Pictures of the NEW MIXTE!

In my last blog I told of getting a new mixte but didn't show any pictures of it completed. Well the bike was for my niece Amber as a surprise. She now has the bike so I can post some pictures.

 Love the look of rack, looks like it could be from the 30's.

 

With addition of some panniers, bell, lights and cappuccino holder she is ready to go to college.

A Brand New Mixte!

I got home from working at the bike shop Fri. night and the new Mixte I ordered was sitting there waiting on me. I ordered it on Tues. night and got it on Fri. And yes I said a NEW MIXTE! I haven't had a new Mixte for close to 40 years. I now have four old Mixtes after giving one away last year.

This is a different type of Mixte as it is a single speed with fenders. I dry fit everything on it that evening to make sure I had everything and had no problems. This is only the second bike I've ordered on line but they have both came in good condition with no problems. Today I tore it back down and greased all the bolts, stem, seat post, made adjustments to the fender and rack and tightened everything. I will add that if you don't have some wrenching background on bikes you may want to have someone else do the assembly for you, like your community bike shop. I will post more pictures soon.

The Ugly Duckling

Last year our shop got this ugly brown Follis from the local college that was left over after their bike auction. It was in bad shop with spray paint on lots of it including the rear wheel and spokes. After we had it siting around the shop for about eight months I bought it. I used to sell Follis in my shop and you don’t see many of them. I decided to do what I could to salvage it. I had it media blasted, powder coated and found new decals for it. I changed it from brown to silver and used blue housing  on it. I thought I was going to get it done today then remembered I didn’t have a set of matching pedals for it. The only thing new besides the finish and decals is the cables, handlebar grips and a full jar of Mother’s aluminum polish. I love the old Mixte’s and what is cool is the new ones look the same. I don’t know for sure if this Follis came from my shop or not but when I tore down the wheels I found red grease in them. It is Bull Shot red grease that I used in the 70’s so it could be.

Bitter Sweet

Just came back from a 1200 mile round trip to Mississippi. A very good friend that I used to work with and ride with has cancer. He is not good but has put his trust in God so anything can happen. I hadn't seen John in thirty-five years but it seemed like yesterday when we talked about the old days. He was a heck of a rider. We did several centuries back when they didn't count kilometers just miles. When we drove up to his home his old PX 10 was sitting out. It hadn't been out of the shed behind his house for fifteen years. It had a few wasp nests on it but other wise just needs a bath, a little polish and mechanicals gone through to be back on the road. John and his family told me to take the bike and see that it would do some good for someone else. After I go through the bike it will go to the Chain Reaction Bike Shop in Goshen, IN. our community bike shop that helps others have a bike that otherwise wouldn't be able to.

This is John's second PX 10. This one replaced the white one destroyed in a wreck he and I was in. We had ridden 50 miles that day and set up a camp site. We decided we should have a bottle of wine so we took off with another rider to the closest town. the Hi-way we were on had just been paved and it started to rain. It got real slick. John had glasses on and instead of stopping to remove them he just closed in on my back wheel and watched it. Well, my bike slide out from under me an John went over the top of me. He landed on his face and got cut up bad. Two young girls on their way to the prom all dressed up and took John to the Bluffton Clinic that was close. A Plastic Surgeon was on duty that week end and it was a good thing for John. The doctor worked on him for several hours an John still had to back and get more done. The other rider, well he just road around us and was OK. Some riders would have quite riding after that but not John as this bike shows he road many, many more miles. If your reading this take a moment to say a prayer for John and his family.

Mail Order Bride

Well I did it! No, I didn't get a mail order bride, but I did order a bike on line. I never thought I would do it but the temptation was just too strong. I have been looking at the single speed bikes but not seriously. Did I need another bike, no. Did I have better things to do with my money, yes. So why did I think I had to have one? Well 50% off was one reason then they threw "FREE SHIPPING" at me and I was hooked. Susie said I could get some bike parts for my Valentine's Day present so I ordered it and was surprised to get it in two days. I looked the shipping box over for damage and was again was surprised to not see any damage or marks on it. I couldn't open it right away because I was making a bed for Buddy for his Valentines Day gift. Later that day I opened the box like it had a bomb in it, not wanting to scratch anything. Taking each part out and checking it out. When I had my shop in the seventies I opened lots of these boxes and a few while I worked for Spencer. There was always something not right or missing so I was being extra careful. Well everything was fine and I carefully unwrapped each part and started dry fitting it. My fear of ordering a bike on line is what you do if something is wrong when you get it. I wasn't worried about normal assyembly of adjustments but bad threads, missing parts of damaged items. I am glad to say it was in very good condition. After I put it together out of the box I went through again it today and greased everything, trued the front wheel slightly, adjusted the brakes to my liking and put a coat of wax on everything. Would I every order another bike on line, Yes. Would I recommend it for everyone, no. I have been working on bikes for over fifty years so I have that in my favor. The other thing is size. Just because you're bike you have now fits you doesn't mean a different one of the same size will. You need to read and take measurements and if your not sure call the place your ordering from. A road bike, a mountain bike and a track bike may all be the same size but will fit differently. If you're not sure of anything it is best to buy from your local dealer.
I will change the handlebars, they are a little too stretched out for me. And yes, I did alter the cranks photo!

Update on the Phillips

Today I finished cleaning the Phillips frame. I polished it a couple times with rubbing compound then followed that with  three coats of wax. It is far from being great looking but it is nice and clean now. I also took the crank and B/B out of the parts cleaner and polished and cleaned it all. Then reinstalled the B/B with new bearings and the crank with new cotter pins. I will finish the rest of it at the shop except for the rear fender that I can buff better at home.

1954 Phillips

This 1954 Phillips 3-spd was donated to our community bike shop last week. I didn't know at first if I wanted to start another project yet being as I have a few others. As I looked this bike over and saw that most everything was here and that under 59 years of grim it was not too bad. It even has the small fender and rack original screws in the mounts. After removing the crank I inspected the inside of the tubes and it is clean and rust free. Also the lettering is in good condition. I have been polishing and cleaning small parts as I remove them. I ran the front fender over the buffing wheel today and polished it. If you have never done this to an old aluminum fender I'll tell you it is a dirty job. I will post more as I get it done.

Where have I been?

It has been five months since I have added anything to my blog. You probably don't care but I do. I love working on bikes and like to share that. In the end of August I had to start dealing with melanoma in my neck and shoulder. What started out as a simple operation turned into a lengthy ordeal. The good news is they say it is all gone for now. Now it's time to get caught up.

In June I wrote about a Raleigh that I was starting on. Well, here are the pictures of the finished project. The bike is a composite of many bikes and parts from France, Germany, USA, China, Taiwan and Holland. That’s why I call it the "Mixed-up Mixte" The red is not a fire truck red but more of a transparent looking color. The yellow cables, tape and lettering made it POP. The bike was clear coated after lettering and pin stripping was done. My change of plans for the Raleigh came when our projects director decided to resign and move on. As soon as I heard this I decided to finish this bike and give it to her as a going away gift.