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My 1966 B.F. Goodrich Challenger

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Eddie Miller

Look Ma, No Hands!
This is my 1966 B.F. Goodrich Challenger ladies' bicycle. Model-wise, it's actually a 1966 Murray Skybolt, but it was built by Murray for B.F. Goodrich with B.F. Goodrich badging. My dad bought it for my mom back in 2006, but she couldn't ride it because of her back, so I took up riding it. To this day, it's my favorite bike and my daily rider. I actually nick-named it "Barbara Ann" after the Beach Boys song that was popular in 1966.

It's about 70 to 80 percent original, because I never replace parts unless they break and have to be replaced. Repairs include...

New tires. The tires it had when Dad got it popped a couple years ago. I don't think they were original.
New crank bearings on one side. The originals gave out in 2016.
New seat. When Dad bought it in 2006, it had its original seat. But one day in 2014, it just broke right out from under me, so I replaced it with a seat that my father had in the garage. However, the current seat is mounted on the original post. I'm currently planning to fix the original using parts from the seat on my 2002 Huffy "Good Vibrations", once I find a replacement for that seat.
Modified the original Vanguard II chain-guard. One day, the bracket on the bottom where the screw goes into the frame (by the back wheel) snapped off, so Grandpa drilled a couple holes in it, cut a small iron bar, and screwed one end into the chainguard, and the other into the hole in the frame.
All of the spokes on the gear side of the back wheel have been replaced. One of the spokes broke last fall, but the other spokes on that side were getting thin. They were asking too much money to rebuild the wheel, so we didn't.

Notable original features include
Original handle-bar grips
Original paint and detailing
Original front plaque
Possibly an original BMA-6 sticker

All in all a good, reliable old bicycle. What do you think? :)

Photo circa August 2017

Barbara Ann.jpg
 
Years prior Schwinn built bikes for BFG and there was a Schwinn made model called the Challenger. Guess the model name was strictly a BFG name.
 
This is my 1966 B.F. Goodrich Challenger ladies' bicycle. Model-wise, it's actually a 1966 Murray Skybolt, but it was built by Murray for B.F. Goodrich with B.F. Goodrich badging. My dad bought it for my mom back in 2006, but she couldn't ride it because of her back, so I took up riding it. To this day, it's my favorite bike and my daily rider. I actually nick-named it "Barbara Ann" after the Beach Boys song that was popular in 1966.

It's about 70 to 80 percent original, because I never replace parts unless they break and have to be replaced. Repairs include...

New tires. The tires it had when Dad got it popped a couple years ago. I don't think they were original.
New crank bearings on one side. The originals gave out in 2016.
New seat. When Dad bought it in 2006, it had its original seat. But one day in 2014, it just broke right out from under me, so I replaced it with a seat that my father had in the garage. However, the current seat is mounted on the original post. I'm currently planning to fix the original using parts from the seat on my 2002 Huffy "Good Vibrations", once I find a replacement for that seat.
Modified the original Vanguard II chain-guard. One day, the bracket on the bottom where the screw goes into the frame (by the back wheel) snapped off, so Grandpa drilled a couple holes in it, cut a small iron bar, and screwed one end into the chainguard, and the other into the hole in the frame.
All of the spokes on the gear side of the back wheel have been replaced. One of the spokes broke last fall, but the other spokes on that side were getting thin. They were asking too much money to rebuild the wheel, so we didn't.

Notable original features include
Original handle-bar grips
Original paint and detailing
Original front plaque
Possibly an original BMA-6 sticker

All in all a good, reliable old bicycle. What do you think? :)

Photo circa August 2017

View attachment 804644
Welcome to the CABE!

I like the color and grips and you have done a good job keeping it going. I would not be constantly maintaining the original parts rather then replacing them unless there is sentimental value. For instance, crank bearings are cheap, replace bearings with new ones if readily available when you do that type of work. If you enjoy working on it - then no prob. You could even try and teach yourself how to replace all of those corroded spokes if you want to dive deep into it.

Regardless, you really should tighten the chain. If you hit a bump and it falls off when riding it you will have no brakes.
 
Welcome to the CABE!

I like the color and grips and you have done a good job keeping it going. I would not be constantly maintaining the original parts rather then replacing them unless there is sentimental value. For instance, crank bearings are cheap, replace bearings with new ones if readily available when you do that type of work. If you enjoy working on it - then no prob. You could even try and teach yourself how to replace all of those corroded spokes if you want to dive deep into it.

Regardless, you really should tighten the chain. If you hit a bump and it falls off when riding it you will have no brakes.


The reason I try to maintain the old parts is I want to keep it as stock as I possibly can for as long as I possibly can. That's why I want to fix and reinstall the old seat, even if most of the covering is worn off. I hate the seat it has now. It's ugly and doesn't match the rest of the bike. But the seat on my Huffy "Good Vibrations" is made the same way as the original seat on the B.F. Goodrich. Plus, the only thing wrong with the Huffy seat is that the black vinyl split open in the hot sun and the foam's turning green. The metal parts aren't broken. They're rusty and need a good cleaning, but they're not broken. So if I can "Frankenstein" the B.F. Goodrich's seat back together with parts from the Huffy's seat, I can put the original seat back on. The way I see it is this, "If I have the chance to fix and reinstall an original part, I'll take it. Or at least try to and hope I don't botch it." ;)
 
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