If you are trying to determine the genealogy of your bicycle by it's features, go to our Vintage Bicycle Price Guide
which details bicycle features, wheel sizes, brake types, etc., as well as showing a price estimate for your old bicycle.
If you are trying to determine the make and model of your bicycle, go to our Vintage Bicycle Picture Database
which details bicycle features, wheel sizes, etc., as well as showing a price estimate for your vintage bicycle.
| Help I recently aquired two Raleigh Choppers in need of total restoration. I have managed to strip the bikes downapart from the sissy bars and removing the handlebars. I understand that there is 3/16 retaining ball inside the locknut on the headset but i am unable to get at this. The sissy bar is also frozen in the frame. Has anybody had experience of removing these items without damage the the frame or parts in question? I would be grateful for any help or ideas anybody could supply me with, but please bear in mind that i am in England so some of your products will be unavailable to me. I will reply to all messages and e-mails sent to me. THanks again Leigh |
| The question of removing the sissybar from a Chopper frame comes up every couple years on this site. You should search the archives because I know it has been discussed at length before. One resolution I remember was to: a) Put liberal amounts of penetrating oil (WD-40, etc) on the sissy bar where it enters the frame. b) wait a day or two, and then place a scissors jack (a car jack) over the rear wheel. Place a 2x4 (wood) from the top of the jack to the underside of the sissy bar. c) start raising the jack. |
| Bicycle Swap meet, June 24, 2001. Under the Bridge, Boston, MA. Interstate 93 North or South. Approximately 1 mile North of Downtown Boston, Exit 28 Sullivan Square around the rotary "Under the Bridge" Rain or shine.. This show is free to everyone and vendors.. If you have any questions please email me. Thank you. |
| what is murry address |
| Hi everyone, I bought a very rusty Sears one-speed at a yard sale yesterday and I am trying to figure out the model (it has been painted over or something) and/or the year it was made. I think it's either a Spaceliner, a Mainliner, or a Flatliner. It has a Bendix hub (RB 2) and is a women's. The serial number is 502462110772179 if that helps. I'm trying to figure out what it is supposed to look like also so if there is some great Sears bicycle photo gallery that I'm missing (I did a million searches on Google), please let me know. Thanks very much. Jen |
| Did it look like any of the Sears bicycles in the picture database on this site? |
| Yeah, I searched that before to get an idea of the model. Here's the dilemma: The frame is closest to the Mainliner photo in the database except for two things: 1. The circle around the pedals (I forget the term) doesn't match. It looks more like a Spaceliner's. 2. The bracket that runs from the rear of the rack to the rear axel does not exist on the bike that I have. I can't find where something like that would have been attached (if it is missing or something). When did Sears manufacture the Mainliner? Does anyone know? Thanks, Jen |
| Jen, I think the Mainliner is a Huffy bike. The Sears Flightliner and Spaceliner are made by Murray. If the front sprocket is like the latter, it is probably a Murray. Are the dropouts pointy? (that's the part of the frame where the rear wheel mounts) That's a Murray thing too. |
| Hi Joel, thanks for writing. Ah, so did Sears merely market and sell the bikes while Huffy and Murray manufactured them? I like this type of info. But yes, the rear drop outs are pointy. (In a way that is purely for decoration.) The front axel doesn't have any type of spring and only the fork meets the wheel (no other fancy stuff like on the later Spaceliners or the Flightliner model pictured in the database). Maybe it's just an early Flightliner? Any idea what dates this model was manufactured? Around 1963 or something like that? Or is there a wider range than what is reflected in the picture database? So many questions... |
| Okay, here is a picture on the web that matches my bike. http://www.bikeicons.com/1960e%20Sears%20Girls.html Is this simply a Sears? (No specific model?) |
| Most bike companies marketed bikes under various store brands. Some bikes were identical except for the brand name, some were custom built for the store. The Spaceliner/Flightliner have variations from the Murray version that were Sears specific (different colors, chainguard, carrier...) The bike in the link is a pretty generic Murray, the parts were used on other brands like Western Flyer. I would guess it is late 60s-70s. If you want to learn more about Sears bikes, there's a book that covers Elgin/JC Higgins/Hawthorne bikes (Sears and Ward's brands)1930s-about 1965ish. Has spring/summer catalog pages. Can get a copy from Memory Lane Classics. If you need parts, I have fenders, chainguards, truss rods, grips, carrier, cranksets, more... as shown in the link. |
| Thanks very much for your help! |
| Do you guys have any tips on restoring nuts, bolts,seatposts,brackets, rearsprockets, axels etc? It seems like those things are always the critical things that never get done to finish your restauration. Are there any tips to make those items nice, original and not cheap looking? Any cleaning and/or plating suggestions? |
