Finished: Huffy Santa Fe Cruiser Bike

Huffy cruiser bike

OK, now I’m done messing with this. I found this Huffy bicycle on the side of a road. Aside from trashed tires and one flat tube, it mostly needed just a cleaning to make it presentable. The final result is here. I shelled out for two new, slightly wider tires (no whitewalls), tubes, and handlebar grips, removed the decals, and added a bell and reflectors I already had. The front fork and chainguard were a very dull silver (a.k.a., gray) that detracted from the look of the chrome fenders, so I sprayed on two coats of Rustoleum gloss white. I believe it’s ready for a boardwalk.

  • Before
  • After
Cleaned up
As found

The LHT through Carson Road Woods

An e-bike on a trail
Radmini on the Lawrence Hopewell Trail. Source: TCM
A field in Carson Road Woods
Carson Road Woods. Source: TCM

About one mile of the twenty-mile-or-so Lawrence Hopewell Trail passes through Carson Road Woods’ hedgerows, fields, and forests. The land was once farm fields and a peach orchard; in the early twenty-first century, it was preserved as a park, saving it from development. To the north, the LHT passes through the Educational Testing Services headquarters, home of the SAT, GRE, and other standardized tests, before looping back through Rosedale Park and Mercer Meadows, a.k.a the Pole Farm, which are about three miles west of Carson Road Woods.

Flowers along a trail
Source: TCM

Cruiser Bike: New Grips

  • bicycle grip
    Original foam grip. Source: TCM
  • biclycle grip
    New faux-leather grip. Source: TCM

Finally received new grips for the handlebars of the Huffy Santa Fe Cruiser. The old foam grips were easy to remove (one was already ripped) and the new leather-look grips went on easily with the help of some rubbing alcohol. Pretty soon I’ll stop messing with this bike.

E-Biking In and Around Black Run

The ups and downs of a typical sand road in New Jersey. Source: TCM
Trail to one of the log circles at Black Run. Source: TCM

The Black Run Preserve is 1,300 acre tract of pine barrens in Evesham Township, New Jersey. There is a an active friends group that has developed an extensive network of multi-use and hiking only trails; recently REI has also been involved.

Black Run Preserve. Source: TCM
Having such a good time I almost forgot to take a picture of the bike. Source: TCM

Free Bike Find: Santa Fe Cruiser

Red cruiser bike
Cleaned up and debadged Santa Fe cruiser by Huffy. Source: TCM

This bike was put out with the trash and I picked it up before the scrappers grabbed it. After a thorough cleaning, removing a lot of surface rust (with some assistance), and replacing one tube, it looked pretty good. It will need new tires soon if I can find an inexpensive pair of whitewalls, and new handlebar grips are also on the way.

Red cruiser bike
Huffy Santa Fe. Source: TCM

All the decals were removed during the cleaning, but the bike is a Huffy Santa Fe single speed with coaster brake. Huffy used the Santa Fe model name at least as far back as the 1970s, but I’m guessing this one is maybe from the 1990s or 2000. Now it joins the fleet of old bikes and e-bikes. Will I ever rat rod it? Unlikely.

Huffy bicycle
Huffy nailed both the 70s and the Santa Fe vibes with the ten-speed model. Source: Laura B/oldtenspeedgallery.com
What a Huffy Santa Fe could become, but probably won’t. Source: Tom Wilson/ratrodbikes.com

The Orvis X Barbour X Land Rover Sweepstakes

Source: Orvis

Orvis and Barbour have been teaming up to give away restored classic Land Rovers (like this green one, which was won by a Massachusetts woman and her dog ). 2019’s sweepstakes vehicle was a 1994 Defender. Looks like the winner flipped it for cash (maybe to pay the taxes on the prize). A ’95 Range Rover, restored by Congleton Service was the most recent prize. No word yet on where it ended up.

Sweet tartan upholstery on the Land Rover Defender. Source: Bring A Trailer.
The most recent Orvis giveaway: 1995 Range Rover (sweepstakes just ended). Source: Orvis.