All aspects of bicycle restoration are covered including finding, evaluating and choosing a bicycle. Planning the restoration project, along with disassembly, mechanical restoration, cosmetic restoration (with and without painting), and assembly are all discussed in detail. There are sections about parts, accessories and sources as well. Additionally, you will find over 250 photos of bicycles and their parts, showing off the splendor of these vintage treasures.
William Love was attracted to wheels at a young age. Before age five, he began to fashion vehicles out of raw materials like fruit crates and logs. Around age ten, he had advanced to building really dangerous "karts" out of salvaged soap box derby wheels, plywood and two by fours.
From age seven to fifteen, though, the trustiest steed in his stable was a Schwinn bicycle. He logged many miles on his 1957 Schwinn Spitfire through those years--enough miles so that he was forced to learn about maintenance and repair. After Love experimented with ahead-of-its-time off-road riding, the old Spitfire needed a resto before it could be sold to gain automobile-buying funds. This probably served as background for his first book, How To Restore Your Collector Bicycle, published in 2001, followed by a 2009 second edition.
Yes, like so many boys, the lure of the auto was a strong one for Love, and after the Spitfire sale, for the next twenty years--ages 16 through 35--he was obsessed with the four-wheeled marvels. Over this period he owned over sixty vehicles, and restored a baker's dozen. These restorations sparked his interest in vintage vehicle research, which was a helpful for writing his second book, Classic Schwinn Bicycles in 2003, with a 2009 second edition.
At age 36, this car nut became a bicycle nut when he bought an old Schwinn that was similar to his early Spitfire at a garage sale. About twelve hours later he had restored that bike, and had a few revelations: Bikes are a lot easier to restore than cars; bikes take up much less room than cars; bikes don't suffer from non-use like cars; bikes don't have clutch chatter or oil leaks. Fooling with bikes instead of cars also allowed Love more time with his wife and two children, which was another plus. Now, twenty years later, Love has over sixty trusty Schwinns in his stable, and time to enjoy his family.
Along the way, Love attained a degree in Communications at Washington State University, and a penchant for writing.
William Love grew up in western Washington State, but has lived in eastern Washington for the last thirty five years. After operating a specialty auto sales and service operation for twenty years, he now writes a weekly automotive column for the Spokesman Review, and gives transportation lectures spcializing in bicycle history. Mostly, Love prefers to spend time traveling the country talking about, and searching for, old Schwinn bicycles.
