I may be picking this up Monday. The frame looks CWC to me, but the sprocket and stem look like Monarch. Anyone have a good idea what this bike is?
CWC?
- Thread starter Wildcat
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The CWC Sprocket with that design is perfectly flat both sides whereas the Monark is "cupped?" like a Schwinn. Nice 3 gill frame score! Robert
Thanks! What does 3 gill mean? Gills like on fish?
Wildcat said:
Cleveland Welding produced many different frames and they have been generally "bundled" into groups by modern collectors based on which "family" of tanks they used. The shape of the tank opening on this frame places it with the "3-Gill" family. 3-Gill tanks have three long louvers (gill like, except they run horizontally instead of vertically.) stamped into the front of the tank. (Another confusing point is that there are other CWC tanks that have 3 louvers but are not "3-Gill tanks.")
3-Gill tanks and the frames that they fit were produced by CWC between 1938 and 1956. While any of the 3-Gill tanks will physically fit on any of the 3-Gill frames, both the tanks and frames were changed from year to year so a "factory correct" build requires finding the right tank for the frame date.
And, while these frames have been generically named by collectors for the tank that fits them, well more that half the 3-Gills produced were originally sold as unequipped models and left the factory tank-less.
Good info! I just picked it up. I used an old trick I read about here, I looked in antiques on CL instead of bikes, and this was there. Serial number J96003. I wonder what year. Skip tooth and dogleg crank. I think the front wheel might be original, but the spokes are rusted through. The rear wheel looks like the sprocket was standard and ground down to make it skip tooth. The brown paint is all that's on there, it went right to bare metal when I checked for the serial number, no primer or anything.
Since it's not all original, I'll probably rat it out. The front hub is chrome and says New Departure D, the rear hub is a gray finish and says Bendix Elmira NY 36. I thought the spokes were ok, but they are bad like the front wheel. I wonder which one is an original wheel?
I took the fenders and wheels off and tried a pair of 24 x 3s on it just for fun. Made it look like a 20" bike.
I took the fenders and wheels off and tried a pair of 24 x 3s on it just for fun. Made it look like a 20" bike.
The word Bendix on the hub shell is in block letters
1946/47 is good for the date. The serial number places the likely build date in late 1946 so the bike could be considered an early 47 model. These "J" bikes are also the first 3-Gills to adopt the deep curved down tube of the new Luxury Liner frames ofver the shallow curve of the prewar and early postwar 3-Gills.
Not that it matters as to what you choose to do with the bike but it actually is quite original.
Excepting the grips and the rear wheel (and perhaps the bars?) the bike is probably as it left the factory, plus a dollop of patina. Most of these bikes produced at that time were not tank and rack equipped and the double rear fender braces show that this was produced as an unequipped model.
The fender and the chain guard are correct as is the stem (which is not rare but a bit hard to find when you need one.)
Regarding the wheels; based on the date of the bike, it would have used painted drop center rims so I believe the front wheel is also original to this bike. In late 47/early 48 CWC started using a proprietary rectangular section rim on their bicycles which is notable for a small fluted indent rolled into the shoulder of the rim between the top and sides (as depicted in the photo by Ratina.) but those rims are later than this bike.
Wildcat said:
Not that it matters as to what you choose to do with the bike but it actually is quite original.
Excepting the grips and the rear wheel (and perhaps the bars?) the bike is probably as it left the factory, plus a dollop of patina. Most of these bikes produced at that time were not tank and rack equipped and the double rear fender braces show that this was produced as an unequipped model.
The fender and the chain guard are correct as is the stem (which is not rare but a bit hard to find when you need one.)
Regarding the wheels; based on the date of the bike, it would have used painted drop center rims so I believe the front wheel is also original to this bike. In late 47/early 48 CWC started using a proprietary rectangular section rim on their bicycles which is notable for a small fluted indent rolled into the shoulder of the rim between the top and sides (as depicted in the photo by Ratina.) but those rims are later than this bike.
More good info. Thanks!
I'll probably get it running well and keep it as is. I noticed the paint on the frame is just a thick layer of brown over bare metal. There's no way that's original, is it? I looked closer and some one must have taken everything down to bare metal, then painted it brown. I'll pull the forks and see if there's original paint on the tube. Here's the front rim:
I'll probably get it running well and keep it as is. I noticed the paint on the frame is just a thick layer of brown over bare metal. There's no way that's original, is it? I looked closer and some one must have taken everything down to bare metal, then painted it brown. I'll pull the forks and see if there's original paint on the tube. Here's the front rim:
An old thread, but I wonder if it could be original paint even though it's not showing any primer under the brown?
My bike looks brown like that. seems like same bike aswell. but it is brown now because the "aged" look. under the chainguard brace I seen the real color. like a cherry red. I could take some more pictures of mine if you want.
