I got this 1952 Schwinn Hornet straight bar a couple months ago, and I'm trying to figure out how much it's worth, and what to do with it. It looks to be mostly intact, though it's missing the front wheel (the one pictured is just something I had,) the back third of the rear rack, the original grips and possibly a tank. I paid $40 for this bike, which is crazy cheap in my opinion, but as much as I wanted this bike, I've got a problem with it.
I've wanted to build a Schwinn straight bar for a while now, and while I've had a couple before this one, they were all pretty rough and incomplete. This one is nice and straight, and it even has the original paint, patina'd to perfection... which is kind of the problem. I really want to paint this bike up my own way, but that means removing the original paint that has survived untouched by anything more than time and the elements for almost 70 years. I love bikes with custom paint jobs, but at the same time, I'm kind of a purist, and I'd hate to remove the original rusty red paint. It really doesn't help that red is one of my least favorite colors, and I've already got 2 red bikes in my relatively small collection that I'm leaving the paint untouched. I really don't want another red bike, even though the paint and patina look nice on this one.
So with that being said, I'm contemplating either selling or hopefully trading this Schwinn straight bar for at least one other Schwinn straight bar that is either missing the original paint or has been repainted in a way that won't make me feel guilty about doing it up my way. I'd rather see this bike go to someone who'll appreciate the original surviving paint better than I do. So, realistically speaking, what's this Hornet worth? If I put it up for sale, how much could I expect to sell it for? If I could trade it, would it be possible to get more than one bike in equal or worse condition, at least as far as paint goes? Or, would it be best for me to just ignore the guilt and just paint and build this Schwinn the way I want?
I've wanted to build a Schwinn straight bar for a while now, and while I've had a couple before this one, they were all pretty rough and incomplete. This one is nice and straight, and it even has the original paint, patina'd to perfection... which is kind of the problem. I really want to paint this bike up my own way, but that means removing the original paint that has survived untouched by anything more than time and the elements for almost 70 years. I love bikes with custom paint jobs, but at the same time, I'm kind of a purist, and I'd hate to remove the original rusty red paint. It really doesn't help that red is one of my least favorite colors, and I've already got 2 red bikes in my relatively small collection that I'm leaving the paint untouched. I really don't want another red bike, even though the paint and patina look nice on this one.
So with that being said, I'm contemplating either selling or hopefully trading this Schwinn straight bar for at least one other Schwinn straight bar that is either missing the original paint or has been repainted in a way that won't make me feel guilty about doing it up my way. I'd rather see this bike go to someone who'll appreciate the original surviving paint better than I do. So, realistically speaking, what's this Hornet worth? If I put it up for sale, how much could I expect to sell it for? If I could trade it, would it be possible to get more than one bike in equal or worse condition, at least as far as paint goes? Or, would it be best for me to just ignore the guilt and just paint and build this Schwinn the way I want?