My New Ride

Liza — Sun, 24 Jun 2007 17:56:00 GMT

my new, old schwinn hollywood is taking the place of the old columbia as my parade and event ride, yay!!! it's even challenging to take the place of my mixte as my favorite bike. i can't stop riding it. i want to ride this bike everywhere, day and night. especially at night because it's a made-for-chillin-in-the-summertime cruiser. i just don't think it gets any better than this.

why i love this bike:

curves. this bike was fillet brazed and the tubes gently meld into each other creating these beautiful, swooping lines.
hub. it sports a bendix 2 speed, kick-back hub with a coaster brake that, to this day (with little maintenance, i'm guessing) is smooth and responsive.
tires. the hollywood uses S-7, 26 X 1 3/4, 571 iso tires, and they're fogiving on bumpy roads, gravel, etc.
trail. lots of trail on this bike. i can ride it no-hands with my eyes closed. it really adds to the smooth riding.
saddle. even after 50 years, the saddle has plenty of life left in it. it's springy and wide enough to provide comfort and support.
chrome. little bit of steel wool and the chrome sparkles. it cleans right up, so the handle bars, headset bits, cranks and chain ring shine.
well-loved. the paint is worn off in places, and the brick-red primer is visible underneath. dents and scrapes show this bike was riden and enjoyed by its last owner.

tuesday afternoon i'm going to ride it over to josh scott's vintage toy and bike shop, timebomb. i'm hoping Josh can tell me the year for the hollywood and some info about servicing the hub. i think i need to open up and repack it with grease, but i don't know for sure. i can't wait!

some more pictures here.

Pedals2People Blog : hub, bendix

My New Ride