How to Fix a Bent Seat Stay

I am now officially hard-core. Or at least medium-core. The Mundo's right seat stay was bent when I bought it, the result of a rear rack being affixed to it, and evidently getting whacked at some point while the thing was in the previous owner's shed. It was almost a deal-breaker for me, but I figured I'd see what I could do. In researching how to fix such a problem, I happened upon Dave Moulton's Bike Blog. Former frame builder and interwebs bike guru, Moulton has all kinds of helpful articles on all kinds of topics. Just so happens, he had one on this.Mind you, this only works with *steel frame*...

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Blog Love: SixtyOneSixty

Since I've started thinking about my custom fixie project, I've been inspired by the lovely blog SixtyOneSixty, out of Australia, which features single speed, custom, and vintage bikes. The photos are lovely, there's a real sense of artistry in the bikes, and some of the finds are pretty unique. Check it out, spend some time looking around, you won't be sor...

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Stanch & Reliable

"The Popular Steeds for Business and Pleasure""If I could not get another bicycle I would not give mine for its weight in solid gold. For fifteen years I lost from three to eight days every month with stubborn sick headache. Since I have been riding the bicycle I have lost only two days from that cause, and I haven't spent a dollar for a doctor."--Rev. George F. PentecostColumbia Bicycles and Tricycles Magazine Advert, 1901 (not 1880s as previously stat...

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Sturmey-Archer Hub

Here's a nice photo I snapped of the Huffeigh's Sturmey-Archer AW hub before I reassemble the wheel. Just gratuitous old bike pr...

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Huffeigh Front Fender Paint

This is after the first three coats, and I'll probably do another two or three just to be safe, then the clear coat. One thing I learned repainting the Columbia is that you should probably add at least two more coats than you think is necessary, and also that clear coat is best applied in many very light coats, or else it will run and/or crack. Anyway, I'm hoping to start making faster progress on the Huffeigh now, so it may not be too much longer before it's finished. Barring any unforeseen (but nevertheless inevitable) problems, that ...

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Sunday Work Log

I managed to put in a good amount of bike work today for the first time in a while. Here's what I did:first three coats of paint on Huffeigh front fenderfinished dismantling the fixie project bikea bit of frame cleaning on the fixie projectclear coated silver chrome touch-up on miscellaneous Huffeigh bitsOther things I've been doing whenever I've had the chance include sanding the parts of the Huffeigh frame and rear fender that will be painted, and trying to figure out how to get the stuck crank cotter and stuck seat post out of the fixie project. Tonight I'm hoping to rebuild the rear wheel on the Huffeigh, except for one spoke, which needs to be replaced and hasn't been obtained yet. Sorry about the lack of photos, I was more intent on getting...

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Reader Project: Peter's 1936 Hawthorne

From the same reader who brought us the electrolytic rust removal tip, comes this 1936(?) Hawthorne. Peter is yet another reader undertaking a refurbishment without prior experience, so I'm very happy to add his bike to the OBB Reader Projects ranks. Right now, Peter is focused on cleanup and rust removal, and is considering some work on the paint as well. I'm happy to offer the OBB archives (for what they're worth), as well as the information and resources links in the sidebar. Keep us posted, Peter, and happy wrenching!Also, if anyone with Hawthorne expertise can offer a model or definitive...

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Blog Love: CyclingChicken

I've recently come across the wonderful blog CyclingChicken, a husband/wife effort, which covers (as you might imagine) both using bikes and raising chickens, as well as some other topics. One of the many wonders of the Interwebs is the ability to catch a glimpse into other people's lives, and to draw inspiration and knowledge from their experiences. The husband-half of CyclingChicken initially contacted me about his 1971 Raleigh, and some of the very cool DIY modifications he has made in order to convert it to a cargo bike, including this really amazing front rack made from (among other things)...

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EcoVelo Photo Contest

EcoVelo is one of the most beautifully-designed bike blogs out there. Although Alan modestly avers that he's no photographer, the photos on the site are always beautiful. So, they've decided to hold a photo contest to help folks beat the winter blues. It's a very informal sort of contest--pros and amateurs both welcomed--and you can find the contest guidelines and prize list here (ends March 15). My thought is this: beautiful as it is, EcoVelo doesn't have enough pictures of old bikes, so let's flood Alan with photos of our trusty rusty machines. My humble efforts can be seen here, and I'll look...

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The Mundo: Fixie Mock-Up

I spent a couple hours this afternoon removing all of the crusty bits from "The Mundo." As long as I had everything off, I thought I'd throw a couple of things on it to see what it might look like as a fixed gear. The bars and seat are from the Huffy/Raleigh. I'm seriously thinking about using the bars, but they'll need a shim to fit the stem because they're not thick enough. The saddle, of course, is not a keeper, but just to see what a saddle would look like on it, and to rest on when flipped over.I think it's going to look pretty sexy if I can pull it off. Even just mocked-up, I like it a lot....

