hockeyteeth

I have started refurbishing this pre-war bike and am interested in determining the make. Someone did a halfway respectable paint job at some point and I don't think I can remove the paint without rendering the headtube badge unreadable. The only specifics I can give are that it is equipped with a Fauber Special crankset with patent '98 stamped in the NDS arm and a New Departure Model A hub. The logo on the saddle is worn off. Also, the fork tips are fully enclosed, no dropout. The fork legs must be spread to remove the front wheel. The bike is super rough right now but I am excited to mostly restore it and get it on the road again.

If someone has an inkling and needs more details or pictures I would be happy to oblige.

Thanks for your interest!



The stem and seatpost wedge bolts have square heads like some welding gas tanks. They are both fortunately turning freely, although the seatpost has a homemade shim around it for some reason.

rhm

The seat is likely a Persons, not that that inf will help you. I've seen that same handlebar setup on Racycle bikes from the teens, but they had a different crank. I don't think it's a Racycle. What's this, about a head badge?

hockeyteeth

The head badge has either been painted over or otherwise removed so I can't see the original marque. I just tried lightly sanding through the paint on the headtube and was unable to distinguish any logo.

rhm

Mmm, yeah, that is the way it goes. Approaching layers of paint like an archaeologist would, peeling and scraping and sanding, you never know what you'll find. Sometimes it's all gone before you see anything, and sometimes you see something fora moment and then it's gone. I've found ripples and shadows, sometimes just the stains left by oxidation, that were enough to identify a frame. But I've also sanded away all the evidence and found nothing.

David Newton

Great bike! We don't get near enough of that stuff around here, it is what C&V was made for.
Are the rims wood, or metal covered wood?
I think the bike is a 20's to early 30's bike. Maybe there is a date code on the hubs or crankset.

I actually had some of those "chain tread" (either Fisk or Carlisle) tires on my 60's Western Flyer middle-weight bike, when I was a kid. I bought them as NOS tires at a sporting goods store in my neighborhood.

hockeyteeth

The crankset is stamped patent '98. The wheels seem to be mismatched. The rear is wooden with no cladding while the front is metal clad wood and noticeably wider. The front hub is very low quality with no branding, so probably from some cruiser. A bit of a disappointment about the mismatched wheels, but oh well...