Finished - Schwinn Racer

 

Here is the Schwinn Racer, finished up and (in the next few weeks) headed to a new home.

This bike came out nicely. Schwinn black is one of those paints that cleans up pretty well. Schwinn frame graphics are also generally pretty durable, at least as transfers go. The chrome is thick and cleaned up pretty well.

This bike got a nice set of wheels built from some very nice parts - 1950s Sturmey Archer AW, Schwinn script front hub, and new-old stock Torrington spokes.  

These bikes are simple, robust, and generally well-made. That's probably why they were used for so long by so many people for commuting to campus, class, paper routes, touring, etc.

 

"Finding" Extra Rides in Humid, Damp Conditions

 Awhile back, I wrote about "found" rides - that is, bike rides you were unexpectedly able to take. These rides might result from a little extra free time, better-than-expected weather, or a little more daylight in the evening. 

 

This evening was one such ride. We've had a period of humid, rainy weather for about a week. Monday and Tuesday evenings were too rainy, or thunderstorms were close by. This evening was supposed to be more of the same, but we fortunately had about 3 hours of humid - but dry - weather. That was enough time to take about an hour or so to ride after work on my 1953 Raleigh Lenton. Any time you have a "found" ride, all the better for a pleasant surprise.

Raleigh Model 35 Sports - Evening Ride

 We're well into summer, so it's always a good evening when you have the right weather and the free time  to ride. Recent ride on my 1940s Raleigh Model 35 Sports, a simple and fun bike.