Good Afternoon,

This is my first post in this community and with it I am hoping to fill a gap in my research as to the origin of a bicycle I recently purchased.

On a lark I recently purchased an antique bicycle from a local man who had placed an ad on craigslist. In attempting to research the manufacturer I have hit something of a brick wall.

the bike, bearing the brand name "Stricker" appears, according to an emblem on the bike, to have been made by E&P Stricker of Bielefeld, Germany. I can find very little information on this manufacturer.

Bielefeld is a medium sized city in Germany, located in the North Rhine-Westphalia region, and is the home of a few noted industries and historic sites. According to its own municipal history entry on the official city website, Bielefeld suffered heavy damage during the Allied strategic bombing campaign towards the end of World War II.

The Bicycle I own appears to be a post war model (as it matches an advertisement from 1954 for the model 94-95 linked from the personal blog of one Herr Stricker, who claims no relationship to the factory founders). The only variation between mine, and the information on Herr Stricker's website, is the bell lacks the Stricker stamp on it, the dynamo that powers the lights is a Bosch product--the pictured ones bear the Stricker stamp, and it is missing a satchel that fits beneath the seat connected to the frame.

I have exhausted all of my available methods at the university I attend to acquire information (WorldCat, EBSCO, and the like) and have resorted to seeking the assistance of one of my instructors, who is a military historian, in attempts to uncover additional records about the manufacturer (as they pertain to the rebuilding of the German industrial base following the war).

Any information that anyone can offer would be greatly appreciated especially as it pertains to:

1. This manufacturer and their relationship to Durkopp (both manufacturers were located in Bielefeld and the bike looks strikingly similar to the Durkopp bikes)
2. Any resource for obtaining a manufacture date based on a serial number
3. The relative quality of this bike (I have found it to be a fine machine, but am curious how it stood against its competitors in its day)
4. and lastly, how well represented in North America these bicycles are.

I will edit this post with a link to an image gallery of my particular bike if it will help.

thank you for your patience with my long winded post, and for any information you can offer

I don't know anything about that bike, but it may help others if you can give information about components. Sometimes, information can be gathered from such pieces. For example, the date codes on Sturmey Archer hubs can give an idea of the age of a bike, assuming the hub is original to said bike.

I see, that seems to be very sound advice.
I am a total neophyte when it comes to antique bikes, I purchased this one on a lark, largely because I was fascinated by some of its more unusual qualities

One think that has previously been commented on by those who have seen it, is the hub (I am hoping that I am using the correct term here, as I am also new to cycling in general) on the rear wheel; I have heard that it is similar to a style used by Schwinn, but that may be less than reliable information. I have attached a photo of it (forgive my sub-par photography)