Hi - I am trying to identify a bike. Chainwheel and front lamp bracket seem to point to an Elswick but the frame has a sloping top tube, sloping from the seat downwards to the front. I cannot find an Elswick like that anywhere although there is one very like it with a straight top tube. I'm guessing it could be 20s but not sure. It has 26 in wheels, rod brakes. One strange thing is that the right brake lever operated the rear brake. Did some vintage English bikes have that configuration of brake levers and if so when did this change to the 'normal' UK set up? I would post some photos but don't think I'm allowed to yet.
Many thanks,
Phil

Hi Phil,
In your own profile you can add an album with photo's. If you managed to post photo's in an album, let it know here and someone will add those pictures to this discussion.

Photo assist...

wow that was quick! I'm thinking now that it may be a 'war finish' machine as everything is painted black.

That bike gives a whole new meaning to "sloping top tube."

No help ID-ing but sweet bike!!

Up until the 1950's pretty much all bikes were painted black, so that doesn't give you much to go on. It could well be older.

Nice find, BTW.

I believe that he was talking about the parts that are normally chrome plated being black. That was a characteristic of World War II era bicycles.Eliminating the chrome reduced the reflectivity and consequently the visibility, while saving the chromium for the war effort. Of course, it could also be a case of repaint over rusty chrome.

No help here but great bike.

Hi - I mean that it's all black, handlebars and everything

The OG funny bike.

It may well have been different on your side of the pond, but here in Holland bicycles were black before WWII. Really black. Including rims, spokes, seat posts, bars, the lot.

The OP is from the UK. The pre and post war UK market British bicycles that I've seen, typically used chrome for the steel components.

Herer's an 1939 Elswick 24LR LIght Roadster with the sloping top tube. I've also. see it on a Humber Light Roadster from the same era but it had a proprietary chainwheel, whereas the the OP's bicycle and the Elswick appears to be a Williams pattern. If so, there should be a date code on the crankarm and/ot chainwheel.

Yes - that really looks like the bike doesn't it? I found photos of an Elswick light roadster but it had a straight top tube. I'm guessing my bike is a UK model as it has a brazed on lamp bracket on the right hand rear seat stay. Are there any more pictures where that one came from? I'm still intrigued by the brake levers being the 'wrong' way round for a UK bike. Do you know if UK bikes had that arrangement at some time in the past? Also do you know what period the bike you found was produced? I am really grateful or your efforts in tracking down the bike's identity.
Phil

I found the 1939 Elswick catalogue - no less than 49 different models. (Tried to give the link here but not allowed!)

I have now uncovered the frame number which is F152328 which according to a list I found at the onlinebicyclemuseum this number dates it to 1926 or 1950. I'm inclined to think it's 1926.

The fly in that ointment is that the Elswick serial number format typically uses the alpha character as a suffix, as opposed to a prefix.

The letter is actually above the numbers. I'll post a photo when I've reached my allocated number of posts!

I have found another photo of an Elswick number which is in the same format as mine - letter above numbers

Frame number on 1949 Elswick