Unknown (to me) trike

[thom]

Here's a probably not very vintage, trike I picked up a few years ago. It came with two new tires & tubes installed, and a third matching tire & tube but was missing one rear rim & spokes. Fortunately the axle & hub were there. I just robbed a 24" rim from a junk 10 speed and laced it on. Anybody recognize the maker? There are no rivets on marks on the headtube. If there were markings it must have been a decal, since disappeared.

 

[rickpaulos]

Yours has many similar features as this Alco Villager 3. Perhaps a version from a different production year. I'd say the orange fork isn't oem. Looks like some cut/welded a new bb shell, perhaps to make the pedals reachable for a shorter person or to get more ground clearance for longer cranks. Late 1960s/ to early 1970s. That is "vintage". A www search finds some right here at rrb dot com that have been rebuilt. Looks like a good starter for a rat rod project. I've seen a few brands with that oversized seat with the 2 rear supports. Too much seat (and rider) for just a standard seat post clamp to hold securely.

 

[rickpaulos]

Done some more web searching. Alco was at 451 3rd St S.E Largo Flordia. That street doesn't seem to exist anymore. Maybe renamed to Central Park Drive. the address shows a big house. Perhaps that was the office for mail.

 

[thom]

Now that I know(?) what it is, I checked out other posts on here related. I read one saying these are rare. How can that be? What is considered rare?

 

[Captain Awesome]

Is there a serial number stamped anywhere on it?

 

[rickpaulos]

Rare doesn't always mean valuable or desirable. Some times it's just the opposite. Popular items long ago are in demand later on because older guys/gals have the money to buy what they wanted as kids. No one wants stuff they never heard of. There are countless cheap survivor bikes. Bike boom department store bikes are still junk, even in like new condition. The classic up right adult trike has always been a lousy design. Too upright and a high center of gravity and a poor ergonomic position makes them rather wobbly and unstable. Some of the chopped versions here at rrb look pretty good.