First in a series chronicling the discovery and rebuild of a classic CCM cruiser bike. Posts are co-authored by Heather Blue and Ian Kinross. In this first post, Heather discovers the bike…

It was a perfect afternoon in early September; the sun was bright and warm, the sky a brilliant blue and a soft autumn breeze filtered through Kingston’s Old Market Square.  The Sunday Antique Market was unusually busy, with tourists, university students and locals wandering about. There was good energy in the air as everyone seemed to be savouring this idyllic day, taking pleasure in the waning days of summer’s splendour.  Shoppers of all ages perused the well-worn items, forgotten treasures, junk and gems.  The regular antique vendors were there, casually engaging with the browsers who lingered a little longer over their tables.

Our vintage CCM cruiser – needing a little work to bring back to form. The original colour was blue but along the way it was painted red.

My daughter Quinton and I had made an impromptu decision to come downtown.  We weren’t really looking for anything in particular but as we always do when we stop by a garage sale or flea market, our eyes scanned for something interesting, quirky or special.  Something from another time and place that was well used or cherished, that we could adopt, take home and give new life.  We shuffled through the busy marketplace, checking out the old jewelry, albums and furniture and then, we saw it.

There it was, leaning up against a table of old books; a vintage red women’s CCM one speed cruiser.  It spoke to us, drawing us over by its fashion sense, practicality and simplicity.  We hustled over, wanting to get our hands on this classic before someone else scooped it.  As we approach the bike, I got excited.  It really WAS in good shape, not much rust, the chrome actually shiny in spots and the tires had been updated.  I wasted no time in hopping on.

We had recently talked about trying to find an old bike just like this and, low and behold, here it was.  As I passed the bike over to Quinton to try it on for size, the antique dealer slid over to my side.  He said it fit her perfectly and invited her to take it for a spin.  She reluctantly wondered if that was okay given how busy the market was and since we were “just looking.”  With a little encouragement, she took off around the block, testing its brakes and handlebars.  These old bikes have an interesting way of adjusting our expectations of steering manoeuvrability and comfort.  There’s a fun awkwardness about them in their uprightness, but the key word here is fun. Quinton came back unscathed and with a smile on her face.  Our bike had passed the drive test.

Of course the next step was to agree on a price.  I seem to recall the sticker said $60.  My emotions were telling me that this was a fair price especially for such a fine bike that my daughter would love and use as her ride to school.  My practical, sensible side told me that I should never pay the sticker price, that I should talk him down, at least a little bit.  We settled on 50 bucks cash.  In the world of antique hawking, cash is king, you know — no cheques or credit cards accepted.  It was at that moment I remembered we had not stopped by the bank on our way downtown and if I was lucky, I had at most $20 in my purse.  Our deal was in jeopardy!  I asked him if he would hold it for us on a minimal deposit so that we could run to the bank.  “No problem,” he said, assuring us that he would keep it for us and not sell it to anyone else.

After we returned with the balance and completed the transaction, he gave us the sales pitch.  His timing seemed a bit odd given that we had just paid, but we listened enthusiastically.  He told us that this had been his mother’s bike and she had enjoyed riding it for many years.  He had been storing it in his garage for a while but it was now time to let it go, to become part of someone else’s family.  His mom, Margaret, had won this bike in a contest back in the 50s.  Apparently there had been a matching pair of bikes to be won, a women’s CCM and a men’s CCM.  When the contest was over, the prize winners met.  The young man who won the other bike took a fancy to Margaret and, long story short, they fell in love and got married!  What a great story.  Was it true or was he just trying to make us feel good about over-paying for an old bike needing some TLC?  This antique dealer was either a darned good salesman or, as we prefer to believe, a romantic with a wonderful story to share of how his parents had met.  For Quinton and me, it was the icing on the cake for finding a great bike on a beautiful day.  This bike was now ours and we were taking it home.

Heather — December 16, 2013

This blog is co-authored by Heather Blue and Ian Kinross