# Original C.1950 Sunshine Waterloo



## Brian R. (Jun 27, 2016)

Waterloo, Ontario, Canada is now more commonly known as the home of the Blackberry. RIM (Research in Motion), later changed to just Blackberry, is based in Waterloo. It used to be home to Sunshine Waterloo Company Ltd. They were established in 1929 to make a self-propelled combine (harvester/thresher), but with the hard times of the '30s they tried a variety of other products. It is unclear exactly when they started making bicycles, but after war contracts dried up they focused on a line of 28" wheel bikes and 26" balloon tire bikes, and children's tricycles. A former employee of the factory stated that 1953 was the last model year for bike production. In 1961, the company name was changed to Sunshine Office Equipment, and they made steel office furniture and lockers.

Canadian-made bikes never reached the level of extravagance of their American counterparts. CCM, Canada's largest and longest-lived bike maker, for example, never made a tank bike or one with springer front suspension. Historically, Canadians have been either more practical or enjoyed a slightly lower standard of living than Americans. When it comes to cars, for example, Canadians love practical little hatchbacks more than Americans do, and back in the 1960s Canadian Pontiacs used to be smaller Chevrolets modified to look like Pontiacs and sold at a lower price.

Below is a c.1950 Sunshine Waterloo ladies balloon tire bike that I picked up yesterday. It's one of the most original bikes I've ever found. Besides the original paint and pin-striping, it has its original grips, pedals, and even both Dominion Royal Master tires. It was kept by a man who used to own a Sunshine Waterloo dealership. I put on the saddle, which is pretty close to the original, and the 1952 Toronto license plate. It's built like a tank and rides like a dream. In my opinion, it represents the upper limit of extravagance in the Canadian market for balloon tire bikes.


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## Brian R. (Jun 27, 2016)




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## Brian R. (Jun 27, 2016)




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## Big Moe (Jun 27, 2016)

Clean, simple,pretty. Nice bike man.


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## Brian R. (Jul 3, 2016)

Thanks Big Moe. A couple of things I forgot to mention: The front hub is New Departure (USA) and the rear hub brake is a made-in-Canada Bendix. The original saddle would probably have been a Jones saddle, which was patented and manufactured by a Canadian company near Stratford, Ontario. I've made a separate post about the Jones saddle with the patent drawing in the general history forum.

Finally, does anyone in the U.S. have a Sunshine Waterloo? If yes, please post a photo here. I doubt they were exported to the U.S., but like many things in the bike hobby, you never know! One or two might have migrated south for the winter.


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## Evans200 (Jul 3, 2016)

What a great post. Having lived close to, and visiting Canada many times in the last 60 years, I can relate to everything you mentioned. I can not comment with any knowledge about the companies mentioned. You are right on the money about Canadians being practical and less extravagant. And as a long time old car collector and enthusiast, many trips to Canada were made simply to photograph Canadian made examples of American car models, i.e Dodges with DeSoto rear ends, Canadian Monarchs instead of Mercury's, etc. Always felt good about Canada's neutrality and no-nonsense approach to everything. And all I know about Waterloo is the fact that the guy who lives there who bought my 56 Ford Fairlane Victoria in 1978 still owns it!


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## GTs58 (Jul 3, 2016)

That chain guard is bad. Simple, clean and detailed.


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