What do I have here???? TOPS tank bike?

[Drummerboy1975]

I have a very old TOPS by Tru-Test Marketing tank bike. Its a 26 inch. Can anyone tell me what I have here please? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[backpedaler]

lookin' like a prewar ? Monark - - :arrow:

 

[oldrider]

BackPedaler is very likely right, a pre war Monark. What happened back then was that hardware stores, tire shops, etc could order bikes from different manufacturers with their own headbadge as long as you ordered in quantity that is. Thus you see Firestone, GoodYear, Coast To Coast badged bikes. Yours is the very first Tops bike I've seen!

 

[Road Master]

I was wondering that with the peaked fenders could it be a Columbia?

 

[Rustinkerer]

Monark made a few different bikes for them, possibly 'General', I can't remeber offhand. But that's the same style badge as Monark's Rocket badge. -Adam

 

[roadmaster]

I gotta agree, definatly Monark. They made bikes for a few different companies. Cool find!

 

[outskirtscustoms]

All it needs now are some cream fat franks and a "Tops" Playing card cloths-pinned to the seat-stay :wink:

 

[Drummerboy1975]

Thanks guys. That's why I love this site!

Is there any way of dating the bike?

 

[outskirtscustoms]

Thanks guys. That's why I love this site!

Is there any way of dating the bike?

Buy it a dozen roses, talk real sweet, and open the garage door for it.....lol.
No seriously try looking through the old catalogs,

someone help me out with a link here I can't find it.

 

[masterpoop63]

what you got there is a girls bike its rusty probally worthless and you should send it to me jking just an old monark of course 8)

 

[Drummerboy1975]

So does anyone else have one of these or know the history of them? Id like to place a year on it.

 

[Rustinkerer]

So does anyone else have one of these or know the history of them? Id like to place a year on it.

There should be a metal plate on the BB, with a serial and model # stamped on it. The serial will usually be decodeable for the year. -Adam

 

[Drummerboy1975]

Sorry if I seem a little green, I'm still learning, but what's the BB?

And thank you so much for your help!

So does anyone else have one of these or know the history of them? Id like to place a year on it.

There should be a metal plate on the BB, with a serial and model # stamped on it. The serial will usually be decodeable for the year. -Adam

 

[oldrider]

BB is the bottom bracket

 

[outskirtscustoms]

BB is the bottom bracket

crank housing in laymen terms.

 

[Drummerboy1975]

Does anyone have a link to where I can cross reference the serial number?

 

[Drummerboy1975]

I just looked the bike over pretty well and can not find any numbers on it what so ever.

 

[Drummerboy1975]

I just found this.......

http://www.iclassifieds.com/forsale/spo ... cycle.html

1938 Tops Historical Bicycle for $1,000

Posted 2 months ago around Las Vegas, NV on craigslist
I have a 1938 TOPS BIKE! This was a test bike 1938 for BF Goodrich/ Good Year, used to test the new Synthect Rubber that was needed for the war effort "WW II" ! The US Government unoficially asked all Tire Co in 1937 to come up with a synthect rubber. Rubber was in short supply and great demand by all countries at that time. Who ever came up with a good durable inexspensive synthect rubber, would get the Contract with US. GoodYear Tire Co did and provided the US Armed Forces weth Airships, Tires for trucks, plains jeeps and many other products like Gas mask. Good Year provided all of the inflatabl fake tanks, air-plains, trucks, that fooled the Germans before D-day." The invasion of Normandy"! There was even a silent movie made after the war about the Russian Spys trying to steel the formula for synthect rubber from the US, that was how important and secret the project was! This bike has the original tires on it, witch have the chemical compound symbols on them for one of the synthect rubbers that were being tested at that time. We have done extensive research to back up this claim. Not one historical bike exspert that we have asked has any knoweledge of this bi ...

 

[Drummerboy1975]

Anyone else have any ideas? I can't find a serial number any where in this bike. Is that normal? I was told to look where a tag was riveted on the bottom on the crank but there's no holes where one was ever there. Nor are there any holes at the rear tire bracket.

 

[Drummerboy1975]

Guys I'm gonna bring this post back if thats ok. I would really like to get to the bottom of this bike. Now I know it's easy to simply say that this is an old Monark, big deal. But, theres one problem, this bike is all original and has no serial numbers on it any where. Thats seems aweful strange to me. So, if anyone can help me figure this thing out I would greatly appriciate it.