I recently purchased a vintage bike off craigslist and I can't find a single other bike like it on the net. It is a Torpedo Werke AG made in Frankfurt Germany around 1956... I think. The back fender has holes on either side that have been strung to make a skirt. The front fender has an ornament on it (a wheel with wings that says torpedo.) The serial number is 1071698. It has a Raleigh crank and a Sturmey archer 3 speed internal gear shift which I assume were replacement parts. If anyone knows anything about these bicycles or their value I would really appreciate the help.


https://i859.photobucket.com/albums/a...Picture012.jpg
https://i859.photobucket.com/albums/a...Picture011.jpg

I also posted some more pics below...

there is a flaw in your pix links...no workie

I couldn't get the photos either.

If the bike has Raleigh and Sturmey Archer parts, they are no doubt replacements as you say; and this will have a negative effect on its value. And sadly old three-speeds do not command top dollar except in rare circumstances. Nonetheless, we love elegant old machines and I have a particular fascination with fender ornaments... so, please, try again on the photos!

Pics no workie.
copy The IMG then paste on your post.

Awesome!!! Another Torpedo!!!

I'm sure it would originally had come with a front spoon brake and a rear coaster brake, as old German bikes often did. Does yours have a Thompson style BB? What size are your tires?

I have a Torpedo-Werke men's bike and it looks to be of the same vintage as yours. I too have had no luck finding anything on the net except for a German website that said Torpedo also made typewriters and motorcycles at one time.

Mine originally was just the frame, fork, BB, chainwheel, and part of the headset. Everything else was missing.
I made due with various parts I had on hand.

What makes you believe it's from 1956? It could be older. Check the underside of the bottom bracket - mine says "Made in Germany - U.S. Zone". That dates it during the Allied Occupation immediately after WW2, which I think ended in 1949. Perhaps yours has that same stamping too.

Here’s some pix of my Frankentorpedowerke…

I am curious as to where you found the frame pump for the Torpedo. I'd kill a man for one and haven't been able to find one that fits the bike.

No offense to OP, but Mackerel, your bike set off my Awesome Detector!

It's actually the pump from my Raleigh Twenty. The pump is about an inch too short, so I made up for it with a clamp on pump-peg on the lower end of the seat tube.

Thanks. I've been searching for the original for weeks with no luck. I've got every bike shop in Buffalo keeping there eyes out for one, even if it's just one the right length. Good tip, though. I'll probably end up using it.

Thought some of you might like this Torpedo ad I found at a flea market many years ago:

And here's another ad...