SCOPERTO (Discovered) in the front yard of Lance & Judy Barney.
DORMIRE (Sleeping) as a yard ornament near the Barney’s garage for two years.
RINNOVATO (Renovated) To new luster as a bespoke towne n beach cruiser.
We pulled the Tiger from the hostas and tore into it with WD-40 and my Milwaukee reciprocating saw. The stem was rusted through the head tube, so we sawed it off. The rest eventually came loose thanks to WD and a hammer.
We scoured the frame and then reprimed and finished from a can of Rustoleum's Hammered Metallic Verde Green paint. Other than the frame, nearly everything on this bike was beyond saving. Truth be told, I did have the crank arm, cloverleaf chainring and seat post clamp rechromed, but we'll save those for another project.
We painted over the white background on the head badge with metallic copper to give it that "beach" accent.
In all, about 300 bucks worth of new crank, chainring, bottom bracket, chain, wheels with Shimano built-in three-speed and coaster brake, tires n tubes, chrome fork, stem, handlebars with ergogrips, and a smart looking tan Bontrager saddle. Whew! Restoring an old bike isn't cheap. But we now have a one-of-a-kind beach cruiser to auction off for our community college's foundation.
Ooo, forgot the sweet flat peddles. Whether you ride in town or on the boardwalk, this Tiger will turn heads-- especially with your white standard poodle trotting alongside.
Alas, please take a step back as you admire the paint job.
Our thanks to Joe Dadez, at Freeport Bicycle Company for his collaboration in this renovation.
Also to Checkered Flag Auto Body and Troy Pukoj for a professional clear coat finish on the bicycle frame.
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