# "The Tribune Model F" Wooden Rims! Please Educate Me On This Awesome Bike!



## Madison (Oct 23, 2015)

Hello I'm extremely new to the world of bicycles and know almost nothing about them so I was hoping to get some help on here! I recently received this bicycle and fell in love with it!! It has wooden wheels with rubber tire tubes(rubber is rather rough) we tried looking this bike up but came up with very little information. The tribune bikes that we did find online looked nothing like the one I have so I'm pretty stumped. 
The badge says "The Tribune Modle F Made By The BLACKMFG.Co Erie PA." Someone said it might be a racing bike because of how light it is the bike is also really tall I can't even sit on it. It's 41 1/2" tall.
If you have any information about it I would love to know!!!!!

Thank you so much for your time!!!
-Madison


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## hoofhearted (Oct 23, 2015)

*Welcome the The CABE - Madison.

Let's look at frame size ... please see attachments.*


Thanks ......

........  patric


Looks to be a very-monumental frame .... daddy likes .......


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## bricycle (Oct 23, 2015)

Welcome to the CABE!
that might even be taller than mine at 26.5" seat pillar.....
1893-4


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## Wheeled Relics (Oct 24, 2015)

Very idealistic mid 1890's tall frame and complete! Couple of notable details, single rail saddle chassis and a little longer pedal axles(?) racers w small chainrings for short distance sprints or marketed as a scorcher geared low for the pre improved rough roads. Great piece, be proud of it! Could sit around for hours and look at the details. What's your plans hang it or ride it?


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## Madison (Oct 24, 2015)




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## vuniw (Oct 24, 2015)

Looks like it was made for a giant. Anyway welcome to the CABE!


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## DonChristie (Oct 24, 2015)

Welcome to the Cabe, Madison! Thats s beautiful bike! Listen to the experts here, they know their stuff! FYI- im not one of them. In general, bikes of this era are referred to TOC (turn of century). Sometimes very difficult to identify due to so many bike manufactures and no internet back then. Lucky yours has a headbadge and is complete! Parts for these are nearly impossible to find! Nothing makes the Cabe happier than to see an old bike back on the road! Listen, learn and ride!


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## catfish (Oct 24, 2015)

Welcome to the CABE !


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## Madison (Oct 24, 2015)

Thank you and I just posted some more pictures with measuring tape next to the pipes lol. I assumed the head pipe you wanted it measured between the chrome/ nickel plating rings. And the tape starts above where the peddles attach.


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## Wcben (Oct 24, 2015)

I have the same pedals on my Racycle, haven't seen others so I wasn't sure of thier age, good to see that they are likely as old (or older) than my bike..... Mines 1903!  As others here have said, very cool bike you have there, so much cooler that it's complete!


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## David Brown (Oct 24, 2015)

Looks like it might have Dunlop style rims as opposed to single tube rims . Looks like the remains of a rim strip to cover the  spoke nipples in one picture. The rims might just take a modern 700 tire.


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## Madison (Oct 24, 2015)

I don't know if there original or not but the tires on it now are a tube so there not like a normal tire where its inside is open to the rim.


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## highwheel431 (Oct 24, 2015)

The Model F is 1895.  Models A, C & F are the same bike except for the frame size.
Model A: 21 1/2"
Model C: 24"
Model F: 26 1/2"

The front rim appears to be either a Dunlop or G&J clincher profile instead of the then standard single tube. I can't tell from the picture.  The Dunlop was an option for these bikes.  Jeffery's patent for the G&J style rim and tire wasn't granted until December 10, 1895 so if it is a clincher rim the rims are not original.  The pedals do appear to have been replaced as this style is not listed.  This may also address why the same style pedal is in a 1903 bicycle as mentioned above.

Ross


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## Madison (Oct 24, 2015)

Thank you for the information and I'll be happy to post more pictures of the rims when I get home later. 
-Madison


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## Madison (Oct 24, 2015)

Thank you for the information and I'll be happy to post more pictures of the rims when I get home later. 
-Madison


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## highwheel431 (Oct 24, 2015)

Pictures will help.  David being in Canada has seen a lot more Dunlop rims then I have as they where mush more prevalent there.

Ross


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## PJ55 (Oct 24, 2015)

Hi Madison,
   If you google "Black manufacturing company, erie, pa" you will learn some history of the company. If you go on ebay and enter "Tribune bicycle wrench" you will find one with an opening bid of $9.99. Good luck!


