New (Vintage) Bicycles?

Cousin Hepcat said:

OH MAN, something else for the want list, Big Time...

Thanks for the link Big Guy

Click to expand...

Hepcat,
Did you check-out the parts section of the website? They've got all kinds of custon parts you add to personalize your bike. We opted for the these "knee-action" springer forks on both our bikes:

We've also got these seat-rails:

(which I think protect your seat from tearing if your bike should fall over), and mudflaps on the rear fenders! I also added "ape-hanger" handlebars to mine. I have to crank my seat up so high, the standard handlebars are too low for me to use comfortably.
Now that the weather is getting better, we're really looking forward to getting in some pedal-time!

PrettyBigGuy said:

Hepcat,
Did you check-out the parts section of the website? They've got all kinds of custon parts you add to personalize your bike. We opted for the these "knee-action" springer forks on both our bikes:

We've also got these seat-rails:
(which I think protect your seat from tearing if your bike should fall over), and mudflaps on the rear fenders! I also added "ape-hanger" handlebars to mine. I have to crank my seat up so high, the standard handlebars are too low for me to use comfortably.
Now that the weather is getting better, we're really looking forward to getting in some pedal-time!

Click to expand...

Ok, I'll say it first... PICTURES!

How's this for vintage?



It's made by Eastman in India, and taken from a British design dating back to 1913. I bought the men's model last year from Yellow Jersey in Wisconsin. Click the link to get all the info you need.

Cheers!

Lone Star Flight Museum's Living History Group, Galveston, Texas.
http://www.lonestarflight.org

Dalexs said:

PrettyBigGuy said:

Hepcat,
Did you check-out the parts section of the website? They've got all kinds of custon parts you add to personalize your bike. We opted for the these "knee-action" springer forks on both our bikes:

We've also got these seat-rails:

(which I think protect your seat from tearing if your bike should fall over), and mudflaps on the rear fenders! I also added "ape-hanger" handlebars to mine. I have to crank my seat up so high, the standard handlebars are too low for me to use comfortably.
Now that the weather is getting better, we're really looking forward to getting in some pedal-time!

Click to expand...

Ok, I'll say it first... PICTURES!

Click to expand...

Yep! Think we'd have to see it to get it.

I've been looking at bikes for a while, and I have to agree with the others that Schwinn bikes just aren't what they used to be, and that sub-$200 bikes won't be much fun to ride. For less than $200, you get a heavy, poorly-made bike. Bikes in that price range are usually found in places like Wal-Mart and Target, places that do a poor job of assembling them and then don't service them. You can, however, get a good retro bike from a bike shop in the $350-$500 range. The Electra cruisers are beautiful, and Trek makes some nice ones, too. I've been eyeing the Cruiser Classic, the Calypso, and the Cruiseliner, all from Trek.

As for the classic English/European bicycles, I would love to have one of these: http://www.pashley.co.uk/products/classic/roadster/splash.html . I haven't been able to find an American distributor for them, though. Restoration Hardware once offered them, but they no longer do.

The D.A. said:

As for the classic English/European bicycles, I would love to have one of these: http://www.pashley.co.uk/products/classic/roadster/splash.html . I haven't been able to find an American distributor for them, though. Restoration Hardware once offered them, but they no longer do.

Click to expand...

That Pashley looks almost exactly like the Eastman I posted above. Have you gone to the link I provided and checked it out?

Cheers!

I have a pretty fair amount of experience in this area so I'd like to put in my two cents. Your absolute best bet is to stay away from the modern bikes if you truly want the vintage bike experience. Granted, companies like Electra are making some fine bicycles that often look the part. As stated by someone else, Schwinn is the way to go but their modern bikes just don't measure up...the welds alone are far from what they used to be.

