The backup of three-speeds at Syke's Cyclery is starting to hit the road. The first out is my 1971 AMF Hercules. Bought as a pair (man's and woman's) for $10.00 each, they were the kind of bikes to make your cry. Completely original and unmodified. In perfect working condition.
And left hanging in a damp shed for 35 years, at least.
This project was my first major use of oxalic acid, which cleaned the chrome up beautifully. As I was determined to keep the frame original, I didn't bead blast it and repaint (which probably would have been the better solution), but kept it original. Which means the bike isn't in near as nice a shape as the pictures allude to. Both bikes were disassembled, the woman's frame was parted out, and the best of both bikes were used to build the men's.
At present, it's my daily work rider which gets me to and from the nursing home where my wife is currently kept. It's doing it's job very well, reminding why I rode a 3-speed roadster as my daily transportation 40 years ago.
To those of you very sharp of eye: Yes, the wheels are Raleigh Sports. The bike was rusted badly enough that I disassembled the wheels, scrapped the spokes, and soaked both rims and hubs. They cleaned up nicely, and will be rebuilt sometime this winter. Right now, I needed it back on the road, so the set of Sports wheels I had sitting in the attic were pressed into service.
Next project is the Ranger. As of this writing, it's about 70% cleaned up, and the paint is in as good a shape as I counted on when I bought it. I'm getting real excited bout that one, although it's going to take some time sourcing a couple of parts to keep them original.