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I'm curious!

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redclayhd

'Lil Knee Scuffer
How do members feel about originality. Are most ppl on here in the "purist" category or is everyone just an enthusiast? Personally, I think that keeping old bicycles (cars, trucks, motorcycles, etc) original is a way of preserving history. As important as that is, I'm NOT the guy to spend countless hours searching the world for that rare seat/handlebars/fender that is the exact one that was original. To that end, I prefer to NOT have anything original to begin with. Then I can feel free to change stuff to suit what I like or get whatever part fits and use it instead of trying to find a part with the right date stamp or whatever. I love to change or customize what I own, to my personal taste. My Spaceliner is all original and will stay that way as long as I have it. I would have been just as happy to have acquired it as a partial bike and then put it together with parts I like.
80s Schwinn Typhoon.jpg
I built this 1980s Schwinn Typhoon for my son to ride with his wife and daughters. To me it's a Rat Bike. I started with little more than a bare frame. I bought a new men's Huffy beach cruiser from Walmart to get wheels in the color I wanted. They're not top quality but will do everything they need to do. It had the original seat and my son said it was too uncomfortable so i put a new, softer and larger Schwinn seat on it. The black seat looks better on it than the original blue and white seat did. He likes dragbars so it got them instead of high rise bars - he lost out on our Harley project, it's got ape hangers instead of the drag bars he wanted. LOL I like drags and apes but need the taller bars so I can ride with my back straight - not supposed to ride at all, as per the doctors! Anyway, I was curious how everyone felt about originality vs custom/modified. Hopefully I won't have the "Schwinn Owners Club" outside my house throwing rocks and protesting because I didn't put the bike back original LOL I like it all and usually agree with most everyone's decisions on their own stuff! :)
 
Sometime's you feel like a nut sometimes you don't .
There's a few bikes you just can't customize or shouldn't , but there out of my price range so I do what I want .
 
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This is a complex question that cant be answered in one word. Many factors come into play when trying to decide what to do with a bike. First you have to know old bikes.Just because a bike is old does not make it collectable.Some old crusty originals have to be left as is. Know about the bike before you decide to "restore/ruin" it.
 
It's up you what to do with any bike that you own. Myself some I clean, service and ride. Others need some ratting/ customization. I always try to preserve as much as possible. Especially when it comes to the paint. It's only original once. A lot depends on how the bike was when found.
Stay healthy and have fun
Hammerhead
 
Bicycle collectors are few and far between . I tell most people what I collect and just get a funny look .
 
Personally, I think that keeping old bicycles (cars, trucks, motorcycles, etc) original is a way of preserving history. As important as that is, I'm NOT the guy to spend countless hours searching the world for that rare seat/handlebars/fender that is the exact one that was original. To that end, I prefer to NOT have anything original to begin with. Then I can feel free to change stuff to suit what I like...


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