What happens when:
Brad + good beer + too much energy + sudden free time + an amazing vintage bike that needs restoration?
This:
I tore the new Paramount down to the frame (that bottom bracket is REALLY stuck in there) in about 1.5 hours. I had a few sticky pieces, but overall it went pretty smoothly. Especially when you consider this is a 35 year old bike that has never been touched since it was originally assembled. A credit to those builders in Chicago in the 70′s.
I also found out that the bike was originally sold out of a shop in Huntington Beach, CA. Very cool.
Next up: cleaning and degreasing everything, then polishing the chrome parts on the frame and touching up the paint. Then, throwing it all back together again w/ only one or two ‘new’ parts. Otherwise I’m keeping it as original as possible.
You’ll also notice that I now have a workshop, otherwise known as a “man-den.” It’s half of my basement, and I’m stoked that I now have a dedicated space to fixing up bikes. Sadly this will probably lead to at least a few restoration projects a year. More to follow, surely…
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