Congratulations, Dave, on what sounds like a gratifying project all the way around. You brought the beauty back to a fine, old bike, provided a charming and stable ride for someone, and earned yourself a little profit to boot. Well done!
I'm interested in some of the comments posted here suggesting that refurbishing women's bikes is a losing proposition (one of the posters, I believe, quipped that one could hardly give a woman's bike away on Craigslist). Well, I'd like to flip the omelette over to show the other side.
Buyers can't buy if there aren't any sellers.
I've been searching a continent of Craiglists from San Francisco to Chattanooga for months now (it only seems like years) looking for a Raleigh DL-1 Lady Tourist or a vintage mixte. I can testify that it's been a feckless, dispiriting endeavor. I might as well have been searching for dinosaur eggs, the elusive black tulip. or a falling star.
I see Raleigh Tourists for men (the listings aren't exactly abundant, but they're there); where are the comparable vintage loop frames for women? Are they being squirreled aways in an underground bunker? Or, are they simply languishing because there's a rumor abroad that one can't give away a bike for women. Bikemasters, please take note: if someone would like to give me a Lady's DL-1, I'll humbly accept it! Heck, I'll even pay for it, if you insist.
Just let me know so I can look up from my hunt for one of those rare black tulips.
Cheryl in Nashville
Bella Ciao Neorealista 2012
Raleigh Lady's Sport 1975