Information on age of this bike
 

I have an old Massey Silver Ribbon 355 girls bike. I know that Massey is the company that CCM sprang from and I am wondering if there might be input here on the age of the bike and any other information anyone may have on these bikes. It is in pretty good shape and everything works well on it. Any information or comments are appreciated.

The model 355 was a Massey Silver Ribbon Ladies' Roadster. I'm not sure exactly how long it was in production, but it was catalogued in 1918. The bicycle also appears to have the correct T-crank which was introduced in 1917. CCM continued to produce bicycles under the names of it's founding brands until at least 1941, possibly 1942. This is a CCM era product.

The chain guard, saddle and grips are obvious replacements. The handlebars appear to be brighter chrome, as opposed to the correct nickel plating for the era. The fenders/mudguards are also later replacements as they are a deeper drop, and the rear has a period incorrect white tail while lacking the holes for the period skirt guard.

The rear hub may be OEM. This model was introduced circa 1918 and was used through 1925. The brake arm was added circa 1924 but I bleive this could be retro fit.

What is the serial number of the frame?

Here's a link to the 1918 CCM catalogue which contains the Massey Silver Ribbon 355.

https://archive.org/stream/bicycleac...ge/n0/mode/2up

You may also want to try posting this on the forum at the Vintage CCM site. There are lots of CCM literate members over there.

http://vintageccm.com/forum

Thanks for all that good information. Here is the serial number. I believe it is 6195. I have tried to get on to the CCM Vintage site but you have to wait for someone to approve you and that seems to be a long time coming for some reason. I am going to have a look at that catalog. Thanks for the input.

I would have expected a longer serial number string. Is there anything on the seat lug? I know the webmaster of the Vintage CCM site quite well. I'll notify him that that you're awaiting approval.

It has been said before.....When it comes to bicycle information you are indeed the "FORCE" (source)! :thumb:
Ben

Thanks for going the extra mile and checking with VintageCCm for me. Upon closer inspection there is also a serial number directly under the seat on the seat post. I believe it is 73133. I included a shot of that too.

OK, I sent an e-mail to the Vintage CCM webmaster to let him know that there is a new member awaiting approval to open a thread. Hopefully, that greased the wheels.

The other thing that I can do, with the OP's permission, is open a thread on the Vintage CCM site under my account, provided he's willing to let me use his photos. Then he can take over, once he get's his membership approval.

That's more along the lines of what I was expecting. The lack of an alpha character, indicates it's pre-1921. Normally, we can narrow that down a bit, based on the head badge, which typically states near the bottom if it was built in Weston or Toronto. The Weston factory was opened on January 15, 1917. Unfortunately, I can't make out what was stamped on the bottom of the badge.

Weston

T-Mar absolutely you have permission to use my photos and post on the CCM site. I fully appreciate the effort.

I opened a thread on the Vintage CCM Bicycles sub-forum, under the title 'Massey 355'. There are handful of guys who are quite knowledgeable on this era and hopefully they'll comment.

A couple of responses have been posted at Vintage CCM. One member commented that it might be a replacement fork, so it would be appreciated if the OP could check if it has a single or triple plate crown. A photo would be appreciated.

Another member posted a picture showing the correct chain guard and pedals. It also shows the correct fenders with skirt guard. He also commented that wooden rims were standard. While this is true, steel rims were optional and appear to have been standard in some non-Canadian markets, such as Australia, where Massey had a significant presence even before they were part of CCM. So, I guess I should also ask the OP's location.

I know nothing about the bike, but I must say that the head badge is very nice - a ribbon badge on a Silver Ribbon.

I got a reply from the Vintage CCM webmaster saying there were no pending applications. He suggested the OP register again and that he would give it his immediate attention.

I am located in Canada on the west coast. Delta B.C.. Here is a pic of the crown and I will go and register again at Vintage CCm so I can check out the replies to the post that T-Mar set up on that site. Thanks guys.

The tires are pretty entertaining. They are by a company named "Million" and have on the sidewall that they are "canadian size " and to "inflate hard"

That original chain guard and skirt guard look like a whole different era.

That is a Cleveland fork as opposed to a Massey. Million was a Japanese tyre company. These look like their Roadster model tyres.

Lots of good information here. Hard to believe that someone would go to the trouble of repainting with pinstripes and so on but after having a look at that cool vintage catalouge you could buy everything in that era so maybe someone would spend the time needed. I got this bike for my neighbours daughter who wanted a "cool" old style bike. So the million dollar question is what do you think something like this worth? I'm not out to make massive profits or anything but I don't want to rip myself off either. I know the standard answer is ,"it's worth whatever someone is willing to pay" but I'm just looking for some type of ball park figure.

This was a premium grade bicycle circa 1918. I could see why someone would want to keep it running through the lean depression and WWII era. That would explain the modifications. However, the only pin stripes see are on the fenders and they are much more recent replacements based on both the style and lustre. I don't see a lot of effort, other that a steady stream of replacement parts.