Brian R.
Wore out three sets of tires already!
Who are these people who apply silver spray paint on nickel plated parts and think they've done a restoration? I spent an entire evening undoing what one such previous owner did to my left-hand drive 1896 Crawford. The handlebars had been sprayed with red oxide primer underneath the silver, so it took four, 20-minute soaks in oven cleaner plus extra-fine 0000 steel wool and hot soapy water to get it all off. I am pleased with the condition of the nickel, especially on the stem. It makes me wonder why they bothered to spray it. Would the pedals have been plated in nickel originally? Pedals always take such a beating over 100+ years it's hard to tell. I wasn't able to remove the crank arms so I will have to "unrestore" those plus the chainwheel while they're still on the bike without ruining the paint on the frame. Some before and after photos: