# Century Marathon



## rusty_apache (Mar 23, 2018)

It was delayed by the Austin Tx bomber. Held at the Schertz Tx. FedEx facility! Anyway it’s here.
 It’s definitely going to be a rider! I am leaning towards a full on restoration since the paint and nickel is so far gone and nearly everything I drive is unrestored. Although I do want to ride it a bit as is beforehand. 
Edit; A coating of waxoyl brought out the colors. It’s not getting painted!
No more bikes for me for a good while as I have spent most of Mike Wolf’s money from selling him the 58” Columbia Expert death trap.

I’m curious about the riveted tab on the brake arm “Morrow 21130” the arm is stamped “Eclipse” closer to the hub. Does that offer any clues as to when this bicycle was made?




The saddle is “American saddle makers #76”  Elyria Ohio 



The cyclometer has 105 miles on it. Wish it were actual miles! Love the full nickel forks.



 Any insights or trivial information on this bike would be greatly appreciated!


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## GiovanniLiCalsi (Mar 23, 2018)

Eclipse was the Machine Shop that manufactured the Eclipse Bicycle  and the first clutch hub and rear spoon brake, that evolved into the Morrow coaster brake all in one hub.
Your bicycle is around 1898
Saddle is a Troxel.


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## GiovanniLiCalsi (Mar 23, 2018)

GiovanniLiCalsi said:


> Eclipse was the Machine Shop that manufactured the Eclipse and the first clutch hub and rear spoon brake, that evolved into the Morrow coaster brake all in one hub.
> Your bicycle is around 1898
> Saddle is a Troxel.




This came before your’s, in 1896


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## catfish (Mar 23, 2018)

Nice find!


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## rusty_apache (Mar 23, 2018)

GiovanniLiCalsi said:


> Eclipse was the Machine Shop that manufactured the Eclipse and the first clutch hub and rear spoon brake, that evolved into the Morrow coaster brake all in one hub.
> Your bicycle is around 1898
> Saddle is a Troxel.



Thanks for the information! Glad to know a little more about it.


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## rusty_apache (Mar 23, 2018)

catfish said:


> Nice find!



Thanks.
It was right here on the CABE. We don’t have very many pre-1933 Bicycles in South Texas.


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## rusty_apache (Mar 26, 2018)

Here it is after a bath and a little waxoyl. I serviced the front hub and found out where one of the missing neck bearings went! It was in the front hub.


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## dnc1 (Mar 27, 2018)

That's looking lovely, will be a great rider!


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## rusty_apache (Mar 28, 2018)

Revolting development....
I took the early Morrow apart in order to clean and lubricate and a set of bearings is missing entirely! It looks like the races have mangled each other. I’m wondering if repair is even possible. The missing set is the larger one on the the sprocket side. 
The hub hasn’t been apart for decades, so I’m not casting aspersions on anyone. 
I will try to post photographs soon.


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## rusty_apache (Apr 10, 2018)

Here’s the new seat from Antique Moto Smith.
The workmanship is beautiful but I had to wrap the “flaps” to train them.
The stud dimensions were off so I need to bend out new rails to fit. I bought it knowing that because there’s a long turnaround time in having the old one reproduced.


 

Still lots of work to be done before I get to actually ride it but it’s getting closer!


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## rusty_apache (Apr 10, 2018)

Lamp bracket from Velo Dream in Antwerp, thanks!
Lucas Father of Darkness headlamp on the way from the UK!
Handgrips from Germany 
Tires from West Virginia 
Seat from Oregon
Truly an international project.

Is it wrong to replate the nickel hardware and leave the paint alone?


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## rusty_apache (Apr 11, 2018)

The results of yesterday’s work. 



The rim is stained in ebony so it resembles the black paint on wood rims but it also shows the grain. The Noah Stutzman rims are perfectly straight but I don’t know where to get the washers used on the original rims or if they are essential.

The seat carrier is cold bent out of 1/4” round stock. I could have tweaked the original one but thought it could weaken or outright break it, so I whipped this one up just in case.


