Tikibar
Finally riding a big boys bike
Years ago, a friend of mine was helping the nuns in the local convent sell some things at their garage sale. He knew I was into old bicycles and called me up to tell me there was an antique bicycle there and I should come over. Turns out it was an early '50's blue on blue Schwinn Panther. Being the nuns' bike, it was naturally a ladies frame. Now I have been interested in bicycles since I was a kid and the ones I had been picking up were usually the Schwinns from my youth, the 1960's and '70's Stingrays, Fastbacks and my daily rider a yellow Schwinn Speedster.
This blue on blue Panther was a whole different animal. It was heavy, slow and a ladies bike' - not really what I'd pictured myself riding around on. Still, it was a neat old bike and the paint was in great shape. The nuns had done a nice job of taking care of it.
So I brought it home for my wife who fell in love with it. She and I often ride our classic bikes together, on the bike trail or down to the beach. Well, hers being this heavyweight cruiser and mine being a Speedster, they don't really ride together well. The Speedster, as its name implies wants to get up and go fast and the Panther wants to cruise s-l-o-w-l-y.
So I've been on the lookout for another Panther to pair with my wife's bike, so we could enjoy a cruise together. At first I looked for the blue Panther in a men's frame, but it seems to be pretty scarce in that color. No matter, I love the green on green and have been looking for some time for one I could make into a project.
Thanks to a fellow Caber I've got this green on green Panther to work on!
It's missing parts, such as the straight bar tank and Delta Rocket Ray light. Some of the other parts don't look to be right such as the metallic green rack and the ladies' seat. Good news is I just got this chain guard from a second Caber and a replacement rack in the correct green is on its way from another Cabe member. It takes a village! Thanks for all your help. If you have parts suitable for an early 1950's Schwinn Panther let me know.
I plan on restoring this for the next few months. With my busy work schedule it will take me some time, but I'll post updates here. Also, I'll review some of the cleaning and lubing products I use and will post which works best. If anything on this build isn't right for a '51, I'd like to hear from you.
From a distance it looks nice, but up close it has the dirt of the ages on it, 50+ years of gunk and debris. I plan to find the missing parts and to completely disassemble it, clean and rebuild it so this cruiser rides like a dream.
Hopefully by Spring, my wife and I will be cruising together!