Early Track Bike?

[RustyGold]

Not that anyone else got stuck in this rabbit hole...but, the fork, at least, is definitely not Davis/Dayton-built...nor do I think it is a Shelby fork.

This, however, is a 'Shelby-built Davis'...note the sweetheart chainring with drive pin in heart and triangles instead of later Shelby teardrops...

I think I'm just muddying things up. Close up pics of dropouts, chainstay, seatstay, and tubing joints may help.

Was there any serial under the bottom bracket?

 

[us56456712]

Not that anyone else got stuck in this rabbit hole...but, the fork, at least, is definitely not Davis/Dayton-built...nor do I think it is a Shelby fork.

This, however, is a 'Shelby-built Davis'...note the sweetheart chainring with drive pin in heart and triangles instead of later Shelby teardrops...
View attachment 88676

I think I'm just muddying things up. Close up pics of dropouts, chainstay, seatstay, and tubing joints may help.

Was there any serial under the bottom bracket?[/QUOTE

No serial # anywhere that I can see. The paint is mostly gone or very thin. I scraped paint off on the bottom bracket but nothing. It's going into a phosphoric acid bath so maybe that will show something. Only light surface rust so I doubt it's got a #.

 

[us56456712]

Pictures of frame

 

[us56456712]

I decided to paint it as all that remained of the original paint was rust. I acid dipped it and the fork was nickel plated. Its all flaking off as it did on the rest of the nickel plated parts. I hope this helps?

 

[us56456712]

Not that anyone else got stuck in this rabbit hole...but, the fork, at least, is definitely not Davis/Dayton-built...nor do I think it is a Shelby fork.

This, however, is a 'Shelby-built Davis'...note the sweetheart chainring with drive pin in heart and triangles instead of later Shelby teardrops...
View attachment 88676

I think I'm just muddying things up. Close up pics of dropouts, chainstay, seatstay, and tubing joints may help.

Was there any serial under the bottom bracket?

I think that's it.

 

[us56456712]

Wow! the crank bearings are righty thighty both sides. Is that because it has a fixed gear? French bikes had cranks like that but I thought that was because they wanted them to tighten up when they were riding in reverse retreating? The pedals are righty thighty, righty loosely so that's OK. One of the crank bearing races on the crank was cracked and separated all the way to the threads on one side so I think someone turned it wrong and broke it installing it. It was ridden like that for who knows how long. The treads are a little messed but still work. The crank bearings and cups are different inside but the diameter is the same as modern ones so those will be replaced as they are worn out. The headset is OK. I hope I can use the original crank.

 

[Phil Fink]

Most manufacturers had a racing-style diamond frame without coater brakes; not sure about track stuff though.
I can't see things from the pictures, is it a blue bike like "Yale" or the more common black?

Close up pics may help. Was there any serial under the bottom bracket?

Davis fork # 66 of many (?).

Davis did supply parts to others, some designs and products from companies they acquired like Consolidated, National and Snell.
What are the current suspect manufacturers, Davis, Miami, Great Western, Excelsior MCI, Pierce/Emblem?

The one above has the crank that's worked on from the bottom of the bottom bracket.

I'd like to see that!

There is no head badge.

Any holes for a gone missing head badge?

 

[Phil Fink]

A picture of bike with similar sprocket from "The Bicycle World and Motorcycle Review" April 28, 1914, (page 60).

A motorbike model, but a similar chain ring.

 

[pedal4416]

I had a Miami built (so I was told) bike with the similar sprocket. Here is a Pritzlaff bike with similar features and a link to my old bike on the cabe. They’re not 100% like your bike but hopefully it’ll get you on the right trail.
http://collection.rydjor.com/bikecollection/1922jp.htm

https://thecabe.com/forum/threads/1...orbike-28-wheeled-frame-fork-and-crank.38190/

 

[us56456712]

Most manufacturers had a racing-style diamond frame without coater brakes; not sure about track stuff though.
I can't see things from the pictures, is it a blue bike like "Yale" or the more common black?


Davis fork # 66 of many (?).
View attachment 90319
Davis did supply parts to others, some designs and products from companies they acquired like Consolidated, National and Snell.
What are the current suspect manufacturers, Davis, Miami, Great Western, Excelsior MCI, Pierce/Emblem?


I'd like to see that!


Any holes for a gone missing head badge?

There is a photo of an 1898 to 1901 Iver J Track bike on the net that has the same bars, and wood grips. It also has the same style of dropouts. It's not an Iver but looks similar. My fork looks like the one you posted. There are holes side by side, not up and down for the head badge. The wood wheels are being slowly massaged back together and are coming along nicely, with new spokes, nipples and washers. The bearing adjustments on the hubs are pitted so they will have to be run a little loose, at least until the gauling is smoothed out. There are new bearings in the hubs. It's a fixed gear. The crank bearings and races are a combo of old and new stuff as I could not get all new stuff to fit. It's in pretty good shape overall. The bars had holes rusted through on one side so they are wrapped in 3 layers of carbon fiber. The saddle was a well broken in old Brooks but I replaced it with a new Persons number 77 race. I'm breaking in the Persons saddle on another bike and have 100 miles on it. The pedals are 1940s 9/16 track units with adaptors. Nice pedals that look as crusty as the bike but work extremely well. They look pretty good, but are more of a flat than a rat trap. I hope to be riding it in the next 2 months, unless I have to buy new wood rims. I think the rims will be OK, but you never know until it's done. Truing wood wheels takes time as they have to be adjusted slowly and move overnight when you manipulate them. They have been trued and all the spokes loosened and trued again twice. Initially the wood rims were zip tied to true rimes in a sandwich and tossed out in a very cold snow bank. They were left zip tied for 5 days and then spoked. It's been a slow process. Almost all the nickel plating has pealed off like the parts were covered in aluminum foil. Phosphoric acid and a drying oil is the finish.

 

[Karate Chicken Industries]

Luxlow has a Schwinn track bike from the 1930s...

They have a lot of cool things and seem like a great bunch.