# Any Info on this turn of the century BOSTON Safety bike? Albert & Anderson



## ericbaker (Sep 5, 2010)

Just picked up this frame kit and am really excited about it. Just finished puting it together. It came to me in a box of little parts, This is my first pre-baloon bike so if it looks like i put something back together wrong, please let me know, haha. 

I really can't find any info on the maker anywhere, I know there were quite a few builders in the states at this time, but if anyone has any specific info on "The Transit" from "Albert & J.M. Anderson" in Boston, MA I would love to hear it. I am from the Boston area so its neat for me to have a local piece. The serial number is stamped pretty lightly, I could barely make out what I think it is, nevermind getting a pic of it but I'll break out the macro lens later, which can actually see more than I can.

Serial # as best as I can see reads: "12465" and right above it on the BB shell "BOSTON" is also stamped in tiny tiny block script (like 1/16" tall each letter is(if that))

The headbadge it very ornate. I cleaned it up as it was very tarnished, I would love to know what it is made of, I expected it brass the way that the tarnish looked but once i got some cleaner on it the silver color came right out and suprised me a little.

It still has a good bit of what looks to be original finish with hand drawn gold pinstriping, someone said they didnt have metalic paint at this time and it may be actual gold fleks in the paint, I am skeptical but is this a possibility? either way its beautiful. I can see that there is some nice deep red paint under there somewhere that Id love to bring out but I dont want sacrifice the pinstriping, any ideas or techniques?

The pedals have a patent date of Dec '98, although the bike was sold to me as an 1896. They are also stamped "RECORD" 

Is the troxel saddle original, or at least period correct? Its in very good shape, the stitching had all but disintegrated but the leather was still pretty darn good, so I restitched most of it.

So now I wait patiantly for a pair of 28" wooden wheels that I can mount up and get to pedaling. So if anybody has anything that would work for me please please get in touch.

Thanks fer lookin!


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## twowheelfan (Sep 5, 2010)

really nice find! i'm sorry i don't have info for you, 
i am looking for parts for my project as well. you have some of the hard to get stuff tho. headbadge, bars, stem and pedals. the seat does look newer than pre 1900's but thats just a fairly inexperience opinion. keep posting progress! Thanks.


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## twowheelfan (Sep 5, 2010)

great pics too!


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## ericbaker (Sep 5, 2010)

Yah the fact that it had everything but the wheels was a deal maker, the Bottom Bracket parts could be 100% impossible to find since there wasn't much of a standard threading at the time i dont think. It all went together really nice i think.


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## ejlwheels (Sep 13, 2010)

According to the Wheelmen site:

Transit-(M) Albert & J. M. Anderson, Boston MA, 1898


http://www.thewheelmen.org/sections...sults.asp?whichpage=2&pagesize=50&alphachar=T


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