Here's what I did. Take into account this was for a 60s-70s style Schwinn Stingray, but you can go the same route with an earlier model. Step number one is to go to eBay and search for Schwinn frame, Schwinn cruiser, or simply Schwinn bike. My advice is to go with a simple frame search but be sure the one you get also has the matching fork. Schwinn bikes generally came in three basic sizes: 26" adult, 24" boys/girls, and 20" kids (a few others came along later). For a vintage cruiser, go with the 26" frame. You can go with the classic curves of the typical cruiser, or go with the straight top tube found on older bikes. You can often pick up a decent frame for under $50. You don't have to get something that is brand-spankin' new. I started with a beat up rust bucket. After you get your frame, take it to a local shop and have it sandblasted inside & out, then powder coated in the color of your choice. Powder coating is plastic and, according to some, actually is more durable than paint (it doesn't take decals as easily though). Now you're at the stage where you have a fully renovated frame/fork. Next you'll need to pick up parts. Wheels & pedals can be had at any bike store. As for the vintage handlebars, bearings, fenders, etc. (and cool stuff like streamers, horns, etc.) go online to places like www.lovelylowrider.com and order. Check Amazon.com for good bike restoration books if you need help, but it really isn't difficult to restore an old cruiser bike.

Here's what you can end up with.... I started with a 24" boys cruiser frame that was heavily rusted and very ugly. What I wanted was an adult-sized Schwinn Stingray. The original bikes were built for kids and measured in at 20" so I sized up to get the right fit (26" would've been too big). After sandblasting the rust and powder-coating in candy apple red I simply added the new banana seat, upsized apehanger bars, and all the shiny chrome parts. The result has been the envy of everyone on the beach!



Pretty swizzle huh?!

I was with Wild Root when he bought this nifty set of wheels back in 01. We were both on Bike kicks and still ride now and again.

I believe his has the red painted headlight.



I myself got something a little niftier from France. More totalitarian with fenders and a pedal powered lighting system.

Wild's bike is like riding a couch, while mine does well off and on road... less couch feel, though feels like you should be riding to work. I take it on alot of scout outings and would ride it to heard the studenst at JPL events from the Lab to the local high school.

Once in a while you will see military surplus bikes from foreign nations in Some of the militaria surplus catalogs that come out.

For impressions, a good sturdy bike with a frame painted black or drab green fits the bill for military courier use.

Something that looks like you could throw it to the ground and not care.

Lauren Henline said:

Yeah, very pretty! But a bit too high of a price tag for me. I'd like one for under $200 [huh]

Click to expand...

**************
In order to get a quality bike, you may have to do the Yard Sale route and luck out. Cheap bikes tend to be just that, cheap and don't have any true satisfaction. Better to spend a little more if going the new route and get something well made. Been there and done that before.:eusa_doh:

Matt Deckard said:

...Once in a while you will see military surplus bikes from foreign nations in Some of the militaria surplus catalogs that come out.

For impressions, a good sturdy bike with a frame painted black or drab green fits the bill for military courier use.

Something that looks like you could throw it to the ground and not care.

Click to expand...

Uhhh, Matt? A British BSA airborne folding bicycle? I don't think a courier would have been using one of these unless he found it lying by the side of the road after an assault! This might be a a bit of a rare one to use an an example. You can't really pick these up for peanuts anymore like most surplus military bikes. While an excellent example of a military bike, the average "Don R" probably wouldn't have been using it.

American airmen in the UK during the war used a lot of privatly purchased civilian bikes for running around the base and into town for a pint, if I recall. So a basic black roadster would probably suffice for a lot of purposes.

Cheers!

Just a picture of another cool military bike, not an example of a courier bike.

As I mentioned, you can take a plain old bike and paint it green or black for that military look.

Matt Deckard said:

I was with Wild Root when he bought this nifty set of wheels back in 01. We were both on Bike kicks and still ride now and again.

Click to expand...

Oh man! Solid - I just can't help but think of Pee Wee Herman! lol but really I think every one of us would Love to have P.W.'s bike (maybe without the propeller)

Matt Deckard said:

I myself got something a little niftier from France. More totalitarian with fenders and a pedal powered lighting system.

Click to expand...

