The Huffy has been finished for days. Except for the gray cork-tape which "yours truly" forgot to order. Thanks to Alfred E Bike for getting it here so fast.
Note the welded-on kickstand mount, very much like an old Schwinn. And the steel rims
are identical to some of the Schwinns from my era. Although I doubt they are quite the same quality.
I`m not positive, but the colors used on the graphics say "early 1980`s" to me.
I really prefer a head-badge to a sticker. But I love the "solar panel like" reflector. And I do like that it says "Huffy Bicycle Co. Dayton Ohio"
I wish I could say "I restored this derailleur" But it already looked like this, for the most part. I did do a little polishing though. But no rust removal. I am glad I chose to replace the 4 piece gray pleather handlebar wrap. I think the cork looks and feels 100% better. And although the original gum-walls looked pretty good, they were getting brittle. Besides the rest of the bike looked so good I figured it was worth it. If the bike had been less than pristine I would probably have just left them on the bike. Anyway it is finished and it rides and shifts well for what it is.
I am always amazed by these "old but never ridden" bikes. When I was a kid I rode the wheels off my bike. A bicycle (not unlike a motorcycle)meant freedom to me.I wonder what gives kids that feeling now days?
Some bikes today still get the tires ridden off them by kids. It just isn't as common nowadays.
ReplyDeleteHey Steve,
ReplyDeleteAgreed, Some kids (and adults) still do "ride the wheels off" their bikes. Seems like today we have specific types of cyclists. BMX`rs & Free-Style`rs, Mountain-Bikers, Road-Racers and Commuters. But what happened to the average kid riding around the neighborhood with his or her friends? That appears to be the disappearing group of riders. Most cyclists today seem to be an athlete or a commuter. While those are both great things to be. The casual rider is becoming an endangered species.And that can not be a good thing for cycling. The less of us there are out there.The less important important we become. Which may have something to do with the "awful attitude" many motorists have towards cyclists. Ok time to climb off my soap-box and ride to the doughnut shop for a coffee. I like to call it "Le Tour De Doughnut Shop"
I have actually seen quite a few kids on their bikes here in Ferndale. If you go downtown on a halfway nice day, all of the bike racks are spoken for and you have to lock up to whatever else is available. I think the higher population density around here tends to encourage biking as transportation (the flip side is that the traffic discourages biking as recreation).
ReplyDeleteI have seen mountain, hybrid, road and old cruisers, but a lot seem to be fixies. I hope that the love of bikes lasts longer than the current fixie fad.
Everett, That`s good to hear. Is that Ferndale Mi? I almost got myself a fixed gear bike. It was on sale real cheap at Nashbar. I just wanted to see what all the fuss was about. But it arrived damaged and was sent back. Then it went on back-order. So I just canceled the order. I guess it was not meant to be.
ReplyDelete@Hugh. Yes that is Ferndale, MI. Sorry to hear you haven been able to try a fixie yet. I haven't either. Most places I ride to are too far for fixed. I could really see the appeal of them though if I lived in a 5th-floor walk-up.
ReplyDeleteHey Everett,
ReplyDeleteAbout 38 or 39 years ago I played Hockey for a Berkley Mi Team (midget 15-16yr) We played this Ferndale team "Gage Oldsmobile" These guys were not all that good. I think they were mostly football players.But they were always looking for a fight after the game.lol They did manage to tie us once. But they never beat us.Those were good days:)
And I agree if you had to carry a bike up 5 flights of stairs. A light weight fixed-gear or "track-bike" would be your best bet.
I just picked up the same bike for 10 bucks in a yard sale this weekend... knocking off the rust and been polishing a little at a time ... another barely ridden bike ...
ReplyDeleteHey Anonymous,
ReplyDeleteThat is about the going "yard-sale rate" 5.00 to 10.00 for an old (unrestored) 1970`s - 1980`s Huffy. It always amazes me when I run across an old "barely ridden" bike. Recently I purchased a Raleigh (37 yrs old). I would be surprised if it had more than 25 miles on it. It just seems like such a waste. On the up side , At least these bikes will get another shot at a useful life.
i just bought this same bike at a garage sale in almost perfect condition....looks 1980's ish...they for sure built things better years ago.
