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OldRoads.com
This is an archive of Vintage Bicycle Information.
For current Discussions, go to our main site: OldRoads.com
If you are trying to determine the genealogy of your bicycle by it's features, go to our Vintage Bicycle Price Guide
which details bicycle features, wheel sizes, brake types, etc., as well as showing a price estimate for your old bicycle.
If you are trying to determine the make and model of your bicycle, go to our Vintage Bicycle Picture Database
which details bicycle features, wheel sizes, etc., as well as showing a price estimate for your vintage bicycle.
Archived: Restoration Tips
RESTORATION TIPS - PAINT: Firestone/Monark Super Cruiser...
posted by: Fred A
on 7/2/2004 at 7:12:03 PM
| I just got a woman's 1952 Firestone/ Monark, 100% original right down to the bolts. Problem is, it languished in a damp environment for a very long time. The surface of the paint is marked with rust spots (dots) and mold. Any idea as to how to get this off without ruining most of the paint? I've tried rubbing and polishing compound with marginal results. Hopefully someone out there has encountered this and will be able to offer some advise.
Thanks!
Fred a |
RESTORATION TIPS - MISC: 1948 Monark Deluxe
posted by: Carrie
on 6/30/2004 at 4:08:47 AM
| Hi- I have a 1948 Monark-Silver King Inc Deluxe bike. I ride my bike everyday in good weather. I'd like to restore it so it at least looks origional- I am not selling it- I love this rusty thing!
ok. I HAD to replace the tires this year- no ifs ands or buts about it. Not safe to ride on baldies!
It is missing the headlight, the rear carrier and has one pedal. I'd like a pair! :D I've been scouring ebay without luck.
It has a pushbutton on the tank. I was told this was for the light, but someone else said it was for a horn. Any idea?
The bike right now is a blue shade. The paint is powdery and obviously not origional. Does anyone know what color this bike would be authentic in?
Please email me directly at whipstaff_ranch@yahoo.com with the info. I'll gladly send photos if anyone would like them.
Thanks in advance! Carrie |
RESTORATION TIPS - MISC: handle bars
posted by: Elaine
on 6/24/2004 at 12:22:56 PM
| I have a 1975 Schwinn Breeze and I need to raise the handle bar post. Do you completely unscrew the middle bolt? I tried, but after a while I got scared, gave up and rescrewed. Thank you. |
RE:RESTORATION TIPS - MISC: handle bars
posted by Morgan Styer on 6/24/2004 at 5:55:04 PM
| A bike of that age most likely has a quill type stem. There is an expandable wedge at the bottom which is controlled by the bolt down through the center. Try unscrewing the bolt about a half inch and then tapping it back in with a hammer. This should loosen up the wedge and allow you to move the stem.
Morgan Styer |
RE:RE:RESTORATION TIPS - MISC: handle bars
posted by Elaine on 6/27/2004 at 10:32:03 PM
| OK I tried to unscrew 1/2 inch and hammer. Nothing. Removed the bolt completely. Hit mallot from bottom of handle bar to remove..Not an inch. Sprayed silicon down stem, set. Hammered with mallot again. Not an inch. Any other suggestion to move this handle bar up? Thanks. Elaine |
RE:RE:RE:RESTORATION TIPS - MISC: handle bars
posted by Steve on 7/1/2004 at 12:43:50 PM
| Forget silicone. Get some PBlaster (Walmart or an auto parts store) and use that. Spray generously and let it soak for several days, then hammer on the raised bolt to release the wedge. A rubber mallet will likely not work: try a hammer. Use a piece of copper or brass in between to prevent marring the chrome on the bolt. |
RESTORATION TIPS - PAINT: 1960/70's Schwinn Breeze 3 speed
posted by: Linda
on 6/23/2004 at 6:43:45 PM
| I have an old female schwinn bicycle that is in awesome shape. It is a three speed schwinn. Everything is good on it the tires have some weather cracks, and I am missing the back reflector. I need to know if I can get tires for it, and possibly how much it might be worth.
Thanks,
Linda |
RESTORATION TIPS - PAINT: 1960/70's Schwinn Breeze 3 speed
posted by: Linda
on 6/23/2004 at 6:43:45 PM
| I have an old female schwinn bicycle that is in awesome shape. It is a three speed schwinn. Everything is good on it the tires have some weather cracks, and I am missing the back reflector. I need to know if I can get tires for it, and possibly how much it might be worth.
