restore, and a place to ride. Why not? (Any thing that scares all the Audi-driving neighbors is surely worth the price of admission, no?)
And then it all spiraled from there (down or up, depending on who you ask). There are now a total of 9, with a 10th on the way. A couple are for parts, some are future projects, some will be sold to fund the other projects. Most were had for a song, one or two I paid too much for.
I have been a forum scanner (everywhere) for years but have never felt compelled to post anything. Once I comprehend the pic posting thing, I will share them with y'all. Take care for now.
