avaserfi

I bought this bike about a week ago on CL for $5. No pictures in the advertisement just said that it was about 25 years old and that everything but the frame was shot, so I figured if I can get a decent frame for the price it was worth while.

After I checked it out I figured I would play around with a SS conversion because the cassette and shifters/derailleurs were shot. The bike shop owner guessed Huffy and also put the age at 25 years.

Just curious what I ended up buying, if anyone knows and if it is worth anything before I mess with it anymore. I do have the front brake, I just need to remount it.

wrk101

+1 Looks like a Huffy to me. Worth basically nothing.

avaserfi

Sounds good to me. I just plan on using it as a SS. Is there anything I should know about Huffy bikes from the period so I don't get myself into trouble?

Thanks

Edit: I figured for $5 this is a decent frame to make a cheap SS with, is it not worth dealing with? The frame seems solid, but I don't know if I am missing something about the bike besides the fact that they aren't really soft after or high performance.

Thumpic

$5.......you can't go wrong......you'll spend more than that on whatever you buy for it.......

roccobike

If you like it ride it. That ashtabula crank is reliable, but heavy and says "this is an entry level bike". But for $5, you should have a blast with it. That's what old Huffy's are good for.

avaserfi

For the money I like it, sure. So far I have $5 invested in the frame and then a little cash in the parts to get it working as a single speed. A few more bucks and both brakes will be operational and I can ride it. My real question is, would it be worth investing a little more in this frame? I would repaint it, and piece by piece get a new seat, crankset, wheel set and possibly new handlebars. Kind of a first project bike. I guess I could always move these things over to a new frame, but I am curious if it is worth investing the time/effort aside from the standpoint of experience which I could use.

Aquakitty

Well, as someone who loves buying cheap bikes, putting next to no money in them and riding them, i would say yes it is worth it. I have an old late '80s japanese MTB I have already got many miles out of for a mere $15.. I have a 1984 Apollo Road Bike i got for $25, put new tires on it and a 49cc engine now i use it as a cabin logging road bike, so to me this was worth it!

My recommendation is, don't put any money in it aside what you need to ride it and then ride it till you get sick of it.. no money lost and you can probably get more than $5 for it if it is a SS conversion down the road.

or repaint it, put a bianchi decal on it and ebay it (JUST KIDDING! )

wrk101

I would not put that long list of stuff into a Huffy frame, thats a serious expense. Ride it as is, since you got it so cheap. Then look for a sweet frame, or better yet, a complete bike to rehab. If you are looking for practice (I used to do the same thing), then just rehab it with the parts that are already on the bike. The skill comes from rebuilding what is there.

I would replace that front brake caliper. Those stamped out metal brakes are weak. You should be able to find a decent caliper used at a co-op, or off ebay.

avaserfi

Thanks for the pointers, looks like I will ride is mostly as is since I already made it SS.

Any recommendations on what to look for? The front and rear brakes are the same. I haven't tinkered with them yet, but it is clear they aren't great from my testing.