# My First Pre-War Bike! (its not pretty)



## Neal405 (Jul 18, 2021)

I have been lookin to get my feet wet on a pre-war bike and Craigslist finally delivered. I purchased an Elgin bottlecap badged bike for 50 bucks and they also had a girls Hiawatha that the lady gave me for 20. With some research I believe the Elgin was made in the mid 20s in Indiana? My noob question would be, is this Elgin crank pitch bend correct? Its not like a dogleg where you can tell and I dont want messed up parts on it right away. Thanks for any info! Happy Sunday!View attachment 1448237


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## GTs58 (Jul 18, 2021)

That crank leg is bent out. Doesn't matter how the leg is shaped as long as they are parallel and "angled correctly" at the end.


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## Neal405 (Jul 18, 2021)

Ahhh I see it now! The rounded end is bent out. Thank you GTs58 looks like I will be using the other crank.


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## dasberger (Jul 18, 2021)

You may try bending it back. I was able to bend one this week without any specialized tools.  Found a spot on my trailer frame where I was able to wedge it.  Took a decent bit of muscle and just the right placement but it worked.  Maybe try putting the bent end top pr three inches in a vice and use a length of pipe on the other end of the crank for leverage.  Just go slowly and check it each time you push/pull


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## Archie Sturmer (Jul 25, 2021)

The “B” serial prefix might indicate about 1924 or so; and we see a Murray chain ring sprocket; (i.e., what else got changed in 97 years).  The chain ring sprocket in the 2nd picture (left) looks more appropriate; (but Sears may have used a couple of others).

The cranks in the 2nd picture might not be correct; the cranks supplied with Excelsior built bicycles often had a distinctive “*arch*” in between the threaded cones.  The arch facilitated fitting of the crank into the bottom bracket crank hanger.

The attachment 1448237 is not opening; was it a picture of the *whole* *bicycle*?


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## Neal405 (Jul 25, 2021)

Thank you for your knowledge @Archie Sturmer I have attached a picture on how I received the bike. I did purchase what I thought would be the correct chainring. I was surprised to see how old the bike is when I tried to date it. I had never seen such a clean straight stamp on such an old bike.


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## Neal405 (Sep 28, 2021)

Hey guys here is what I ended up doing with the Elgin. Although I would like to get more original parts they are not cheap to come by. She's a fun rider and I'm happy with it.


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## SKPC (Sep 29, 2021)

Cool MCE moto N405!  Might put out a _plea_ for a long spring saddle here.  Perhaps someone would help you find a crusty one?


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## 49autocycledeluxe (Sep 29, 2021)

it's a JEEP bike .. *J*ust *E*nough *E*ssential *P*arts .


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## Neal405 (Sep 29, 2021)

SKPC said:


> Cool MCE moto N405!  Might put out a _plea_ for a long spring saddle here.  Perhaps someone would help you find a crusty one?



Yes! That would be the next course of action for this build. 👍👍👍


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## gkeep (Sep 30, 2021)

Some old crusty Brooks saddle could work. For what you paid you're starting well ahead on that ride!😉 Have fun with it.


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## Jkolodziej1 (Jul 24, 2022)

Neal405 said:


> Hey guys here is what I ended up doing with the Elgin. Although I would like to get more original parts they are not cheap to come by. She's a fun rider and I'm happy with it.View attachment 1486717



Let me know if you ever wanna sell it, HAHA!


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