Salt Flat Cycles
Finally riding a big boys bike
I picked up this Iver Johnson yesterday and I'm pretty excited about it. I've wanted one of these for a while and I've never seen one come up locally. I'm not particularly knowledgeable about these, but I've been reading up on them. Bike has definitely been repainted a dark blue over what appears to be an originally black bike. It also looks like the there is plating under the white paint on the head and the plating on the front fork is in pretty good shape. I've read that means it could be a road racer model? The wheels are definitely wrong, but it looks like they are older hubs laced into newer rims. I can't tell what the front hub says but the rear is a new departure model D and the rims are arraya 26 x 1 3/8. I would also guess that fenders aren't correct as they don't look like fenders on similar bikes. The second number on the serial is really hard to read but I think it 477474, which it puts it somewhere in the late 20's? It looks like it sat somewhere against the seat and has bent the side up on the old persons saddle. The leather is a little bit hard, is there any way to soften it so it could be put back to it's original shape? Are the handlebars correct?
Plans are to make it rideable, I kind of wish it was the 24" frame but I should still fit on it ok. I have a pair of 700cc with cream electra tires that i think I will lace the older hubs into for now. I'll try stripping the spray paint and brushed on white paint to see if there is much orginal paint left, but I haven't had very good luck with that the last couple times I have tried. What are peoples feelings on repainting a bike like this a non original color if there isn't any paint left on it? I've always thought one of these frames would look good in an antique white.
This is how I found it.
Looks like plating peaking out.
Plans are to make it rideable, I kind of wish it was the 24" frame but I should still fit on it ok. I have a pair of 700cc with cream electra tires that i think I will lace the older hubs into for now. I'll try stripping the spray paint and brushed on white paint to see if there is much orginal paint left, but I haven't had very good luck with that the last couple times I have tried. What are peoples feelings on repainting a bike like this a non original color if there isn't any paint left on it? I've always thought one of these frames would look good in an antique white.
This is how I found it.
Looks like plating peaking out.