Thanks,
Linda |
RE:RESTORATION TIPS - PAINT: 1960/70's Schwinn Breeze 3 speed
posted by michael on 7/21/2004 at 2:38:58 AM
| Tires and tubes for old Schwinns and other 3 speeds are still being made. Any bike store could order them for you. I have used this site to help me identify the specs of a 1974 Schwinn Suburban I recently bought: http://www.geocities.com/sldatabook/cover.html. It has a serial number chart that will help you identify the bike's year. |
RESTORATION TIPS - MISC: stuck crank
posted by: Abbi
on 6/21/2004 at 8:06:14 PM
| I found this old Raliegh on the side of the road and I have been taking it apart, cleaning it and getting it ready to paint, but I can't get the crank out.The bike shop I took it to says the only way to remove it would be to destroy the chain gaurd. I really don't want to do this because the chain gaurd is one of those neat gaurds that is only open around the chainwheel and it is in pretty good shape. I see their point however, because you can't get close enough to the point where the crank connects with the crank arm to hammer the crank arm off. Any suggestions??? |
RE:RESTORATION TIPS - MISC: stuck crank
posted by Beth on 6/23/2004 at 4:18:41 AM
| Depending on how old a Raliegh, and the model. Do some trolling around on the English Roadster Board. Much discussion has gone on around the Cottered Cranks. A search will pull it up. But read before you go any further, it is possible to do serious damage to your bike if they aren't handled properly. |
RE:RESTORATION TIPS - MISC: stuck crank
posted by Abb i on 6/24/2004 at 4:10:42 AM
| Thanks for the reply Beth, I'll see what I can find online. I'm not sure how old the bike is. It's serial number is 898 AL, which I think meant its from the 60's. There is unfortunately no serial number on the back hub. Let me know if that info inspires any more helpful thoughts!
|
RE:RESTORATION TIPS - MISC: stuck crank
posted by Steve on 7/1/2004 at 12:48:21 PM
| Use lots of PBlaster (from Walmart) to loosen the cotter pin, then take the bike to a bike store with a cotter pin press which will remove it. They may have to use some heat. Don't use a hammer. |
RESTORATION TIPS - PAINT: Hard Rubber Tricycle Tires
posted by: Barry Merrill
on 6/20/2004 at 4:19:00 AM
| I am looking for a way to retread old deteriorated trike tires as part of the restoration process. Any links or clues would be great. |
RESTORATION TIPS - PAINT: HUB repair
posted by: Beth
on 6/13/2004 at 1:57:34 AM
| Ok, We had a bad thing happen to a 3 spd tandem bike which was donated to my campus bike shop. In packing into the truck, too much pressure was put on the indicator chain. The small threaded end snapped of the rest of the chain and is still inside the hub. It's a torpedo made 3 spd. Is it even possible to fix this? If so how? Thanks for any information. |
RESTORATION TIPS - MISC: To Restore or not to Restore
posted by: Brian
on 6/12/2004 at 2:19:20 AM
| Just the other day I picked up an old rusty bike off the side of the road for free. Upon investigation I found that its about a 1963 Columbia. It has a tank and a button on the side. Was it for a light because there isnt one on front like I saw in some pictures. Anyway I was wondering, being a newbie would I get more $ out of the bike if I sold it as is(rusty and nonfuntional) or if I tried to restore it myself?
Thanks for any and all advice
Brian |
RESTORATION TIPS - PAINT: where to buy campus green ( matalic) in the spray can
posted by: Kevin
on 6/11/2004 at 2:53:21 AM
| I am restoring a schwinn collegiate 5 speed bike. I would like to buy 2 (two) spray cans of the light matalic campus green. Can any one out there please help me? |
RE:RESTORATION TIPS - PAINT: where to buy campus green ( matalic) in the spray can
posted by phil on 6/14/2004 at 6:48:36 PM
| http://hyper-formance.com/
the have schwinn colors in can or spray |
RE:RESTORATION TIPS - PAINT: where to buy campus green ( matalic) in the spray can
posted by phil on 6/14/2004 at 6:48:52 PM
| http://hyper-formance.com/
the have schwinn colors in can or spray |
RE:RESTORATION TIPS - PAINT: where to buy campus green ( matalic) in the spray can
posted by phil on 6/14/2004 at 6:48:54 PM
| http://hyper-formance.com/
the have schwinn colors in can or spray |
RE:RESTORATION TIPS - PAINT: where to buy campus green ( matalic) in the spray can
posted by phil on 6/14/2004 at 6:48:55 PM
| http://hyper-formance.com/
the have schwinn colors in can or spray |
RESTORATION TIPS - PAINT: Ross Super Deluxe
posted by: Dan
on 6/8/2004 at 4:34:32 AM
| I picked up a Ross Super Deluxe at a Garage Sale. It has the small twin headlights on the tank. Its paint has faded to a rusty brown. Still got most of the white trim on the tank. I assume it was red. I've been riding it around town. Many people think its cool. I was going to clean it rather than re-paint. Any tips on rejuvenating, as much as possible, the paint and crome. |
RESTORATION TIPS - MISC: removing handgrips
posted by: antal
on 6/6/2004 at 4:46:29 PM
| What's the secret to removing old handgrips (without destroying them)? |
RE:RESTORATION TIPS - MISC: removing handgrips
posted by Steve Ringlee on 6/6/2004 at 8:00:31 PM
| I've used several techniques:
-Use a thin piece of brass stock or a thin rod to gently separate the grip from the bar and then spray WD40 in to loosen things up. Work around the grip to do this. Eventually it can be rotated, slid off, cleaned up, and reused.
