SpokesPeople (2022/issue1)

Project Huffy Resto

From Ashes to Beauty

RUIPING TAN

Most people pick up strays. I pick up abandoned bikes crying for a second chance. I’ve always had a soft spot for the underdogs, the down-andouts, and generally things or people who have seen a better yesterday.

So, Project Huffy Restore wasn’t something of a surprise. I had done some minor bike restoration projects before, but nothing as extensive (and expensive).

It was like any ordinary bike ride on a regular Monday afternoon, with a friend whom I had made through… yes, another bike purchase.

Our ride took us through the Hougang/Serangoon 1 PCN, along some 2 BTO construction areas. As I was cruising along the pavement, trying to avoid joggers, strollers and other cyclists, a blue bike which was nestled in the light bushes caught the corner of my eye.

I think I’ve seen enough cruisers at this stage to know it when I saw one. So I did a double take, applied my coaster brake and signaled to my friend that I was stopping. She, too, had seen the bike and had the intuition to fgure I had stopped to check it out.

It was a cruiser alright! Even in its dismal state, it was still a handsome sight with a striking blue frame that was missing most of its parts.

All I could see was a beautiful cruiser (an American-brand called ‘Huffy’), a rare sighting in itself, asking for a new lease of life. It was left to rust through the elements that had obviously taken over its bare state. Pretty sad.

As I stood there admiring and feeling sorry at the same time, a few curious onlookers passed some glances over. Two uncles in particular noticed my keen interest in the bike and nudged me to take it home.

I laughed and shot the question back at them. “Why don’t you take it then? This would make a really nice ride. Just need to do it up!”, I tried convincing them. Afterall, I was riding my bike and how on earth was I going to lug both bikes back?? And especially when one had a fat rear tire!

We stood there for a few moments, deliberating over what to do with the bike. There was no outlet to an exit anywhere in sight. The next point of exit would be about a few hundred metres away, at least!

After a while, the uncles decided it was too much of a hassle and moved on. My friend and I looked at each other and came up with a crazy idea. We would cycle to the nearest exit and she would wait there for me while I came back for the abandoned bike.

So we did that and before I knew it, I was huffing (no pun intended) and puffing, carting the broken bike on its front wheel – slowly and painfully to where my friend was waiting. Never mind some passers-by were giving me the look, probably thinking I had busted a tire.

And with the help of my spouse (always very supportive and understanding of my ‘exploits’) who came to pick me up with the car and a bike rack, we brought Huffy home and there started my journey of restoration.

Finding parts was a challenge, as the cruiser had rather uncommon parts like a 25mm seatpost (most came in the standard 25.4mm diameter). My search took me all over the internet and across bikes shops around the hood. Inasmuch as I was determined to keep costs low, I realised restoration projects were anything but cheap.

After much painstaking work – cleaning, swapping out parts and tuning, Huffy was all good to go!

The satisfaction of knowing that something that was left for dead could again be re-purposed for many new rides truly outweighed the costs involved… for the most part.