Department Store Bikes!

Rat Rod Bikes Bicycle Forum

Help Support Rat Rod Bikes Bicycle Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

Flying Zombie

~:Undead Forever:~
Joined
Oct 13, 2014
Messages
1,472
Reaction score
1,603
Location
Wiscanson
Rating - 100%
2   0   0
I see a Lot of SEARS and Otascos coming around this season.,
Got me thinkin. Did Macys or Dillards sell bikes and bike accessories?

What other Stores sold them?

Post Your Department Store badged Bikes here!
 
Although I have seen off brand bikes that had Private labels on them. Did Schwinn ever private label to a Department store? I don't think I have ever seen one. I have a Cadillac and Excaliber Schwinn, But not Department store names on them.
 
Schwinn sold frames for "private label" use, but I can't think of any that were dept stores. Of course, many BFGoodrich bikes were re-badged Schwinns. It seems like, if you really dig into it, a lot of small chains would have privately-badged bikes built up by big makers for their small-scale regional dept stores. Seems like those perplex folks when they're trying to ID some old bikes. Still, there weren't a whole lot of large-scale bike manufacturers around after WWII, and you can usually find tell-tale signs as to who built a bike from the details...
 
This is some good info! Dont forget to include any Department store Badged bikes you want to display!
 
Back in the day small chain hardware stores and dept stores would buy x amount of bikes from the major distributors. For example if you bought 500 or more bikes from schwinn they would even make a badge for that chain. I've seen badges for Ludwig wheels, island supply company and various Midwestern hardware stores and tire companies made by all the major distributors. Even in the early 30s hawthornes were badged as overland and sold outa overland cycle supply outa Chicago i believe. Bicycles are just like automobiles in the sense that if you buy a caddy its made by gm a Lincoln by ford etc etc.
 
These are some that come to mind
Sears = J C Higgins (I think Elgin too early on) and even Ted Williams for a while
KMart = All Pro
Western Auto = Western Flyer
Hibbards True Value Hardware = Hibbards
Harley Davidson = HD (made by Davis)
 
Funny you mntion Hawthorne, as Hawthorne was the badge for Montgomery Ward stores' bikes. Most Hawthornes were made by CWC or Snyder; some were made by Monark, and possibly other builders.... there was no Hawthorne bicycle factory- but Montgomery Ward must have had some design input, as some Hawthorne models were available exclusively as Hawthornes.

Back in the day small chain hardware stores and dept stores would buy x amount of bikes from the major distributors. For example if you bought 500 or more bikes from schwinn they would even make a badge for that chain. I've seen badges for Ludwig wheels, island supply company and various Midwestern hardware stores and tire companies made by all the major distributors. Even in the early 30s hawthornes were badged as overland and sold outa overland cycle supply outa Chicago i believe. Bicycles are just like automobiles in the sense that if you buy a caddy its made by gm a Lincoln by ford etc etc.
 
Funny you mntion Hawthorne, as Hawthorne was the badge for Montgomery Ward stores' bikes. Most Hawthornes were made by CWC or Snyder; some were made by Monark, and possibly other builders.... there was no Hawthorne bicycle factory- but Montgomery Ward must have had some design input, as some Hawthorne models were available exclusively as Hawthornes.
Since we are on the topic of Snyder built hawthornes was rollfast produced for any retail stores. I have a 34 rollfast and a 34 Hawthorne both are motobikes both made by Snyder and accessories both produced by d.p. Harris hardware and all parts are interchangeable. Was rollfast a main production bike for Snyder and marketed and sold exclusively through them?
 
AFAIK, Rollfast was just a line Snyder offered, and wasn't built for any one particular retailer. I suspect it was a bike shop/ independent retailer marque. I probably oughta do some research on it, though.
 
I have a early 70's flying Otasco. A little Work, shifter and brake cables and 3 spokes. Rides great again.
7eec631063f501087295d186ca36a128.jpg
2054822abdf7d8fbbc60d32a3fd5d6f5.jpg
4b3201a7821c739f7f6c68211bc0b2cb.jpg



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
I also have an early 70's Sears 3-speed made in Germany. The headbadge is worn but you can almost see made in Austria at the bottom. I was told the frame has Puch lugs.
78defb579179d54283f1fbfe226b6f49.jpg
8434b63a4133d52f98f06999c8b3966a.jpg
a7c405b79b32115b9570e5f877a04743.jpg
8e3ef9d7131de9f407456b39e11e7857.jpg
74cffe88582f2e804c4346a18c0097fb.jpg
bbde43ecf9b7d98239076b8568d67267.jpg
b436a1d44ace8ca4aeb14a6322925359.jpg



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
I also have an early 70's Sears 3-speed made in Germany. The headbadge is worn but you can almost see made in Austria at the bottom. I was told the frame has Puch lugs.
78defb579179d54283f1fbfe226b6f49.jpg
8434b63a4133d52f98f06999c8b3966a.jpg
a7c405b79b32115b9570e5f877a04743.jpg
8e3ef9d7131de9f407456b39e11e7857.jpg
74cffe88582f2e804c4346a18c0097fb.jpg
bbde43ecf9b7d98239076b8568d67267.jpg
b436a1d44ace8ca4aeb14a6322925359.jpg



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Love Otascos of any style, can I see the Badge?
I LOVE the last shot, with the Tags peeling off one another., GREAT detail
 
LOVE IT, Tony. Thank you for that. I collect the images of the badges and the pictures of the bikes to gain the largest source for Otasco. I currently have more in one place than anywhere else Ive found now.

[Self sourced: Ohio Mfg. company Lawerenceburg TN USA 07-76
Murray Built Bikes they sold Through Otasco for a time.Which Had its own verson of a Otasco Headbadge, and the Bikes Built FROM Otasco had the original Vintage style, Often lacing the "O" between the wings logo with the same color as the bike when sold on the floor.]

Otasco (Oklahoma Tire and Supply Company) was a retail chain specializing in auto parts and appliances based in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

It was first established in 1918 by three Jewish Lithuanian immigrant brothers, Sam (1898–1939), Maurice (1891–1970), and Herman (1889–1971) Sanditen, who opened the first Otasco store in Okmulgee. The company moved its headquarters to Tulsa in 1925.[1] The company based its business on offering its products on credit.[2] In 1960, the McCrory Corporation bought the company, while retaining the Sanditen brothers. In 1968, the chain had 455 units in 12 states. In 1984, the firm's employees bought the company from McCrory, creating one of the largest employee-owned companies in America.[1] In 1988, the retail chain filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy which resulted in the closing of 170 stores across 11 states and the loss of 1,600 jobs.[3]
Currently, an Otasco store is documented as a member of the Beaver, Oklahoma Chamber of Commerce.[4] Borger, Texas still has a store operating under the Otasco name in 2012.[5]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Otasco

[If you'd like I have photos of a number of variations and even the at the time current store in McGeHee, Arkansas]

I got a little obsessed when I found out about my first, a '69 Step-through.

Jordan/Zombie
 
I bought these two 3-speeds from a guy in Stillwater Oklahoma. The home of OSU, the students had to register their bikes. Seems crazy to me. I'd like to see those badges for sure.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

Latest posts

Back
Top