FAB Jim The Cyclist

Vintage Nishiki Bicycles History and Facts

Nishiki is one of the more common vintage bike brands you will find, and I remember seeing them as a kid. The brand has a long history going all the way back to 1965 when they started as American Eagle. The head badge never changed, so the Nishiki head badge is an Eagle. The brandContinue reading “Vintage Nishiki Bicycles History and Facts”

Road Bike Model Yellow Crazy Bicycle Review

I received one of these neat little models for Christmas and want to share. It is a yellow road bike model with pretty nice details, have a look: Specs Frame and Fork are zinc alloy Rest of the parts are plastic, but the tires are rubbery 1:10 scale About 7.5” long and 4.5” tall Colors:Continue reading “Road Bike Model Yellow Crazy Bicycle Review”

1964 Schwinn Traveler Coppertone

This was a great cruiser bike for its time and a nice step up from the Racer. Considered a Schwinn lightweight with 26” wheels, it features stainless steel fenders, generator, and a light. This example is a 3-speed in coppertone color, have a look: Model W11 19” frame W12 21” frame W13 23” frame ColorsContinue reading “1964 Schwinn Traveler Coppertone”

Park Tool CC-3.2 Chain Wear Indicator Tool Review

If you do a lot of cycling, eventually you will wear out your chain. This is a great tool to tell you when it is ready to be replaced. It is simple and easy to use and it’s not that expensive. Have a look: Specs Made of silver alloy Compatible with most 5-12 speed chainsContinue reading “Park Tool CC-3.2 Chain Wear Indicator Tool Review”

1969 Schwinn Sting-Ray Krate Lemon Peeler

This is one of the most rare and valuable Sting-Ray models. Features a front spring fork, 5-speed Stik-Shift, bucket style saddle, chrome fenders, and MAG sprocket. Front wheel is 16” with middleweight tire and rear wheel is 20” with Gripper Slik tire. Have a look at this nice example: Hand brakes work the rear caliperContinue reading “1969 Schwinn Sting-Ray Krate Lemon Peeler”

Amersumer Cone Spanner Wrench Review

I found myself needing a 17mm cone spanner wrench for my Miche hubs, and I didn’t want to spend a lot of money. After looking around I found the Amersumer wrench for just $10 and it fits 15, 16, and 17mm. Have a look: Specs Machined heavy duty steel 11” long 15/16/17mm sizes Plastic handleContinue reading “Amersumer Cone Spanner Wrench Review”

Suntour History and Road Derailleur Rankings

The history of Suntour goes all the way back to 1912 with Maeda Iron Works Company. They began by manufacturing freewheels and sprockets. It was in the 1950s that they began to make derailleurs. In 1964 Suntour invented the slant-parallelogram rear derailleur. This gave them what most believe was the easiest shifting derailleurs. It allowedContinue reading “Suntour History and Road Derailleur Rankings”

Vintage Zebrakenko Bicycles History and Facts

The history of Zebrakenko bicycles may go all the way back to the early 1900s in Japan, but the brand seems to have not shown up in the US market until the 1970s. The quality seems to be pretty typical of other Japanese brands for the time period, well made and reliable. Most of theirContinue reading “Vintage Zebrakenko Bicycles History and Facts”

Vintage Chimo Bicycles History and Facts

Chimo was a brand owned by Interex Industries located in Vancouver BC, Canada. Bikes were imported from Japan and Hong Kong during the 70s and 80s. The head badge design is actually the Interex logo. The Japan head badges state made in Japan and Hong Kong badges have HKB for Hong Kong Bicycles. Most ofContinue reading “Vintage Chimo Bicycles History and Facts”

Frugal Guide to Affordable Bicycle Tools

This guide is to help you get your tools at an affordable price. If you are new to fixing bikes and have no tools, this guide is for you. Bikes require a lot of specialty tools that can be really expensive, or you can get some of the cheaper options. Sometimes it just makes senseContinue reading “Frugal Guide to Affordable Bicycle Tools”