Vintage Bicycle Find
 

So, I wasn't completely sure where this thread belonged so, I am putting it here.

So, we did some garage saleing this morning and I happened across this neat old bike. I did not previously have a bicycle, so this is a new and exciting thing!

It needs a bit of TLC. Does anyone know a lot about bikes? How do I begin the process of restoring this treasure? I am having a little trouble identifying the age of this bike, too. Here are some pictures:

http://caseoriginalart.com/bike/hiawatha1.jpg
A bit rusty, but nothing that is unsolveable, right?

http://caseoriginalart.com/bike/hiawatha2.jpg
This is on the back fender. I imagine the bike was made somewhere between 1960 and 1963. But I could be wrong, so I am trying to find out as much as I can about it.

http://caseoriginalart.com/bike/hiawatha3.jpg
I'll bet I can clean it up a bit.

http://caseoriginalart.com/bike/hiawatha4.jpg
This looks like I took it upside down, because I did, but I wanted to show the crank area. It says "Hiawatha" which, I think, is a brand made in the US. Does anyone know about Hiawatha bikes?

http://caseoriginalart.com/bike/hiawatha5.jpg
That is the serial number, I am guessing. I found it under the crank (if you can't tell.)

It also appears that several decals or brand labels have been removed. If anyone out there has any experience restoring vintage bicycles, please let me know. I would like to bring it back as close to original state as possible. (Now, I need to figure out what its original state was!)

You rang?

I can give you a lot of detail later, right now I am figuring out how to completely inebriate myself but still keep my airways open.

I promise I'll hook you up with the info.

Here ya go foots , a mailing label

It looks to me like the original state was North Dakota.

I'm sure he's very good at his job, but in this picture he looks like he's the German soldier in charge of repairing the SS's bicycle fleet.

HAHa That was me 25 years ago, and I was very good at my job. But those are Dutch Army surplus pants.

Why did you buy this bike? To ride? As a restoration project for profit? To restore and ride? How authentic do you need it to be?

Got to know your goal before you can determine if it's economically viable.

Bruce, you're talking crazy talk. It's an old bicycle, a classic. How can that not be economically viable to drop eight or nine hundred into restoring it.

What on earth are you thinking?

That's an adorable bike!

I used to have a 1965 Moulton Deluxe (UK folding bike) when I was in my early twenties. It was beautiful :)

Thanks, Dana. I have a love for all things vintage (clothes, bikes, furniture...I am looking for a vintage 60's console record player, too.)

Thank you, foot...if you have some info on the bike, I would really appreciate it.

Bruce, I hope to restore it to original for riding, but may sell it in the future. We'll see. I want to get it as close to original as possible.

Thanks all for your help.

Lovely bicycle - reminds me of the one I used to borrow from the neighbor all the time because we couldn't afford our own. It will be a fun project. Good luck!

Case,
Here's the deal. I deduced from the title of your jpeg that this is a Hiawatha, I couldn't read the chain guard. A quick search told me that this is probably a 60's vintage bike and really sharp. I will assume that you intend to repair as much of this as possible your own self.

If you want to do a "museum restoration" That entails cleaning up everything as much as possible w/o getting into repainting or rechroming and keeping parts as close to "stock" as possible. IMO, this is the way to go, don't rice up a great bike like this.

Your tool kit:
Rags, lots and lots, and then some more. The best ones are the kind that the gas station guys have. Find out when the UFirst guy makes his delivery and be waiting with a big "help me" smile. Tell him you are restoring a vintage bike and need several dozen rags and ask him to sell you a pile of rejects for one time use. He will probably hook you up the following week. I used to buy used bar mops they called "virgin one wipes". Ask him what he can do, you'll use a ton of rags and they are really cheap in the long run.

Don't bother with paper towels. They'll cost you ten times what a pile of rags will.

Formula 409 or simple green.
CitraSolv or similar concentrated orange degreaser. Citrasolv is the best degreaser you can get is is relatively green. Get a quart or it, your life will never be the same afterwards. Healthfood stores and coops carry it and some more enlightened hardware stores do too. Do not buy any of this shit at a bike shop unless you really want to "spread the wealth"

Neverdull
0000 steel wool (hardware store)
Happich Simichrome (online, hardware, or auto store)
Maroon scotchbrite pad (auto store)
WD-40 at least a 12 oz can (anywhere)
SuperLube (good hardware store, auto?)
Nitrile gloves lots of pairs and/or
Lemon GoJo hand cleaner (this is the best hand cleaner ever)
Rubbing compound (auto)
Polishing compound (auto)
Car wax (auto)
PhilWood grease or similar (bike shop)
"Anybody's Bike Book" by Tom Cuthbertson. Try to find an old copy because I doubt the new one has any info about a bike like yours. Make friends with hippies at your local coop and invite yourself over to dinner, then ask to use the bathroom and while you are ostensibly peeing, search their bookshelves and borrow it.

You will also need some tools. Thses are outlinde in detail in the book but let's see what I remember.


First, you want to clean any dirt off. Dirt as in mud, clay, earth. Not old grease and grime. Use a scrub brush, 409, and water. A garden hose on full blast is great.

If you plan on keeping that Messinger Saddle you might want to hit it with softsrcub to bleach out the mildew stains, otherwise you'll chuck it and shop for a vintage looking or modern, hinder friendly gel type saddle. Mileage will dictate your needs.

Now that it is all clean, grab your WD-40 and start hosing everything down that isn't rubber. Don't worry too much abou the rubber, you'll prolly want to replace the tires...

Spoke nipples, any nuts and bolts, the stem, the seatpost. EVerything gets a good dousing with WD-40.

With your oooo steel wool, give any rusted chrome a good scrub. If you have stuff that won't come off easily with the steel wool, use the scotchbrite pad, add WD as needed. Keep wiping with rags to see your progess. Do Not do this on painted areas unless you plan on repainting.

If you are not going to rebuild the wheels clean every spoke and every nipple with steel wool, the rims as well.

If you have a bike stand this is a lot easier. Get all the rusted chrome first, before you start taking the bike apart.

Rust through paint requires a very light touch or you will remove paint. Use the steel wool gently, or try the simichrome on a rag first.
Start taking the bike apart and take pictures as you do so. Take them against a plain backdrop like a clean drop cloth so you can see. Take close ups too.


More later

Wow, foot! That is an incredibly helpful post. I will definitely try all of those things for my bike. I was not sure whether I should try and match the paint job or not, so I am glad to know that if I am truly restoring it, I should not paint it. what about the decals? How to I repair those? Also, where it is suppose to say Hiawatha on the side, should I try to put that back, or leave it? Should I remove all the stickers that were put on there, like the bike licenses and such?