'38 Excelsior and S-4 wheelset w/Union Hubs

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Ever have stuff you thought you'd never own just kinda fall into your lap? It just happened to me this week! I have a friend with a Hornet that has a New Departure 2-speed, and I LOVE that thing.. after checking out prices, I simply accepted that I'd likely not own one of those setups. Same story with with a front and rear Union Drum setup.. PLENTY of other things too, but this was the week for both of those parts, and more, to come my way, on the cheap.

First is a '38 Excelsior. The paint is mostly original, but someone (long ago) repainted the white parts (with a brush) and outlined them with a crude black stripe.. pretty rough. I'll hopefully have luck getting the bulk of it back off, without messing up the original maroon paint. The front drum is a high flange Schwinn hub and is totally sweet... needs a little work, but it looks so cool. The New Departure 2-speed shifts like butter.. I can't believe how nicely those shift! Super straight wheels, and a sweet set of mismatched vintage tire that look super cool. I hope to find the proper seat eventually, and I'm going to swap out the bars soon.. the bars on it aren't very nice to ride. That's about all I'll do to this thing, other than fixing the drum and paint, and riding the livin' heck out of it!

4575455515_20ef84332c_o.jpg



Next is an S-4 wheelset from a Tandem, purchased from the same guy.. Union drums, front and rear! I'll mount these to something else, likely... my understanding is that tires for S-4's aren't very easy to come by. I've read somewhere that 650b tires will work, but I don't have any to try. The wheels are in pretty sweet shape, so if anyone has the answer on S-4 tires, I'd love to know.

4576088738_1196414686_o.jpg
 
thirstee said:
:shock: Nice score! I would go to the casino or buy some lottery tix!

Or post a want ad for an Aerocycle! :mrgreen:

Beautiful stuff. PS, a good simple green soak is harmless to factory paint but works wonders at removing cruddy, unprepared housepaint...

Just use a stronger than reccomended concentration (I always wing it), and let the frame soak (preferably fully submersed, but that is a bit tough) and I think you'll be amazed. Brushed/housepaint comes off in a sludgy film and the factory paint shines nice right out of the simple green. It's also effortless, eco friendly, and non caustic :wink:
 
Hmm.. not bad suggestions at all.. I haven't bought a lottery ticket in years, and an Aerocycle would really hit the spot! :lol:

Thanks for the tip, Unchained.. that will come in handy for some other projects I have going, but this paint really looks like enamel. Maybe it's a glossy oil-based paint of some sort. I'll give it a go, but it's definitely not like the house paint I've seen on a few other bikes I've purchased. Will definitely use the Simple green whenever I can, that's great to know.

I've read on here and elsewhere about people having good luck using oven cleaner to remove newer layers of paint, while leaving the original intact.. any info on that, or other tips and tricks for re-paint removal would be totally appreciated.
 
jiminyshiznit said:
Hmm.. not bad suggestions at all.. I haven't bought a lottery ticket in years, and an Aerocycle would really hit the spot! :lol:

Thanks for the tip, Unchained.. that will come in handy for some other projects I have going, but this paint really looks like enamel. Maybe it's a glossy oil-based paint of some sort. I'll give it a go, but it's definitely not like the house paint I've seen on a few other bikes I've purchased. Will definitely use the Simple green whenever I can, that's great to know.

I've read on here and elsewhere about people having good luck using oven cleaner to remove newer layers of paint, while leaving the original intact.. any info on that, or other tips and tricks for re-paint removal would be totally appreciated.

I was under the impression that oven cleaner is kind of time sensitive (can be harmful if left too long?) but I've never used it and don't know much about it, so I really can't say for sure.
 
Should be good to go with 650b tires if you choose. They make some road and Mountain tires new for them. Can be expensive. From Sheldon Brown
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/tire_sizing.html
26 x 1 1/2 (650B) 584 mm French utility, tandem and loaded-touring bikes, a very few Raleigh (U.S.) & Schwinn (S-4) mountain bikes

How did you date the Excelsior?
 
Cool, thanks for the verification on the 650b tires.. I'll look into what's available.

I haven't verified the date on the bike, but that's what it was sold to me as.. the guy seemed confident it was a '38. I guess I should hustle up the SN and see if I can get confirmation on that.
 
Good to know, thanks guys. That's actually a question I meant to ask at the top of the thread. I was suspect of the year, until he named his price... I'd have almost paid double for the wheel set and shifter than I paid for the whole bike, so I quickly handed over the asking price and rode away. He's a super good guy, so I'm sure he was certain it was a '38, and not trying to pull one over on me.. easy to do, though. :lol:

SN on the frame is C12178, if that helps anyone give me a positive date.. I can't find a solid chart that dates before '59. I think I remember reading about lost records for the early stuff.. fire or something, right? I did find a site that confirms 1938 as the first year of the cantilever frame, but that's as far as I've gotten.
 
The bit more reading I've found on serial numbers talks about the actual letter spacing, size and straightness of the characters, so here's a pic to add to the mix..

4997425007_8a7ff5bbfd_o.jpg


Also wondering, if this is a later 40's frame, is it likely that the badge is from a different bike, or did they make Excelsiors through the 40's?
 
Probably between World War 2 and 1948. Serial numbers prior to 1948 were lost in a fire. There should a year on the crank when you pull it.
 
Thanks for the continued help, guys.. so, the other thing this bike has that's a first for me, is a tapered kickstand.. don't know if that helps narrow down the year.
Also want to know the range of years for Excelsiors.. having a hard time finding that info, too.

My "score" is unraveling! :lol: ... actually not at all.. it's still by far the neatest bunch of parts I've found on a bike in this price range. And, as it's turning out to be a pieced-together bike, I won't feel bad at all about using them elsewhere, if needed.
 
I bet that bike is not as pieced together as you think. The seat is obvious mismatch but the other parts may of been dealer options. The front forebrakes bring good $$$ too.
 
Perfect! So, does this appear to be a fairly accurate '46 Excelsior, then? I'm still unclear about how long Excelsiors were made. I know the truss rods are wrong, as well as the seat. Not sure about the rest.

Best site ever.. thanks again, guys!
 

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