# Elgin: Next



## the tinker (Feb 5, 2016)

The Schwinn is put together from "parts at hand".  This has been working out pretty good for me: work on the projects around the house during the day and every evening putting together these frames into a bikes..... Fun.

The problem I have is I bring stuff home, stick it in a box and there it sets .....forever. Not only bikes but all kinds of junk. Half the time I can never find stuff. When I do run across it I can't remember what I had it for. ..Crazy. The last couple years I have brought a truck load of bike stuff to every swap and for an entire year every week I have brought collectibles [ or junk as my wife calls it] to a local auction house with no reserve....just to once and for all clean out.                                                                                                                                                                   We intend to get our house ready to sell and move. Sell our two story place and get a smaller ranch style house with a typically large basement that ranches have here in the Midwest.......at least that's the plan.......
So..... to condense things I have decided to put every last bike frame together even if it needs painting, just to see if everything is there and to make stuff easy to move.
Avoid boxes of junk all over and further be able to _get rid of clutter_  .NO MORE HOARDING!!
Up today is what I think is an Elgin. I bought it for about $20 back around 2003 with a early 30's Schwinn. Now that I look at the old photo it sure don't look like no Elgin. In a box with all the hardware for this bike is an Elgin nameplate. I'll see if it fits......
Shown is a before photo and one taken today, painted red and on the stand.
The Schwinn has been assembled from whatever I had laying around and is pictured under the stand.



 

 An interesting side note : I recall that when I took the tires off this bike one of the inner tubes said:  WAR TUBE .


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## rollfaster (Feb 5, 2016)

Go tinker. Can't wait to see what you do with it.


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## cds2323 (Feb 5, 2016)

Where's the fork? Wonder if it's a Monark built motorbike with Elgin badge. I've seen a few before, the dropstand ears are unusual on other Moto bike frames.


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## vincev (Feb 5, 2016)

Relax and put the dummies to work.


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## cds2323 (Feb 5, 2016)

http://thecabe.com/forum/threads/early-1936-ish-monark-made-elgin-motorbike.75933/

This is a Monark built Elgin. Does yours share some of the same details?


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## the tinker (Feb 5, 2016)

Okay , started working on the Elgin. I have to find my Elgin stuff cause that chain ring that was on this bike sure didn't look Elgin to me , but I don't know much about these old Sears bikes. I did have a real nice Elgin "star" chain ring already on a nice crank so I put that on.  Also it's unbelievable after all these years the grease fittings these early Elgins had didn't get lost. So I reinstalled those on the crank and head tube.
If you look at the original photo you can see where the fork is bent back. Usually it is the fork tube itself that is bent inside the head tube. On this one it is both forks , bent just before the fork crown.
I used the bumper jack to straighten them out. It took about 20 seconds to jack them straight. Notice on the second photo the shiny exposed metal where the red paint flaked off when the metal stressed back after jacking straight.
Now to find the wheels..........


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## the tinker (Feb 5, 2016)

Thank you Cds! Just got done posting the fork photos and read your post. Yes my frame matches that exactly , lugs and all. That explains the Monark chain ring. Now I am going to have to go down to the hidden underground parts bunker[below Colson Command] and dig out a Monark chain ring to replace the star. thanks for researching the info!


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## the tinker (Feb 5, 2016)

Now that I found out that this is a Monark built Elgin [Thank you cds] I took off the skiptooth Elgin "star" chain ring and installed the Monark "flying star" Found the rear wheel to a pair of rims that I painted and striped many years ago . I think they will go good on this bike especially with the old. Sears Roebuck heavy duty Allstate tires. Now to find a guard , age appropriate rack .......truss rods gotta be buried somewhere......??
This is why I am putting all these bikes together this winter.....years go by and stuff gets lost.


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## the tinker (Feb 5, 2016)

Time to wrap it up for tonite but here is the progress so far: I had some older fenders with original paint but decided because they were the "rain gutter" type they weren't right for this bike.
I had bought these other fenders some time back to use on the Schwinn Hornet that I just got done with....but they were too small.
As you can see they are new old stock fenders, maybe a generic brand,who knows, but I decided tonite to try them on the Elgin.I include a photo of another Elgin I have that is also made by Monark. Never thought I would have two of these.
 I think they look good enough so I tried them on.
One of the problems on using fenders that don't necessary go on a particular bike is they do not always have the indents for the truss rods or the rear frame stays.This little tool is made by the "Malco Co."  # S C 1 . It is used for slipping two male metal gutter downspout ends together by repeatedly crimping one of the male ends of a downspout pipe . There by reducing it's size making it able to fit inside another pipe without having to use  a connector piece. It makes a nice uniform dent in the exact spot you need a recess in a fender for a truss rod or whatever. It dose make a sharp "V" shape dent in the fender , but I think  a small sleeve could be slipped into it to make a rounded indent. In the past I have made these indents by pounding them in with a small rod.
Anyway for this application tonite it worked good.


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## the tinker (Feb 6, 2016)

This evening I got the chain guard, rack  and the "flat" fender braces on. Everything fits nice.Can't find the truss rods or a stand. They are around here somewhere........I think I will use this saddle. Bottom bracket needs a little black paint.
Up next : A Roll Fast..... ...


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## rollfaster (Feb 6, 2016)

Looking good tinker, you're almost there.


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## cds2323 (Feb 6, 2016)

Nice to see you're putting this uncommon bike back together.


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## rocketman (Feb 7, 2016)

Love your Higgins....


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