New member from balmy northern Ontario

Hi everyone,  My name is Curtis and I just wanted to say thanks for allowing me to join the forum and share your passion for vintage CCM bikes. I live in Thunder Bay Ontario so the middle of nowhere. Plenty of old bikes here and as I volunteer with Bicycles for Humanity, I see my share of CCM bikes as well as numerous others. Fun to fix or tinker with the bikes and it helps me stay active and out of the wife's way now that I'm retired. At one time several years ago I had 31 bikes of various styles and manufacturers clogging up my garage. Gave them all away to a young fellow at a yard sale once to change hobbies. Had 18 vintage dirtbike motorcycles then found out I need two new replacement knees so the bikes went too. Then thought I could do snowmobiles because at least I could sit down so I had 22 old vintage sleds. Arthritis took care of that idea so they went too and now I'm back with my first passion, old bikes. In a little over a year I've picked up 51 bikes so now in the next week or two I'm taking a dozen or so to Bikes for Humanity, a couple more to our local Community Spokes bicycle community for students and the poor, and probably going to sell a few more on Kijiji till I get down to just my CCMs and my favourite style bike, the 3 speed Sturmey Archer style city cruiser bikes. I have a few of both CCM and Raleigh as well as 6 or 7 CCM single speed bikes. Anyhow, thanks again for letting me join and I look forward to reading your posts and contributing when I can.

6 Comments

Welcome Curtis. That's quite a collecting history you have. It's a bit quiet around here these days. Can you tell us what years of CCMs you have, and maybe post some photos? I'm interested in the single speeds. Cheers.

Welcome to the form Curtis About 20 something years ago I bought a CCM Pastime bike in Thunder Bay on a road trip back from the west ,from i think a Bike shop (Fresh Air Experience) .Was one of my first Wood rim bikes ,bike was built around 1910 I would think . Beautiful unrestored bike.  They had some nice early bikes on display at the time.

Dave

Nice to meet you Curtis and I beleive we all look fowrad to see you bicycles.

 

Marc

Hi Curtis! 

I am also from Thunder Bay and am working to fix up an old CCM! Impressed by your collecting history. Thought I would reply to this as is nice to know others in town if I run into repair trouble! Brian has been helping me sort out some parts. I am trying to fix up an old CCM I used to ride around town that has fallen into disrepair. I am a total beginner at this so going to have to see how it goes. Have been reading through some forum posts and learning a lot! Nice to have a local collector/expert! I attached a picture of my bike in current state and of Thunder Bay just for good measure haha! 

The rear wheel had completely seized I think due to rust and a bent axel? I took the handlebars off for another CCM we had that was otherwise working and therefore an easy fix. I had an absoluetly terrible time getting the rear wheel off as it was so bent the threads where no longer aligned...and so it was very painful to unthread! Eventually got it and am hoping to replace the wheel later this week. 

Enjoyed reading your post, 

Britt

 

 

 

 

 
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Hello again. Sorry couldn't find my password but I've taken care of that now and look forward to being a regular on the site. Nice to receive such a warm welcome. I'll try and post a few pictures of my CCM horde in the next couple of days. Interesting to see the part about Fresh Air Experience. After a fire a while back they have no more vintage stuff available, at least I was told such. Glad to see a fellow CCM person from Thunder Bay as well. I find a few more cycleenthusiasts in my travels every day lately. Trying to curb my "acquire all cool old bikes" syndrome lately so the guys at Bikes For Humanity don't think I'm a hoarder, LOL. Believe I have the exact bike you're working on Britt. I'll post a photo or two of it as well. Think I have two actually, one from Community Spokes deep dark bowels of the basement as well as one from Bikes for Humanity. And two of the men's version too.

Pictures of my CCMs have been added to the collector's gallery. My newest CCM is this Redbird.

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