| Hi Tino, I just read your post. This works just fine for me. Take your drill, and a wire wheel, and attach it to the drill. Now this works better if you had a bench electric motor. Since drills are more common, we will do it this way. Turn it on, and clean away all the years. Hold on tight, and ware safety glasses for your protection too. Now your done with that. Get some oven cleaner and spray all the hardware real good,now rince. Now take your tap, and die set out, and clean the threads real good. Now blow off the threads real good. Now repeat the oven cleaner once more. Ok, your now ready to blow off, and dry. You will see, when doing all this, the hardest task is holding on to the parts. Now get the buffing wheel out, and attach it once again to the drill, and buff out, with compound your bolts & nuts to your eyes desire. Now that your all done, take some furniture polish, and spray all the hardware down so it don't rust up. |
| I was wondering the same thing as I am about to put a bike together. Your suggested steps sound good. Must one use the oven cleaner? Why oven cleaner? Why not carbureter cleaner (Gumout) which does it fast, seems to leave no residue and leaves it dry. Would it slso be better to work with the nuts on an axle for buffing? Thanks for the suggestions. |
| Hi Wings, You were asking why I use oven cleaner? Good question, Its cheap! Like me". Oven cleaner does just the same as any cleaner out there; cuts grease! You asked about a residue left behind ; your so right! Thats why I rince this stuff off real good. I use it so much, I know how long it takes to do the job. With a metal tooth brush, I help it along, so I conserve my material due to my thrifty ways. The acid in the formula; think about it for a moment, what I'm doing is, etching the metal, prepearing it for the buffer.Then again, I am using a buffers compound as well. The products you mentioned are excellent for carbs, and other mechanical parts. I have a old carb basket I put my nuts & bolts in, then I rince with a garden hose and blow dry them off with commpressed air. Theres one thing I don't need on my buffing wheel, is GREASE! So with that in mind, I hoped I cleared up some areas I may have missed. One more thing, when buffing, always wear safty glasses! Make sure you clean your buffer as you go, you will know by the black residue left behind on your parts, and wheel. I use a clean screw driver, too clean the wheel between buffing parts. I have posted this topic before in the past, so anyone who is new, can benefit from this aswell. Like I said before; DONOT SPRAY OVEN CLEANER NEAR ANY ALUMINUM PARTS, THAT GOES FOR PAINTED PARTS TOO!!! They will turn the parts BLACK, AND PAINTED PARTS WIIL LOOK LIKE A SPECKELED TROUT, "I SPEAK SENCIRLEY FROM EXPERINCE! Thanks for your reply |
| Thanks for the explanation and additional information. I will give it a try! |
| I have an old New Departure parts cabinet sitting in my basement. The back side has not been painted, is painted an olive green, and has a large new departure decal in the center. Rest of the oustide of the cabinet has been brush painted grey with house paint. Has anyone seen a cabinet as I have described, I am curious if there are decals under the grey paint as well. Is there a way to remove the house paint without removing what lies underneath? Was thinking it would be a nice way to dress up my shop and considering refinishing it, but would like to have decals made to complete the cabinet. |
| I've seen those cases before. They're great. Housepaint shouldn't be too hard to remove. Try a gentle stripper? |
| saw one on ebay,don't remember the sale price but it wern't cheep!---sam |
| Hi Greg, Have you looked for "ghost"decals on the sides .Sometimes you can see where they painted over the decals.Also check out www.beldecal.com/inkjet.cfm |
| I just picked up a womans AMF from I guess around 1960-61. It's in perfect mechanical shape,( though clearly not as good in quality as a Schwinn)not a ding in sight. However, the paint is faded, and in parts completely gone. I'm contemplating re-doing the paint, because it has a tank with a bizarre dual light in the front. This bike has a metallic under-coat, which is/was overcoated with a kind of sea-green clear, non-metallic paint. The desired effect I guess is a candy-apple sea green? Two questions: what is the technique involved here, and 2) Is there a source or commercially available coat with this color? I need to also be concerned with the paints exposure to the Arizona sun, so something of an automotive grade is needed. (Respondants please copy me via e-mail in addition to posting here.) Thanks All! John in Arizona |
| If you intend to paint it yourself, try mixing a small portion of the green paint with the metallic undercoat. This will afford you a little more control over how much transparent paint you apply as a top coat and you will get a more even paint job overall. Generally, if you try to spray a transparent paint directly over a silver metallic undercoat, you will find that the topcoat gets heavier in some areas and not in others, especially if you are using a spray can or smaller airbrush. I have tried the above technique and it would work for the novice as well as the seasoned pro. |
| Also, apply a clear coat or two to finish up. |