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1965 Mundo Cycles Caloi Racer

This hot mess is (or was) a 1965 Mundo Cycles "Caloi Racer," made in Brazil (not West Germany and not Japan, which apparently also had brands called Mundo, and not the modern cargo bikes). It's my latest, and perhaps most foolhardy purchase, although it was just a few bucks (some might argue that free would have been too much).It's definitely in the worst shape of any of the bikes I've undertaken, but I'll give it a try. A much nicer bike of the same model is seen here. Suntour and Dia Compe components, but obviously not original handlebars, and the saddle seems to be missing. My main concern...

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Rebuilding a Wheel

I've just rebuilt my second-ever bicycle wheel, and you know what? It wasn't that bad. On the Runwell, I dismantled and rebuilt the rear wheel because it needed such extensive cleaning and rust removal. That was my first try, and it took me literally an entire day to complete the job, with several false starts. This time, I've dismantled both wheels on the Huffeigh for the same reason. So far, I've only put the front one back together, but it only took me an evening, and it was much easier. It needs a final truing before I'll call it finished, but I've got a lot of other stuff that needs attending...

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Why Your Old Bike Isn't More Valuable (Yet)

Just came across this interesting essay that talks about the time between when an object is new, and when it becomes valuable as "vintage" or "antique." I have happily exploited "The Trough" in old bike value, and in fact, the distinct lack of collector value of most of my bikes is the main reason this is called the "Old" Bike Blog, and not the "Vintage" or "Classic" or "Antique" Bike Blog. What I find interesting, of course, is that the use value of an old bike never declines (unless through mechanical problems), it's just that the perception of that value changes over time.Read The Trough of...

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Blog Love: Bicyclog

I've posted about Yanek's Tel Aviv-based Bicyclog before, but because it's so darn cool, it's getting another. You know how sometimes you'll be walking down the street with your spouse/significant other and/or friends who aren't interested in bikes, and suddenly you pass a bike rack, do a double-take, and then go back and spend twenty minutes poking around some great old bike, wishing you had a camera? If you're reading this blog, you probably know what I'm talking about. Well, Yanek does have a camera, and he always snaps great photos of interesting bikes he finds all over Tel Aviv, many of which...

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Shocking! Rust Removal Technique

UPDATE: Here's a couple of photos of part of the rig, before and after:An OBB reader sent me a couple of before and after photos of a rusty kickstand he cleaned up with the rust removal technique linked below. FYI, he used an old 12v laptop power supply, which he says worked just fine. I've not used this technique before, but it sure looks effective. Anyone else have any stories/photos/recommendations to share on this method?Electrolytic Rust Removal at Instructables....

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Huffy/Raleigh Chrome Update

I promised an update on how my super cheap-o chrome touch-up went. I didn't get everything done last weekend that I wanted to, but overall I would say that the silver paint solution is only partially successful. Here's a rust spot on the front hub before and after touch up with the silver paint sprayed on a paper towel.Obviously, it doesn't completely match the chrome, but for just a couple dollars a can, what can you expect? After all, the idea is to make the rusty spots look better, not perfect.The main problem, however, is that even when dry, the silver paint (and all readily available metallic...

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More Retro-Awful Bicycle Safety

Remember my post last year about the scary-as-all-get-out bicycle safety film for kids from the 1960s? Apparently, it's a rich genre. Danny and the Demoncycle is the comic book tale of a heedless young lad who's into dangerous riding. It takes a concussion-induced trip on Satan's (er, Santa's) "Demoncycle" to teach him the error of his ways. There's all sorts of condescending tips, like don't ride through busy intersections, don't ride at night, and ride your bike "like a grown-up car driver," and there are some great one-liners ("what's a guy like me doing in an antiseptic dump like this?"),...

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Blog Love: Bakfiets en Meer

Photo: Henry in A'dam's Flickr photostream. Used with permission.This post marks the beginning of a new feature on the OBB (and my 200th post!) in which I highlight a blog and/or blog post that strikes me as especially good or interesting and which I think deserves wider circulation--all part of building a larger community of like-minded folks and perhaps giving y'all some new ideas.This inaugural post comes from Bakfiets en Meer: Utility Cycling News and Opinions from Amsterdam, run by Henry of WorkCycles. The whole blog is worth a look, but the post on old bikes around Amsterdam really...

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Super Sunday

Rather than ignore the Super Bowl at home, we decided to ignore it at the park with a game of Novelty Flying Disk and enjoyed the extraordinarily nice SoCal February weather. I won't say how warm it was, but I busted out the cycling knickers and shoes without soc...

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