So, according to the free online dictionary, you can use it to "exercise a regime of absolute and centralized control, crushing all autonomous institutions in your drive to seize the human soul"? Cool!

Matt Deckard said:

Once in a while you will see military surplus bikes from foreign nations in Some of the militaria surplus catalogs that come out.

For impressions, a good sturdy bike with a frame painted black or drab green fits the bill for military courier use.

Something that looks like you could throw it to the ground and not care.

Click to expand...

Good point, funny you should just now mention that, after the last post I starting leaning more towards something like this:



Matt, did the better-handling one you ended up getting have the fat or thin tires or just a lighter frame? What do you think it was that made the difference?

Swing High,
- Cousin Hepcat

Cousin Hepcat said:

Matt, did the better-handling one you ended up getting have the fat or thin tires or just a lighter frame? What do you think it was that made the difference?

Swing High,
- Cousin Hepcat

Click to expand...

No, you didn't really read the previous post. To get the better handling, it came with a "regime of absolute and centralized control, crushing all autonomous institutions in your drive to seize the human soul." That, and his iron will made the difference. He don't need no steenkin' fat tires! lol lol lol

Sorry, Matt, I couldn't resist!

Cheers!

Swiss bikes

(A technical problem led to the removal of my account - so there might be no connexion to posts of mine before this one.)

The Swiss Army had bicycle units or something like that between and 2003, and since then, they've been selling the bikes off, starting at about £65/$115. The catch is, if I understand it correctly, they don't ship, so you'd have to go there.

Here's the shop. The production of those bikes was stopped, I think, in the 1980s, but it looks like you can just as well buy a bike from 1903.

There seem to be many words for it, but I guess if you google it, either for articles or for other sources than the army surplus shop, looking for "ordonnanzrad" would do - that's the official expression, and specific at that. (Otherwise, try those synonyms: Milit?§rvelo, Milit?§rfahrrad, Milit?§rrad, Armeevelo, Armeefahrrad, Ordonnanzfahrrad, Ordonnanzrad.) Most hits seem to be in German and Dutch.

Dalexs said:

Ok, I'll say it first... PICTURES!

Click to expand...

I took some pics over the weekend in my basement, but they turned out pretty dull. Now that the sun has come out I'll take some more and post them ASAP.
All this talk of military surplus bikes made me remember another modern-cruiser company called Nirve. http://www.nirve.com/
Check out the Kilroy!
http://www.nirve.com/cruisers.asp?cat=classic&cid=520

A number of years ago I rescued an antique Raleigh from the trash, simply to get the Brooks leather saddle ($100 retail new)


Rust, as well as heavy steel, make the chore of refurbishing an actual vintage bike frame a difficult one.

There are several vintage-style cruisers you can get new that are sheer dreams to ride. A favorite is this Cafe' racer:


(I'm loyal to my Bianchis).
Also available in a ladies' model:


OK, so it's over 600 bucks.

But it's both retro and modern: lightweight, internal gears (an 8-speed cogset inside the fat rear hub, no clumsy derailleur), comfy.

Wear it with some old-school Coppi-era wool:

The easiest and least expensive way to go is definitely garage sales, estate sales, and flea markets. We have picked up four vintage Hercules British-made bicycles for around $5 each, and have repainted them in a military scheme to use for airshows and such. It cost us the paint, new tires and tubes, new grips and seats, and of course, our labor, but was still less than the cost of even a new bicycle.

Oh dear...

... I had no idea these old bikes were so interesting. Come to Cambridge and you could steal them by the dozen ... but hands off mine: I don't know how old it is but it's older than me and will outlive me: a green Raleigh, badly repainted, with a wicker basket for books and a dynamo lamp for wondering why the bloody thing isn't working. It's just my bike. Or was. Now, of course, it's an Authentic Memento of the Golden Age, and I won't dare ride it any more...

In Italy, I saw bikes so old, only a uniform layer of rust was holding them together. Ordinary Italians cherish their prehistoric bikes. Vittorio de Sica comes to mind! (Ever seen his The Bicycle Thief?)