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1936 CCM Flyte Restoration
With the doldrums of winter here, I finally have some time to share my CCM Flyte restoration that I’ve been working on.
This bike started out as a rough frame that had been painted with red house paint and minimal correct parts.
I chose to meticulously scrape off the red paint to expose the original cream and black paint. As you can see, the original paint is rough. I had debated whether to sandblast and paint new but ultimately decided that, as they say, “It’s only original once”. There is a fuzzy line between needing a full make over or leaving it as is. I’ve done both on other projects but prefer patina when I think it’s not TOO bad.
Now I know some folks don’t care for the patina look, but I think it happens to give it character and tells a story. I can always paint it another day. In addition to that, most of the parts I accumulated had patina also, so it seemed to make sense to go that direction. Hey, it’s an 85 year old bike….it’s supposed to look old!
It took a while to accumulate most of the parts and do some research. The bike is generally all correct according to all the catalogues and photos I looked at. Not to mention all the information gleaned from the forum posts on this website!! The thing not correct is the tool box Troxel saddle. I used a simpler (i.e. cheaper/easier to find) Troxel saddle with a leather CCM tool pouch.
I also have reproduction grips but need to weather them a bit as they look too new.
The rear fender is not a real Flyte fender but is made from two normal fenders welded together. I had to “faux” paint them to get them to match the frame.
The tires of course are not original. Ended up settling for some no name tires. And just as a note for future restorers…the rim is noted as Dunlop Canadian 28” and would have originally had a 28” x 1 3/8”tire (as per the catalogues). The modern equivalent tire required is actually 27x1-1/4”. Thanks to forum member jdwillia for that info in these forums!
Over all, I’m pretty happy with the bike. It’s a good addition to the stable.
On to the next project!
Thanks,
WpgBikeGuy
This is the best sympathetic non restoration I have seen! Nicely done!! It's good that you can now relax and ride this bike without the stress that comes with a restored version as the street battle wounds are already built in.....
Congratulations on a great job! I can only imagine how difficult it was to remove the red house paint. I think that the bike is worth much more like this than if you had done a foll restoration.
I am not sure what tires you used, but for anyone faced with the same problem of finding modern tires for their early 28 X 1 3/8 Endrick rims, if you search on Ebay.com or Ebay U.K., you can find all black 27 X 1 3/8 tires that are wider and a good substitute.
There were a few suppliers around the country that did offer the 1936 Flyte with an alternative to the Troxel toolbox seat. I have one or two pictures of '36's that came with an English padded seat (Lycetts?). Trying to find a toolbox seat now could double the cost of the whole project.
All the Best!
John Wiliamson
Great looking bike! The faux paint on the fenders looks spot on with the rest of the bike. Ride it with pride
Glad to see it's a refurbishment
another flyte on the road again
great work
Gt
very nice job