# Correct hand grips for 1953 JC Higgins Colorflow?



## cbustapeck (May 2, 2020)

Total newbie on this forum, but not a stranger to vintage bicycles. Stranger to actually working on them competently, though.

I've just paid for a 1953 JC Higgins Colorflow (women's) in light and dark blue that appears to be all original, save for the hand grips, tires, jewels, and headlight. 

I've done a good bit of looking into  which parts are and are not correct, and I've got one question:
What are the correct hand grips for a 1953 Colorflow? In the pictures I have seen here and there, it's really hard to tell, except that they are definitely not all  the same. I appreciate any answers on this matter. Thank you!


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## Rivnut (May 6, 2020)

cbustapeck said:


> Total newbie on this forum, but not a stranger to vintage bicycles. Stranger to actually working on them competently, though.
> 
> I've just paid for a 1953 JC Higgins Colorflow (women's) in light and dark blue that appears to be all original, save for the hand grips, tires, jewels, and headlight.
> 
> ...



This might be a good question to post in the General section.  Lots of viewers there.


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## HockeyFrank (Oct 22, 2020)

The 1948-49 Color-Flow had blue metal flake grips.


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## GTs58 (Oct 22, 2020)

HockeyFrank said:


> The 1948-49 Color-Flow had blue metal flake grips.
> 
> View attachment 1288748
> 
> View attachment 1288749




I always thought glitter or metalflake grips came out in the mid-sixties. I hung out at the Schwinn Dealer quite a bit when I was a kid and the glitter grips were a Dealers item at that time.


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## HockeyFrank (Oct 24, 2020)

GTs58 said:


> I always thought glitter or metalflake grips came out in the mid-sixties. I hung out at the Schwinn Dealer quite a bit when I was a kid and the glitter grips were a Dealers item at that time.




I was told the grips were original to the bike but after your comment & searching for info, glitter/sparkle flakes were invented in 1934 and first used in car paint in 1959. I’m guessing that’s when it became popular so you’re probably correct.


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