# Old western flyer. How old though?



## Yetifan (Aug 9, 2021)

Hi, new here. A massive lot of knowledge, so I thought I’d ask.

I’ve just bought this western flyer.  The seller thought it was 40s, I seem to think it’s 50s.
Can anybody help me identify it?

i was going to repaint it etc, but the patina is off the scale so I will keep it as is!
Thanks for any advice or info.


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## bentwoody66 (Aug 9, 2021)

Post 1953


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## fordmike65 (Aug 9, 2021)

Looks to be Huffman built


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## Yetifan (Aug 9, 2021)

Would it be sacrilege to even consider painting it?


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## stezell (Aug 9, 2021)

Don't even bring that up around here are you crazy, it'll actually clean up pretty good. I'm not sure if this applies to this new of a Huffman but look behind the fork and there might be a date stamp on there. Cool find young man.
Sean


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## New Mexico Brant (Aug 9, 2021)

That bike would look very different after a short oxalic acid bath.  I think you would find the post bath bike pleasing.


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## Lonestar (Aug 9, 2021)

I agree w/ @New Mexico Brant  100% ... Are you Yetifan from the Yeti bikes site?


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## Yetifan (Aug 9, 2021)

Thanks all. Yes I run the Yetifan.com site and am Yetifan on Facebook too.


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## Archie Sturmer (Aug 9, 2021)

Does the “1H” serial number prefix indicate that it might be a *1951* Huffman?


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## bloo (Aug 9, 2021)

Yes


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## coasterbrakejunkie1969 (Aug 10, 2021)

Nice bike regardless of year.


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## Robert Troub (Aug 10, 2021)

Yetifan said:


> Would it be sacrilege to even consider painting it?



Yes


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## Mr. Monkeyarms (Aug 10, 2021)

.


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## Mr. Monkeyarms (Aug 10, 2021)

Perfect just the way it is in my opinion. Maybe a light cleaning, tires and a mechanical overhaul is all that's needed. 😉 Nice find!


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## rustjunkie (Aug 10, 2021)

Yetifan said:


> Would it be sacrilege to even consider painting it?




i'd say without hesitation: leave the paint orig.
although it's not a particularly desirable or valuable bicycle, there's no shortage of bikes with worse or non-existent original paint out there to re-do.
it'd be far easier and cheaper to enjoy the bike. as it is after a sympathetic mechanical service, and it'll get more attention if left original.


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## JLF (Aug 10, 2021)

So much knowledge here.  I learn something new every day.  
I had no idea any bike in the 50's would still have a skiptooth set up?  
Still using prewar left overs at that time?


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## bloo (Aug 10, 2021)

One more vote for leaving it original. I like this one, a lot.


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## kreika (Aug 10, 2021)

JLF said:


> So much knowledge here.  I learn something new every day.
> I had no idea any bike in the 50's would still have a skiptooth set up?
> Still using prewar left overs at that time?




Not a left over but still in use. I think the ye ole skip tooth was pretty much gone by the mid 50’s.


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## Yetifan (Aug 10, 2021)

I have given it a little go over with some WD40, aside from making my house stink, the bike has started to come up amazingly nicely. So much dirt on it! I thought it was just lots of rust!


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## Oilit (Aug 10, 2021)

kreika said:


> Not a left over but still in use. I think the ye ole skip tooth was pretty much gone by the mid 50’s.



I don't believe any middleweight had a skiptooth, when the middleweights came in, the skiptooth was probably just too old fashioned.


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## Archie Sturmer (Aug 10, 2021)

Just noticed the relatively-low position of the truss tube (rear).  I believe that George Pepperdine might not have liked the look of the tighter Huffman frame design — when a tank was not furnished. Some Western Auto ads may show that frame on their tank-less *competitive* models. 



Makes it easier to find just the “_right_” tank.


