The decision is made. I am going with the black Ukai rims and black Sunshine hubs.
1980 Feather Professional BMX Part 3
Reply
Tag Archives: vintage bicycle
Hajime Kato Suntour Postcards
I’ve recently discovered that Suntour distributed a 5 pack of postcards displaying reproductions of Hajime Kato original oil paintings. These paintings were abstract renditions of bicycle racing. I have been quite taken by Kato’s ability to capture movement in all his works.
Kato was a professional keirin cyclist in Japan in the 1940’s and 50’s. He is said to be instrumental in bringing keirin cycling to the world. He later moved to Paris where he focused entirely on his art.
1980 Feather Professional BMX Part 2
I’ve got the majority of the parts laid out with a few decisions to make along the way.
One of the very distinct parts on the Fuji Feather Professional BMX bikes is the Tange Meriter headset. These are semi-sealed and were a very high-end part in the mid and late 1970’s.
When acquiring a Tange Meriter headset one of the most often damaged parts is the top-nut. I must have 10 headsets and probably 5 good top-nuts, 2 bad top-nuts, and 1 unusable. If you ever find these top-nuts at a swap, buy them!
Another very distinct part to the Feather Professional BMX is the curved Ishiwata fork.
1980 Feather Professional Black
Today I begin bringing life back into this 1980 Feather Professional BMX. I will only be cleaning; there will be no resurfacing, repainting or even removing stickers on any parts.
Coming soon Fuji Design Series B5142
The Fuji Design Series is the pinnacle of classic Fuji bicycles. I was able to acquire this DS in my size; which to my understanding is quite rare. More photos and story to come soon.
A Dandy from the 60’s – Vintage Fuji
Here’s a real blast from the past! I have recently acquired a large number of Japan Bicycle Guides from the 1960’s and 70’s. Pictured below is a 1966 Fuji Dandy. It has very nice lines and a very 60’s look. Sure would love to find one of these!
Bar Keepers Friend really works!
I had heard about oxalic acid and its power to remove rust from bicycle as well as many metal parts. In my research I also found out the active ingredient in Bar Keepers Friend is oxalic acid. It just so happens that I had just received a rather rusty Fuji Feather Professional Ishiwata BMX fork and have a bottle of Bar Keepers Friend under the kitchen sink.
So, here’s what I did. I got a large plastic bin I had purchased at Costco some time ago. I put one cup of Bar Keepers Friend in the bin and then filled it with hot water until the fork was completely covered. I carried the bin outside to let it sit for a few hours. Before walking away, I couldn’t help but pull the fork out to see if any thing was happening. Sure enough, with the wipe of my finger rust was already coming off! I was looking forward to the result!
3 hours later I began to lightly scrub away the rust with a Scotch Brite blue non-scratch sponge. Below are the results.
After and Before
After/Before