1937 Elgin....

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Bendix

Bendix

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what to do....what to do....

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i was thinking bright color hot rod with a machine-turned panel until i saw somebody else's project here that was just too similar to what i had in mind :?




then i stumbled onto this pic at http://www.woodywagon.com while looking to see what wood tone folks used w/maroon paint. i DO like wood tank panels and patina, i DON'T especially like my own painting.... hmmm.....


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i had already built a wheelset- 24" thick brick rear 4x w/a shimano cb, 26" quick brick front radial.....


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and i guess we'll see where it goes from here........


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I love that wheel tire combo. What kind of rims are those? I'm looking for an aluminum rim with a nice shoulder like that.
 
Welcome to the Custom Elgin Klub!

Lovin the radial lacing on the wheels. Really sets them apart.

Can't wait to see what other tricks you got for this thing.

Joe
 
Pinche said:
I love that wheel tire combo. What kind of rims are those? I'm looking for an aluminum rim with a nice shoulder like that.
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they're just alex rims- dm24 or something like that (?) my only reason for using them is the fact that 1 rim and 1 tire were free- stuff we got from another, recently defunct, bike shop....so i only actually had to pay for 1 of each....
 
yeshoney said:
Welcome to the Custom Elgin Klub! Can't wait to see what other tricks you got for this thing...
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thanks! won't be many tricks though, it's going to be pretty minimal. getting some more chainstay clearance will be the most work and as usual the saddle will probably be the biggest expense :wink: a fellow on ebay did cut and list some thin pieces of maple for me to bid on at my request- i thought that was awfully nice of him :) this is going to be different for me- it's not a schwinn or a klunker. you guys are a bad influence :lol:
 
I enjoy ratrods and customs and I believe It is an owners right to take whatever course they choose with any bike they own.

As the question regarding what to do is being asked; my answer in this case would be to preserve the bike as-is and research it further before altering it.

This bike has been posted on the CABE and at this point in time it is the only known surviving example an Emblem Manufacturing Company built Elgin. Obviously if there was a supply contract between the two companies it is likely that several were produced and another may appear in due time. Still at this point in time it is probably 200 times as rare as an Elgin Bluebird.

Emblem Manufacturing was a company located in Angola New York. In their heyday they produced both bicycles and motorcycles and ended up owning the Pierce bicycle brand name, producing bicycles under that brand name and many others in the teens and twenties.

The company was one of many that were struggling during the depression in the early 30’s and their balloon tire models were produced in very small numbers and count among the rarest in today’s collector market.

Fortunately as-found pictures of this bike are now in the public domain proving to a reasonable degree that this Elgin variant was produced, something that may have been unknown to the Hobby before the posting. Just like the Dodo, historians often have nothing more than illustrations and photographs to study after something becomes extinct.

If this frame had something outstandingly unique about its overall design that would contribute to the end rat or custom project I could understand it as a reason to go in that direction with the bike. Since the differences are mainly down to tube joints and the curve of the fork it seems that the same aesthetic statement could be made with the standard Westfield produced Elgin frame which still exists today in the thousands.
 
I wouldn't mod it much either. Looked great as it was, maybe just the wheel swap (all the way back in the dropouts might not rub :| ) and put the sheet metal in storage.
 
all i know is if this bike has set off Phil's radar, might be best to look into what you got ... bike looks great so far though :mrgreen:
 
im also getn ready to start a 1930s elgin i will b posting pic tmr in fresh finds before i start the project goodluck with yours it lookn sweet :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:
 
history, schmistory..........

I'M KIDDING! no worries- it's not like i'm building a 'burrito' :mrgreen: the only loss to history will be a little 'squish' to the inside of a couple inches of the chainstays and perhaps 2 small brazed fittings. heck, i'll have them silver brazed so the temperature will even be lower for easy removal. all the leftovers are in a box :wink:

fwiw- there are only about 6 square inches of frame that haven't been repainted. the headlight is an obvious later addition. if the lube fittings were actually functional then neither the headset or crank is original since the fittings would only allow greasing of 2 giant empty spaces. the morrow rear hub and likely the entire wheelset since they match are from the 50's. i also doubt the seatpost with it's 16 inches of wildly bent insertion into the frame was original either :)

i do appreciate the preservation concerns, and my original inquiry on the cabe was simply mild curiousity about the date of the frame, and i am thankful for the responses. but since i'm not a classic bike collector a bike has to earn it's feed to remain in the stable. that means it has to be a solid rider, reflecting my tastes and interests. having said that, while this has not been intended as a 'phishing' expedition on my part, if somebody wants this bike for posterity more than i want another project i await their pm :D
 
The ante is upped on the frame. :wink:

The fun part of this hobby is finding out the unexpected or unknown.
 
deorman said:
Opinions are like bicycles, everybody here has one. :wink: Make a lamp with it if you want, it's your bike. :mrgreen:
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now where did i leave that sawzall........ :lol:
 
Soooo.....anybody wanna buy a wheelset...?

:wink:
 

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