I've been looking for a mixte frame to build up as a commuter bike for my fiance. Today as I was talking a stroll through my neighborhood I spotted this sitting, rotting away in my neibors back yard:



I can't really get close enough to see what it is because it's in a locked gaited area. I'm sure I could get it for free or for $20.

Worth it? I assume it's been sitting outside for year, but I did want a project...

"Howdy, neighbor!"

Seriously, that may be a very good start. If the size looks close to right (and there are more small mixtes out there than larger) I'd say go for it.
Ask them whether they might want to sell that "girls' bike" cluttering up the yard. I guess I'd offer $10 if they didn't just say, "take it".

That looks like a "ghost bike." I'd be superstitious about "reviving" it.

I think there's just a lot of glare in the photo...

If you did take this on, it looks as if there'd be a lot of work for what looks to be a lower end frame. But, if you've got the spare parts floating around, it certainly wouldn't hurt to ask your neighbour about trash removal.

East Hill

....all I see are some white chairs....

it's a john Deere POS made in taiwan. I wont be taking it, even for free.

There is a "ghost bike" in my neighborhood, or so my wife tells me. Actually there's been this white, mid-80-ish, Japanese looking bike chained to a post on the corner of a busy intersection a few miles from my house for the last several months. It's missing the saddle now but otherwise appears to be intact. My wife claims it's well known as the "ghost bike" and was actually put there as a memorial to someone killed while riding their bike through that intersection. She doesn't remember where she heard the story. Seems odd because I never heard of anyone being killed there on a bike and that's the kind of thing you might expect to see on the news but who knows? I've never stopped to take a closer look. Just kinda creepy.

Ghost bikes are an unfortunate feature of our society...painted white, posted and chained where someone was killed riding a bike. I wouldn't mess with one, because of the message that it brings to drivers.

Those John Deere's aren't that bad. If it was free, I'd take it. Besides, for histories sake John Deere was one of the very first companies to import Taiwanese bikes into the U.S. (starting I believe in 1974) I'm not actually sure who imported any earlier than that.

If it were close enough for me to get it, I'd take it. I'd fix it up for me, or my wife and paint it Green and yellow just for kicks.

My first thought was...That's that JD mixte I gave to MHendriks FOR free!

And then it turns out to BE a John Deere!



You said you wanted "a project"!

I was thinking of doing the JD green/yellow scheme, just never put it very high on "the List".

John Deere sold a whole line of bikes, from Stingray style to three and ten speeds. Each model was a different color. Only one was green. Other colors were yellow, blue black and white. I can't remember which models were what color, but I think Black was a 27" wheel ten speed, white was 26x1 3/8 ten speed, blue was three speed, yellow was the Stingray style. Like was said before, none of them are high quality, but in certain areas, there is some collector interest.