PAS#4 – Craig’s Bikes Continued

My dad has the mind of an engineer. He is constantly trying to make things better, more efficient, and more simplified. Craig really likes to build or restore things. He has been able to combine his passion for bikes and building. So far my dad has taken three lonely and broken bicycles under his wing to restore them back to their new or original beauty. It’s kind of like flip that house bike edition, except we keep the bikes.

Jack’s Beach Cruiser – after

1. Jack’s Beach Cruiser

One lovely summer day, my dad was walking back from the beach when he saw a dilapidated stranded bike on the path. It didn’t have a front tire and it was completely rusted. Craig decided it would make a great project so he brought the bike home. We called this sad little bike “The Orphan” but it was soon adopted into our family and restored to health. Doing his research on Youtube, my dad discovered that using aluminum foil on the rusted bike would get rid of the rust because it creates a chemical reaction. Craig took apart the entire bike, including the bearings of the headset and crank and the hub. He de-rusted all of these parts and then regreased it all. He even put on a new chain because the original one was beyond repair. Once the bike was totally rust free and ran like new, my brother requested the bike be painted orange and so it was.

Nancy’s Cruiser – before

2. Nancy’s Beach Cruiser

 After my mom saw how awesome Jack’s beach bike was, she decided that she wanted one too. So my dad happened to find another beach cruiser in the trash somewhere and brought it home to work on it. With this bike, Craig had to strip it down to the bare metal by using a toxic solvent to remove the paint. It took a while to do this step because he did it with steel wool. After the old paint was off, he primed it and then painted it with pretty pink paint.

3. Craig’s Italian Bike

Disassembled Italian bike

Craig found this sweet Italian bike on Craigslist…oh the irony…except it’s the opposite of ironic. With this bike, my dad once again had to use aluminum foil and water to remove all the rust. After this hard work, the beautiful chrome shone through again. He completely disassembled this bike as well including the top tube and the ball bearings. The crank was so globbed with grease he had to clean that as well. Finally he relubed everything and put the bike back together.

Craig’s Italian Bike – before

 

 

With this bike, he tried to keep everything as original as possible rather than repainting it or adding in new parts. Craig loves this bike and he even rode it on a Boy Scout bike trip. He thinks it’s really cool and a great conversation starter.

Craig’s Italian Bike – after

After compiling this blog, I have realized that I am the only member of my immediate family who does not have a restored bike and I would really love one…hint hint Daddy 😉

This entry was posted in PAS: The Legendary Craig Iffert and tagged , , . Bookmark the permalink.

6 Responses to PAS#4 – Craig’s Bikes Continued

  1. jyv5106 says:

    Your dad did a very nice job fixing up those bikes. My dad likes making furniture, and it’s always nice getting a new table/chair/bookshelf that he built (for a few dollars, compared to buying it at a store). I’m sure it’s the same way when your family rides the bikes that he has restored.

  2. Kevin Ciasullo says:

    That is an awesome project he has done. The bikes look beautiful. And a quick comment on the aluminum foil trick to remove rust: science is awesome!

  3. Mikaila Rodgers says:

    This is a really interesting and unique hobby. The best part is, I’m sure his talents do not cease at re-constructing bikes! He can probably restore just about anything. Great talent to have.

  4. thm5055 says:

    Its really cool that your Dad was able to fix those bikes. I have a beach cruiser at my beach house and I ride it everywhere. They are great bikes.

  5. Shey Abdul. says:

    Those pictures are very beautiful, your dad is really good at this. I like the Orange bike the most. Beautiful.

  6. Quay Dixon says:

    Awl that’s cool what your dad does!! Fixing up bikes yourself can save you money too! Such a unique thing to do and the pictures are cool too!! 🙂 Your dad did a good job!

Leave a Reply