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Lenape Cycle Works restoration project

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I admire your effort, refurbish, might be a better word than restoration. I think your doing great for your first time, everything's a learning curve, you might find you enjoy this. as far as the powder coat, no matter how the paint work turns out you made the right choice not to powdercoat. look forward to seeing your progress
 
Tommy,

I also appreciate the fact that you mention you like the opinions, our thoughts and feedback. Hopefully it will help you in future projects.

Happy to see you’re taking a slightly different approach to this restoration now. Some restorers don’t see the difference from right or wrong. I think several people mentioned the wrong direction you were taking with this restoration.

So sorry you feel hurt by thinking someone is trashing your efforts. Just keep at it and you’ll be ok!

So, keep up the fine work and we look forward to seeing the finished bike.

Note: I don’t think any of us realized it was going to the scrap heap if you weren’t attempting a restoration for the owner.
 
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I have a feeling that this is a rare, but not particularly valuable bike. The company was in business a short time and most people have never heard of it.

efforts I am making to save a bike from the scrap heap.
Tommy,

First I would like to say that is great news you/your client decided not to powder coat the bike. Thank you for reconsidering and having an open mind.

There are some very good threads on the forum on painting a frame. Something to keep in mind, hundreds of thousands of bicycles were being produced annually when the Lenape was made. Most have minor paint imperfections which were typical of the time. Finishers today often paint "too perfectly."

Concerning your quotes above I am think you are short selling the importance of bicycle. It is true, in the condition it was found, the bicycle wasn't worth thousands but there are many collectors that would have jumped at the opportunity to own this rare machine. Hardly a suitable candidate for the "scrap heap," there are a couple collectors who would have "paid-up" in the as-found condition. Rarity and value often do not go hand and hand but this bike has a commercial hook you are not considering. Being produced in Pennsylvania and using a local Native American name for the badge greatly enhances the commercial relevance of the wheel. I can quickly think of two museums from the Keystone state and one Native tribal museum that could be possibly interested in the bicycle for their collections.

Being a Pennsylvania native it amazes me so few bicycles were actually produced in the state that was full of manufacturing capacity. There are a few exceptions but most bikes we see were made elsewhere and just wear a badge from a jobber or retailer from the Commonwealth.

I applaud Mr. Corbett for being so frank in the discussion and regret not being more forward myself; you both have assisted in saving a national treasure. Powder coating would have made the bicycle "scrap heap" material for most serious collectors and would have potentially ruined any future museum opportunities.

Good luck with your progress. It is hard for me to image this is the first bicycle you have brought back to life; I wish I had your skills! My hat is off to for giving this fine machine the care and attention it deserves.
 
Here are the period correct wheels I have secured... they are not a perfect match, but for display I think they will be fine. Open to any advice on the proper way to refurbish. Will not be disassembling. Want to clean the metal parts in place and remove the paint on the one. Client wants to have the natural wood finish instead of painting them. The one rim has a nice patina that I don't want to lose. How hard will it be to match that color?

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The rear looks like a barrel hub that is tied & soldered. It's very rare to see that style of tie & solder (very nice!)
The front is not a barrel hub but looks like an hour glass style hub - and not tied & soldered from what I can see.

Did you try to see if they are the correct dimensions to slide perfectly in the dropouts?

I guess it would be ok to display but I think it would be better to keep your search going for another correct set that matches.
They will show up but you just have to be patient.

Here's a set that I think would be proper for the bike. You can find a set like this for pretty cheap - maybe $500 and up.

There is a set right now on eBay that would be absolutely perfect for this bike and has tires. They are matching and he wants $400 plus shipping.
They are being offered by My560sec

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Corbett,
Thanks for sharing your opinions and thoughts on the project. I really do appreciate the feedback. Could have gone without the sarcasm, but to each his own. As stated in my first post, this is my first "restoration'. I am a generally pretty handy guy who like fixing old things, but still learning. Maybe I should have chose something different to work on, but hey, this is what I was handed. The owner of the bike is pretty knowledgeable and I was just trying to do the work he requested. I have a feeling that this is a rare, but not particularly valuable bike. The company was in business a short time and most people have never heard of it. This bike will end up being a display piece in a bike shop. I did inquire about getting the parts replated,.but due to the pitting I decided to polish what was left of the nickel finish and call it a day. I will post pics, but I think they look respectable from 10 feet.

In closing, I did reach out to the powder coat shop and canceled the finish. They will finish blasting the parts and I will attempting the paint with a paint gun slightly better than a.harbor freight one.

Didn't realize people such as yourself were so pasionate and condescending about bike restoration. I will continue to post my "progress", but feel free to skip reading if your just going to trash the efforts I am making to save a bike from the scrap heap.
Thanks for the advice. I am still waiting to get the frame back from media blast to check fitment. These wheels were sourced by the owner. I will see if he is open to looking for an alternate front wheel that is a closer match to the rear if everything fits. I like the tied and solder look. I am wondering about the front wheel fitment. How much flex should be required to get the hub bolts into position? The wheels that came on the bike required quite a bit to dismount the wheel.
 
I realize that this probably isn’t something you’d be interested in purchasing if this is going to be your one and only early bicycle project.
But, I have found this tool, to be indispensable for working on bikes with closed fork ends.
1595335

It allows you to gently spread the fork blades just enough to drop the axle ends into the holes, and return them back to their original spread without damaging the alignment.
Worth its weight in gold, if you’ve tried it any other way.
 
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Bike is back from blasting. I put 2 coats of primer followed by 2 coats of filler primer. After the recommended wait time sanded the filler primer with medium scotch bright pad to level things out. Chose a spray paint that matches the original paint that I uncovered while stripping the bike down. 2 coats with a light sanding in between. Couple of pics to show progress.

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