# 2011 Classic Bicycle Concours at LeMay



## RMS37 (Jul 28, 2011)

*2011 Vintage Bicycle Concours at LeMay
*
Saturday, August 27, will be the date for our sixth annual Vintage Bicycle Concours, held on the grounds of the LeMay Automobile Museum during their annual open house festivities.

*Columbia** Bicycles *

Our Concours has been built around the celebration and recognition of Classic American Balloon bicycles with a focus each year on the products of a featured manufacturer. This year we will be directing the spotlight on the manufacturer(s) of Columbia bicycles. During the Balloon period, the firm was known as Westfield Manufacturing but under various names, the parent company’s extended history dates back to the first American built Ordinaries. 

In light of the breadth of the bicycles manufactured under the Columbia brand, will also have additional special classes this year to expand our display into the History of American bicycles before the adoption of the 26”x 2.125” clincher balloon tire as the industry standard.

*Pre-Balloon Bicycles*

We are welcoming all examples of American made bicycles predating the industry move to balloon tires in 1934 to the show field this year. We will subdivide those bicycles into three categories; pre-pneumatic tired bicycles, pneumatic tired safeties from 1894 through WW1, and single tube tired Moto-Bikes from 1914 through 1936.

*Moto-Balloon Bicycles*

Alongside the single tube tired Moto-bikes we will have a special category this year for all makes of Moto-Balloons; bicycles dating from 1933 to approximately 1937, with modern balloon tire wheels mounted in frames reminiscent or even identical to those of their single tube tired predecessors. These bikes, once treated like the girl’s middleweight of pre-war balloons, have come to life in collector circles in the past couple of years and our goal is to have at least one from each manufacturer on display at this year’s event.

*Everything Else*

Please remember that our featured make and our special categories are only part of the program, we are always looking to having a balanced field representing all bicycles, manufacturers, and brands of Antique and Classic American bicycle from the dawn of the industry through the muscle bikes of the late sixties and early seventies.


*Future Concours Themes, 2012-2015*

After holding our fifth Concours last year, we decided to choose the themes for the event’s second 5 years to give everyone a jump on featured makes they may want to see or bring to show at our event. 

Listed below are the themes for 2012 through our tenth anniversary event. 



*2012 - The Future was Yesterday*
Murray-Ohio and Victor Schreckengost; 
Pre-war Futurism and Postwar Dynamism. 

*2013 - **Hawthorne*; the other Catalog Bike

*2014 - The Golden Age of the American Bicycle *
1933-1941

*2015* - This will be our 10 Year *Schwinniversary

*

*An Invitation*

I am ending this piece with an invitation to all the CABE members to consider a trip to the Pacific Northwest to attend our Concours. I will be posting more information in this thread during the next couple of weeks and we also have a blogsite ( http://classicbicycles.blogspot.com/ ) which I will be updating for the 2011 event this weekend, with more specific information about the event, how to get there, and most everything else you need to know to participate in the event. If you are planning on attending, please let us know in advance so we can help you with any other questions you have or information you may need regarding the event or about other things to do and see when you are here. 

If you do have questions, you can post them on this thread, PM me, or send an email to the email account (vbeseattle@gmail.com) set up for general information about this event and other Pacific NW events of interest to bicycle collectors.


Best,


Phil Marshall and Ron Summer, Event Organizers


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## rideahiggins (Jul 28, 2011)

Where is the LeMay Automobile Museum?


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## RMS37 (Jul 28, 2011)

The LeMay Automobile Collection is located in Spanaway Washington (just southeast of Tacoma) on two sites; the grounds of the LeMay family home and the former grounds of the Marymount Academy were the bulk of the collection is housed. Each year for the last 34 years those sites have been opened to the public for a gala event showcasing the car collection amassed by the late Harold LeMay which is the largest single holding of vintage vehicles in the world. The LeMay family has been working for several years to donate a portion of the collection to be housed in a public museum, now under construction, in Tacoma Washington. 

Beyond viewing the automobiles at the two sites, (Vintage double-decker busses ferry people between the two locations) the event has grown to include displays by numerous local clubs and a swap meet has been added for this year.

The event has been home to our Vintage Bicycle Concours for six years now and we couldn’t find a better place to display our hobby to a large like-minded section of the public.

Here are two links, the first will take you to a website regarding the museum foundation, and the second is a link to more information specifically about this years open house. 


http://www.lemaymuseum.org/


http://www.lemaymarymount.org/lemay-car-show.htm


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## RMS37 (Aug 10, 2011)

*Ratrod/CABE Meet-Up*

I just posted a note on the Ratrod site inviting local members from that site to the event and setting one o’clock at the main booth at our Concours as the “Meet-Up” time and location for bike collectors wanting to put names with faces. I’m extending the invite to CABE members that find themselves in the vicinity of the event on August 27th.

I had thought about adding a tractor pull event to our show by chaining an “incorrectly modified” bicycle to a “correct” concours bike and pitting Ratrodders against a crack team of CABE members in plus fours. So far though, no one on the CABE side I have spoken with has been willing to mount a trailer hitch on their bike.


