Hi folks! Please see attached pics.
It WAS a barn, a hundred years ago... then in the 1950s it was torn down and the wood was used to build a 3-car garage (no doors) plus stable and gardening shed. In the back of it my brothers and I have always had fun exploring all the cool old things, from antique sleds to old trunks to a few old bicycles. So the "find" was actually years ago, and the bike I like the most belonged to my dear dear grandpa. I remember as a kid he put air in the tires and let me ride them around a bit. Bikes are a bit rusty - not the prettiest things you ever did see. But still, pretty damned cool!
I want to get them up and running again and maybe scrape off some of that icky silver paint my grandpa must have painted on the older one (why did he do that??!). Maybe I could clear coat what's left underneath, depending I guess on how bad it is or how much it would cost to sandblast/powder coat. I'd really rather keep it in as original condition as possible, within reason.
I know the newer of the two bikes is a Schwinn Fiesta cruiser from the early '60s I'm guessing. That appears to have all or most of the original parts and might clean up halfway decently. The older bike seems to be from the late 1930s, from googling. Due to the perfectly parallel and symmetrical curves of the double bar, I think it's a Schwinn BA67 double curved bar Roadster:
http://schwinncruisers.com/catalogs/1938.html#ba67
What I'd like to know:
- Am I correct about the make/model? What can you tell me from the photos re. how complete, what's missing, what condition it appears to be in, etc? I know the saddle can't be original. I'm super bummed there's no longer a head badge on the older bike.
- I'll also include a couple of pics of a third bike in there that belonged to my aunt - even newer - that happens to have a prewar seat or saddle on it and shouldn't I don't think. The seat looks awful. I'd like to know if it's possible to salvage it. Can yo tell if there's even leather still on the seat? I wasn't paying attention to the seat when I snapped the awful photo - and the bikes aren't with me right now. Is there any chance that seat might be the one from the older bike??! I wouldn't put it past my grandpa to be that resourceful in a pinch - just borrowing from another bike to help out his daughter.
- Can you tell from pics if the original color might have been red, or blue?!!
- I edited the second to last photo which is the head badge shadow (?) though it barely helps to make it out more clearly. I have NO IDEA what he head badge might have been. Are there any hints - ways to tell? My grandparents were both in Chicago in the 1930s but that may only help so much. And for all I know, he bought it used.
- A local bicycle-restoration guy will probably get it mechanically in good shape again in the next week or so and then from there we'll determine whether we should start in at least a little on cosmetics. If I were to get it in decent shape with cosmetic improvements, or even vastly improved, do you have any clue what the bike might be worth? Although if I have my way, one of my boys will grow up and hand it down to his kids and then down to those kids' kids, etc.
Thanks!!
It WAS a barn, a hundred years ago... then in the 1950s it was torn down and the wood was used to build a 3-car garage (no doors) plus stable and gardening shed. In the back of it my brothers and I have always had fun exploring all the cool old things, from antique sleds to old trunks to a few old bicycles. So the "find" was actually years ago, and the bike I like the most belonged to my dear dear grandpa. I remember as a kid he put air in the tires and let me ride them around a bit. Bikes are a bit rusty - not the prettiest things you ever did see. But still, pretty damned cool!
I want to get them up and running again and maybe scrape off some of that icky silver paint my grandpa must have painted on the older one (why did he do that??!). Maybe I could clear coat what's left underneath, depending I guess on how bad it is or how much it would cost to sandblast/powder coat. I'd really rather keep it in as original condition as possible, within reason.
I know the newer of the two bikes is a Schwinn Fiesta cruiser from the early '60s I'm guessing. That appears to have all or most of the original parts and might clean up halfway decently. The older bike seems to be from the late 1930s, from googling. Due to the perfectly parallel and symmetrical curves of the double bar, I think it's a Schwinn BA67 double curved bar Roadster:
http://schwinncruisers.com/catalogs/1938.html#ba67
What I'd like to know:
- Am I correct about the make/model? What can you tell me from the photos re. how complete, what's missing, what condition it appears to be in, etc? I know the saddle can't be original. I'm super bummed there's no longer a head badge on the older bike.
- I'll also include a couple of pics of a third bike in there that belonged to my aunt - even newer - that happens to have a prewar seat or saddle on it and shouldn't I don't think. The seat looks awful. I'd like to know if it's possible to salvage it. Can yo tell if there's even leather still on the seat? I wasn't paying attention to the seat when I snapped the awful photo - and the bikes aren't with me right now. Is there any chance that seat might be the one from the older bike??! I wouldn't put it past my grandpa to be that resourceful in a pinch - just borrowing from another bike to help out his daughter.
- Can you tell from pics if the original color might have been red, or blue?!!
- I edited the second to last photo which is the head badge shadow (?) though it barely helps to make it out more clearly. I have NO IDEA what he head badge might have been. Are there any hints - ways to tell? My grandparents were both in Chicago in the 1930s but that may only help so much. And for all I know, he bought it used.
- A local bicycle-restoration guy will probably get it mechanically in good shape again in the next week or so and then from there we'll determine whether we should start in at least a little on cosmetics. If I were to get it in decent shape with cosmetic improvements, or even vastly improved, do you have any clue what the bike might be worth? Although if I have my way, one of my boys will grow up and hand it down to his kids and then down to those kids' kids, etc.
Thanks!!