Further Progress

[TrafGib]

I was able to spend a few hours yesterday cleaning and polishing the rear rim. As with the front, lots of stains that required Scotch-Brite, steel wool, and honest sweat. Follow-up with Wizard's polish, and voilà!

Using the same general approach, I am working my through the bike. Most of the areas of surface rust, and corrosion, buff off and clean up nicely. The bike is coming along wonderfully, transitioning from one that looks good 6 feet away, into one that looks really nice right up close!

Still a lot to be done, however the results so far are motivating. The BikeMaster mirrors work well for the aesthetic of the bike. And, thanks to the incredible generosity of a member of this forum, I have a European spec taillight on the way! Swapping out the large, protruding, American version for the tidy Euro version should make a huge difference in the aesthetic of the bike.

I am still contemplating the best choice for swapping turn signals. The units on it, especially at the rear, are way too long. Very unattractive, they stick out like insect antenna. I have found a nice set, with traditional incandescent bulbs, thinking that would be preferred over the switch to LED, and the flasher change that goes with it. However, the incandescent bulbs are 10 watt and may still be problematic for the load-dependent flasher.