I am cleaning up a really nice J.C. Higgins middleweight that looks to be from 1955 or 56. I found the exact bike in the Sears Wishbook for 1956 and it even has a really cool basket that I also found in the catalog. One of my road riding friends found the bike at a yard sale and got it for $10. The bike is all original, the tires were rotted but still kept holding air and the brakes are like concrete. I have replaced the tires and brakes and just cleaned 55+ years of grime off the frame and wheels.
One problem that I had was the 3 speed shifter did not work very well. I pulled it apart and found it to be really clogged with crud. It also had a small spring that I can not figure out what to do with, it was not connected to anything when I pulled it apart. Has anyone ever worked on one of these? I put it back together minus the spring and it seems to work fairly well but it bugs me not to know what this spring did. I will post some pictures shortly.
One problem that I had was the 3 speed shifter did not work very well. I pulled it apart and found it to be really clogged with crud. It also had a small spring that I can not figure out what to do with, it was not connected to anything when I pulled it apart. Has anyone ever worked on one of these? I put it back together minus the spring and it seems to work fairly well but it bugs me not to know what this spring did. I will post some pictures shortly.
