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‘48 Schwinn: mechanically refurbishing a crusty D37XE Ladies…

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that's really cool. my personal preference is to put what was plated in Evaporust. sometimes these pieces come out with interesting etching..

IMG_6307.JPG
 
that's really cool. my personal preference is to put what was plated in Evaporust. sometimes these pieces come out with interesting etching..

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Thanks Mike @49autocycledeluxe. I remember when you picked up the old Schwinn at the Marin swap not long ago. I've removed rust using OA crystals, but have not tried popular Evaporust yet. We did buy Rustoleum gel rust remover just recently, recommended by a friend. It worked pretty good actually.
 
My wife has ridden “Neela” this beautiful original ’48 Schwinn DX ladies better part of 30 years. It’s by far her favorite rider. Yes, she’ll ride one of our boy’s vintage bikes occasionally, but for our daily errands, this is her go to bike; she loves this bike so much.

19 wife's favorite bike.jpg


These two bikes are basically the same Schwinn DX bike except Rusty has the springer fork and a different stem; also, this would be her first experience with a suspension fork. I’ve setup the seat height and the distance between seat and handlebar the same as Neela.

I’m excited because I already know how she rides. Just a matter of how my wife feels about taking this old rusty bike out for a ride. With a smile on her face, she says “It’s very smooth.” "Do you like the bike?" I asked. Surprise by how she rides, "I like it." she said. That’s all I wanted to hear. What fun when it comes to these old bikes.

Another cool bike project complete. Thanks again CABE for allowing me to share this story here.

19 wife's first test ride.jpg


19a wife's first test ride.jpg


19b wife's first test ride.jpg

I thought by using a new chain along with crisp sprockets, it would be a quieter ride. May have to try using another (used) chain.

19c wife's first test ride.jpg


19d keeps rolling and rolling.jpg

This is great. My wife and I whenever we are going down a slight hill, we see who can go the longest without pedaling. You can see my wife trying to extend the distance. She said the bike kept rolling and rolling, a good sign of a nice rider. That's fun.
 
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@Eddie_Boy Great save my friend & a great detailed breakdown & build up ... I do this too as you know .. preserve the look & service the rest of the bicycle ... I think it is more difficult to achieve the "untouched look" & people do not realize how much work it is to bring back a bicycle like this mechanically while preserving the crust .. how much worse can it get is what I always think .. under appreciated labor since most will probably think you are just ridding it as you found her ... I dig it

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Ridden not Hidden
 
@Eddie_Boy Great save my friend & a great detailed breakdown & build up ... I do this too as you know .. preserve the look & service the rest of the bicycle ... I think it is more difficult to achieve the "untouched look" & people do not realize how much work it is to bring back a bicycle like this mechanically while preserving the crust .. how much worse can it get is what I always think .. under appreciated labor since most will probably think you are just ridding it as you found her ... I dig it

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Ridden not Hidden
Frank, I hear you. Very happy with the end result. My wife wasn’t onboard at first until she rode her. She’s digging the bike now. Appreciate the reply.
 
After finishing up this crusty Schwinn ladies, the only thing missing was a DX tank. Just browsing on one of the bicycle groups on FB, I see this one picture showing a portion of a tank. I find out our friend Quinn @Fonseca927 was the seller, so contacted him directly. “What color was the tank originally?” I asked. “It’s maroon,” Quinn said. Oooh….and same color as my wife’s Rusty bike. I’ll take it I told Quinn in addition to more items Quinn was selling. Thanks to Quinn and another friend/CABEr, @Jose 711, I was able to pick up the box of goodies from Jose’s place after the Marin Museum swap meet last weekend. Ended up spending a few hours with Jose and his gal. We had fun. Thanks Jose.

21 noticed possible tank.jpg

Picture of when I first noticed a possible tank for "Rusty"

21a aging.jpg


21b same color.jpg

Stoked to find out the tanks is the same color
 
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