# !939 Mercury Pacemaker



## cptnhwdy69 (Jan 24, 2014)

Hello,I was wondering if anyone had any info on this 1939 Mercury Pacemaker,I picked up this past week.It has been previously restored and is actually kinda nice,but I was thinking about a repaint.It has a metal,1939 detroit,bicycle,license plate on it as well.Weird thing is every pacemaker I have seen images of,the tank has lights attached to the front,so I was wondering if there may have been 2 models of this bike?I was also wondering if this is a desirable or collectable bike,these days.Also,would this bike have came with painted or chrome rims?Mine are painted,but I am pretty sure I can see chrome underneath on a chipped part.Thx=]


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## RJWess (Jan 25, 2014)

I believe this is 39 specs.


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## jpromo (Jan 25, 2014)

Very nice; desirable, yes. There are lit tank and non-lit versions so that is correct too. A repaint definitely wouldn't hurt. The restorer went a little overboard with the two-tone. And paint is cheaper than chrome, so that explains the rims. There have definitely been worse crimes against bicycles than that one though.

One big thing to help future value, if you're planning on painting it anyway, would be to do all the research you can and paint it in a correct color scheme and correct details. Good luck; nice bike!


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## ThegoodThebad&Therusty (Jan 25, 2014)

Hey cptn, really nice bike there !

FYI if finances allowed and you really have to have a tank with lights there are options ~ http://www.ebay.com/itm/Prewar-Mercury-Worlds-Fair-Bicycle-Pacemaker-Western-Flyer-Lit-Tank-with-Horn-/281250311397?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item417bd32ce5#ht_1040wt_1362

All parties involved are regulars right here on the CABE too 

pap
.


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## HIGGINSFOREVER (Jan 25, 2014)

Beautiful bike as it is painted rims and all.


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## Sped Man (Jan 25, 2014)

That is one nice looking bike. I wouldn't change a thing.


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## Waterland (Jan 25, 2014)

The fenders on your Pacemaker are incorrect.  Correct Pacemaker fenders come to a sharp point at the front.  Yours has Elgin fenders which are very similar in style in that they mount over the fork and have a ridge in the middle, but the front point is rounded.  Whoever restored this probably built it up from parts, and they couldn't get original fenders as they are very hard to find.  The Elgin fenders make a nice alternative however, and would fool most anybody who didn't know these bikes as well as some of us here do.  Great looking bike, don't change a thing!


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## Boris (Jan 25, 2014)

jpromo said:


> The restorer went a little overboard with the two-tone. One big thing to help future value, if you're planning on painting it anyway, would be to do all the research you can and paint it in a correct color scheme and correct details. Good luck; nice bike!




Much as I hate to agree with ANYONE, jpromo continues to rock the boat, as I find myself in agreement with him yet again.


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## cptnhwdy69 (Jan 25, 2014)

*39 Mercury pacemaker*

I looked at the front fender and it actually does come to a point,but for some reason is kinda bent under a bit and was straightened back out.If you look at this add pic I posted.the color scheme is actually close.I dont understand why he used the maroon.I can see a touch of red under where the blue is chipped so either its primer or old red paint.It has the ruby style rear,glass reflector on the rack.Tank and headshroud are made of metal and not fiberglass,so I am being told they are original.The front western Flyer ornament,I dont think is original as I have seen most with the mercury style ornament or a torpedo light maybe on the models with no lights in the tank.I am thinking.Kinda makes sense lol.This bike has the integrated seat clamp which is part of the bike and not attached on,so maybe this is a sign of an early pacemaker being 39?I think it has Torrington pedals on it and I have seen some with the teardrop reflector pedals,so maybe being the lower model,Torrington may be original?I paid a decent,but not to much for this bike,so I am kinda hoping I made a good investment,lol.I would think not to many of these were sold as the war was going and stuff.but not to sure.thx=]This model I have posted even looks deiff as to me it looks like there is a light on the front fender and doesnt look like there is light in the tank.


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## redline1968 (Jan 25, 2014)

I have a 40 lit tank model.  The fender is original to it. Also the Elgin twinn look similar but there is a difference. Elgins have the edge folded down and not as sharp of a point. I post a pic of it it's in red an d the merc is maroon. Wow 87.50! For one.


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## cptnhwdy69 (Jan 25, 2014)

redline1968 said:


> I have a 40 lit tank model.  The fender is original to it. Also the Elgin twinn look similar but there is a difference. Elgins have the edge folded down and not as sharp of a point. I post a pic of it it's in red an d the merc is maroon. Wow 87.50! For one.




