Classic and Vintage Bicycles: What's it Worth? Appraisals and Inquiries - Bike Refinishers in the central illinois area or should we bother???

I know there are some posters here in IL......we were given a 1956 Armstrong Ladies 3 Speed that my wife is thinking about getting refinished for her around town cruiser. It's got the Sturmey Archer 3 speed with hub and the weinmann brakes....but the bike is in pretty rough shape. Needs a total cleaning and tuning and tires, which with 2 young ones neither one of us is up for.

My question: is this bike worth fixing up and if so does anyone on here know of any good bike overhaulers in the area?

Thanks for the help

Best bet is to find a really good flipper in the area, willing to do it for you. Otherwise, such a rehab will exceed the cost of the bike. Your other choice if you are not attached to that particular bike is to attempt to trade it in to a flipper for another 3 speed. I have taken in project bikes as a trade. Depending how rough it is, the value will be whatever salvagable parts can be removed from the bike. My decision on any particular bike is all about frame and paint condition. If the frame is in poor condition, I just look at components: wheels, brakes, crank, etc. Unless the bike is something really special, a quality repaint and re-decal will exceed the value of the finished bike.

I'm sure there's some members in the area who can either do the work for you or recommend a shop. You may need to have this moved to the main C&V forum as it gets more traffic than this section.