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I have this old bike that a neighbor gave me like 10 years ago. She first gave it to me because my other bike had gotten stolen at the time. I later found the guy who had stolen my other bike, but that’s a story for another time. This story is about this bike here and what I plan to do with it.
It’s a pretty old bike. It’s a 3-Speed JC Penny bike from the ‘60s. Yes, that’s the JCPenny that just went out of business. So, even though it’s like the Walmart huffy bike of the ‘60s I wasn’t sure how intense to make this renovation. Yes, it’s a JC Penny bike. But now with JC Penny basically extinct is it worth keeping this piece of history in good working order or just do my own thing and turn it into something better than just a relic of the past. So, I decided to do my own “restoration” of the bike and to transform it into something new.
The Plan
The plan is simple, to transform the bike in three steps:
Soap and Water. I will disassemble the bike and clean all the parts, keep what is in good condition, and replace what isn’t.
New Coat. A vintage color palette will look great on this old bike. Repainting will help to make it look brand new.
Make it Mine. Customize the bike as much I want to.
Soap and Water
I knew from the beginning that it would take a lot of elbow grease to remove all the dirt and grime from the bike. It’s about 60 years old and it hasn’t been used in 10 years. Most of the parts were rusted and stuck. Some of the screws were falling apart as I took it off, but that’s fine. I removed everything that could be moved, taking pictures and making labels along the way for reassembly. I used WD-40 to loosen tight screws and before I knew it, I finished. I decided to buy new tires. Replace the old worn-out seat, change the grips, and a few bolts.
[Picture of bike parts laid out and cleaned]
New Coat
It was time to give it a new face. I wanted a vintage-ish look so I went with a brown and slate blue combo.
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