OK, so here's what really happened.
I picked up this '41 Elgin frame last winter from forum member Pookie42. I'm constantly looking for old girls frames to try my convertible tanks on and this one looked very promising!
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Not long after I got the frame, I bought a '57 Schwinn Wasp and turned my attention to it instead of the Elgin because it was a complete bike. As the build off began to appear on the horizon I decided that I'd build the Elgin.
After researching all types of art deco references, I knew what I wanted and began gathering parts and making plans. I've had the Higgins skirt guards in my stash for years and never found a good fit for them. It didn't take more than holding one up to the frame to decide that this was it!
My plan from the beginning was to build a bike that could have been but never was. To achieve this I tried to make the parts naturally flow with each other and finished with paint that hopefully looks like old dull paint that has been compounded and waxed to look shiny again.
Like many other bikes here on RatRodBikes, there are parts from many different manufacturers and vintages and styles.
Many of the parts came from forum members including @Pookie42, @American Vintage Bicycle Supply, @The_Black_Monark, @Road Master, @Jarod24 and @KEMPRACING. Thank you!
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The build thread is HERE for anyone who's interested.
The Cliff Notes are as follows:
1941 Elgin girls frame
TRM Convertible Tank
CWC Shockmaster fork
Prewar Elgin triple step wheels
Schwalbe Fat Frank 26x2.35 tires
1930s/40s era Torrington art deco handlebar stem
Huffy middle weight handlebar
Foxgrips reproduction Airflo grips
prewar Diamond skip tooth chain
prewar Lazy Heart chain ring
Persons majestic tear drop pedals
Monark deep fenders
Huffy fenderettes
J.C. Higgins Colorflow skirt guards
CWC Western Flyer/Hiawatha chain guard
Prewar long spring saddle (customized)
lucky seven seat post
Colorflow fender brace/custom drop stand
custom deco fender braces
LED headlights and tail lights
Detail Photos:
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