fordmike65
Riding a '37 Colson Imperial
I've been seeing more & more bikes left "as found" lately, and wondering if this is a growing trend or simply more are being posted up & ridden? For me, it started with the Crusty Merc. Paint was too burnt to clean up, plated parts were all rust & bare metal, so OA or steelwool/WD40 weren't gonna help. That's when I decided to leave it as-is. I wanted it to look like I unearthed it from behind a barn,aired up the tires & rode it down the street. Obviously one can't usually do that if they want a smooth reliable rider, so I did service all bearings, cleaned/lubed the chain & installed new tires/tubes. That's it. On the rode she went & except for a lil brake strap mishap, it's been untouched for several years now. Surprisingly smooth & the one most non-bike friends tend to gravitate to when we ride.
Recently, we've added a couple more that we decided to leave as-is, including the 38 ladies Columbia & my 36 Colson double bar. Both were completely serviced using new bearings,grease, tires,etc. Chains cleaned & lubed. When servicing the drivetrain, care was taken to "preserve the crust" so to speak. Old grease & build-up on the outside of the hubs,driver, spokes/nipples & the chainring were left alone. Just the insides were gone through as on all our bikes. Cleaning away the build-up would have washed away the years of crust. Then these plated that have been protected from the elements would have shined through, sticking out like a sore thumb. I'll take some close up pics of these bikes & post up this weekend. In the meantime, feel free to post pics of your crusty riders & what you did to "Preserve the Crust"
Recently, we've added a couple more that we decided to leave as-is, including the 38 ladies Columbia & my 36 Colson double bar. Both were completely serviced using new bearings,grease, tires,etc. Chains cleaned & lubed. When servicing the drivetrain, care was taken to "preserve the crust" so to speak. Old grease & build-up on the outside of the hubs,driver, spokes/nipples & the chainring were left alone. Just the insides were gone through as on all our bikes. Cleaning away the build-up would have washed away the years of crust. Then these plated that have been protected from the elements would have shined through, sticking out like a sore thumb. I'll take some close up pics of these bikes & post up this weekend. In the meantime, feel free to post pics of your crusty riders & what you did to "Preserve the Crust"