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Sand Blasted Bike

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I want to ride it not to sell it. I don’t want to waste time and money buying parts that don’t go with the bike.
 
I think I see 24" x 2.125" on the tires. That's a child's bike. Are you relatively small, and do you want to ride the bike yourself?

It's sounds like you're sentimental about this old bike. It is possible to make it ride-able, but up front you should know how much work it will be, how much it can cost, and it will probably have no monetary value in the end. But if it's OK with you, then it's OK.

First realize that even a perfect restoration of a good bicycle is worth less than a well-preserved original. A good restoration of a poor original is worth considerably less. And a poorly or un-authentically restored bicycle may be worth almost nothing.

Because the bike was bead blasted, you have to completely disassemble and clean every part of it. And I don't just mean removing and externally washing parts like pedals and such, I mean every bit and piece of every component has to be disassembled and cleaned with solvent, rinsed with detergent, then assessed and rebuilt. That abrasive glass is now EVERYWHERE, in every moving part. You have to rebuild every nut, screw, washer, and ball bearing of the entire bike.

Spray painting everything might make the bike visually attractive to you. But restoring the bike's original appearance is something else. Hundreds of parts should be chrome plated, galvanized, cadmium plated, or get other surface treatments. That could cost a thousand dollars if you could even find someone to do it. And I've never even heard of anyone re-chroming spoke nipples, re-galvanizing spokes, or re-blackening a chain (which incidentally is only worth a few dollars as a new replacement). The original paint scheme was probably a two-tone design, and doing your own paint masking and striping is tricky. There were doubtless also many decals or transfers, which you could possibly find as reproductions--but again are expensive.

In the end it would make MUCH MUCH more sense to just buy a nicer, original bicycle. I'm VERY SERIOUS about that. If you do this it's because you want the project, not because of the end result. But don't let me spoil your fun!
 
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I guess I should throw my collection of restored bikes in the garbage! Thank goodness tomorrow is garbage pick up day.

Got an address for us garbage pickers?
lol.gif
 
Are all your bikes badly and un-authentically restored examples of poor-condition originals? I've built some bikes like that that I ride and love to death, but I don't fool myself that they're worth much money. And I don't want this person to be disappointed if they spray the bike a single color, spray the wheels and handlebars with chrome paint, put modern grips and parts on it, and then get told after all their hard work it's only worth $75.

And yes, in today's market a well-preserved original is worth more than a "perfect" restoration. It's only original once.
 
A bike is worth the sum of its parts. Even a badly restored bike may have many valuable parts. I am very proud of my restorations. My Restos are bikes that were brought back from the grave and made to look new again.I enjoy this site and the valuable info that can be learned from it. What I don’t enjoy is this prevailing opinion that restoring a bike to the way it looked when new is a waste of time and recorces. Everything decision is based on the worth of the bike in dollars and cents. Well guess what, there are people out there with mad skills that enjoy the challenge of painting and restoration. They do not base there decisions on their bank account. To say a bike is almost worthless because someone has decided the restoration is not up to there high standards is flat out BS.How about you go and enjoy your hobby and let me enjoy mine!
 
I thank both of you for your comments. I’m happy that you care enough about old bikes to make a comment. Without the comments, I would be even the more ignorant about an old bike that I found rusted over in the back of an old 1950’s Dodge truck. I will keep it and do my best not change it’s originality anymore than I have. I am a small woman and I have rode it already. I’m ordering my basket, two tires and a cover for the seat in a couple of weeks. Maybe one day someone will say wow look at that old bike, I’m glad they didn’t get rid of it or make it into a yard decoration
 
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A bike is worth the sum of its parts. Even a badly restored bike may have many valuable parts. I am very proud of my restorations. My Restos are bikes that were brought back from the grave and made to look new again.I enjoy this site and the valuable info that can be learned from it. What I don’t enjoy is this prevailing opinion that restoring a bike to the way it looked when new is a waste of time and recorces. Everything decision is based on the worth of the bike in dollars and cents. Well guess what, there are people out there with mad skills that enjoy the challenge of painting and restoration. They do not base there decisions on their bank account. To say a bike is almost worthless because someone has decided the restoration is not up to there high standards is flat out BS.How about you go and enjoy your hobby and let me enjoy mine!

