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Chicago Steel. Refurbishing a 1963 Schwinn American; single speed rust bucket.

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[PUT FINAL PICTURE HERE] Beginning in 1963, Schwinn debuted beautiful Chrome fenders on the American . Previously they had been painted. This new look really transformed the bike. It's the fenders that caught my eye on the craigslist post. It was a single picture showing a small part of the bike, clearly taken by someone in a hurry, just helping out a friend. It was put out there by the 80 year old original owner who was cleaning out her garage and selling her kids' old bikes. The bike looked like it had been stored for 30 years in the middle of an active sprinkler system.  So. Much. Rust.

English-built Americana. Overhauling a 1960 three speed Fleet Wing bicycle.

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  This Fleet Wing bike was built in England, possibly by Raleigh, for the now defunct Mass. based Jordan Marsh chain of U.S. department stores. The Sturmey Archer 3-speed hub, also built in England, is date-stamped 1960, which is why I think the bike is from the same year.  This is a great bike. What caught my eye on this one is the chrome fenders. You often see these painted. I have painstakingly overhauled everything. I bought it on craigslist from the original owner. It had been abandoned, collecting dust, rust, and spiders, in the garage for decades.