| Hi everybody, This message is for those up and comming bicycle hobbiest. For those of you, who know, and have learned threw mistakes by perchasing misleading information about a bike that has a sales tag stating, its this year, this model, ect. I went to a antique street fair here in our town. Venders came from all over, far & near. I walked into a shop where I have a bike on consignment. When I went upstairs to see my bike, I came across a Schwinn Kruiser made up to reasemble a older style bicycle. This bike blew me backwards! For starters, it was "not" a 1947 balloon tire classic! The sales tag on the bike was" for $700.00 plus! Then that was crossed out, and reduced to $450.00. The frame was a Beach Kruiser 26". It had a Low rider after market springer front end on it, with the low rider logo on the yoke. This bike sported the late 70"s chain gaurd, get this" the guy painted the bike candy red and the rims too! It had wald fenders on it, and a seat that came off a middle weight english bike. Then to put the cherry on the cake" for those of you who know about Schwinn decals on a Beach Kruiser, the center post decal was put up side down, and the decals that went on the original fork, were now on the top tube. My beef is, that this shop is selling and displaying fraud. Now dont get me wrong, this bike falls into the kustom circuit. So with that in mind, buyer beware, and educate your selfs before you buy, for those of you, who this information applies. I went up to the shop owner and confronted them and explained my find, and told them to give my phone# and to have this guy call me so I can explain to him what he's doing wrong and set him straight. You just never know who you are talking to when your selling a bike that you claim to be original. In order to protect the shops name, I wont post it. But this is the second shop in this street fair where I came across the same problem 3years ago concerning a Schwinn Black Phantom. If you post a bike for sale, and the parts are not total original, then put it down for "as is". This will protect you in small claims court. Its JUST NOT WORTH YOUR GOOD NAME. |
| I have a 1969 Woman's Raleigh Superbe Roadster that I'm thinking about restoring. But I would like to find someone to do it for me. How do I go about finding someone to do that? I'm in Dutchess County New York. Thanks. Brenda P.S. I use it everyday to deliver newspapers..love this bike! |
| Cyclart, Pfeiffer Phrames, Nostalgic.net all offer professional restoration services. All have websites. I don't know of anyone in your area though there surely must be. You may also be able to find a nice original for less money. But if you love the bike....go for it. |
| There is guy in Hartford conn. that restores the bike you have his e-mail is jgbarned@aol.com |
| I have just fund an old bike in need some heavy duty restoration work .but i dont know what it is . On the head stem it has the letter "A" IN WHITE PAINT it almost looks hand writen on the frame is a name starting with A ALSO LOOKS HAND WRITEN FOUR OR FIVE LETTERS IT HAS 3 SPEED GEARS AND HAND BRAKES ALL VERY RUSTY BUT COMPLETE I AM IN AUSTRALIA SO I FIGURE IT T BE LOCAL. ANY CLUES WUD BE APPRECIATED |
| http://www.ctuc.asn.au/bicycle/ |
| It could be an " Austral ". Original Australs had a badge on the head tube which was in the shape of our continent. I think that after Malvern Star took them over, the badge was deleted, and they were built, sold and treated as a cheaper line of bikes, compared to Malvern Star. You don't say whether it has 3 speed hub gears, or 3 speed derailleur gears. Also, are the brakes side pull calipers, or old centre pulls with a horizontal coil spring and nipples at BOTH ends of the cable? Australs are quite rare these days, not many seemed to have survived. As the next message suggests, you can learn lots from the Canberra ctuc museum website, and also from Sheldon Brown's excellent site, especially on gears. I had an Austral myself once, my first bike, and wish I still had it. Of course it would be completely restored. It had 24 inch wheels, an Eadie Coaster rear hub, Bell saddle, and it carried me around Cabramatta for many years, even to Warragamba Dam, National Park, Camden, Campbelltown etc. K 18004/5 where are you? |
| Im looking for information about the earliest bicycle ever made by Schwinn on Henderson and Excelsior models. It is because somebody claims having a 1920 Excelsior 28" motorbike with tank. But Another one claims to have one bike purchased by his great grandfather on 13 February, 1918. Just want to know when those models of bikes (with or without tank) started to be produced by Arnold & Schwinn Co. I need your expertise knowlege. Please somebody help me sending an e-mail(fotopose@yahoo.com). I will highly appreciate. Best regards. Ralph. |
| I have a Picture of my Great Great Uncle Clarence, Dated 1917, Doing Postal service on a Excelsior motor bike. very nice pic as well. |
| This might be old as the hills, but it`s a tip I pass on to anyone stripping paint off anything. Scuff the paint with 60 grit,brush on the stripper and then cover it with Saran Wrap so it doesn`t dry out as quickly. Works like a champ. |
| Excellent idea! |
| I am contemplating respraying my titanium frame road bike, and was wondering if there were any hidden dangers in removing the old paint & powdercoating a new finish. Appreciate any advice. |
| Hi Ed, try taking your frame, or bike down to your local powder coating shop. Since titanium is high dollar metal they may have all ansewers your looking for. They can give you a estimate on stripping the paint, and to the complete finish. |
| Feel free to stop by! I have added a "Stuff for sale" page and updated some of my restoration tips. http://www.concentric.net/%7ERrrrguy/bike.html |
| Copy and paste in address box: http://www.aboveworld.com/sports_recreation/www.trfindley.com/pgptch.html |