rebuild a John Deere Bike?

[Tuckervill]

I'm not sure the fine art of bike building is what he's after. lol. But, maybe if I got him a good book about it, he'd be interested in truing cranks.

He really wants to replace all the components. We've read up and the bike is not worth much as a JD restoration. If it was worth something, we would have paid more than $135, I'm sure, because this bike only needed to be cleaned up, and a little rust removal, to be all original again. We're going to bag up the parts individually and see if we can sell them on ebay for a pittance. There is one guy in Texas that found and restored one of every bike JD ever made. Maybe there are others who need parts. The original price on the bike new was only $109 in '73-75.

We took the frame to the bike shop yesterday. They thought the frame was great, in great shape, and will be easy to build up. The bb is English, 68mm, so that's a relief. My son is really focused on new cranks, so I think that's what he'll start on, after the paint.

He's talking gloss black with flames (I'm going to try to talk him into JD green flames) and then a sticker that says "nothing rides like a Deere" instead of the JD logo. It has a JD medallion that he plans to keep. Should be pretty cool when it's all done.

Thanks!
Karen

[DebW]

He really wants to replace all the components. We've read up and the bike is not worth much as a JD restoration. If it was worth something, we would have paid more than $135, I'm sure, because this bike only needed to be cleaned up, and a little rust removal, to be all original again. We're going to bag up the parts individually and see if we can sell them on ebay for a pittance. There is one guy in Texas that found and restored one of every bike JD ever made. Maybe there are others who need parts. The original price on the bike new was only $109 in '73-75.

Just for comparison, a Rayleigh Record (their lowest-priced 10-speed) cost $99 in 1973. The Rayleigh Grand Prix cost $125. So $109 wasn't a cheap bike in 1973, but it was near the low end of 10-speeds. The parts you have were good quality for the time. Sounds like your son is having fun with it. Are you sticking with the original wheels?

[Tuckervill]

I don't think we'll be able to use the front wheel, without a lot of repair. It is definitely out of round. When we rode the bike it was like riding a flat on a car tire. bump-bump, bump-bump. The bearings are sticky, too. The rear wheel...I've not thought about that, yet, but I think it will be useable as it is. They are 27" wheels, too.

I'm kind of mentoring him along a little at a time, relying on Dad for the advanced mechanical stuff and muscle when needed, and right now we're thinking about the frame. He's only 12, so he doesn't really have a grasp about how much work there actually is. We'll probably order some parts on Monday. I'll be excited to see it all cleaned up.

Karen