1896 Pierce
 

This bike was built by George M. Pierce of Buffalo NY. He got into making cars later.

Pierce Arrow.

I am fixing this up for a local museum. It's missing some pedal hardware but otherwise complete. Those rubber things on the frame are c 1900 also.

The fella that owned this bike originally used to ride it to school at the Black River academy in Ludlow VT. His family donated the bike to the school when it became a museum. Please enjoy.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7031/6...45c2151c26.jpg
29 115 by barnstormerbikes, on Flickr

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7156/6...53ac7e47e1.jpg
29 120 by barnstormerbikes, on Flickr

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29 121 by barnstormerbikes, on Flickr

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7142/6...78cabb875c.jpg
29 122 by barnstormerbikes, on Flickr

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7022/6...717f017205.jpg
29 123 by barnstormerbikes, on Flickr

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7004/6...e1cd458ab1.jpg
29 116 by barnstormerbikes, on Flickr

Pretty cool Frank. Just shows that the basic design of the double diamond frame hasnt changed much over the century, has it.

I think it's pretty light for something with solid steel cranks and a grease drum hub. Around 30 lbs.

That is an amazing piece of history. It reminds me of a bike I saw in the St. Louis History Museum.
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h5..._1616493_n.jpg
The one I saw is not in nearly as wonderful condition.

Frank, I remember you mentioning that bike when we talked this past weekend. That is an incredibly cool machine, and the bike has very nice details to say the least. The pedals are pieces of art, but the saddle is especially intriguing.

What will you be doing to the bike? Just some general cleanup and tuning?

Wow, that's cool. I see from the Flickr gallery that the bike actually has handlebars (plural) and not just a single handlebar. I always wondered why we pluralize handlebars when they are almost always one bar.

What are the rubber bumpers for?

That's a classy ride. I didn't knew Pierce made bikes, cool!

Very good point about the handlebars on that bike. I hadn't noticed that detail, though I had noticed one seemed much lower in relation to the other and just figured it was bent or something.

To your other point, I have three bikes with handlebars. All the rest have a handlebar (about 30 or so).

Nice block chain... seats in good shape... badass headbadge... is that an atherton hub?

Not to take away at all from this example but Pierce at this time was a big proponent of the chainless bevel gear.

I'm getting closer and closer to giving up on finding a bar/stem for my old boardtrack racer, I'll come a knocking when i cave and decide i wanna chat about having you make something up.

Oh and it still has tires that look like tires!

'96 isn't old enough to be considered vintage. Give it a few years.


:D

Nicely kept example - reminds me of the Tribune (or Fenton - the CABE fellows weren't sure) I worked on in June of this year. Last I heard it might be headed for the 2012 Copake auction. (Not my bike/no relation to seller):

http://www.kurtkaminer.com/1900_ferrierfork_1.jpg

-Kurt

Very very cool. It is especially interesting that the seat appears to have an anatomy-friendly contour. Who knew the idea was so old?

Saddles were the biggest area of experimentation in the boneshaker era... go figure :). Every cycling magazine from back then is filled to the max with ads for saddles, all subscribed by doctors and race winners.

Will you be riding this back to the museum? :)

From the Smithsonian Air and Space museum's Wright Bros exhibit....
 

I just took this last week and was looking for an excuse to post it.:o

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=230310

Can't recall why I didn't get the drive side.

Really cool, Frank. I didn't expect to see such an elegant pedal. Those pedals look like they could have been from a 1950s French bike. The saddle looks to be in remarkable condition for its age. Almost reminds me of the old, padded baseball gloves. The original owner must have taken good care of that machine. Thanks for sharing!

I wonder if this has anything to do with the quality of roads at the time.

Those saddles were known as "hygienic" for some reason. The hub is a Morrow. I think this bike is just getting some basic repairs and clean-up and some corrosion protection. I am sure this bike could be ridden but I am sure not going to suggest such a thing. The handlebar is a "Fredrick adjustable" the cranks are Fauber (I suspect), the rubber things are known as "buffers" and are placed where frame damage might occur.

I don't know what pedals this bike has but these are the ones on my Nashua 1898.

Eric, did I mention I knew where one of those stems is hiding? Ill shoot ya a PM.

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5148/5...7ac00d920e.jpg
1890's pedal by barnstormerbikes, on Flickr

I've been looking for a reason to post these pics. I went to a local vintage motorcycle show and while touring the museum the show was at I stumbled across these two Pierce bicycles.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-o...2/P1010620.JPG

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-B...2/P1010619.JPG

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-o...2/P1010623.JPG

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-K...2/P1010622.JPG

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-l...2/P1010618.JPG

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-V...2/P1010616.JPG

That is very cool. I really like the oiler in the center of the pedal. Nice touch. You can tell that they put a lot of thought into what they were doing with a lot of these old machines from a maintenance and longevity standpoint. I guess I really should have taken a much closer look at your Nashua after all. That'll teach me! ;)

Wow, same head badge.. it's giving me goose bumps!

It's a bit tough to see, buried in old bikes.

$50.00 for a bike was a lot of money back in 1905. For that kind of cash, one could have bought 416 pounds of bacon! (And what's a better historical index than bacon?)

1902 Pierce Special Pan American Fully Cushioned
 

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1905 Pierce Special
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...ab5979226.jpeg
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Fabulous bikes!

Brent

Pierce has Kelly Bars
 

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