- Joined
- Jan 28, 2012
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- 427
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So anyone who's into antique balloon tired bikes is familiar with the beautiful and dramatic offerings from Elgin in the mid 1930's. The Bluebird, Blackhawk/Falcon, Robin, and Skylark are the pinnacles of bicycle styling and today command prices that only the deep pocketed collectors can afford. But there is one other bike in the Elgin lineup from that time period that has great lines, but does not get respect it deserves. In my opinion the Elgin Oriole, with it's unique frame design, is one of the most under rated bikes in the world of bicycle collecting. I'll admit that its lack of status is understandable given that it was offered as a base model without any of the frills of it's big brothers. But what if that wasn't the original intention of the Elgin designers? What if the original concept of the Oriole was something much grander, with all the whistles and bells of its contemporaries? What if there had been a prototype created that was deemed too expensive to produce by the bean counters at Sears and so it was scraped in favor of the stripped down version? And what if that prototype were to surface in barn in Maine this summer? What would it look like? This is my thesis for this build off. About 2 years ago I contacted the owner of this bike and made him a fair offer that he graciously accepted. I was planning to build it up for last years build off but it didn't happen. So now I've had two years to ponder what to do with this frame, and now I've got a pile of carefully selected parts and a vivid plan for it. If I can find the time to create the bike that is in my head, this one is going to be a contender. Stay tuned. -Chris
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