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vintage pierce chain drive questions

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Cairnpath

'Lil Knee Scuffer
Okay I still have no pictures for you but should have some poor phone pictures soon. I picked this bike up from my Father who found it in a garage sale many years ago. It is not original nor complete but I will leave it to you experts to let me know better what I have.

I am also not fishing for offers as this is not for sale right now ..... I do like the bike this is why I joined here instead of putting it up on eBay.

The good
well it has suspension at both ends and they seem to work, I remember when first getting it bouncing up and down it worked surprisingly well for a 100ish year old bike.

The bad
Someone had stripped the bike and tried to rattle can it, no decals and poor paint.
missing chain
seat is tired and cracked
missing some hardware and rear fender. I sort of remember this being with it at some point but I was not able to lay a hand on it last night. I will have to look as the front badge has gone missing as well and I am pretty sure it was also there.
Not sure what should be on the bike for wheels but they probably are not right.


So my questions are what do I do?
1. try and restore the bike, strip and paint. try and find correct time period missing parts.

2. leave it as is and just keep it as a curio in somewhat rough shape.

3. fix it and enjoy it for what it is

4. sell it and move on.

I am leaning more towards 1 or 3 as it has already been botched as far as being 100% original so if I can get it closer to where it should have been then It might be more appealing and could be used.
Is there a good reason to not ride the bike?

#2 is pretty much what i have now and It is an interesting wall hanger but I would prefer it to be looking better or more useable.

#4 is a last resort if I cannot do #1 or 3 and get sick of #2. I would prefer it went to someone who wanted it for what it is rather someone looking to flip it to make a buck. As I said selling is NOT the first option but the last. If I get to that point then I will entertain offers or send it off to eBay/auction.

Yes.....yes pictures will be posted as soon as I figure out how to get them off my phone and onto this site.
 
Is it a boys or girls bike? It may never have had any decals depending on year although if it had fenders I'm thinking maybe it did and pinstripes. Should probably be a wood rimmed bike with hubs determined by year. I'd say post up some pics so we can give you an idea what you are in for as far as parts/time/money. As far as riding it--that is what they were meant for! I ride mine. V/r Shawn

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Freqman1
I would call it a boys bike as it does have a straight top tube.
rims are metal and look newer than the rest of the bike so I would assume I would start hunting down some wood rims (reproductions?) or at least some early proper wheels closer to the time period.

One of the pictures I have of the rear hub says " departure model C made in USA" so i am not sure what that belongs to.
Mine does look to be a similar model to the photo you posted, same frame,suspension and maybe bars. the seat looks to be the same but mine is still covered.
 
It looks like the rims the Handle bars and the goose neck seat are wrong. 50 percent there. It's a 50-50 shot. Restore it cost some money but it's rare and if you want to spend money on it then it's worth it. I'd say about 2k in costs. I could be a little high or low.. However the parts that are on the bike that need to be replaced except the rims can be sold to make up for a small percentage of it which is fine it's a tough bag how much you love it. Time to find the parts is not too bad just the costs . if you don't want it and 4 is your option let me know.
 
This bike likely never had fenders. The front one is not original to that bike and is on backwards. I don't believe pedals are correct either. Like Redline said at least a couple of grand to restore by the time you get done chasing parts, paint, and nickel. I t really depends on how much you have in it already to know whether it is worth it or not. V/r Shawn
 
With things of this age and likely number of owners anything is possible. the bike came with two fenders (front is just sitting on for the picture not mounted), both were mounted when bought and the rear had a centerstand with rear clip to hold it. I have not been able to find where I put it but the hunt continues.

Aftermarket maybe?

The rear hub seems to be from 1920-1933 if I am following the hub dating project correctly (no guarantee) I am not sure what date the rest is from and if it was built from left over parts a mix and match mutt. Should I see marks on the front hub and frame to get a model number? where would I find other markings to help date things?

If I had it restored what would it be worth?
Not cost to get it there but what could I expect a non-original mutt in great shape to be valued at? I am in it for exactly zero so if it simply is my time to find parts /services to make it new again spending some on it is not so bad as long as it does not end up being a $2000 bike that is then worth $1000.
I do that enough with motorcycles...lol

I am seeing some others that have similar seat posts and the handlbar clamp on Freqman1's bike seems to be the same though his bars look higher. how standardized were these back in the day. I work on Italian motorcycles and it is common to find non-standard parts on production bikes when supplies get low.

The pictures make it hard to read the seat name but I will try and do so.
 
lol fordmike65

I was on craigslist thinking about picking up a road bike again and saw someone looking for vintage bikes. This sparked me thinking about my 2 in the garage and what to do with them, All it took was a bit of time on the internet and I found Cabe and joined now I get to hopefully learn about things I have owned for decades.

Is there a registry for these bikes?
 
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