HARPO
Cruisin' on my Bluebird
Well, this is the first one I've ever had...or seen. And to be honest, when I saw it advertised, I thought it was a Sports with a rear rack (which was the reason I wanted the bike in the first place). It was only when I looked really close to a photo before going the guys house that I saw the COLT decal. But boy, is this bike clean. Following photos are as I brought it home.
He has high end Carbon Fiber Road bikes that he rides, but gets different ones to play with like this one and sell. He said it was in crusty shape and cleaned it up to what you see, so I know he spent time on it. The chain guard is missing, and there's a Schwinn saddle on it, but he gave me the original Brooks (in the first photo). Tires are original, with new tubes, but the rear tire popped out on his test ride. Missing the rear reflector, but I have one.
Also, the 3-speed needs to be adjusted to get the gears to work (which he said he has no clue how to do , this being his first English bike). I checked the hub and saw the bike is from June of 1972, about what I figured as he listed it as 1960 "just guessing" he told me.
So, I'll now work on the paint. Bike is very clean, but I need to see a gloss in the paint that is lacking right now. Fun stuff for me. When I get tires on it and the gears properly fixed, I have to figure out what I'm doing with it. Maybe my wife will ride it a little (and I do mean little). All I really wanted was the rack, figuring I'd keep that and flip the bike. Now, I want to keep it together as it should be. I'll figure something out. Besides, I got a good deal with a little haggling...I only paid $40 for it...
He has high end Carbon Fiber Road bikes that he rides, but gets different ones to play with like this one and sell. He said it was in crusty shape and cleaned it up to what you see, so I know he spent time on it. The chain guard is missing, and there's a Schwinn saddle on it, but he gave me the original Brooks (in the first photo). Tires are original, with new tubes, but the rear tire popped out on his test ride. Missing the rear reflector, but I have one.
Also, the 3-speed needs to be adjusted to get the gears to work (which he said he has no clue how to do , this being his first English bike). I checked the hub and saw the bike is from June of 1972, about what I figured as he listed it as 1960 "just guessing" he told me.
So, I'll now work on the paint. Bike is very clean, but I need to see a gloss in the paint that is lacking right now. Fun stuff for me. When I get tires on it and the gears properly fixed, I have to figure out what I'm doing with it. Maybe my wife will ride it a little (and I do mean little). All I really wanted was the rack, figuring I'd keep that and flip the bike. Now, I want to keep it together as it should be. I'll figure something out. Besides, I got a good deal with a little haggling...I only paid $40 for it...