cobrabyte

Hi I picked up a cool WWII era Swiss Military Bicycle. It has 1 speed, a coaster rear brake and push-rod front brake. There are ports for oil in both hubs and the bottom bracket.

Amazingly both dynamo lights work and the tires still hold air. I went for a few rides yesterday around town and totaled about 20-30miles. (It was the first day of spring and beautiful out!)

Everything on it works except the old frame pump and bell. I am concerned with the old tires as there is some dry rot. I would like to replace them soon to preserve the original ones before one of the sidewalls blows out or something.

The tires are marked 26 x 1 1/2. Is this the same as MTB tire sizing?

Also does anyone know the type of oil I should use? I have some Phils oil, maybe that?

pics coming soon too

Thanks!

cobrabyte

some pics:





dynamo light


tool pouch








brake engaged


spoke lock

cobrabyte

oil pump

foozle

Nice Pick up. I thought about it. Glad to see the pictures. Did you go expecting to buy or did you open the holster and pull the trigger after seeing it?

cobrabyte

I was not sure until I rode it around. It's like 50lbs but goes along great

balindamood

26"x1-1/2 tires could be most anything, but I would wager that they are 650B (ERT 584mm).

coldfeet

Jeez, thats amazingly original. Whats with those rims? Are they wood?

emarg0ed

you still see these all over Switzerland as daily riders and commuters. most of them are from around WWII > the 1980's. I think they updated them in 90's finally

cobrabyte

THAT is cool. They are definitely built to last!

wood? I don't think so I will have to check

RobbieTunes

You think it would be a more neutral color.

Bianchigirll 

good point. where is the knife, fork, spoon and siscors?

David Newton

Man it is good to know someone has an uglier bike than mine.
Way cooler, but uglier none-the-less

ilikebikes

Thats a beauty of a bike! I have a kids scooter with a push-rod front brake. =0)

Shp4man

Wow. Nice bike. I can see the American bomber pilots retained in Switzerland and the Jewish refugees of the Third Reich trying to cross the border during the war. Truly a historic bike.

desconhecido 

Ah, yes, I can see myself crossing the Alps on a 50# single speed bicycle. Ah, yes.

edit: very cool even if not practical for me.

StephenH

I remember a while back, somebody posting that the tires on these were an odd size that had to be special ordered or something of the sort- don't just assume that a tire of similar description would work. Is there also a millimeter size marked on the tire?

krems81 

Great bike and pictures. I think what you have labeled as a tool pouch may be a gun holster. Not sure, but I saw a very similar bike in the lbs last fall, and it had the same pouch. Gun holster seemed to be the consensus at the time.

cobrabyte

thanks for the info guys!

gun holster? I would believe it!

thanks for the info on the tires too. I don't see a mm size marked on the tires, but looking around online last night it does seem they are 650b -- which is a cool size I have been interested in trying anyways & there are more 650b choices out there these days. I will probably order the cheapest ones to make sure they fit. If they do I amy look into a fancier option.

The bike may be ugly ha ha, but the history and early 20th century design are beautiful -- apparently the design is from 1905 and did not change signifigantly for almost 100 years (until 1994 when a more modern MTB style replaced this style)

I really like the patina and I definitely don't plan to restore this bike, just keep it preserved and running good. Maybe a newer saddle in the same style and tires, some grease and oil...but that's it

I couln't imagine taking this thing on unpaved roads with ~50lbs of gear through the mountains! Good thing I live in flat Florida

The coaster brake makes it a great "dog walking" bike too:

Reynolds 

Nice! But what about that front brake? It's intended as an emergency only brake, right? Imagine going downhill at 40 kmh and using it... (I know, no hills in FL, but in Switzerland?) And even at slow speed the tire would wear out fast, I guess.
I don't think that's a gun holster. It looks like one but it's shaped that way to fit between the fender and seat tube.

cobrabyte

oh yes, e-brake only. The front bake is not very effective at all, as the photos show, the pad is also pretty worn down, which doesn't help the situation much. The coaster rear brake works excellently though and it's all the stopping power i would need. Hell, I can max out at what....11mph anyways so I could always Fred Fllinstone it lol

Luckilly the coaster brake tool for the Torpedo hub is still there so if I need to service it I can. it seems you HAVE to have this tool for the job...so it's like the Malliard Helicomatic of it's day, sans the beer bottle opener

Metzinger

Great score.
Once you've got it tuned, you should be able to beat Jens Voigt on that thing!

jhefner

Hi;

Great bike; thought you might like to see one with a complete set of bags, and a little bit of writeup on it:

https://collection.rydjor.com/bikecol.../1940swiss.htm

-James

cobrabyte

wow! Thanks for the link. That looks so great with the chainguard & bags. very cool!

bigbossman 

I doubt it. It is likely that these bikes were mostly ridden by regular infantry, and they generally do not carry sidearms. Officers, maybe - and even then, in a holster on a belt where it is "at-hand". A sidearm in a combat area would be useless tucked into a holster behind the seat tube.

Reynolds 

That's what I thought. Soldiers probably were issued a rifle:


But it looks difficult to pedal unless it had an ultra wide Q-factor...