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## bloo (Aug 10, 2021)

Yetifan said:


> I have given it a little go over with some WD40, aside from making my house stink, the bike has started to come up amazingly nicely. So much dirt on it! I thought it was just lots of rust!



I have a 53 Huffman/Huffy that has been with me since I was a little kid. It is the same colors. I assumed it was all rust. Later on, I figured out there was actually quite a bit of brown paint. When I tore it down to rebuild it and uncovered some less faded paint I discovered it is really maroon/cream/green, and so is yours. There is a bit of the maroon on your bottom bracket picture. Apparently the maroon fades to the color of rust.


Archie Sturmer said:


> Just noticed the relatively-low position of the truss tube (rear).  I believe that George Pepperdine might not have liked the look of the tighter Huffman frame design — when a tank was not furnished. Some Western Auto ads may show that frame on their tank-less economy models.
> Makes it easier to find just the “_right_” tank.



I totally missed that, but I noticed the 50s Huffman-style huge rear forks. It makes for a great looking frame. Not sure what you mean about it being easier finding a tank. If that's true, a normal 50s Huffman tank wouldn't fit, would it? I wouldn't bother if it was mine. It looks good without one.


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## Roadkill (Aug 13, 2021)

Nice bike. Its cleaning up really well. Are we sure that isn't a CWC framed Western Flyer? 

Ride on,
Sean


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## Archie Sturmer (Aug 13, 2021)

bloo said:


> Not sure what you mean about it being *easier *finding "a tank".  I wouldn't bother if it was mine.  It looks *good *without one.



Easy as in "done" - which rhymes with "none".


Roadkill said:


> Are we sure that isn't a *CWC *framed Western Flyer?



The original poster's bike is a 1951 Huffman built Western Flyer with Huffman features including a Huffman serial number.
The "Western Flyer" ad that I posted looks to have a mix of Huffman and CWC-built bicycles (on the right side page).
The original poster's bike looks like the smaller picture of a boy's *competitive model* bicycle (bottom picture ‘B’).
We see the distinct gap in between the top tube and the truss tube at the seat tube mast.
We see the downward plunge of the otherwise straight truss tube at the down tube.



Huffman called their own tank-less the "*promotional model*".


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## Roadkill (Aug 13, 2021)

Archie Sturmer said:


> Easy as in "done" - which rhymes with "none".
> 
> The original poster's bike is a 1951 Huffman built Western Flyer with Huffman features including a Huffman serial number.
> The "Western Flyer" ad that I posted looks to have a mix of Huffman and CWC-built bicycles (on the right side page).
> ...



Thank you Archie for clearing that up. The chain stays, seat stays, and chain tensioners looked very CWC to me. I missed the serial number photo. Probably a dead giveaway there. I appreciate your taking the time to educate me on Huffman characteristics, as I now see those differences. Got my learnin' on today!

Ride on,
Sean


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## Superman1984 (Aug 13, 2021)

I wouldn't touch that with #0000 steel wool❗ Just a Good thorough wash with soapy water & then wax it. It has the same Maroon White & Green scheme as a '53 CWC Roadmaster girls bike project I have. It's also skip tooth. The only bike I have actually that Is & was All Originally.


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## Adamtinkerer (Aug 14, 2021)

CWC had skip tooth through '54, I've seen '55 Murray ads with it! Even Schwinn through '52.


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## Archie Sturmer (Aug 15, 2021)

Roadkill said:


> The chain stays, seat stays, and chain tensioners looked very CWC to me.




The chain stays are fairly straight in a profile view and made from a medium-small size steel tubing; the perspective of the photo may make them look curved like CWC in that time period.  Early CWC frames had straight chain stays, (but they may have coincided with the straight down tubes).

The seat stays are a difficult (for me) means of distinguishing different makes, (as are subtly different degrees of curvature); however I believe that CWC may have used wider diameter (medium-fat) steel tubing.

The chain tensioner or rear triangle plates are a distinctively Huffman design used in the 1950’s.


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