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## scrubbinrims (Aug 17, 2011)

*Creme de la Creme*

To create a little buzz for this upcoming event, showcasing my personal favorite manufacturer of Elgins, I wanted to share my latest acquistion since LeMay is 2857 miles away and although I have aspirations of attending the event someday, it's impratical to bring a bicycle for live viewing.
Ann Arbor is not close either from here and there are no big stage opportunities to share one's collection here in the South to my knowledge.

Just a suggestion Phil, it would be nice to have a separate category of photogragh entries...not to compete with live participants, but maybe an award in honoring the focussed brand to encourage sharing from those who cannot come, yet have worthy specimens to contribute.

Okay, I picked this 1936 Bluebird this week and I wish to keep the specific details and cost to myself, but I will say that it came from a family (not a collection) and had been kept indoors for most of its years in a basement. It is all original, no alterations at all, except the vintage Goodyear G3 tires (I did not want to pull a set of Allstates from another Elgin) and the pedal blocks which I swapped out and retained.  Of course, it is missing the fender ornament, which at some point I will find to complete the bicycle.
The Morrow rear hub has a band and it is date coded F1 and has a number of serial numbers stamped under the crank hanger as pictured.
This bicycle is not for sale, nor ever will be while I am living, so please respect that.

The pictures from the swap and the winners from previous years look amazing so I am so envious of those that can go.
I would suspect, there will be a bluebird there for viewing, which if you have seen one live, is a must.
Enjoy!












Chris


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## RMS37 (Aug 17, 2011)

Thanks Chris, both for the event “Bump” and for sharing pictures of your Bluebird. That is an awesome bike and my “bicycle whisperer” sixth sense can hear the bike pleading to get on a plane to Sea-Tac next week so it can attend the Concours. 

I’m buried right now in Concours prep and, of course, this is the time several interesting bikes and posts are up on the CABE. The double serial number on your bike is particularly interesting and I have some speculation on what it might mean… fortunately it will still be there after the Concours for me to get back to.

The other thing that you mentioned regarding an internet driven version or branch of the Concours is a great one. I have been considering the concept for a while and I think the time is due. Next year we have chosen Murray-Ohio as our featured make and that will tie into several different things I am planning to do to expand and broaden the existing Concours.

I’ll be back after the live version next week with some ideas to get going on both the LeMay gathering for 2012 and a virtual one.


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## scrubbinrims (Aug 17, 2011)

Phil,
Your sixth sense is correct...this bird wants to grow wings and flock side by side with some of the best balloon tire bicycles in existence.
If I had not purchased this bike when the banks opened at 9 am this past Monday and it had been a couple of months ago, I could have been better prepared, but this bicycle will have to sit and wait until next Spring for a similar opportunity.
As to the double SN, I look forward to hearing your hypothesis and mine is it had to with either the first year for the alternate color transitioning 35-36 or the decal from the upper seat tube I have attached.  I would find it unlikely to have been produced in 10/36, having the N prefix for 1935...most likely made in October of 35, but for whatever reason was not completed and released (after re-stamped A...) until early 36, also commensurate with the hub code...but why the deferral until the following season?

That's great news about opening up the field for geographically challenged collectors and everyone can benefit from this.
An image will never be the same as in 3-D with all the senses in play, but this hobby is bigger than any region.

Chris


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## npence (Aug 18, 2011)

WoW Chris,
 Welcome to the club that is one of the best original bluebirds I have ever seen makes me even jealous of you. Congratulations on the find and hope there is more to come. would love to hear the story about how you found it though.  :eek:


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## scrubbinrims (Aug 19, 2011)

Thanks Nate and yes, I hope there is more to come as well, but this is a once in a lifetime bike in all likelyhood.

After networking and research it is on par with the finest known untouched red bluebird in existence. 
There are a couple maybe french blue versions in better shape, but they had a longer run and was the most popular color, so statistically speaking, that makes sense.
Only a handful have the original patent pending decal or even remnants of it on the upper seat tube.

I created an album last night with this bicycle on it so anyone can feel free to carry over any thoughts on my gallery.

Oh, how I wish I could take it to the LeMay Concours for folks to see along with some other untouched Elgins I will be uploading to the gallery later, but if Phil and the organizers incorporate a vitual competition next season, LeMay Concours could have the biggest and unified event in the hobby.
A lot to ask and hope for...

Chris


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## RMS37 (Sep 6, 2011)

*LeMay 2011 Wrap-up*

I’ve been chilling for the past week after LeMay and now I’m getting ready for the Iron Ranch event in a week and a half!

I was able to go and take better pictures of our 2011 trophy bike on Sunday and I am preparing those pictures plus the ones taken at the end of the event for posting. I’ll write a full wrap-up on the event and post pictures of the category winners shortly along with some information about my ideas for a Virtual Concours to compliment the LeMay Event.


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## Talewinds (Sep 6, 2011)

Cool! Looking forward to seeing some photos!


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