-Use shop air and place the nozzle in the small hole at the end to blow off the grip. This works better if you've loosened it per the above. |
RE:RE:RESTORATION TIPS - MISC: removing handgrips
posted by antal on 6/7/2004 at 12:05:05 AM
| the wd-40 trick worked like a charm... thanks! |
RESTORATION TIPS - MISC: bottecchia (70's road bike)
posted by: sharon
on 6/1/2004 at 9:38:33 PM
| I just received my 1970's bottecchia road bike from the bike shop where it received a 1st class overhaul. I expect that after a few hours with a steel wool pad I'll be able to hit the road. I am very excited about getting back on this bike - a relic from my early adolescence and a gift from my now deceased father. I'm curious . . . does anyone else have a bike like this? How can I find out more about my bike - the year it was built, etc.
Thanks for the interest |
RE:RESTORATION TIPS - MISC: bottecchia (70's road bike)
posted by Steve Ringlee on 6/6/2004 at 8:04:06 PM
| Steel wool can actually cause rust due to the little hard pieces of steel which can get caught in the metal. Better to use copper wool, found in the household cleaning section at Walmart/KMart/Supermarket/or from OldRoads. It is less aggressive, removes rust and dirt very well, and does not cause rust. |
RE:RESTORATION TIPS - MISC: bottecchia (70's road bike)
posted by alan bee on 7/7/2004 at 8:27:35 PM
| i just bought a 1970s track bike that has no name on it but it has the letter b embedded in it on the forks and on the top of the rear triangle the b has a circle around it i believe it might be a bottecchia if anybody knows what this bike may be i would apreciate any feed back thanks |
RE:RESTORATION TIPS - MISC: bottecchia (70's road bike)
posted by alan bee on 7/7/2004 at 8:27:53 PM
| i just bought a 1970s track bike that has no name on it but it has the letter b embedded in it on the forks and on the top of the rear triangle the b has a circle around it i believe it might be a bottecchia if anybody knows what this bike may be i would apreciate any feed back thanks |
RESTORATION TIPS - MISC: repro decals?
posted by: antal
on 5/31/2004 at 5:54:01 PM
| Hello,
Is it possible to recreate decals from an image file and printing them with an inkject printer onto special decal paper? (such as this: www.decal-paper.com/inkjet.html) I haven't tried the stuff, but I imagine the life expectancy of the colors isn't too great considering the exposure they'd have to endure. This would be for a Raleigh Sports fender that I'm repainting, so I'd probably coat the entire thing with some sort of clear coat after painting and applying any decals. Any advice would be appreciated.
Thanks! |
RE:RESTORATION TIPS - MISC: repro decals?
posted by Steve on 6/8/2004 at 3:16:40 PM
| Probably is possible but UV degradation would be a big problem. If you do this, use a clear coat with lots of UV block in it. |
RESTORATION TIPS - MISC: Old childs bike info.
posted by: suz
on 5/24/2004 at 3:02:33 AM
| I'm contemplating restoring a vintage childs 2 wheel bike. I would like to find a bit of its historic info.
It is a small childs bike, the wheels are about 12" across and are solid rubber. The ID plate (raised letters)says "LITTLE JIM" Then "JC Penny Co Inc" and under that "PLAYTHINGS" the only other marking I've noticed so far is "NEW DEPARTURE" in raised letters close to the back wheel.
I dont know a thing about old bikes, but I'm guessing it to be 30"s vintage. Any help on aprox year and history would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, suz |
RE:RESTORATION TIPS - MISC: "Photo" of old childs bike info.
posted by suz on 5/24/2004 at 4:57:08 AM
| I took a quick picture of the bike & ID tag and posted them on my yahoo photos. suz
http://ca.f1.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/suz_res_queues/album?.dir=/299e |
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