CaraFiji22

I know absolutely nothing about this bicycle. Whatever you can tell me will help a great deal. I received this bicycle for free and would love to fix her up and use her for an alternate means of transportation and exercise. For starters any guesses on the brand? Or type of bicycle? I only see one sticker and it says power kings?? I cant find anything on the internet and I need a little more than bicycle 101.

Thanks

Panthers007

Here are what references I could dredge-up:

"
Sneak Peak: Power King Ladies Commuter

June 20, 2007
Power King Women’s Bicycle
steel, rubber, plastic
~late 1960’sproduction
Power King- Japan
This obscure but interesting little blue bicycle has joined the stable and is currently undergoing a restoration. Some of the nicer features of this European clone include white wall tires, genuine Araya rims, and a twist-operated 3-speed shifter. A light and nimble step-through commuter for the […]"


The above reference was found here:

https://www.parhamwaddell.com/blog/20...dies-commuter/


www.parhamwaddell.com/blog/category/bicycles/

and ....That's All Folks!

CaraFiji22

Hmm, that didnt help too much but I appreciate you helping out at all. I am starting to think that power king is not the brand. The only bike it looks similar to (or atleast what I can tell) is a fuji circa from somewhere between the 60s and 80s

Does it even matter if I know the brand of the bike? I've read some people stories about buying ones that are from garage sales and they have no idea the brand because the bike have been painted or lost the original stickers. I would just like to know but also if I need any new parts. I mainly just want to have her look pretty again and new and put some work into it. I did get it for free and I love the ride. I think its a great project.

Jeff Wills

Hmmm... at a guess it's a '70's "Gas Crisis" bike. Cheap stuff for the era, and barely worth saving now. A lot of these were imported and sold by unknowing or unscrupulous businesspeople back then.

You could fix it up- it'll probably need:
new tires & tubes
new brake shoes & cables
new gear cables
maybe a new chain
perhaps new grease in the hubs, crank, and headset.

If at any point you discovered that major parts needed replacing (wheels, crank, etc.) I'd say that it's time to stop and find a better candidate. Bikes like that didn't sell for more than $70 when new- nowadays it would be hard to justify spending $50 in parts to bring it back.

CaraFiji22

Thanks Jeff. So problem solved...this bicycle belongs in the garbage. The only thing it really needed was cosmetic but since everyone is telling me it is garbage...I mean hell I don't know anything about bikes. Thanks again for the response. You will have one less biker out there to worry about.

norwood

Not so fast. I don't think any one is telling you to throw it in the garbage. It's a low end bike for sure but if all it needs are some cables or cheap tires/tubes, cleaning and lubed, it might make for some decent transportation. You just have to be careful not to spend too much money on it is all. The "brand" really doesn't matter.

bumperm

Oh, give us a break! Nobody told you it belonged in the garbage or not to use and enjoy the bike - - go for it! What you were advised, perhaps with not a lot of tact, is that the bike isn't a classic. Not a great quality, for its time bicycle, so don't put a bunch of money into it.

Ride it.

CaraFiji22

Yeah... I dont mean to be so pessimistic about it and I appreciate the comments that are positive. Im still thinking about it but now most people are like just get a new bike and etc..

First of all I haven't been on a bike in years. I love to bike ride but who knows if I will stick to it. Of course I would like a new bike but I figured that having a bike that was free first of all would give me an idea if biking is something I could invest time and money into as a hobby. I suppose that is the point I became so dramatic reading the post from Jeff. I mean I didnt ask if I had some top of the line vintage worth some money bicycle. I just asked for some helpful information about bicycles in general, the only reason I mentioned the "brand" is because I didnt know if that needed to be known in buying parts for an older bike. The only thing I can see that might cause me a problem is tubing, I know the previous owner had to patch the tubing a couple of weeks back and new tires because the tread is a little worn like any other tires that are used daily.

Thanks for restoring the hope and next time I wont take the words so literally. Thanks guys!!

Panthers007

On any bike that's been sitting for years, you'll want new rubber. That's tires & tubes. Gear and brake-cables replaced, and new cable-housing as well. And a thorough cleaning and lubricating.

Here are two sites that can help you increase your knowledge about how bikes work and doing repairs/tune-ups yourself:

https://www.parktool.com/repair/

https://bicycletutor.com/

And a word or 1,000 from the Master Himself:

https://sheldonbrown.com/harris/#articles

Happy Trails!

Little Darwin

The brand of the bike in that era really has nothing to do with which components you should use if something breaks.

If something needs replacing, check into the Classic & Vintage forum for information on some affordable and durable replacement parts. Most parts are pretty interchangeable, as long as you aren't talking about a valuable bike, then you may want to keep the parts consistent.

As "hinted at" above, you probably don't want to spend the money to put Shimano Dura-Ace or Campagnolo Super Record on the bike, since the bike is not a top end bike, but stranger things have happened.