ReplyDeleteHey Anonymous, As far as the Department Store bikes go, I agree 100%. Back in the 1960`s or 70`s you could still buy a sturdy reliable bike
ReplyDeleteat an inexpensive price. Now days they call them "throw away bikes" Cost more to repair than to replace. Seems like such a waste.
Hugh,
ReplyDeleteI have a Huffy 314 that I just pulled out of storage. It is black and yellow, though, and I'm guessing must be from the 1990s? I can't decide if it'd be worth investing it or not. Have any thoughts?
Hey Ponyo,
ReplyDeleteWell, having no idea as to what kind of condition it is in. All I can say is.. If you can do the work yourself, And it does not need
a lot of parts. Sure then fix er up! But I would price shop everything online. Try to find one supplier that has everything you need. This will save you a bunch on shipping. You might want to check out Niagara Cycle Works. Some online outlets offer free shipping "on occasion" if the order is above a pre-set amount. Good Luck (:
Just got myself one of these bikes. Looks exactly the same as yours but in worse condition. I plan on making it single gear, painting it and removing the reflectors.
ReplyDeleteHey Trevor,
ReplyDeleteI can`t recommend removing the reflectors. But I can suggest that if you do, you might want to invest in a light-set. Ze'fal makes a very affordable set that can be purchased for under 20.00 . If you would like to see the Ze'fal lights, You can scroll down to the Labels section(at the bottom of the page) at the bottom of the list is a post about Ze'fal lights and other accessories. Good luck with your project. Cheers,Hugh
WTF!?!
ReplyDeleteI HAD THIS EXACT BIKE!!! It wasn't the early 80's, it was the late 80's... I got it for my birthday on April 14, 1987 to be exact. I can remember riding it to and from summer-school classes the summer before I entered High School. It was well balanced and I learned to ride with no hands on this bike. My cousin came down and brought his Huffy Blue Streak 10-speed to ride with me one night, and we were racing each other around a newly constructed bank with a freshly paved parking lot. There was a fairly deep depression in the asphalt where a storm drain resided. I got too close and leaned too much on one of my trips around the bank at a high speed and my as my tire went into the depression, my pedal caught the pavement which in turn spinned me around and flipped me over the handlebars and did damage to the rear derailleur and bent my rear wheel and spokes. We were fairly poor and I had a single mother raising 4 kids and a grandchild with no help from my Dad. Although she worked four jobs, she refused welfare so we couldn't afford to get it fixed. It was a GREAT bike though. I really bothered me for years to see it laying in a heap of junk behind my mother's garage rusting. When we built a new garage, it was hauled to the dump. A terrible thing. It's a shame I didn't know enough about bicycles back then to fix it. It was great seeing these pictures... Thanks for the memories!!!
ReplyDeleteI HAD THIS EXACT BIKE!!! It wasn't the early 80's, it was the late 80's... I got it for my birthday on April 14, 1987 to be exact. I can remember riding it to and from summer-school classes the summer before I entered High School. It was well balanced and I learned to ride with no hands on this bike. My cousin came down and brought his Huffy Blue Streak 10-speed to ride with me one night, and we were racing each other around a newly constructed bank with a freshly paved parking lot. There was a fairly deep depression in the asphalt where a storm drain resided. I got too close and leaned too much on one of my trips around the bank at a high speed and my as my tire went into the depression, my pedal caught the pavement which in turn spinned me around and flipped me over the handlebars and did damage to the rear derailleur and bent my rear wheel and spokes. We were fairly poor and I had a single mother raising 4 kids and a grandchild with no help from my Dad. Although she worked four jobs, she refused welfare so we couldn't afford to get it fixed. It was a GREAT bike though. I really bothered me for years to see it laying in a heap of junk behind my mother's garage rusting. When we built a new garage, it was hauled to the dump. A terrible thing. It's a shame I didn't know enough about bicycles back then to fix it. It was great seeing these pictures... Thanks for the memories!!!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing that awesome story. This is what bloggers live for.
DeleteCheers, Hugh
I see this post isn't all that old, I have the same bike and am looking to do some work on it, need to replace the tires and tubes, but don't know what size the tires are, would you be able to help with that info?
ReplyDelete