1939 Mead Ranger- similar to the Schwinn Motorbike For Sale

We\'re currently selling off a large collection of vintage road bikes and equipment from a prolific collector.

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1938 Mead Ranger

Though not a true barn find, this bike was discovered in a shed, which is close enough. What makes it something of a rarity beyond the obvious is that it was found in about the last place one would ever think. Tucked away in a shed out in the high desert of Nevada, this wonderful old Mead Ranger eluded discovery for 70+ years.Old bicycles, especially rare old Schwinns don\'t turn up in Nevada very often. After all, the state\'s population in the 1930\'s was relatively tiny (less than that of Chicago) and lack of population meant a lack of bicycle owners, which results in the fact that Nevada is almost wholly devoid of old two-wheelers. There may be plenty of collectors, just no bikes.

We may be a bike-poor state, but Nevada offers about the best place you could ever hope to store something made out of steel. The Ranger resided in an area that sees less than 8 inches of annual precipitation. Though the shed was by no means watertight, the bicycle fared quite well. If you look at the photos you\'ll notice that there is rust, but nothing catastrophic. Plus, the bicycle is about as complete as you could ever hope to find. Being hidden away for so long has had its advantages, one of which is that nobody has ever had a chance to mess with the bike or strip it of its more valuable parts. It thus sits with what\'s left of its original paint, with its original key-locking spring fork, Schwinn fenderlight, New Departure front braking hub and lever, crossbar handlebars with horn button, Motorbike tank, wing chainguard and original rear carrier intact. Overall it looks pretty much original down to its boot straps.

The Ranger has a fine coating of surface rust but no real signs of cancerous or corrosive damage. We don\'t see any rust-through and doubt anything would blow apart if bead blasted. That is, if you chose to restore the bike. The way it sits we think it could easily be made ridable as-is. We soaked threads with penetrant and found that the pedals, bottom bracket, stem bolt and headset bolt all came loose without any real problems. Those are traditionally the problem areas so initial indications are that the bike can be taken apart without being damaged.The bottom bracket and hubs are stiff from years without lubrication but we think the potential is definitely there to have a ridable bike more or less as-is. Most importantly, the tank looks clean and without detrimental rust damage or abuse. It\'s really quite straight and clean; there is more rust around the horn vents but even they aren\'t bad (hopefully the photos show that). The wheels and hubs are rust coated but again, there doesn\'t look to be any cancer or pinholing anywhere. The same goes for the chainguard. The fenders are faded but fared better for some reason. The same goes for the frame.

It looks as though the paint held up against the elements better than the chrome which certainly isn\'t a shock. That\'s how it often goes. What\'s nice is that everything has aged gracefully and as a unit which doesn\'t always happen. And sometimes a few of the components will deteriorate to the point where they are no longer worth keeping. Such is not the case with this Ranger.

\"What to do, what to do...\"

We\'ve debated the best course of action to preserve the bike since the day it arrived. Should it get restored? Or should it just get overhauled and enjoyed in its true original, patina-ed state? In the end it will be up to the new owner to decide, but just know that we believe either option is available and sensible with this particular bicycle. That isn\'t always the case. More often than not, old bikes end up missing so many original pieces or are in such bad condition that restoration seems the only real choice. This bike offers a unique opportunity to actually choose restoration or refurbishment. That\'s something to be appreciated as it doesn\'t happen very often.

Hopefully we\'ve given a decent rundown on the bicycle but we know that many more questions will likely arise. Feel free to call or email as you see fit and we\'ll walk you around the bicycle in much more detail. In the end we hope it ends up being a treasured bicycle for many years to come. It may arrive as a late Christmas present but hopefully that only adds to the anticipation of getting it.

Happy Holidays!!

Coot and Julie Callahan

Buzz Bomb Bicycles

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