Hello. First post here on this great forum. I recently bought a 1959 Wasp after responding to a local ad for 75 dollars. After playing around with this bike for a couple days I am begging to LOVE this bike. I used to have a Schwinn cruiser in the early 80's but this one has class unlike any other bike I have ever owned. My questions have to do with the condition of the bike. It has ALOT of surface rust, fading paint, and even quite a bit of rust pits here and there. I really would rather not sand blast this bike and start repaint yet I want to preserve the bike and make it look as good as it can. The photos are not that great and don't show the rust as bad as it is. I had a problem uploading my pics cause they exceeded the file size. What are the best ways to clean or touch up the bike. Is it too far gone and will it require a repaint? the rear fender has dents and quite a bit of rust on the rear of it. The chaingaurd still has some lettering yet has quite a bit of surface rust. What should I do about that? leave it or?

The seat is not original nor are the ugly pedals or the rims. Does anyone have pictures or can tell me the correct seat and pedals for this bike? Also, would this bike originally have had Schwinn S2 rims and would it have came with the option for a Bendix 2 speed rear hub? The first things I will be doing are new pedals, new seat and find some original rims. After that I might just clean it up and ride and enjoy it like it is. I guess what I am asking is....What would YOU do**********??

Thanks so much for any help and advice you can give me. Chris.

Id give her the cleaning of a lifetime, while trying not to disturb the remaining paint, repack all bearings, wax her up, and ride till my hearts content, then Id take her out the next day and do it again! I wouldnt worry about the rust, just rub a little greae into the rusty spots (after you clean them up a bit) as long as you keep it clean and out of the elements it wont come back, I clean my bikes after every ride, helps keep them looking good and mechanically sound The orig rims wont be hard to find, nor the seat, but beware of seller that think everything Schwinn is pure gold, take your time and youll find good people with the parts you need for a decent price Welcome to the forum! please stop in from time to time with updated pics!

I'm not a huge cruiser fan, but that is one classy-looking bike!

I'd go with what you've described - but definitely change the seat and pedals first. I have recently found out furst hand that an oxalic acid solution does wonders to remove surface rust. Ckean her up, wax her, ride her around for at least a year before you entertain any thought of repainting her. I think it would look amazing if completely restored, but that's a big step that one can't retract.

Enjoy.

Z

Thanks for the help. I think for now I will keep the bike in original condition and give it a thorough cleaning. What will be the best way to locate original rims, seat and pedals? I use eBay often for alot of things but I am tired of prices being driven up the way they do and it gets way to competitive and there always seems to be another guy out there with more money than me! What would be an average going price for say a set of S2 rims? Thanks for the help. Chris

If you can't find them on eBay with buy it now, perhaps you could find another web site. There are some online stores that might have them. You could try the ISO/WTB or For Trade threads here. Offline, you could try garage sales, check in older bike shops, or go to area bike swaps.