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## thehugheseum (Oct 24, 2015)

those pedals should be regular thread no reverse........metz patented reverse thread on the one pedal in like 97? previous to that time the pedals had this nut to back it up from unscrewing......my understanding of the tall frames was to be higher in the air......most gentlemen were still riding horses


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## Dan the bike man (Oct 24, 2015)

Welcome! You have a very nice bike! I have 10 1800's bikes but not one of these so I don't have info. for you. Thank you for sharing pictures. You have a bike to be very proud of, which I can tell you are very proud of! Best wishes on your new hobby!


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## highwheel431 (Oct 24, 2015)

Let me expand the heritage of the Model F.  1894 was the first year of Black Mfg making Tribune bicycles.  The model A and the model C where available in 1894.  The tall frame Model F came out in 1895.  All three were gone in 1896 when they started using a numeric system for identifying the bikes with the lowest number being 22.

Great bike and a one year only size.  Enjoy your find.


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## willswares1220 (Oct 24, 2015)

Nice bike! 

It would be interesting to hear the story of how you acquired it. Auction, Private party, Antique shop, Swap meet or?


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## Madison (Oct 24, 2015)

Sorry it took so long to post more pictures I just got home!


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## Madison (Oct 24, 2015)

Thank you to everyone that's been so kind and telling me about my Tribune!! I've been on the old time Erie website and some others but none have a lot of information and most of the information about the bicycles are about the Blue Streak. As for the peddles I don't know they just look like peddles to me lol but there is a nut holding them on but as for witch way it's threaded I can't tell you. 
And to answer another question I acquired the Tribune from an individual my dad and I helped him liquidate a collection. He asked if there was anything we wanted or money for helping him so much and I told him I fell in love with the bike and he gave it to me!


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## filmonger (Oct 25, 2015)

Very Cool - lovely bike. That front rim is interesting and fairly rare and as stated before - likely a replacement ( maybe ). Not many of the early wood clincher style rims survive. The rear rim is nice too! Be very careful with both of them - as they will need some care getting it backing shape. Both rims will need the same care. First clean the rims with hot water with a small amount of soap - just a damp rag ( small section at a time ) drying with another rag as soon as you have cleaned the section. This is to avoid any possible warping of the wood. I assume the wheels are fairly straight ( true ) and not warped. You then should be able to see what kind of shape they are in and assess their condition, trueness ( warping ) etc. Take a few pics after this process and we can walk you through the feeding process - as the wood will be very thirsty, dry and brittle depending on how they were varnished or oiled ( front rim looks like it may be vanished based on the cracking appearance of the surface ). If you are going to ride her find some replacement rims - keep these aside for display. Just my recommendation - I too am not an expert...but I am fairly knowledgeable about wood rims.

Here is some interesting reading about clincher rims and dunlop...

https://books.google.ie/books?id=9x...Bdc#v=onepage&q=1890 dunlop wood rims&f=false

http://library.la84.org/SportsLibrary/Outing/Volume_61/outLXI04/outLXI04p.pdf

https://books.google.ie/books?id=a4...Q6e#v=onepage&q=1890 dunlop wood rims&f=false

http://www.sil.si.edu/smithsoniancontributions/HistoryTechnology/pdf_hi/SSHT-0024.pdf


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## Wheeled Relics (Oct 25, 2015)

Also Interested in learning about feeding process of old good wood wheels. Thx everyone for the excellent tribune history lesson.


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## shoe3 (Oct 25, 2015)

Tall frames are sweet this is a real early tribune 1896


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## rustNspokes (Oct 25, 2015)

I wonder if it's remained in great condition this long because it was too tall for anyone to ride.


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## David Brown (Oct 25, 2015)

I would think the rims are original as i noticed that the front is 28 spoke which early bikes as in that year pretty well used 28 spoke. Also if the rear is laminated like the front I would think they came with the bike. But a lot can change in 118 years or so.


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## 1936Flyte (Nov 27, 2015)

nice find, pm me if for sale


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## Madison (Nov 27, 2015)

I'm so sorry I'm just now responding but I was sick and by the time I got better I just completely forgot to reply. Thank you everyone for all the information it's so kind of y'all to share your knowledge to me!!! I'll have to clean the wheels when I get home from vacation. Also the bike isn't for sale I'm still in LOVE with it and even if I changed my mind in the future I wouldn't even know what to ask for it lol


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## Madison (Apr 21, 2016)

Oh and a very nice man told me that there should be number on the bottom and I found 4 "5217"


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