As I was surfing through CL yesterday, I came across a rather intriguing ad for a girls Schwinn bicycle that was being offered along with a Hercules bicycle. The ad read:
For Sale:
Older Schwinn bike,
In decent shape
Buy the Schwinn and get the Hercules bike for free Hercules is a 3 speed
Both bikes need a little TLC
Of course, I was primarily interested in the Hercules, but if the price of admission meant taking a bike I'd either flip or give away, so be it! The Herc was free after all! Message sent. Message received from seller this AM and I'm taking a drive to PA.
As it turns out the rear hub has been replaced with a Shimano 3-speed at some point in its life and appears to have lead a somewhat rough life since the fenders are a little bent and scratched up. Overall, though given the bicycle appears to be a Pre-Raleigh model, I suppose it's not in too bad of shape for a 50 year old bike.
Can someone confirm that this is a Pre-Raleigh bicycle? Also, how can I determine the age of this bike? Does anyone know of a serial registry for Hercules bikes?
