# An Original 1936 Dayton Safety Streamline



## 37fleetwood (Feb 7, 2014)

I've been thinking about ways to keep photos of the rides interesting for a while now. even I get bored with hundreds of photos of bikes with no context to the photos. then last month Frank the co-founder of the Cyclone Coaster group let me in on the best impromptu outside photo studio I've ever run across. it's in between two buildings and is three sided so no harsh direct sunlight, and the coolest old red brick wall. this got me thinking, maybe I should take a bike or two in and take a small photo session and add to it some info about the bike maybe the story, and an ad or two. I thought I'd try it out on Cyclingday aka Marty's amazing 1936 Dayton Safety Streamline. this way you can't help but like the idea and scream for more. so, off we go!


so, I can tell you a bit about the model and such things, and since Marty's a member of the CABE I'll let him tell you about this particular Safety Streamline.

in 1934 Huffman started making bicycles after the demise of Davis Sewing Machines in 1922. their first bikes were rather simple and plain affairs, but that all changed in mid 1936 with the introduction of the Safety Streamline. hailed as radically different, the original Safety was to feature a built in headlight swooping rear end and no seat tube. by the time production began the "no seat tube" thing was scrapped, but the rest was kept. the design was very strong while amazingly beautiful. it may be the only real contender with the Bluebird for sweeping beauty (personally I like it quite a bit better than the BB). the Streamline models were produced with several changes along the way until 1938 when the design was dropped as outdated and the Twin-Flex was fatefully chosen as the direction of the future. it wouldn't be until 1940 that Huffman came out with something as spectacular, but that's another story in front of the brick wall!

enough history, let's take a look at an ad and then on to the bike itself!

here's a simulation of what the catalog cover may have looked like:






and Marty's amazing original Safety Streamline:


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## 37fleetwood (Feb 7, 2014)

more Photos!

















and a few from the ride.


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## 55tbird (Feb 7, 2014)

*Nice Bike!!!*

Great looking bike! Thanks for all the detailed photos. It's interesting to compare this to other original paint survivors. The other two I have seen have a stripe going down the middle of both fenders. Does anyone out there have this wire and conduit available??  Thanks!!  Mike


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## 37fleetwood (Feb 7, 2014)

55tbird said:


> Great looking bike! Thanks for all the detailed photos. It's interesting to compare this to other original paint survivors. The other two I have seen have a stripe going down the middle of both fenders. Does anyone out there have this wire and conduit available??  Thanks!!  Mike




Hey Mike, you're welcome! Shawn is currently working on a monograph on the Streamlines. as for the wire, there was a small hunk on ebay not long ago. :eek:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vtg-1934-Pr...7fsdh%2FT8bjwqvFxnwRE%3D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc


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## Oldnut (Feb 7, 2014)

*Streamliner*

Well I know now one of these are the next bike on my list.thanks for the pictures


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## jd56 (Feb 7, 2014)

*Amazing!!!!*

Thanks for the pics!!!
Dang I like green


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## HIGGINSFOREVER (Feb 7, 2014)

Now that's a bike in my favorite color.Great photos


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## Joe V (Feb 7, 2014)

I'm awe struck, absolutely gorgeous. The designers must of been so proud of this work. Thanks for posting the photos.


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## SKIDKINGSVBC (Feb 7, 2014)

*36*

AWESOME BIKE ..Hands down one of the coolest bikes...Nice ! Great picture ..Nice job with the inside of the battery box ..  How doe's the Dayton ride?


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## rockabillyjay (Feb 7, 2014)

What a great bike...and nice feature! One of the BMX collector sites I go on features a different members bike each month in a similar fashion. Maybe something you can do here..if you're up to it! Thanks for sharing that bike and those great pics!


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## Talewinds (Feb 7, 2014)

Unless that damned bike is for sale, I'm tired of seeing it!


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## COB (Feb 7, 2014)

Great bike, great shots! That bike just made the top of my Bucket List! Can we hear the story on this particular one?


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## dougfisk (Feb 7, 2014)

Talewinds said:


> Unless that damned bike is for sale, I'm tired of seeing it!





LOL


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## bicycle larry (Feb 7, 2014)

*1936 dayton safety streamline*

yes like jd56 said dang i like that colour too. the last time i saw one of thees was in 1998 at memory lane in ohio same colour only restored nice to see one in org condition .thanks for putting this picture on from bicycle larry


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## carlitos60 (Feb 7, 2014)

*Love It!!! BUT!!!!!*

I Really Love It!!! BUT!!!!!

It Has a Girlish Look!!!!

Looks Great Though!!!!


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## 37fleetwood (Feb 7, 2014)

carlitos60 said:


> I Really Love It!!! BUT!!!!!
> 
> It Has a Girlish Look!!!!
> 
> Looks Great Though!!!!




says the guy who was looking for a Huffman tank for his Elgin...
I suppose this is girlish too?