The hobby has changed...sure original bikes rule! But not that long ago a lot bikes were restored and many very accurately..
I enjoy piecing together deluxe bikes from rough parts and turning them into Show room gleaming glowing pieces for the next
guy. Not a keeper of restored bikes myself ...but if I go the extra miles and restore a bike that has some value and brings
a good market price....THAT bike has a better insurance policy of 'living on' as a relic of our industrial mastery in the US
where a 6 or 7 condition original could end up ? who knows where unless there is a solid chain of command down the line.
In a sense...the bicycle collector community has gotten a bit 'cheaper' in the lengths and expenses it takes to restore a bike
properly and opts to not go that route. Yep over 1000 in paint..... 500-800 in plating.... sourcing tires, grips, NOS chain, pedals, saddle restO etc...adds up.
The general public is more receptive to restored bikes than us jaded collectors.

I restore bikes for the end result ...turning basically junk ( misc accumulated often rusty parts) in to "art" or at
least an example of a classic bike as it looked on the show room floor long long ago....
A restored bicycle is an art piece regardless of how correct ...even a botched job if it's done with skill and care
is something recreated by hand and often some hard work equalling art.

As for the bead blasted bike? Make it a 'rider'.... rattle can paint can do wonders....and you invest ? what 12 bucks on a coupla cans
and maybe some tires?
 
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I think I see 24" x 2.125" on the tires. That's a child's bike. Are you relatively small, and do you want to ride the bike yourself?

It's sounds like you're sentimental about this old bike. It is possible to make it ride-able, but up front you should know how much work it will be, how much it can cost, and it will probably have no monetary value in the end. But if it's OK with you, then it's OK.

First realize that even a perfect restoration of a good bicycle is worth less than a well-preserved original. A good restoration of a poor original is worth considerably less. And a poorly or un-authentically restored bicycle may be worth almost nothing.

Because the bike was bead blasted, you have to completely disassemble and clean every part of it. And I don't just mean removing and externally washing parts like pedals and such, I mean every bit and piece of every component has to be disassembled and cleaned with solvent, rinsed with detergent, then assessed and rebuilt. That abrasive glass is now EVERYWHERE, in every moving part. You have to rebuild every nut, screw, washer, and ball bearing of the entire bike.

Spray painting everything might make the bike visually attractive to you. But restoring the bike's original appearance is something else. Hundreds of parts should be chrome plated, galvanized, cadmium plated, or get other surface treatments. That could cost a thousand dollars if you could even find someone to do it. And I've never even heard of anyone re-chroming spoke nipples, re-galvanizing spokes, or re-blackening a chain (which incidentally is only worth a few dollars as a new replacement). The original paint scheme was probably a two-tone design, and doing your own paint masking and striping is tricky. There were doubtless also many decals or transfers, which you could possibly find as reproductions--but again are expensive.

In the end it would make MUCH MUCH more sense to just buy a nicer, original bicycle. I'm VERY SERIOUS about that. If you do this it's because you want the project, not because of the end result. But don't let me spoil your fun!

You definitely spoiled mine. We're all in trouble if we just cherry pick projects that are easy to us. You don't need to get parts replated in order the make the bike look and ride very well. I think she already knows that it is not a rare diamond, but its a classic style and would make a great rider. The second you collect to make a profit is a step in the wrong direction. The Cabe is here to preserve history instead of neglect it.

That being said, you're going to have a doozy bringing that thing back to life. If you have determination and a lot of time, than this is perfect for you. Don't let the above comment scare you. I refurbished my first bicycle, a '39 Elgin, just a month ago. There are some things to learn, but I also had to assess "every nut, screw, washer, and ball bearing of the entire bike", and it's way easier than it's made out to be. It's not a requirement, and usually not even a want to get parts replated unless you have a rarity. If you want to have a tedious, sometimes frustrating, but ultimately rewarding time resurrecting this bike, then don't let anyone stop you. If anything you'll just have the easiest experience redoing your second bike. Btw, I rebuilt the hubs, bracket and wheels on my bike, and all in all it only cost me about $160.

If this project is too daunting and you'd rather wait for an easier example, I'm sure someone local would be interested in taking on the project, or perhaps you could make it into something where it's history is still appreciated. Good luck and have fun!
 
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