And I’m not talking about dinner and a movie. My bike got ripped off last week, so I borrowed my girlfriend's to get to work. I ruined her bike when I went flying over the hood of a car. So I picked up an old used bike on Saturday. It's been a bad week for me and bikes, but I think my luck has just turned around. The bike I picked up is an old Hercules and I'm loving it more by the minute. I'm trying to figure out how old it is. It doesn't have an SA hub, so that little trick won't work. The hub says "Torpedo Dreigang", "Sachs" and has the number 36. It doesn't say it's made in England on it anywhere, so I'm guessing it's German-made. It's got fenders, a rack on the back, and a headlight that still works with the front tire generator (the rear light is out). Number on the frame where the rear wheel goes is 4254920. Anyone know when it was made? Or what years Hercules bikes were being built in Germany? I’ll try and post a pic when I get a chance.

That an't the Hercules company of England,that Raleigh took over---what you got is a hold different company.Try a search for hercules mo-peds or motorbikes or motorcycles---something along that line should tell you about the German Hercules Company---sam

O yea,Dreigang is german for 3 speed. 36 is the spoke count.

I think a lot of companies used Sachs hubs. I don't know the history, but I wouldn't be surprised to learn the bicycle was made here in the US.

Well, the rims say made in Germany on them, Sachs did make Hercules Bikes, and it's got some German stickers on it. So I'm thinking it's all German. That's good to know, but I'm still not any closer to dating this thing... I'll keep poking around I guess.