Heather has told the back story of the CCM cruiser she purchased from a Kingston antique dealer — and now the bike itself has arrived at kinrosscordless headquarters, ready for restoration.

Each bike has a million stories to tell. A quick mechanical assessment will coax some more clues related to this CCM’s origin and use. Some expert advice from CCM enthusiasts will fill in the blanks and solve some mysteries.  And the bike’s next rider, Quinton, will help us plan the road ahead for the restoration by sharing some of her preferences for this classic’s new lease on life.

We’ll start with the curb appeal. Then we’ll assess some specific areas such as the drive train before moving to the big reveal: carbon-dating the bike.

The curb appeal

At first blush, Quinton’s CCM Cruiser is a solid-state city bike with two-tone red frame and white fenders.

The wide fenders are funky and functional – you can ride the bike in the rain without getting the proverbial stripe up the back. They’ve been repainted once in their original white.

Several scratches on the frame reveal the original dark blue metallic tone underneath a more recent coat of red paint.

The bike is equipped with a one-speed coaster hub. Unlike the fixed gear one-speeds that have become popular again recently, the CCM hub lets the bike coast freely while the rider stops pedalling, and contains an internal brake that’s applied by back-pedalling. The related absence of hand brakes, a shifter, gears and cables gives the bike a clean and simple look.

The seat post is a bit short – just like more adults were back in the day when this bike was made.

The top tube on the frame has a u-shaped curve and is set lower, indicating a women’s (ladies’) model. This design maintains the integrity of the frame and allows a lady rider to seat herself on the bike with decorum and efficiency – unlike men’s bikes with their straight and high top tubes requiring an ungainly leg-over to get seated.

The bike will be great for city trips – it’s not going to compete on the steep hills of the Alpe d’Huez , but will be a comfortable and classic ride to school, work or around the neighborhood.

The drive train

The CCM logo is an integral part of the chain ring, blending physics and fashion. It’s cool that the company logo is actually transferring power from the pedals to the back wheel.  Perhaps the CCM marketers took the engineers for coffee? Each letter has parallel vertical bars that give extra integrity — and look a bit like dollar signs, evoking an era when CCM was King of the bike business in Canada.

The chain is gunked up with oil and dirt and moves stiffly. Likewise for the wheel bearings that allow the bike to float on its axles – you can hear and feel some crusty crunching while spinning the wheels.

Wiping away grime on the rear hub arm reveals a New Eadie logo, and the hub is attached to a rear Dunlop wheel. Both of these are UK-made.

The bike has heavy-duty 28” wheels on a straight frame. The wheels are tall and wide, allowing big wide tires that enhance the bike’s suspension. Many spokes are seized and the result is the wheels are slightly out of true.

The rubber tires and tubes are functional but mismatched and showing some cracks in the sidewalls.

The pedals look to be original and spin nicely on their bearings.

Despite some aches and pains, the bike had been well-used and maintained, and was still roadworthy many years after it rolled off the CCM assembly line.

The fine details

The stylized CCM logo appears in chrome detail on the fork caps, and as a badge on the headset.

The seat and handgrips are more recent additions – a sturdy made-in-Japan black seat, and some soft black handgrips.

The rear fender sports a small red reflector light for safety.

Scratches on the headset reveal the bike used to have a front basket.

Carbon dating the bike

The bike reminds me of some of those owned by “the adults” in my Don Mills neighbourhood growing up, so my first guesstimate of the model year is late 1950s.

The headset badge shows the bike was made at the CCM plant in Weston, Ontario (in Toronto’s west end), at the huge CCM plant that operated from the late 19^th century to the early 1980s.

Heather has found a vintage CCM website, so I sign on to the discussion forum and post a picture of the bike and some of its components.

Within a couple of hours I am joined by several CCM enthusiasts who are keen to provide information and help pinpoint the date of manufacture.

A discussion-forum participant named Wayne notes that the bike is likely early to mid-1960s: “the CCM-marked cap on the forks was only used for a couple of years: ’62 to ‘64 I think.”

I’ve tied myself into knots trying to find the serial number on the usual spots on the bottom bracket or seat tube, to no avail. Wayne sets me straight: “Look on the rear dropouts,” he advises. Sure enough, a clear serial number starting with the letter D is revealed when I wipe away grease on the left rear dropout (the part of the frame that holds the rear axle). I eagerly update my discussion post with the serial number.

A gent with the handle ccmusclebikes weighs in: “D sounds like a 1964 bike to me.”

Soon another enthusiast named Carl posts a picture of the serial number and dropout on his 1965 Ladies CCM. The 1965 models start with the letter “E” and his photo is a dead ringer for the 1964 dropout that’s hanging in front of me. The only difference is the coaster brake and arm – Quinton’s bike should have a Hercules coaster hub but instead it is equipped with a New Eadie model – a UK make linked to the famed BSA company.

A final post comes from William who hypothesizes that “your New Eadie brake and back wheel may have been replacements to keep the bike going.”

The road ahead

Heather and Quinton, along with Heather’s sister Susan, drop by to have a look at the bike during the check-up.

Together we write the checklist for the upcoming restoration:

• Return the paint on the frame to its original dark blue tone.
• Find some matching accessories including a seat and handgrips that will enhance the bike’s original look.
• Tune up some of the mechanics including bearings and straighten the wheels for a truer ride.
• Install some new rubber to get the best suspension out of the bike’s big, wide wheels.
• Replace the seat post and adjust the handlebars for today’s taller adult – namely Quinton Bradshaw
• And finally…  add a basket that will carry Quinton’s textbooks. (Okay, that sounds way too studious, but this bike mechanic once carried textbooks in his bike basket).

The CCM 1964 Ladies one-speed has shared a few stories. The kinrosscordless workshop is stocked with bike tools and some strange potions including chrome polish.

Let the restoration begin!