Little things [ that made my day]

[Tim s]

Saving that bike from becoming yard art was a good thing. Looking forward to seeing it on the road. Enjoy!

 

[John D. Williams]

Really nice story, thank you, really sweet.

 

[the tinker]

Went back to the antique shop and asked a big fat lady at the counter if she recalled the bike and happened to know who sold it? It's an old 1800's house , that's not all that big and an old bicycle is hard not to see. I'm Mr. Friendly, and was shocked when she rudely replied, "Now how would I know that? I don't pay attention to what other people sell." ......... End of conversation. I asked another lady and she knew who had sold the bike . I left my name in his store mailbox with a message to please call me, as I would like to know more of the history of it. Also wondering if has the tank???? Hoping he calls me, as she would not give out his number.

 

[byke!punk]

Went back to the antique shop and asked a big fat lady at the counter if she recalled the bike and happened to know who sold it? It's an old 1800's house , that's not all that big and an old bicycle is hard not to see. I'm Mr. Friendly, and was shocked when she rudely replied, "Now how would I know that? I don't pay attention to what other people sell." ......... End of conversation. I asked another lady and she knew who had sold the bike . I left my name in his store mailbox with a message to please call me, as I would like to know more of the history of it. Also wondering if has the tank???? Hoping he calls me, as she would not give out his number.

 

[the tinker]

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O M Gd!!! How on earth did you get a photo of her????? I know it's not really her, but it is so stinken close. The face. The fatness..... the mouth....those rodent eyes!

 

[HARPO]

I have your bikes sister...

 

[Oilit]

Went back to the antique shop and asked a big fat lady at the counter if she recalled the bike and happened to know who sold it? It's an old 1800's house , that's not all that big and an old bicycle is hard not to see. I'm Mr. Friendly, and was shocked when she rudely replied, "Now how would I know that? I don't pay attention to what other people sell." ......... End of conversation. I asked another lady and she knew who had sold the bike . I left my name in his store mailbox with a message to please call me, as I would like to know more of the history of it. Also wondering if has the tank???? Hoping he calls me, as she would not give out his number.

I hope you find out more about the history. It's always worth trying!

 

[ridingtoy]

View attachment 2402679Saved this Schwinn from becoming "yard art." 65 bucks. That was the asking price. Being sold as a garden bike. Today I took it completely apart. Cleaning it up for a rider. Already attached to it. Wish I knew the bike's history, but some interesting details came to light, once disassembled. Really enjoy these little "finds." After removing the springer, I noticed this:

View attachment 2402658The owner's name. M. J. Evans. Kool! When I first saw the bike, I guessed it to be a 1939 or '40. It's a 39. M. J.... Mary Jane? Picture Mary Jane. 12 years old. Birthday?....Christmas? She's happy....excited! Her first "big" bike. 1939. The Depression still going. A new bike is a big deal for a little girl that grew up during hard times. I can picture her dad scratching her name on the head tube. Not easy to do that with the springer in the way, but a concealed spot. Clever when you think about it. She'd been 19 years old when the war ended. Speaking of the War..... When I removed the crusty tires, look what I found on the rear tire and tube.

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View attachment 2402660The tire has the manufacturing date code on it. At one time I knew how to read these things. It's one of the many little things I've forgot..... The front tire held a nice surprise too. There were multiple patches on the tubes. You can tell her dad knew "hard times." How many of us today would patch a tire 4-5 times? Or once? Especially the red patch cut around the valve stem? Speaking of that red rubber patch. I was born in '49 and I remember Mom patching my big winter black rubber boots with those. Handed down to me from my much older brother, those boots were worn out when I got them. I had those big red tire patches on the bottom and toes. I remember they had to be momentarily lit on fire before being stuck on. How kool was that? I forgot all about that.... but today, that pleasant memory from the mid-fifties came back to me. And just because of that decades old patch on that tube! Also, the head badge on the bike. "Cadillac."

View attachment 2402680 Picture the rich neighbor's 1939 Caddy, and you're a 12 year old with a Cadillac badged bike. Wow! Did Schwinn put the deluxe stem on the bike because it wore the Cadillac badge?

View attachment 2402681 The saddle is kool too.View attachment 2402682Pat. May12, 1928. That was almost 100 years ago. That saddle held up pretty well for being 87 years old. It's got wear tabs on the sides. I think Mary Jane took good care of this bike and so will I. So many of these girls bikes have been scrapped for parts. Not this one.

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I'm so glad this bicycle was saved by you. I always hate to see older girls' bikes of this vintage in nice condition being parted out. My '41 Schwinn D37X is just a standard girls bike but I would never have the heart to part it out. It still rides nice and smooth on the replacement tires/tubes I bought for it after rescuing it from a flea market. It has the same B-80 Mesinger saddle as this one has. You and I are almost the same age - I was born in 1950. My other girls bike, a MW Hawthorne, is a 1950 model, so that bike and I are the same age but she's in better shape than me! LOL

 

[gkeep]

Somewhere Mary is grinning ear to ear happy her bike has a new lease on life! Great rescue. As I approach the challenging age of worn out joints the idea of riding a step through frame is very attractive. Like my neighbor Ken who in his mid 80s with his right arm paralyzed from a stroke would ride for miles around town on his 1930s Girls Columbia.

 

[Oilit]

Wasn't there a group that occasionally had rides just for girl's bikes? I think the rule was you had to ride a girl's bike or wear a skirt.