More thrift shop finds, seems the bikes are beginning to reappear in the local thrift shops now that folks seemingly have gotten used to gas prices.
On Friday I stopped at a local thrift shop and found a Phillips 3speed with a naugahide Brooks saddle on it, still need to clean the grunge off of the rear hub to see if I can find a SturmyArcher date code on it. Came complete with fenders, the 26x1-3/8" tires need replacing though.
Then on Sunday we were down watching a soccer game about 70 miles away, so we did a thrift shop loop on the way home where I found a small 18" tire girls Schwinn Starlet. Had the Stingray style seat and handlebars on it. Headbadge has 3597 stamped into it, seat tube shows made in Japan, serial number on the headtube begins with 8B..... . I haven't found what the 8B s/n translates into but the headbadge stamping looks like it might be a 1997. Tires look original with the double thin whitewall stripes and look in too good of condition for the bike to be a 1987 model.
On Saturday we helped out a relative at a city wide rummage sale so I brought the Columbia along since the Phillips above bumped the Columbia out of the keeper slot. The Columbia 5speed got a few thumb flips on the price tag, but no real interest even though if you factored in the new tires, tubes, brake pads the asking price would have put it in the $10-$20 bike category without the new parts and fresh grease. No problem, I'll find a storage spot for it and will just dust it off in the spring and probably ride it around some.
I figure at this rate I should have enough kids bikes for the wife's grandkids to ride once they graduate from their training wheels. I'm finding this is much more fun to do it this way than it is to just go buy a new bike for them at the nearest big box store. Plus the older and vintage stuff then can become an heirloom of sorts instead of a sell it for $2 at a rummage sale bike when they outgrow it.
Oh well, off to see if I can find out what that 8B means, then tonight or tomorrow I'll scrub off the Phillips hub to see what I can find under the gunk.
Hope everyone else had a fun weekend.