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Brand New to the world of vintage bikes & I just bought a fixer-upper Schwinn Hornet!

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andrea2525

Guest
So I decided this weekend I wanted to buy a cruiser bike. I looked at the crappy ones at Target, Walmart, and all the bike shops in my town and decided I didn't like the new cruiser styles. I wanted an old cruiser. There were a few I liked on craigslist.

I went to look at one of them tonight and bought it right away (for only $30, which I hope wasn't too bad of a price). It needs a bit of work. I didn't know much about the model or style when I went to buy it. Now that I've looked it up online I've noticed that the bike I bought is missing a few parts. I think what I bought is a 1955 green Schwinn Hornet (Ladies 26''). Here's the ad for the bike I bought:
http://rmn.craigslist.org/bik/2449959700.html

On one side of the tank there is a hole. I looked at ebay listings for this bike and it looks like there is supposed to be a button there. Is that for the horn? My bike is also missing the horn. When I bought the bike I thought the screw holes on top of the front fender were probably just where a basket or something used to be. I didn't know those were actually for a horn, and neither did the previous owner. The bike is also missing the front headlight and any other headlights for that matter if there are supposed to be other lights on the bike.

The seat is what appears to be the original light brown/tan leather seat. It's very rusty though and ripped up. Any idea where I can get another one or a good replica? Will it be easy to just pull off the old seat and put a new one on the post?

The whole bike is pretty dusty and has some rust. How should I clean it? Is there somewhere I can buy the exact green paint to touch up the bike?

Is it going to be pretty difficult for me to find the missing parts for this bike? I'm not sure yet that I want to completely restore it. It would be nice to do that, but I just want it to be in good riding condition right now. The parts (for instance, the rear rack) that I saw on ebay seem pretty pricey and I'm not sure I can afford that kind of investment right now! Will all parts be that expensive ($50 - $100+)?
 
I think you made a great purchase. Most of the desirable parts are intact and the color is one that you don't see often. The holes in the top of the fender would have been for a headlight. It would have likely been a Delta Torpedo or Delta Rocket Ray. They run pretty expensive but you do have the rack, tank and paint Schwinn S-2 rims and those are all very good parts! I hate having holes in my fender too so if you watch ebay you might be able to find an Asian copy of a Delta headlight for under 20$.

If the bike is just dusty, plain ol' soap and water is a great way to clean it. Just follow up with a nice dry. For areas of rust, spray some WD-40 and lightly scrub with a light duty scotch brite pad, then rinse with soap and water. As far as paint goes, you might just want to leave it. Scratches and patina are sometimes what give the bike most of its character and show that it's been enjoyed for nearly 60 years!

What's nice about your bike is that it looks to be perfectly ride-able as is. If it's not the smoothest, you can try pulling apart the front and rear hubs and greasing up the bearings real well; it should roll like new. You can ride it for now and keep an eye out for parts at a good price. Put it all together in due time.

Put some pictures up, we'd all love to see :) Hope some of that helps.
 
That is a rare find on the Roch, MN craigslist. 99.9% of the listings are for newer bikes with an occasional 70's lightweight thrown in the mix and usually overpriced. You made a great purchase.
 
yay, well I'm glad I made a good purchase! The lady selling it just wanted it to go to a good home - to someone who would ride it and take good care of it. I think I will fit the bill. She said it was her mom's bike from the 60's. Her mom rode it all the time up until 2 years ago. She thought the tires were replaced about 10 years ago. They were really flat when I went to look at the bike so I couldn't ride it around much. We filled them up at a gas station tonight and they seem ok as of right now. At first they weren't sealed on the rims though. We'll see what happens when I ride it around a bit.

Thanks for the advice too jpromo. I'm going to clean the bike up tomorrow and maybe I'll take some of my own photos. I know how to sew too so I might see if I can reupholster the original seat or perhaps just make a cover to slip over it.
 
We bought the same bike and straightened it up a bit and put 26 x 2.125 Schwinn Typhoon white wall tires and a real Delta rocket ray light on it and it is really classic!! I'd advise that treatment!!!!!!!
 
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