Quick Answers

Bicycle Exchange location: 3961 East Bayshore Road, Palo Alto, CA MAP.

Interested in volunteering? Explore our event calendar and visit our Eventbrite page to RSVP for upcoming opportunities. New volunteers can find details about our volunteer roles and general information.

Stopping by our shop? Make an appointment to shop for a bicycle or parts, ask us questions about volunteering, drop off a donation, receive service for your bike, or anything else! Shop Hours are Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, 12 pm - 5 pm.

Have a bicycle to donate? Donate bicycles and parts by emailing us photos and details of what you have, to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. We'll let you know if we need your items and get you the drop-off details. Please do not make an appointment to drop off a bicycle without emailing us photos first; we cannot accept all bicycles and parts.

The Silicon Valley Bicycle Exchange is a Section 501c(3) non-profit organization.

Have questions? Contact us.

Facebook icon   Instagram icon   LinkedIn icon

Established at the dawn of the bicycle era, Elswick was a major British bicycle manufacturer for many decades, providing high quality utility bicycles for the domestic and international market. Cap'n Jonny continued the loving care given to this Elswick Hopper by its donor, to restore the bike for its new home.

1953 Elswick Hopper bicycle pre-restoration

You can tell a lot about what kind of care a bike had when you dismantle it. You also get a glimpse into the mind of the designer / builder as you inspect the geometry, materials used, types of fasteners attached, paint applied, kind of metal, and other details.

This bike has had loving care since the donor received it in the late 1960's from her older sister. Built as a commemorative edition celebrating the coronation of Queen Elizabeth in 1953, it was in excellent condition. It only needed a modest amount of TLC and new tires, cables, and grips to get it ready for its photo shoot.

Woman proudly displaying the Elswick Hopper bicycle she's about to donate to Bicycle Exchange

The bike is painted in black stove enamel. It’s tough and cleaned up well and shined beautifully, except for just a few spots. Overall the paint came out looking great. It should hold up well in the future.

Restored 1953 Elswick Hopper bicycle, frame closeup

The bright work was pretty rusty and this was dealt with in varying positions after a good burnishing with a wire brush chucked into my drill press. Small chrome and aluminum parts were dunked in a large container of white vinegar, usually overnight, then cleaned and burnished or polished as required.

Large items, like steel rims, handlebars, and fenders were cleaned and lightly rubbed with 0000 steel wool to clean off scale and loose rust then painted with Naval jelly. Handlebars and rims were rubbed with crushed aluminum foil and the old stand-by Brasso metal polish.

Restored 1953 Elswick Hopper bicycle, handlebars closeup

When warranted (or I just felt like it) a buffing wheel was employed to give aluminum parts a mellow shine.

So here the bike is in all its glory, a 1953 Elswick Hopper, ready for more miles.

Restored 1953 Elswick Hopper bicycle, side view
We use cookies
We use cookies on our website. Some of them are essential for the operation of the site, while others help third parties display features such as videos and maps. We also use cookies to track how visitors use our website (Analytics). The tracking data are anonymous. You can decide for yourself whether you want to allow cookies or not. Please note that if you reject cookies, some site features may not appear.