Show us your UGLY
 

We've all got a bike with something that just bugs the hell out of us. An original finish paint drip, crappy lug brazing, errant file mark, off-center engraving, you name it.

We see the beautiful stuff here everyday. Let's celebrate the not-so-beautiful. After all, the goofs make a bike what it is, too.

I want to see the ugly stuff that - let's be honest - has probably grown on you by this point :)

This will get us started: Guerciotti seat lug after paint strip - look at that shoreline, and the brazing gap in the upper hole!

https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8291/7...5a5af814_b.jpg

DD

This one broke my heart...

http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f1...ps2680cd5e.jpg

My first (and only) C&V purchase. Clamped it in repair stand without thinking about sticker damage... I now own a Feedback sprint stand. This will never happen again!

I really don't want to post a picture of my face and scar you all for life

Before:

http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p...naCX7spdFW.jpg

After:

http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p...ReginaCX17.jpg

Some remaining patina. :p

Before:

http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p...r/P2290005.jpg

After:

http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p...psab58fedc.jpg

Everything can be brought back to an acceptable life. :D

http://myalbum.com/photo/ra7yDRNvWftz/800.jpg

http://myalbum.com/photo/fN7hs1tp2vq3/800.jpg

Oh pastorb-,

Always the optimist !

Can you fix this?

http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h8...81F6FB14A4.jpg

What's to fix? :D

Wow. Never seen one of those before. What is it and whomever did they sell it to?

That is the infamous (1980) Huffy Aerowind. Being their first attempt at a road bike, it was for the entry level rider who didnt know better. I bought it for 2.50 at a yard sale as a novelty/prank bike.

Right. :lol:

The chrome on my PX-10 is long gone. This is a before pic. The frame spent a couple days in an oxalic acid bath, which got rid of most of the rust. However, there's not enough chrome left to salvage. Not sure if I'll have it re-chromed or just paint over the socks--part of the reason it's still in the queue.

http://i850.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps7352b8ec.jpg

Well, for 2.50 I'd have bought it too. It is as cool as it is illogical. It looks like it wasn't even that cheap to produce. Is that shifter set-up unique to this bike?

Someone bent the cr@p out of these stays:

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-i...D588B461DC.JPG

Got this Follis off Craigslist, I think the guy glued it. It popped on the first ride. No big loss, $50 for a simplex group, bar cons and stronglight cranks..


http://i1134.photobucket.com/albums/...psyajtmzgw.jpg

The seat stay junctions on my Speedwell are not what you would call a model of symmetry.

http://i850.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps79z4ej2e.jpg

^ Those last two pics and @non-fixie's pics in post #5 are what I'm talking about! Yeah! More of that ugly, please :)

DD

Huffy made road bikes, actually very basic drop bar multispeed derailleur bikes with 26 x 1 3/8 wheels, long before they introduced the Aerowind. That may have been their attempt to seduce the unwary with a purported upscale machine, but not many folks were fooled. The ones who were fooled probably would have bought a Huffy anyway.

Speaking of ugly, I only offer this heartbreaking example that I have mentioned elsewhere. In the mid-'90s a neighbor saw me riding my Raleigh 3-speed and asked me to find her one like it to ride around the 'hood. Shortly thereafter I spotted a perfect, and I mean the thing freakin' sparkled, ladies' blue 19" at a yard sale for $25. I bought it for her and she promptly parked it in her back yard for the next two decades. When I saw it a few months ago it was in the snow leaning against the fence and she gave it to me to get it out of the yard. What is ugly is the thought process, or lack of it, that led to this poor bike being in this condition.

http://www.bikeforums.net/attachment...p;d=1423085967

Yes, individual to the bike. There was a lot of planning involved in the design of the bike, unfortunately they didnt consult those in cycling circles as to what worked. Not at all well thought out.

Whomever bought this one removed the Huffy designations. :)

20 posts and we have yet to see an example of early-hamfist-era Raleigh brazing ;)

And yes, I had one once (an early 80s Super Course 12 and it's brazing left a LOT to be desired). To be honest, Raleigh's infamous brazing lack of QC was my inspiration for this thread in the first place.

DD

Change the headset and forks, and lace some alloy rims onto the original Shimano hubs. That would be a good start. That and a different set of brakes. The fork crown race on them, is a stamped ring of sheet metal. That's a hard thing to screw up on, and they did it royally. I have two or three of these, and maybe 4? Never goit around to finding a fork for one of them. The rims are Araya, but steel.,,,,BD

It would make an interesting fixie:).

Wish I had pics from my bike shop days......

A fixie would be a fun and unique project. Not sure I would do the work but I've thought of it. This BSO is heavier than Scwang Varsity.

Motobecane Grand Touring freebie from the previous local shop (prev. owner dropped it off for scrap).

http://i.imgur.com/UxFdJN2.jpg?1

The Colnago could use an OA bath - warhorse with battle scars for sure. Some here have seen the extent of the 'history' in person.