P.L.Jensen

A neighbor had this out in front of their home with a “FREE” sign taped to it… No rust, so I’m presuming it was in a garage all these years… With some air in the tires, it rode great… Shifted and braked like new…

We live in a small coastal village/town along the Salish Sea on the border with Canada… The streets are wide, hardly anyone parks on them, hardly anyone drives on them, it’s flat with the high point a freeway overpass… Really great place to ride around and check things out…

Since our town is as flat and empty as it is, I’ve decided to make it a single speed, to have it be a bike for visiting family and friends to ride without any complications or learning curve…

So far I’ve disassembled it and sanded the frame back to raw steel, primed it with the proper primer and rattle can painted it with two cans of a nice shade of blueish green Behr “Seaglass” paint…

Reassembly starts next week… More later…

Free always appeals to me…

Not the easiest frame to strip…

Behr rattle-can “Seaglass”…

Krov9

I can't help but question your choices. Those are pretty nice little bikes, and judging by the pic, yours was almost in as-new condition. I wouldn't have changed a thing! I understand this is the SS subforum, but those old SunTours aren't that bad either.

TugaDude

Not taking sides at all, but if it were mine and the paint in reality was as good as it looks in the photo, I'd have kept it and just touched up any small rust spots. But that's if it were MINE. It isn't, so I also support the decision to go ahead and repaint it. Isn't that better than one of the other potential outcomes, having it end up on a scrap heap? Lots of decent bikes suffer a cruel end like that. Bikes that could be made useable with just a little knowledge and elbow grease.

In the end I say whatever you do to a bike that results in your wanting to ride it more, is a good thing!

P.L.Jensen

I get what both of you are saying… Me, I’m retired, love a project and the paint was more chipped up than the one photo shows… Plus I wanted a color change to something fun…!!!…

My personal bikes range from a single speed balloon tire beach cruiser to a 27 speed Campy Record OR equipped Ibis tandem… I’m covered… This Mixte is going to be for visitors to ride around with us, the basic need for this bike is simplicity… Big wide comfort saddle, upright North Road style bars and cranks with a chain guard… Single speed is perfect for our flat town with no traffic… No hills, just flat cruising with tail winds no matter which way you go…!!!…

The parts that are being replaced will be donated to our local bike mechanic who fixes up bikes for free to those who are in need… It’s a win - win…!!!…

TugaDude

Sounds like a win all the way around. By the way, for anyone looking for a currently-available unisex model, Velo Orange and Rivendell have some interesting ones. Here's the VO offering, the Polyvalent Low Kicker. It builds up nicely. Could run SS/Fixed or maybe rock an IGH as well.

RustyJames 

I love the new color! Are you planning on re-lining the lugs? That would look hot!

P.L.Jensen

If I do, I’d use orange, that’s the cable housing color… I read about the process and it either involve going freehand with pin-liners brushes and perfectly proportioned paint, or, masking with either automotive quality masking tape or liquid mask, and agin perfect paint…

It sound to me like more could go wrong than right…I’ll keep thinking about it, I like that part of the process, learning something new… But yeah, I agree, lined with orange would pop…!!!…

RustyJames 

I bought, haven’t yet used, one of these;



I have a way too small lugged frame I’m going to use for practicing. If it works, great! Someone will get my handiwork for cheap. If it doesn’t, no problem. The new owner could remove my savagery.