# Help Identify Old Solid Rubber Tires



## minimum_riffage (Jul 21, 2018)

Hello. New to this forum, and need help to identify some old (most likely reproduction, but not certain) style solid rubber tires. I bought them at a film/TV set auction, but the sellers had no info on them. Googling keywords to help find info was no help so I found this forum to maybe answer my query. First some pics:














So the dimensions are:

Wheel diameter: 38 1/4"
Hub diameter: 4 3/4"
Hub width: 6"
Tire width: 7/8"
Spoke Count: 30

Approx. 15 to 18 lbs

Now these could not even be bicycle tires, but I haven't seen anything else that would have such a similar design. They are too small for a high-wheel front tire, and too large for any conventional tire size. The only thing that comes close in size that I've found is a Safety Bicycle, but these look too new for them to be 100+ years old. Basically they look like either new old stock, or a reproduction of some kind. There is no wear on the tires. The black enamel finish is shiny and any age looks to be just from storage.

I bought them to hang on the wall, I thought they'd be a nice decorator for my stairwell, but I would love to know what they actually are, and of what age they might be.

Any help is appreciated. I'll check back tomorrow for any follow up questions. Thanks.


----------



## bentwoody66 (Jul 21, 2018)

Sulky wheels maybe?

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk


----------



## bikejunk (Jul 21, 2018)

Plenty of things used these wheels from fire carts to push carts what kind of bearings are in the hubs ?


----------



## minimum_riffage (Jul 21, 2018)

No bearings, just the hollow stem. I thought about it being from a cart, but if it's a repro, who would make sure a well built design for something that was never used. Not even any wear marks in the stem of the hub.


----------



## bike (Jul 22, 2018)

I do not think they are very old


----------



## minimum_riffage (Jul 22, 2018)

bike said:


> I do not think they are very old



Not old in age, but old in style. That's why I think they are a reproduction of some kind. My overwhelming impression (initial and still current) is that they look like old bike tires, but just exactly what type is what perplexes me. Again, any help or info is appreciated. Thanks.


----------



## minimum_riffage (Jul 22, 2018)

Hmm. So it just occurred to me to see if someone might make a high wheel bike with a smaller front wheel, and I found this site. They make replica high wheels, and they make a 38" size. I found a pic of one of there of there wheels and it looks almost exactly like mine. Though mine looks like it's been in storage for a while (old dust and brown oxidization on the rubber), so I'm not sure what other manufacturers there are of these, but I may have found my answer.

(Also realized that I only counted the spokes on one side of the hub, so there are actually 60 per wheel, which is standard for the high wheel style).


----------



## rusty_apache (Jul 29, 2018)

English invalid carriages used similar wheels up into the 1930’s.


----------



## Rambler (Jul 30, 2018)

minimum_riffage said:


> Hmm. So it just occurred to me to see if someone might make a high wheel bike with a smaller front wheel, and I found this site. They make replica high wheels, and they make a 38" size. I found a pic of one of there of there wheels and it looks almost exactly like mine. Though mine looks like it's been in storage for a while (old dust and brown oxidization on the rubber), so I'm not sure what other manufacturers there are of these, but I may have found my answer.
> 
> (Also realized that I only counted the spokes on one side of the hub, so there are actually 60 per wheel, which is standard for the high wheel style).





I believe you are correct about the manufacturer. I think these wheels were intended for the Double Eagle replica. I would contact Greg Barron owner of Rideable replicas (aka: hiwheel.com) and ask him if he sold a pair of 38" wheels to someone in the past. He seems to have a surprisingly good memory regarding his past customers.

http://hiwheel.com/antique_replicas/double_eagle.htm


----------



## minimum_riffage (Jul 31, 2018)

Rambler said:


> I believe you are correct about the manufacturer. I think these wheels were intended for the Double Eagle replica. I would contact Greg Barron owner of Rideable replicas (aka: hiwheel.com) and ask him if he sold a pair of 38" wheels to someone in the past. He seems to have a surprisingly good memory regarding his past customers.
> 
> http://hiwheel.com/antique_replicas/double_eagle.htm



Thanks for the confirmation. I'll email them and ask.

Sent from my SM-G930W8 using Tapatalk


----------



## gkeep (Aug 2, 2018)

Those do look like Greg's hubs. I just happened to be at Ridable Replicas Shop last Friday (a few blocks from my house) and got a lesson in early hub design from Greg and Mike (TR6SC). They showed me a number of originals and I know Greg has a history of supplying movies, amusement parks etc. We ran into one of his bikes on display in a restaurant in upstate New York last year, they get around.


----------

