Two-Wheel Tuesday: 13

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During the Spring time, I always find myself working on bikes way more than any other time of the year. I typically tend to catch up on routine maintenance on my own bike(s), clean, detail, and tune-up bikes for friends, and sometimes even build them from the frame up. 

I love working with older, vintage bikes, and restoring them back into working shape. I often hear people saying that they'd love to get a bicycle to ride, but that they "can't afford one." You can easily find a used road bike and return it to a perfectly-safe riding condition for under $100.

With having sold a few bikes last year, and having a few others in the shop for service jobs, I began to call this little business of mine "St. Clair Cycle Shop," and it stuck.

Here are some of the bicycles I have built and/or maintenanced within the last year:

  BEFORE: A 1975 Hercules that I purchased from a garage sale.

AFTER: Stripped and converted to fixed-gear simply by swapping out the rear wheel and chain.

 A full tune-up and detail was done on this old-school Schwinn, just in time for the warm weather.

Once my main source of transportation, this vintage Huffy was cleaned up and eventually sold.

BEFORE: A gorgeous, neutral-toned fixed-gear with an uncomfortable riding position and an overlapping "track style" front wheel.

 

AFTER: A better angle on the stem, different bars, and a change of saddles delivered the comfort, while a splash of color and a swapped front-fork with a steeper angle delivered the looks and non-toe-rubbing rideability.

Another garage sale find equipped with new brakes, new tires, and new, snazzy blue bar tape.

 A Royal Enfield frame from 1958 that was found in the trash was rebuilt with a new headset, stem, chain, and bottom bracket. Cranks, saddle, bars, and wheels were easily sourced from other spare bicycles.

I am located on Cleveland's near-east side and would love to take a look at your bicycle if something needs cleaned or repaired. If you're looking for a custom, vintage build, or a fixed-gear conversion, let's chat! Alternatively, if you already have a bike, let's ride. The more the merrier! Xx

- Jason Unoriginal