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## cyclingday (Feb 7, 2014)

Thanks, for the nice feature, Scott.
You are the true Huffman historian. I never knew about the plans to omit the seat tube. That just goes to show, how much they wanted to shake things up in Dayton.
This bike came to me by way of a local bicycle collector/broker. It is an as found estate bike that has been passed between at least three other collectors that I know of.
For the most part, it has remained reletively untouched by each of its previous owners.  
   Its always kind of an archeological dig, when servicing one of the more unusual bikes from the era. The braceless fenders were of particular interest to me. As far as I know, this model was the only one from the balloon tire era to do this.
To accomplish this, it seems that the material the fenders are made from is different than what was typical. The fenders are very elastic and springy. They do not bend easy, and they want to spring back into their original shape.
The rear fender is held in place in typical fashion, but the front fenders mount is very unusual.
There are two internal plates that run along the inside edges. Those plates each have a bolt that threads into the fork leg. The top of the fender has one screw as typical that threads into the underside of the fork crown, and the headlight nacelle has a long screw that ties it to the fender as well. It is unusual for sure, but very secure.
 As unusual as the frame of this bike is, for me its defining feature is in its fenders.

As soon as I got everything cleaned and re greased, I threw a leg over it and took it for a ride.  I loved it instantly! 
It has a long top tube length and a low bottombracket hanger which combines to make for a very stable and comfortable ride.
This bike seems to have been designed with adults in mind. 

For Huffmans first foray into the balloon tire styling wars, I've got to say, that they really hit it out of the park, with the 1936 Dayton Safety Streamline.


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## tailhole (Feb 7, 2014)

*Hubba Hubba!*

Now that is one coooooool bike!


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## slick (Feb 7, 2014)

WOW Marty!!! Great new addition to the family! Now THAT Huffman i would own. Oops... did i say that out loud? :o Can't wait to see it in person.


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## 55tbird (Feb 8, 2014)

*Aluminum Handlebars??*

I know this is a long shot, but does anyone happen to have a set of aluminum handlebars laying around that are for this model bike that they want to sell? Let me know. Thanks!  Mike     michaelmech@hotmail.com


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## 37fleetwood (Feb 10, 2014)

Hey Mike, you're going to need to do much more research, I don't think all of them came with the aluminum bars. there several different variants of the Safety Streamline and some very subtle differences. it would be a shame to go through all the trouble of restoring yours only to get it wrong.


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## fatbike (Apr 1, 2014)

Thanks Scott for posting this beauty. Excellent example. Have to love the rear reflectors inserted in the guard plus the rare gripwell  horn button grip. Plus the many subtle streamline features. 36-37 deluxe bicycles can be my favorite because there not over done with accessories typically. The artistic of the frames are astonishing from many companies of its era. Great bike!!!


Talewinds... You have a deep pocket of $ I don't know about?


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## Oldbikes (Apr 4, 2014)

Stunning bike and pics too!  Reminds me of the brick wall I found to put my Fleetwood Supreme in front of last fall...


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## OldRider (Apr 4, 2014)

I love that color on the Fleetwood you have there! What is the proper name for that color? Is it a gun metal blue?


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## 37fleetwood (Apr 4, 2014)

OldRider said:


> I love that color on the Fleetwood you have there! What is the proper name for that color? Is it a gun metal blue?




Seafog Grey


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## Oldbikes (Apr 4, 2014)

What Scott said.
I like to think of it as my favorite color, "sea foam green,"but Huffman and or Firestone had to make it their own...
Curious, Scott, for the Safety Streamline you're featuring, of basically the same color, what do they call it?


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## DonChristie (Apr 4, 2014)

Sweet as pie! I have seen it in person-amazing! Thanks scott for the post and marty for the intimate review. I think this will be the next shirt i do!


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## 37fleetwood (Apr 4, 2014)

Oldbikes said:


> What Scott said.
> I like to think of it as my favorite color, "sea foam green,"but Huffman and or Firestone had to make it their own...
> Curious, Scott, for the Safety Streamline you're featuring, of basically the same color, what do they call it?




the only literature I have that mentions colors is the Airflyte flier, and all it lists is the Iridescent Blue. it may be that the lower badges were only available in one color. Marty's and Scott's are Dayton badged and there may have been more available color options.


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## Obi-Wan Schwinnobi (Apr 4, 2014)

That is a sweet ride.... I dig it.. love the frame design. . One of my top tens...along with the twin flex.. very cool bike Marty

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk


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## 37fleetwood (Apr 4, 2014)

Obi-Wan Schwinnobi said:


> That is a sweet ride.... I dig it.. love the frame design. . One of my top tens...along with the twin flex.. very cool bike Marty
> 
> Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk




that's right young Jedi, step away from the dark and embrace the light! Darth Ignaz will lead you astray! you may just need to change your handle again to Obi-Wan Huffmanobi


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## Obi-Wan Schwinnobi (Apr 4, 2014)

Hahaha

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk


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