# Monark Thunderbird Bicycle Info Help



## Bectoria (Feb 4, 2020)

Hi all, 
I've acquired a Monark Thunderbird Bike here in the UK, would anyone be able to help me out with any information on it please? The serial number is 4h860081

Thanks very much


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## Freqman1 (Feb 4, 2020)

Bike is a 1964 Huffman built Monark. What other info are you looking for? V/r Shawn


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## Mrcardoc (Feb 4, 2020)

Not able to view the pictures on my end


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## Mrcardoc (Feb 4, 2020)

Not able to view the pictures on my end


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## Mrcardoc (Feb 4, 2020)

Nevermind I got them..... yes this is 64 space bike about 8 years after Firestone sold out to monark. Murray also has the identical setup theirs is called the Rocket....... hence the fender ornament. They don’t fetch to much money but they are really cool restores for personal use. 


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## Freqman1 (Feb 4, 2020)

Try viewing in a web browser instead of Tapatalk and see what happens--must have been posting at the same time!


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## Bectoria (Feb 4, 2020)

Oh wow - didn't expect a reply so quickly!
That's fantastic 
Thank you very much


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## Mrcardoc (Feb 4, 2020)

I have two survivors 58 Firestone super cruiser and the ol ladies is a 65 Murray space bike identical to your thunderbird...... other than the ladies frame. 








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## Bectoria (Feb 4, 2020)

Hopefully if I give mine a bit of TLC it will come out looking as nice as yours


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## Mrcardoc (Feb 4, 2020)

Oh yeah that is a really cool survivor. Start with a rust penetrant like wd40. Give her some complete spray downs in a non sunny area. Let it penetrate for a few days. The surface rust should wipe off. It will also penetrate the plastic and recondition it as it becomes brittle over the years. Yours will take little effort to become a nice road worthy cycle. 


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## Freqman1 (Feb 4, 2020)

" about 8 years after Firestone sold out to monark"? Firestone never produced bicycles so I'm not sure what you are referring to here. V/r Shawn


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## Bectoria (Feb 4, 2020)

Thanks so much for your advice, that can be a 'weekend' job


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## Mrcardoc (Feb 4, 2020)

Freqman1 said:


> " about 8 years after Firestone sold out to monark"? Firestone never produced bicycles so I'm not sure what you are referring to here. V/r Shawn




Well I beg to differ my friend. The bike in the picture is a 1958 firestone super cruiser. Very short run.........roughly 3 years and they ended up selling to monark. Not many people know but yes they did outsource most of their parts but they were a company badged and stamped as exclusively firestone bicycle company. Hope you learned something new. 


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## SteveF (Feb 4, 2020)

Mrcardoc said:


> Well I beg to differ my friend. The bike in the picture is a 1958 firestone super cruiser. Very short run.........roughly 3 years and they ended up selling to monark. Not many people know but yes they did outsource most of their parts but they were a company badged and stamped as exclusively firestone bicycle company. Hope you learned something new.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk



Sounds like you might already know everything you need to know but I'm pretty sure what you have there is a bike built by monark for Firestone.


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## Freqman1 (Feb 4, 2020)

Mrcardoc said:


> Well I beg to differ my friend. The bike in the picture is a 1958 firestone super cruiser. Very short run.........roughly 3 years and they ended up selling to monark. Not many people know but yes they did outsource most of their parts but they were a company badged and stamped as exclusively firestone bicycle company. Hope you learned something new.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk



You're funny. The bike that starts this thread is a Huffman built bike. Firestone never produced their own bikes but bought bikes from Huffman, Colson, Monark, and others under contract to sell in their tire stores just like Goodyear and BF Goodrich. The bike you show above as a '58 seems to be earlier to me and the serial number would confirm this--I'm guessing '53ish. Not sure where you are getting your info but someone has steered you wrong. V/r Shawn @partsguy @Oilit @Adamtinkerer


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## Sandman (Feb 4, 2020)

This is my 1950 Monark built Firestone with the original owner . His grandmother bought it for his 14th birthday .


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## Mrcardoc (Feb 4, 2020)

Good luck with your bike....... they are cool and old. I guess the bicycle gods have spoken. The day you know everything is the day you become stupid.......... there were so many different companies making parts for each other back then. My bikes are survivor bikes within my family both badged and stamped accordingy. No matter what you got yourself a piece of history. Totally cool!!!!!!


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## Oilit (Feb 4, 2020)

Sandman said:


> This is my 1950 Monark built Firestone with the original owner . His grandmother bought it for his 14 birthday .
> 
> View attachment 1135012



Too bad you don't have a picture from when he was 14. That would make an interesting comparison! And are those middleweight tires?


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## Freqman1 (Feb 4, 2020)

Mrcardoc said:


> Good luck with your bike....... they are cool and old. I guess the bicycle gods have spoken. The day you know everything is the day you become stupid.......... there were so many different companies making parts for each other back then. My bikes are survivor bikes within my family both badged and stamped accordingy. No matter what you got yourself a piece of history. Totally cool!!!!!!
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk



The bottom of your green bike should have a little metal tag on it. Would you be willing to post a picture of this? V/r Shawn


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## Oilit (Feb 4, 2020)

Mrcardoc said:


> Good luck with your bike....... they are cool and old. I guess the bicycle gods have spoken. The day you know everything is the day you become stupid.......... there were so many different companies making parts for each other back then. My bikes are survivor bikes within my family both badged and stamped accordingy. No matter what you got yourself a piece of history. Totally cool!!!!!!
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk



Everything I've heard lines up with what @Freqman1 said, Firestone built tires, Monark built bicycles. For a tire company to suddenly go into a different line of business is like a computer programmer deciding to become a concert violinist. It can be done, but it's not easy, so most people who need someone to handle a particular specialty, look for somebody who is already in that field. But if you have evidence, I for one would like to see it. I've been surprised before by what I don't know, and it's always interesting to learn something new!


