Bike Cottage

Good day all, here's my most recent find. Swedish built Monark from around 1950 maybe? here are some of the particulars:

Novo Special rear hub, single speed, coaster brake, 21 tooth cog
One piece crank, 46 tooth, no brand markings
German pedals say "D.B.P. ang" inside the rubber
Asea Generator
Trelleborg T-Nabb tires (Grey) 28 x 1 5/8 x 1 1/2

The plan for this one is to fix it up mechanically and ride it. Emjoy.

Bike Cottage

Oh yeah, serial number is L1745773

hagen2456

I can't tell you the exact year, but it would be from around 1950-55 - judging from the chainguard, the saddle and the handles.

Very pretty bike. If it fits its owner, it will ride like a dream.

Bike Cottage

Thanks Hagen, that's what I was thinking too. The previous owner supposedly brought it over from the Netherlands. This thing has about the slimmest seatpost I've seen. It's about 7/8 inch. I really dig the wood grips and the aluminum chain guard is kinda cool. It also has a spring-loaded toolbox under the rear rack, a neat feature that I had not seen in person before.

hagen2456

Monark Is actually Swedish, not Dutch. They still produce bikes, though nowhere near the quality they used to. Before c. 1985 they even produced a very nifty line of racing bikes with Reynolds 531, Nervex lugs, Campa etc.!

IMO, their old (pre-1965) standard bikes are on the same level of quality as contemporary Raleighs and similar brands.

Oh, and the wood grips - they almost certainly place its vintage before 1952'ish.

T-Mar

The OP never said it was Dutch, only that it arrived in Florida via the Netherlands. The Swedish origin is acknowledged in his original post.

Bike Cottage

Varberg Sweden on the head badge. I'll post some more pics once I get it road ready. The one thing that is driving me crazy is that there are hardly any brands or identifying marks on the components.

hagen2456

Can't help you much there, except that the Novo hub was produced by Husqvarna, better known for their arms production and vacuum cleaners, as well as their bicycles and not least motorbikes.

The pedals on your bike - I'm a little in doubt there, but I believe they're not the original ones, which would be stamped "Monark". But actually a lot of the unstamped parts are probably made in the Monark factory in Varberg. And those Trelleborg tires, though worn and fragile, ride beautifully.

Bike Cottage

Well, I've broken the bike down and am ready to remove the cranks but the BB cups are in the way. At first, I thought I could just tap them out but it appears they may be threaded into the frame. There are 3 pin divots on the outside of each cup. Anybody ever have one of these apart?

hagen2456

Yup. They can be rather stuck with rust, though. Better give them an anti-rust treatment before you start trying to unscrew them. Ideally you should use the right tool, but it's very rare these days. I know of one bike mechanic here in Copenhagen who owns one. I've seen an old Swedish mechanic use a hammer and a punch instead. That's what I do, too.

Left side is left hand thread, right side is "standard".

Bike Cottage

Thanks for the info Hagen! I've considered the hammer and punch and may do that but I'm going to hunt around for a tool that I can modify if needed. Many moons ago, I worked with hydraulic cylinders and we always had weird lock-rings and seal holders that required a wild array of hook and pin spanners. I'll dig up the right tool or something very close.

sailorbenjamin

Interesting bike. I was expecting an American Monark (or Monarch, I forget). The BMX guys on Ebay sometimes have 7/8 seatposts in chomoly so us big tall guys don't bend them.