Both of my parents have been talking about restoring their old bicycles. Mom's Western Flyer (remember Western Auto?) was sitting in her garage with flat, crusty tires and the metal was just covered in rust. I picked it up and took it to
Tom Saywer for new tires, tubes, tightened spokes, chain lube, etc. It cost about $130 for a complete overhaul. They said vintage bikes are their specialty and many people are choosing to restore over buying new. In fact, they referred to the rust as a nice shade of patina.
You know, vintage cool and that made me smile. When I brought it home and started washing it in the driveway, husband came out, grabbed an SOS pad and started rubbing the rust away like magic. Not long after that, I took over and now Mom's old bicycle sparkles like new.
Both of my parents have been talking about restoring their old bicycles. Mom's Western Flyer (remember Western Auto?) was sitting in her garage with flat, crusty tires and the metal was just covered in rust. I picked it up and took it to Tom Saywer for new tires, tubes, tightened spokes, chain lube, etc. It cost about $130 for a complete overhaul. They said vintage bikes are their specialty and many people are choosing to restore over buying new. In fact, they referred to the rust as a nice shade of patina. 
You know, vintage cool and that made me smile. When I brought it home and started washing it in the driveway, husband came out, grabbed an SOS pad and started rubbing the rust away like magic. Not long after that, I took over and now Mom's old bicycle sparkles like new.
