Maryville Tennessee

[1918 Ranger]

Hello All
My name is Robbie Waters and Im from Maryville Tennessee. Ive been searching and learning every day about an amazing hobby of bicycles. Its mind blowing to learn of all the different makes, models that were created many years ago. I got started by chance close to two years ago by pulling out my aunts 68 Columbia speedster that she had given to me 12 years ago. When she gave it to me it went straight to the dungeon under my moms deck. Mid twenties at the time, I thought why would I want a single speed old bicycle, when there are new multispeed bikes available. So i stored away to be nice to my aunt. Ten years pass and I need an extra bike for a vacation trip and I remember the old bike stored away. I dug it out, steel wooled the chrome and put new tires on it and absolutely loved it. Ten years of maturing helped. Shortly after I looked on ebay and found a females matching bicycle to it for my wife. The more I looked the more I wanted. Now some 80 bikes later, I have learned so so much. Early on, everything looked vintage, Forgive me, Even Girls Bikes. Early on I did buy a lot of girls bikes. They were cheap. Thankfully I learned, and began buying on the right track. I bought a lot of 60s models girls and boys, and then collected older vintages. I finally learned to stick with Mens bikes, and buy girls bikes for restoration parts. My current passion is the pre-war bicycles, and the tank bicycles of the mid 50s and older. I enjoy restoring the bicycles as much as cleaning them up to keep original. I have the best painter, Keith, who works for me that does my paint work, and I get to do the tear down, and assembly. My best loved bikes in current collection: 1918 Mead Ranger, 1937 Western Flyer, 1938 Hawthorne 5 Bar, 30s Elgin, 1938 Elgin Twin Bar, 1936 Hawthorne Duralium (Silver King Style), Mid 50 Western Flyer tank bike, 55 Murray Super Deluxe tank bike, 1940's Spiegel Airmen tank bike, 55 Huffy Custom liner tank bike, 50s Columbia built Goodyear hi way patrol, 50s Huffman Airflyte tank bicycle (current restoration project), 53 Red Phantom, 50s Mercury tank bike, 50s JC Higgins tank bike restoration, 1970 Schwinn Typhoon (First restoration 1-1/2 ago), 49 Schwinn, 50s Rollfast Roamer restoration, 1940s Rollfast Tank bike, and a 50s Shelby Airflo. Im new to Rat Rod Bikes, but will be posting my projects and bikes soon. Ive enjoyed seeing other postings and all the great pieces of history. Thanks Robbie

[1918 Ranger]

It's great to see all the preserved history.

[aka_locojoe]

Welcome. We look forward to seeing the pics.

[largek9]

Welcome Robbie, By the looks of your list of bikes I think your in the right place! Can't wait to see pics. enjoy the ride!

[KJV]

welcome. looking forward to pics.

[1918 Ranger]

Thanks for the welcome.

This is my 1918 Mead Ranger. As I dug into the history I learned how unique and sought after the Mead bicycles are. Their whole marketing aproach of mail order and allowing customers to return the bikes if not satisfied to me was such a different approach. I began searching for one to add to my collection and found this one out of New York last fall. It has NOS Firestone 28 x 1-3/4 tires that are amazing over the wood clad wheels. These are the tires with the built in tube that look like a big oring. To me its that one, if the herd was ever released it would be the last one to go.

Thanks

[1918 Ranger]

Ive got a few of my bikes posted on the Gallery Forum now. It takes time I just realize to get them loaded on it and properly identified. Ill be posting more in days to come. Thanks for allowing me to share them.

[1918 Ranger]

I posted more pics of my bikes tonight. Thanks Check out the Gallery forum under " Post pictures for the Gallery page here" thread I think.