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## Sandman (Feb 4, 2020)

Oilit said:


> Too bad you don't have a picture from when he was 14. That would make an interesting comparison! And are those middleweight tires?



Not sure what tires are on it . I just put it in the back of line in the barn after I picked it up . It's a one of these days bikes .


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## Mrcardoc (Feb 9, 2020)

Oilit said:


> Everything I've heard lines up with what @Freqman1 said, Firestone built tires, Monark built bicycles. For a tire company to suddenly go into a different line of business is like a computer programmer deciding to become a concert violinist. It can be done, but it's not easy, so most people who need someone to handle a particular specialty, look for somebody who is already in that field. But if you have evidence, I for one would like to see it. I've been surprised before by what I don't know, and it's always interesting to learn something new!




Did they make pedals and head badges as well 









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## kreika (Feb 9, 2020)

Mrcardoc said:


> Did they make pedals and head badges as well
> View attachment 1137727View attachment 1137728
> 
> 
> ...




Firestone sold bicycles branded under their name built by other companies. Period. Exclamation mark. Those pedals outsourced. Sears sold bikes prewar. They were called Elgins. Elgin never made a bike. Post war Sears changed the bike product name to JC Higgins.  JC Higgins never produced a bike. Western Flyer, Hiawatha and so many more had bikes branded to their name tag but never made bikes themselves.


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## Mrcardoc (Feb 9, 2020)

kreika said:


> Firestone sold bicycles branded under their name built by other companies. Period. Exclamation mark. Those pedals outsourced. Sears sold bikes prewar. They were called Elgins. Elgin never made a bike. Post war Sears changed the bike product name to JC Higgins. JC Higgins never produced a bike. Western Flyer, Hiawatha and so many more had bikes branded to their name tag but never made bikes themselves.




My point from the beginning. So many companies made parts for each other. Firestone did make the pedals though 


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## Freqman1 (Feb 9, 2020)

Mrcardoc said:


> My point from the beginning. So many companies made parts for each other. Firestone did make the pedals though
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk




If you would post a pic of the tag on the bottom of the bike we could stop playing this silly game. Believe what you want but Firestone made no part of that bike except the tires if it came equipped with them (Firestone tires). Your bike is a Monark built bike. Did other companies provide parts--sure Torrington, Persons, Troxel, Mesinger, McCauley, Wald, etc... but these were suppliers to the manufacturers. So far I've seen no evidence of anything you claim and all the literature I've ever seen substantiates everything I, and others, have said here.


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## SteveF (Feb 9, 2020)

Mrcardoc said:


> My point from the beginning. So many companies made parts for each other. Firestone did make the pedals though
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk



Firestone did not make the pedals. The pedals were made FOR Firestone. It doesn't seem like a point to argue though because you've got it all figured out. Stick around and learn, my friend.


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## Mrcardoc (Feb 9, 2020)

SteveF said:


> Firestone did not make the pedals. The pedals were made FOR Firestone. It doesn't seem like a point to argue though because you've got it all figured out. Stick around and learn, my friend.




Thanks I’ll do that........oh master of bicycles. [emoji120]


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## SteveF (Feb 9, 2020)

Mrcardoc said:


> Thanks I’ll do that........oh master of bicycles. [emoji120]
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk



No, sir! I'm far from a master of anything. I mostly just have middleweight spaceliners considered junk by many collectors of valuable bicycles. But what I do is humble myself and listen and learn from others with more knowledge than myself. I do my best to not speak about things that I don't know about.


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## ZE52414 (Feb 9, 2020)

I think these guys know what they are talking about.  Here’s a Firestone I just recently sold. It clearly states monark built on the down tube.


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## SteveF (Feb 9, 2020)

The tag on the bottom bracket of your Firestone will probably look like this. The one on my Monark built Western Flyer. Check it out as Freqman suggested.


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## Wheeler (Feb 9, 2020)

This hijacked thread is like riding past a tragic car wreck.
You know there's nothing you can do to help, but just can't help peeking through your fingers and shake your my head as you go by.

Oh yeah, Bectoria.  Thunderbirds are Go!
I'm always surprised when an  American tank bike shows up in a post from the UK.
A nice riding stand alone cruiser in a sea of Raleighs. Enjoy.


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## SteveF (Feb 9, 2020)

My apologies for contributing to this thread getting off topic. I thought about that too. It's always a shame when this happens. Likely steers away newcomers. My apologies.


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## Wheeler (Feb 9, 2020)

I think it's acceptable to go a bit off topic to share correct information with the community Steve.
...and now that I've piped up, I will also suggest to Mrcardoc that his middle weight girls bike is a Huffy as well and not a Murray built bike as believed.


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## 1motime (Feb 9, 2020)

So who made my Schwinn?   It has a Firestone tire on  the front and a Goodyear on the rear.


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## SteveF (Feb 9, 2020)

Wheeler said:


> I think it's acceptable to go a bit off topic to share correct information with the community Steve.
> ...and now that I've piped up, I will also suggest to mrcardoc that his middle weight girls bike is a Huffy as well and not a Murray built bike as believed.View attachment 1137907



I saw that but kept my mouth shut


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