More info about this Hiawatha?
08-31-13, 05:36 PM
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More info about this Hiawatha?
I bought this bike from a friend last year and just got around to getting it ready to ride.. but what is it? All I know is that it's a REALLY old Hiawatha. The only "restoration" I've done to it is getting new tires and pedals. Can anyone give me more info? See attached photos.
08-31-13, 05:47 PM
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Very cool bike! There appears to be numbers on the head badge - some of which are illegible in the photo. Can you provide those numbers as well as the numbers located on the underside of the bottom bracket shell? My guess is late 40's without knowing the serial number.
08-31-13, 06:26 PM
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There doesn't seem to be any reliable Hiawatha serial number database, so dating it to the year is going to be a little tougher. The bike was made sometime in the late 40's or early 50's. I know that Murray made skiptooth bikes until around 1955, so it's definitely earlier than that. The bike should be equipped with a bendix hub - I don't know too much about dating them, but if there are any markings on it, there may be someone here who can help you narrow down the date of manufacturer even further.
I took this from the interweb in case you've not come across this tidbit: "Hiawatha brand bicycles were sold by Gambles Hardware stores from the 1930′s through the 1970′s. Most Hiawatha bicycles were manufactured by the Cleveland Welding Company or the Shelby Cycle Company, however some were made by Murray Ohio and Huffman Manufacturing."
Hope that helps a little bit!
I took this from the interweb in case you've not come across this tidbit: "Hiawatha brand bicycles were sold by Gambles Hardware stores from the 1930′s through the 1970′s. Most Hiawatha bicycles were manufactured by the Cleveland Welding Company or the Shelby Cycle Company, however some were made by Murray Ohio and Huffman Manufacturing."
Hope that helps a little bit!
08-31-13, 06:36 PM
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It does have a Bendix logo now that you mention it. You can kind of see it in the first picture, by the back tire. I obviously know nothing about bikes so I appreciate your help!
08-31-13, 06:45 PM
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I used to own one very similar to yours. Mine was 1957 (I'll try to post a pic later.), but I think yours might be a bit older.
08-31-13, 07:23 PM
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Here's an interesting thread on Cleveland Welding serial numbers;
https://thecabe.com/vbulletin/showthr...ng-S-N-Project
Note the lady's frame on page two. It has that same nearly horizontal small tube between the main tubes. There's another two on page five. I vote Cleveland Welding. Serial number seems to have the same format.
When you're done looking at that, try over at www.ratrodbikes.com. Also try a Google image search for Roadmaster bicycles. Roadmaster was CW's main house brand.
https://thecabe.com/vbulletin/showthr...ng-S-N-Project
Note the lady's frame on page two. It has that same nearly horizontal small tube between the main tubes. There's another two on page five. I vote Cleveland Welding. Serial number seems to have the same format.
When you're done looking at that, try over at www.ratrodbikes.com. Also try a Google image search for Roadmaster bicycles. Roadmaster was CW's main house brand.
08-31-13, 07:31 PM
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BTW, those are my Roadmasters on page six, followed by a very nice explanation of how things seem to have worked (not written by me). I need to read the rest of that thread. That's about the last time I looked at it.
08-31-13, 08:26 PM
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I remember Hiawatha bikes being sold by MacLeod's Hardware stores in western Canada during the 1960's & 70's.
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