Reader Project: Mark's J.C. Higgins

I got a nice email from "Mark" the other day, who's working on an old J.C. Higgins 3-speed. He originally asked about removing rust from spokes/rims. My response went a little something like this:I've found that a very fine grade steel wool ("0000") and lots of patience is good for removing rust on spokes and wheels and other non-painted metal surfaces without scratching or damaging the metal. For lightly rusted surfaces with just a few spots, it should work fairly quickly by itself, but for the heavier rust, you might try a few drops of oil applied to the spot you're working on (whatever you...

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Weekend Blowout

No, neither a party nor a clearance sale, but the kind that goes thup-thup-thup-pow! and leaves you stranded on the other side of town. I took the Peugeot on a little jaunt over to the Spruce Street suspension bridge, hoping to snap some pictures. I took the Upas Street trail, and had a nice ride/hike over there, but not long after I arrived on the west side of Balboa Park, this happened:I guess the culprit was probably over-inflation, aggravated by the air in the tube warming and expanding as I rode. This is incentive to buy either a non-crappy bike pump with a decent pressure gauge or one...

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Give a Hoot! Contribute!

Hey, are you working on an old bike project? Fixin' up that old Schwinn, J.C. Higgins, Raleigh, or whatever? We'd love to hear about it and see some pictures of your work. I'd like to have the Old Bike Blog be something more than just a place for me to post random stuff about old bikes, so send in pictures of your projects, write a post about your old bike, or just show off your latest garage sale or thrift shop bargain. Send all communiques, missives, and threats to bahdet[at]gmail[dot]com.Image from the very cool Aussie Bicycle Recycling Netwo...

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Coco's Variety Store (Los Angeles)

Photo: Coco's Variety StoreJust came across this on BoingBoing. From Coco's website/blog:"Coco's is engaged in the refurbishment, repair and sale of used bicycles. From the scrap iron dealer's mud puddle, we buy bikes that nobody else wants. We buy junkers, clunkers, road bikes, mountain bikes, banana seat specials, fixies, department store cheapies, step through ten speeds, heavy bikes, skip tooth relics, 80's splatter paint disasters, suspension bikes, BMX tricksters, track bikes, cruisers, bruisers and midnight losers.We believe the bicycle with the greatest positive impact on the environment...

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