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## dnc1 (Apr 11, 2018)

Looks great!
What's it like to ride?


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## rusty_apache (Apr 11, 2018)

dnc1 said:


> Looks great!
> What's it like to ride?




Thanks. It’s probably too tall for me but I love it anyway! Not nearly as terrifying as an ordinary. I can just touch the pavement with my tippie toes.

It’s still very wobbly. The spokes are finger tight. I trued the rim within the ballpark and need to take the slack out of some of them again. Still not sure if I need to acquire some spoke washers. 

The tires are still not glued so I rode it slowly and carefully. The valve stem is a little tight in the rim so I need to ream it out a little further. They feel more like solid tires than pneumatic.

 The left hand flange is loose on the front hub so truing it is like nailing jello to the wall. The 1945 blackout rear hub is a 10 tooth while the original hub had 9 so the gearing is lower than originally.

It will get there. It’s so much better than it was three weeks ago.


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## Bozman (Apr 11, 2018)

Looks smashing!   Great job.   Looking forward to seeing it all built out.  

Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk


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## fat tire trader (Apr 12, 2018)

I assume you solved your Morrow problems. If not, let me know.

You should have washers under your nipples.

You might be able to tighten the loose flange on your hub. If you take the spokes out, it will be easier to fix. My first thought is to use Loctite sleeve retainer, but I don't like to recommend repair methods without being able to touch and feel the item.

Nice progress on your bike. I love your outdoor pictures.

Chris


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## rusty_apache (Apr 12, 2018)

fat tire trader said:


> I assume you solved your Morrow problems. If not, let me know.
> 
> You should have washers under your nipples.
> 
> ...



Thanks, Spring is the best time of year to be in South Texas.
Do you know where to get nipple washers?

I still have Morrow problems. This is an extra wheel set for riding. 
The outer race on the rear hub is way too hashed to clean up. It’s hard to show with photographs but there’s just not enough meat to work with so I’m looking for another early barrel to build because I want to retain the Eclipse stamped brake arm with the riveted brass Morrow plate. 

I think I can clean up the front hub and solder the flange back into place.
The only problem is I will want to replate it and that’s a slippery slope!
Still don’t have my grubby mitts on another 32 spoke front hub.


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## fat tire trader (Apr 12, 2018)

rusty_apache said:


> Thanks, Spring is the best time of year to be in South Texas.
> Do you know where to get nipple washers?
> 
> I still have Morrow problems. This is an extra wheel set for riding.
> ...



https://www.google.com/search?q=spo.....69i57j0l4.5021j0j8&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8


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## fat tire trader (Apr 13, 2018)

GiovanniLiCalsi said:


> Eclipse was the Machine Shop that manufactured the Eclipse Bicycle  and the first clutch hub and rear spoon brake, that evolved into the Morrow coaster brake all in one hub.
> Your bicycle is around 1898
> Saddle is a Troxel.



This information about your bicycle being "around 1898" is false, at least basing the year on the coaster brake. At the very oldest, your hub is 1903. 5 years might not seem like a big difference, but those five years in bicycle development was huge. I think it is later than that since the new 1903 Morrow did not yet have the badge on the arm. I have one or two, like your hub with the badge. I have not yet established a year for when the brake arms had badges. I have assembled a lot of information about Morrow coaster brakes here http://fattiretrading.com/morrow.html


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## rusty_apache (Apr 13, 2018)

I


fat tire trader said:


> This information about your bicycle being "around 1898" is false, at least basing the year on the coaster brake. At the very oldest, your hub is 1903. 5 years might not seem like a big difference, but those five years in bicycle development was huge. I think it is later than that since the new 1903 Morrow did not yet have the badge on the arm. I have one or two, like your hub with the badge. I have not yet established a year for when the brake arms had badges. I have assembled a lot of information about Morrow coaster brakes here http://fattiretrading.com/morrow.html




I got the domed washers. Thanks!

figured that when I found the October 1901 patent date on the crank bearing retainer.
 I came up with circa 1903 from your page because I wrongly assumed that the ones with badged arms were the earliest.


That squirrel in the headlight look.....


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