When my dad was 14 years old, he bought himself a new bicycle to commute to his after-school job. His commute was about 3 miles down dirt roads to a neighboring farm. His job was to call the cows into the barn for the evening.
Anyhow, the bike has been sitting in my Grandpa’s barn for almost 40 years. I was home for Easter yesterday and asked him about it. So we got it out, put some air in the tires, and rode it around the yard.
The gears shift, the tires hold air. The brakes are pretty much non-functional, and the dynamo-lighting is not working. I hosed it off and sprayed it down with bike lust, and it looks like it will be a perfectly serviceable bicycle once I get the brakes fixed.
Sadly, it’s a touch too small for me. It will probably fit Brandi OK. I’ll keep it around in case short people drop by and want to go for a bike ride.
Nice find… pretty cool that you have your dad’s bike.
Cool bike — definitely worth fixing it up. It looks like it’s in pretty good shape, considering how long it sat in a barn. Even cooler that it’s a piece of your family history.
What a great project! I’m sure you can find new rubber and pads, and there are vintage dynamos on Ebay all the time. Plus you already have the tweed cap and knickers! Next we’ll read you’re teaching classes at Central Penn.
Define “short people”.
Anyone who can fly coach without kneecap trauma is short in my book.
sweet! there’s a new one that looks very similar (that i totally am lusting for):
http://www.schwinnbike.com/usa/eng/Products/Cruisers/Sport-Cruiser/Details/1341-S9WIL-Willy