# help please?



## barb (Apr 18, 2009)

ok so heres the thing...a couple weeks ago i went out into my parents barn and i found a bike. this bike was definitely my grandpas but my dad doesnt know whether or not it may have belonged to my great grandpa? i cant figure out anything about it! the bike has a logo on the front that says "cleveland" and i was told by the owner of a bike shop that it was made by ccm. but other than that im fairly well in the dark. its got 28" wheels and i dont know what else to say. does anyone know how to find out what kind of bike this is?


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## MartyW (Apr 18, 2009)

Is there any way that you can post a picture that would help us a lot in telling you what it is.
Where are you located in the States or Canada?


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## barb (Apr 18, 2009)

im in canada, about an hour outside of vancouver. im not very good with technology but ill see what i can to do get a picture up. any help you could give me would be awesome


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## MartyW (Apr 18, 2009)

E mail the picture to me if you would like and I can upload it for you.

Martywobca@yahoo.com


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## Herman (Apr 18, 2009)

*Cleveland bicycles*

I checked on the Wheelmen site and they list 5 different manufacturers of Cleveland brand bicycles,all American manufactured,all dating to the early 1900's,you could contact them for additional info


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## barb (Apr 18, 2009)

I actually came across the wheelmen site before i found this one. I started scrolling through and all i could think was "i may be in over my head"  lol


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## MartyW (Apr 18, 2009)

*Here are the Pictures*


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## Herman (Apr 18, 2009)

Well it definately says CCM at the top of the headbadge,the sprocket/crank assembly may be replacements,contact Walter Branche thru the member list,he is very knowledgeable about early bikes and may be able to help you more or steer you in the right direction


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## barb (Apr 19, 2009)

awesome thanks guys! its a little difficult for me to figure out much about this bike because it was my grandpas but then it was my dads when he was little. which means he did a bunch of stuff to it (like painting it blue...it used to be red i found a chip in the paint) and apparently he thinks either him or his dad sawed of the front fender at one point. but that was a long time ago and he doesnt really remember lol.


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## mre straightbar (Apr 19, 2009)

*those old fenders came short like that in the front*

if you decide to sell id be interested


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## walter branche (Apr 19, 2009)

*metal clad wood rims*

looking at the bike ,it is after 1919 ,the wheelmen information stops at the year 1919, i would put the bike around the early part of the 20s -because it has 28 inch metal clad rims- to find the correct date it will take some forensic work ,,keep looking at the photos that are available,on all of the cycle sites, you will find a similar machine ,, if i find a bike ,that matches ,,i will send along the information..  i have a picture of sir malcom cambell riding a  bike on daytona beach ,,before he set the land speed record in 1935,, the difference is ,malcoms bike has 26 inch wheels , search till you find your answer,,thanks wbranche@cfl.rr.com    walter branche ,,


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## yeshoney (Apr 19, 2009)

*Mine is a DP Harris badged as a SAMSCO*

Here is mine.  You do the comparison and figure if it is the same or not.  Mine was made by DP Harris for SAMSCO.  Never figured out exacly what year, but mine had the triple steps on it when i got it and had the 5 sided aluminum fenders. Oh yeah i fogot to add that the fenders on my bike when i found it had the little block adapters that pushed the fenders away from the mount presumably to compensate for the fact that the frame originally was designed for 28" wheels


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## barb (Apr 19, 2009)

ok so heres another question that may sound dumb...is my bike something i can fix up and actually have as a bike or is that a bad idea?


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## Herman (Apr 20, 2009)

*Fix it up!!!*

If it was mine I would definately fix it up,since it's a family heirloom,how many people can say they have their grandfather's bike? You could start by checking out the restoration site thread on removing old paint without damaging the original paint underneath,use lots of penetrating oil & patience when removing old parts.Basically just clean & regrease the headset,bottom bracket(crank assy) & dissassemble & regrease the rear hub,new tires,tubes,replace any broken or missing spokes. I would not repaint or replate anything,just clean it up and enjoy it! Later on you could look for the correct sprockets & skip tooth chain if you wanted or leave the current ones on since it's part of the "history" of your bike.


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## barb (Apr 20, 2009)

haha i took it down to a bike shop last week and told them that i wanted to fix it up. they all looked at me like i deserved a slap and told me just to hang it on the wall and enjoy it. whats the point?! i took it down off the wall in the barn!  i have to admit though i maybe shouldnt touch it cuz i really would like to repaint it and rechrome the handlebars and stuff and apparently that would be wrecking it


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## RMS37 (Apr 20, 2009)

Since your bike is probably newer than 1921 and definately older than 1960 the following serial number/date chart for CCM may be helpfull. The key to using it is to find the letter and where it is placed in the serial number. 