Ya,as I look at mine,my rear is very pointy and my front looks more like your maroon pics.It just looks like it was some how bent in because it deff doesnt look factory bent.i love the look in maroon.I do not think the 39s had the mercury on the headshroud like your 40.My researching it looks like maybe the 39s came with the standard rack and integrated seat post clamp and the Mercury front ornament.1940 I think would have the Mercury on the headshroud and 41 maybe the floating front hub and even mercury on the headshroud and maybe 40/41 also had the fixed on seatclamp and maybe a diff rear rack.Also I think 41 may have had a front light instead of the fender ornament on the models with no lights or horn in the tank,but this is just some of the research I have been doing,since I got these.If one was to sell this bike as is.I am curious what a fair asking price would be as I have almost 0 knowledge on this bikes desirability or rareness.Thx again=]


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## redline1968 (Jan 25, 2014)

Dude your confused. Mercury is on the shroud with the fender mascot  saying the same. Yours should have the western flyer on the Shroud with the aviator mascot. They all came with the floating hub.. Color Changes were part of the year change. Also it seems the racks were varied some came deluxe and some not. As is the paint scheme as I understand.


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## cptnhwdy69 (Jan 25, 2014)

redline1968 said:


> Dude your confused. Mercury is on the shroud with the fender mascot  saying the same. Yours should have the western flyer on the Shroud with the aviator mascot. They all came with the floating hub.. Color Changes were part of the year change. Also it seems the racks were varied some came deluxe and some not. As is the paint scheme as I understand.




So what is the diff between the 2,being aviator fender mount and Western flyer vs your bike?Are these 2 separate models?I am just tryin to gain info as this is the 1st I have seen or had=]


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## redline1968 (Jan 26, 2014)

Manufacturers build bikes and interested company's place a order for them with specific requests for their brand ... ie names, colors, special logos on the bicycles. When the bike is sold, other people see the bikes with those brands on them riding  around. The stores hope those special features will be recognized by potential customers and thus hoping they will shop their stores in the future. This applies to many if not all bicycles made past and present. It's a marketing ploy.


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## cptnhwdy69 (Jan 26, 2014)

redline1968 said:


> Manufacturers build bikes and interested company's place a order for them with specific requests for their brand ... ie names, colors, special logos on the bicycles. When the bike is sold, other people see the bikes with those brands on them riding  around. The stores hope those special features will be recognized by potential customers and thus hoping they will shop their stores in the future. This applies to many if not all bicycles made past and present. It's a marketing ploy.




Thx for the info=]


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## jpromo (Jan 26, 2014)

cptnhwdy69 said:


> View attachment 133996




Wow, I'll rescind my comment about the paint scheme being way off. I've never seen an original with such a dramatic 50/50 two-tone split as the catalog shows. Thanks for your support regardless, Dave!


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## cptnhwdy69 (Jan 26, 2014)

Ya I am going to redo mine with the same two tone blue,with white pin striping.I love the way the bike looks but the old owner put that maroon in the picture and to me it just doesnt match.I love the 2 tone blue.So far ahead of technology in that era and at 87 dollars a bike I have found info that not many at all of these were sold as they were uber expensive.In 1951 a Schwinn Black Phantom was 89 dollars so thats kinda incredible that 12 years earlier a bicycle sold for the same amount.I can almost guarantee these bikes were by far the most expensive bikes for a long time.I also found out that only a limited number of these were even sold.This is the first and only add I have seen with a Pacemaker in this color scheme and the front train light,so this will now become the bike I keep,I think lol.This is just research I have came up with so deff not 100% sure as I am no Pacemaker expert lol.


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## skindel (Jan 26, 2014)

*i sold one last year*

and untill i packed it i didn't know it had a small chip in shround under tube and above tank and it was a red color under black repaint might be worth a look


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## cptnhwdy69 (Jan 26, 2014)

skindel said:


> and untill i packed it i didn't know it had a small chip in shround under tube and above tank and it was a red color under black repaint might be worth a look




Mind me asking roughly,how much one would expect to get for the bike,if one decided to ever sell it?rofl


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## cptnhwdy69 (Jan 28, 2014)

So I was looking at the grips on my Pacemaker and they actually read Mercury on them and are in great shape.Did originals come with these torpedo style grips marked with Mercury?


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## Talewinds (Jan 28, 2014)

Waterland said:


> The fenders on your Pacemaker are incorrect.  Correct Pacemaker fenders come to a sharp point at the front.  Yours has Elgin fenders which are very similar in style in that they mount over the fork and have a ridge in the middle, but the front point is rounded.  Whoever restored this probably built it up from parts, and they couldn't get original fenders as they are very hard to find.  The Elgin fenders make a nice alternative however, and would fool most anybody who didn't know these bikes as well as some of us here do.  Great looking bike, don't change a thing!




I have two Pacemakers, a boys and a girls. The boys is a '39 and the fender ends in that sharper point. It is a restored bike.
 The girls bike, however, is an EXTREMELY original example, probably a '40 or '41, and the fender is the more rounded style.


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## bicycle larry (Feb 1, 2014)

*murcury bicycle*

yes i am the one that done this bike .it did not come with the build in head light . if you need any more info email me at taitlarry@ymail.com i done this bike up along time ago for my friend. as far as i can remeber it was all ther only thing add was the front emblem this bike sat be side a old barn it was told rust . it came out of michigan and ended her in ontario canada. from bicycle larry


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