Vintage Find: Great Old Bicycle
Sometimes some of my restorations don't come with labels, and the bikes are so old that they may not be even aesthetically identifiable. One such find is this antique bike of unknown origin, which I picked up from a scrapper for next to nothing. I think it might be an old Spaceliner, as well as a bike that originally once had a rectangular or oval headbadge. I date this bicycle from the late 50's to early 60's. It's origins can be traced back to Oregon, which was the state it was registered in on it's original bicycle license.
I took this partially seized bike and went to work on it. I did a full restoration on this bike while keeping all of it's original components except for the chain, pedals, and handlebars. I clear coated over some of the patina to preserve it as well as to prevent further rusting of the exposed metal. This bicycle looks very rustic and has a lot of personality. Just look at this picture I took of it leaned up against my workbench!
Its also a very comfortable ride. I didn't suffer going uphill on this bike like I would on an old Schwinn cruiser. This bicycle doesn't have a lot in the way of collectivity or prestige. It's just a great old bicycle. Its very utilitarian for things like campus commuting or running short distance errands. I could even go as far as to say you could regularly commute on it, because it comes equipped with fenders for those rainy days.
Stay tuned for more of my vintage restoration pieces.
If the fenders are original to the bike that may be an old Columbia bicycle. I have never seen a chain guard on a Columbia like that but that is my guess. Nice find! I check with my neighborhood scrapper all the time to see if he has any bike treasures on his trailer! :)
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