1921    A-----
1922    B-----
1923    C-----
1924    D-----
1925    E-----
1926    H-----
1927    K-----
1928    L-----
1929    N-----
1930    P-----
1931    S-----
1932    T-----
1933    V-----
1934    W-----
1935    X-----
1936    Z-----
1937    -A----
1938    -B----
1939    -C----
1940    -D----
1941    -E----
1942    -H----
1943    -K----
1944    -L----
1945    -N----
1946    -P----
1947    -S----
1948    -T----
1949    -----A
1950    -----B
1951    -----C
1952    -----D
1953    -----E
1954    -----H
1955    -----K
1956    -----L
1957    -----N
1958    -----P
1959    -----S
1960    -----T


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## barb (Apr 20, 2009)

thats great thanks! now i just need to FIND the serial number...


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## Herman (Apr 20, 2009)

*Fix it up!!!*

Hello, everyone wants their bikes to be shiney new looking at first and you could always do that later on,either way you would still have to regrease everything,replace tires,etc. I would hold off doing anything you cannot reverse until you at least see what the original paint looks like underneath that blue house paint


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## barb (Apr 20, 2009)

good point. i did find a spot where the lovely blue has chipped off and i can see that it was originally red. kind of an orangey red actually but i dont know how good it is under the blue


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## pedal alley (Apr 20, 2009)

*fix-it-up*

the "Original" has been taken away allready.
i'd say if you have the notion of keeping this
piece of your family history . then by all means
repaint,rechome,do it up like brand new,and enjoy
riding & admiring this jewel for the rest of your days.


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## Herman (Apr 20, 2009)

*Fix it up!!!*

Check out the "Lift off sray paint graphitti remover" thread in the Bicycle Restoration Tips forum on this site before you make your decision. A good place to try these tips on first would be underneath the bottom bracket to see if you can find the serial #,and if it messes up the original paint at least it's in an area that doesn't show.If you ever watched the "Antique Roadshow" on TV you will constantly hear the disapointment of refinishing antiques to look "NEW"


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## TigerCat (Apr 20, 2009)

It would be nice to return it to it's original color even if it is beat under the blue paint. I would agree that oiling everything and getting it running would be the way to go. You could enjoy it now and save the resto for the winter. Good luck, have fun.


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## pedal alley (Apr 20, 2009)

*Just Don't......*

hang it in the barn .

definately get this bicycle moving again.
check out the thread herman suggested for sure.
personaly, i like the xylol -xylene .patrick shows
an example on that thread.enjoy your journey.


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## barb (Apr 20, 2009)

thanks everyone!  soooo relieved i didnt come on here just to have the general consensus be to leave the poor thing alone!


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## MartyW (Apr 20, 2009)

I think that you find that the general concensus here is that bicycles are meant to be ridden and enjoyed! 
I hope that you have fun with it.


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## mre straightbar (Apr 21, 2009)

*these bikes didnt have chrome*

the shinyness was a nickel plating


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## oldy57 (May 3, 2009)

If you look at the bottom of the headbadge it may have Ont and a city, can't remember what I saw on those headbadges. The double bar bikes started in around 1922. They were made by CCM and are in the CCM Catalogues. Your serial number should be on the left rear dropout, where the hub nut is, abovethe brake arm. Chck the back hub and post what it says on it. CCM 37 was made in 1937 and later, Herculese in writing is from 1926 through 37 and Herculese in bold print was from 1915? through26. Before 1915 I have seen the hubs with no brake arm. The hubs has a surrated left side. When the hub bolts were tightened the hub would be tightened in the frame like the jaws of a vise grip. The hub worked like any coaster brake hub. 
The bike you have is a CCM bike for sure. The pedals may be Gibson branded, another CCM clue. 
If you can strip the paint off and save the red under it, it would be great. 
Tom


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## phillips1952 (May 4, 2009)

*old ccms*

hello its mark from victoria bc.i just got done restoring a 1936 ccm,also have restored a 1923 massey harris silver ribbon.plus alot more.are you near victoria or the mainland.if you need any tips i have done the mechanical bits and have found out alot in the last few years.bicycle shops are kinda useless unless someone takes interest in helping you.its very time consuming,im free.i just like resurecting old bikes.check out my massey -harris here and you can see what is involved.good luck.just let it sit.it wont get any worse.and the knowledge youll get will help you figure out what to do with it!!i would put it back to original,they look very antiquated like that.


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