by David Snow
A bicycle an owner has pride and joy in may be a beautifully crafted 20-speed road bike or a full-suspension mountain one made out of carbon fiber.
I own a bicycle that is neither. In fact, it is quite the opposite.
I am proud of owning set of 26’ wheels: a rust-streaked beach cruiser. The ownership didn’t begin with purchasing it at a bike shop.
Instead, I saved it from becoming scrap metal.

Years ago, when I was nearing home from work one evening, I spotted a fat-tire bicycle lying against a couple of trashcans, half hidden. I only gave it a quick glance as I passed. I thought I would forget all about it after getting home. But then I told myself, “I have couple of racing bicycles and a MTB, but no beach bike. Hmmm…”
Since the trashed bike was only a few houses up from where I live, I walked back to the trash site for a closer look. My first reaction when I saw it was to say, “forget it,” and return home.
It was quite an eyesore. Rust was everywhere. The “oversized derriere” seat was practically falling apart with rain-soaked rubber foam spilling out. It was a fix-up job more complex than just squirting some oil to get rid of the kinks.
However, before I turned around to walk back home, I did a double take. The wheels. I crouched for further examination. The fat, white-walled tires had all rotted and were half out of the rims. But the wheels themselves weren’t rusty like the rest of the bike. The rims were aluminum. The thick-gauge spokes were stainless steel! Combined, they were a mark of good-quality, bombproof wheels. To make sure, I test- spun them. The rims were absolutely true.
Any bike that comes with good wheels should most likely be of good quality too, right? I changed my mind about it not being worth salvaging! I quickly dragged the bike away from the trash and trudged it home, eager to play bicycle doctor.
I disassembled the bicycle down to the frame (you should see how much rusty water had leaked out!). The messiest part of the cleaning was removing the hardened and sticky grease from the bottom bracket, head and wheel hubs. The WD40 spray did its magic- I able to reuse most of the parts after the rust was removed.
The replacement parts I got were some bearings for the hubs and headset, a new seat, drive train, rim tape and a set of tires (Michelin Transworld City 26×1.5). The total cost was around $60 – 70.
I had originally planned on stripping the frame down to metal and give it a new paint. But when I started scrubbing the frame with steel wood, I discovered that most of what I thought was “rust” actually was just dirt and mold. The sea foam green (at least I think that is the name of the color) paint appeared after a few scrubs. It was the same with the handlebars. They were pitted, but much more chrome was visible than rust. At the end, the sun-faded frame color actually looked cool and very retro. All the cleaning revealed the brand name, even if barely. It was a Hampton Cruiser. The coolness factor made me drop the new paint idea.
After all was done, was it cost effective? Absolutely! Maybe I was a little biased having only ridden racing bicycles with rock-hard, shock non-absorbing skinny tires, but that bike was really very smooth and solid. I was in love with it the moment I test-rode it.
Oh, by the way, notice the fenders? I threw them in with the rebuilt…at no cost! I made them out of a piece of discarded drainage pipe from a construction site (ok, you can label me a dumpster diver).
That was almost 10 years ago. I have ridden it for fun, for training (yes you read that correctly), and for quick transportation around a huge campus of a university I used to work at.
Now I am currently using it for getting around the 74-acre campus at Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind where I work. A 5-minute walk to a building is instantly transformed into a 30-second ride!
Furthermore, my son is a student in the Deaf elementary department. His classroom is
in a building is on the other side of campus from where I work. At the end of each school day, it is quick to just ride over, fetching my son and bringing him back to my office. I had added a bicycle rack and foot pegs so his ride behind me is comfortable and stable. The round trip only takes a couple of minutes. On foot, it would take a whopping fifteen minutes, with most of it on the return trip. That is because that boy takes his time walking! He is 10 years old and weights around 90 pounds, but hauling him around is still quite easy cranking in its low gear ratio. Sweet.
Jeez, look at how much I have said about that old bicycle! The point of the whole article? This bike has become my pride and joy. That bicycle may not be something great to look at. It may not be something that would be sold for a good amount of money. Heck, it may not even be something that would attract thieves. But to me, it is a great and solid bike in its usefulness…and sentimentally. When I take the time to think about it, I feel proud to have rescued something from ending up in a pot of molten steel. In return, it gives me countless benefits including fun.
What about you? Do you have any stories of your own about a special bike you own or have owned? If yes, please do share!