About Mike's Bikes Work
This website is a showcase of the bikes I've refinished or restored, and a record of the work and stories. Some bikes are for sale, some are sold, some are for my personal collection and some are in progress. Restoring and refurbishing vintage steel bikes is my hobby, not my business, so I'm not doing this to get rich. I'm probably making a few cents per hour if you consider the hours and hours of labour that was put into each one of these bikes.
Each bike is stripped of all parts and a decision is made to either restore the original paint or to repaint the frame. Those that get the paint restored are cleaned, polished, touched up if necessary, and then receive two coats of carnauba wax. Bikes that are repainted are sanded to the bare metal, primed, painted and clear coated. All the parts are cleaned thoroughly with an ultrasonic cleaner, polished, lubricated and then put back on the bike. Bikes receive new tires and new shift cables, brake cables and usually housing. Road bikes receive new bar tape and if necessary, brake hoods. Mountain bikes receive new grips. Often they need a new saddle. Chains are cleaned thoroughly and lubricated or are replaced if they are stretched. Derailleurs and brakes are adjusted. When Mike's bikes are finished, they are clean, beautiful and rideable works of art.
Each bike is stripped of all parts and a decision is made to either restore the original paint or to repaint the frame. Those that get the paint restored are cleaned, polished, touched up if necessary, and then receive two coats of carnauba wax. Bikes that are repainted are sanded to the bare metal, primed, painted and clear coated. All the parts are cleaned thoroughly with an ultrasonic cleaner, polished, lubricated and then put back on the bike. Bikes receive new tires and new shift cables, brake cables and usually housing. Road bikes receive new bar tape and if necessary, brake hoods. Mountain bikes receive new grips. Often they need a new saddle. Chains are cleaned thoroughly and lubricated or are replaced if they are stretched. Derailleurs and brakes are adjusted. When Mike's bikes are finished, they are clean, beautiful and rideable works of art.
About Mike
I love bikes and have for as long as I can remember. My dad was really into motorcycles and I rode them and enjoyed them but I found them to be a bit intimidating as they were loud, smelly and complicated. I felt passionate about bicycles, though. They were beautiful, fun to ride, quiet and simple to maintain. When I was in elementary school I worked all summer on the local farms to save enough money to buy a BMX bike from K-Mart. I was so proud of that bike! I took it apart and put it back together several times and washed and polished it regularly. I came of age in the 80s when steel bikes were at the peak of their technology, before aluminum and then carbon fibre took over. This was also when mountain bikes were really coming of age and the technology was advancing at a rapid pace. I used to read BMX Plus Magazine, Bicycling Magazine, and I remember when MountainBike Action came out. I liked all bikes and drooled over the ones in the magazines. I dreamed of owning a Calnogo, a Ritchey and a Redline.
In August of 2016 I had a motorcycle accident that left me with post concussion syndrome (PCS). The PCS symptoms just wouldn't completely go away and I struggled to get back to work as an elementary school principal for two years before doctors put me on long term disability. Life has been good to me, though. I could have been left a vegetable or even worse, dead, but instead I was given this gift of time. In October 2020, I just happened to notice a 1982 Benotto 850 Paris-Roubaix for sale on Facebook Marketplace. It reminded me of how much I liked the steel bikes of the 80s and 90s, so I bought it and restored it for something to do. That first bike restoration has led to MikesBikesWork.
Now I enjoy hunting for quality vintage steel bikes that have seen better days or are maybe underappreciated or are no longer appreciated and then making them work well and look beautiful again.
In August of 2016 I had a motorcycle accident that left me with post concussion syndrome (PCS). The PCS symptoms just wouldn't completely go away and I struggled to get back to work as an elementary school principal for two years before doctors put me on long term disability. Life has been good to me, though. I could have been left a vegetable or even worse, dead, but instead I was given this gift of time. In October 2020, I just happened to notice a 1982 Benotto 850 Paris-Roubaix for sale on Facebook Marketplace. It reminded me of how much I liked the steel bikes of the 80s and 90s, so I bought it and restored it for something to do. That first bike restoration has led to MikesBikesWork.
Now I enjoy hunting for quality vintage steel bikes that have seen better days or are maybe underappreciated or are no longer appreciated and then making them work well and look beautiful again.
