AMF Nimble

Picked up a 70's AMF Nimble.  It appears to be a copy of the Hercules models that AMF imported.  The frame is not as nice as the English built frames as those a lugged and the Nimble is cheaply butt welded.  The rims are rather cheaply made as the weld seams were visible and not ground very smooth.  This bike required cleaning, new rim strips, tubes and tires, as everything was dry rotted.  The good thing was the crank was a one piece Ashtabula crank, so no pounding on cotter pins!!!!!  Anyway, the crank was easy to service.  This bike featured a Shimano 3 speed hub.  Did shift nice and was easy to adjust and set up. All chrome was cleaned with Chore Boy copper wool (I have a hard time finding bronze wool locally) and WD 40.  Frame was degreased with citrus degreaser and then was washed vigorously with soap and water.The shift and brake cables were in good shape, just dripped oil into the ends and worked cable. Was a fairly easy restore.  I did not like the plastic stickers that were on the frame.  Some of the ends were lifting and had to be trimmed back with a Xacto knife.  I try to stay away from painting a frame, as I feel it takes away from the character of the bike, plus I hate sanding and painting!  I added a wicker basket up front for that extra flair.

My daughter enjoyed riding the bike through the neighborhood. I have since sold this bike, but on to better things!!