# I Am A Vintage Bicycle Expert! And Yet I Don't Know Who Built My Own Mother's Bicycle. :(



## Squiggle Dog (Jan 4, 2018)

I have been interested in vintage bicycles ever since I was a child. I joined the Schwinn Collectornet Forums in 1996 at the age of 12. At around that time I could identify almost any vintage bicycle or part ever made. Since then, my knowledge has only grown. Imagine my shame in admitting that after all these years, I STILL haven't figured out who built my own mother's bicycle.

It's a Western Flyer and I think she got it for Christmas in 1963 from the local Western Auto store in Price, Utah. What's so odd about it is the fact that it has a tank and carrier like a balloon-tire bicycle, but it's actually a lightweight with skinny tires and looks European.

She left it at my grandmother's house when she moved out and decades later I acquired it. It was in decent condition for having been left outside for decades. It was only missing the rear fender. But, I was really stupid and spray painted over all the original graphics (which included some intricate pinstriping on the frame). I also lost a bunch of the hardware (like the chainguard--I have no idea how that is supposed to mount).

I want to restore the bicycle to the original condition, but this is going to be very difficult as there seem to be no others like it in existence, so I don't really have any other bikes to use as a reference to see what the missing hardware looks like and how the graphics are supposed to look.


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## Squiggle Dog (Jan 4, 2018)

My mother found what she thought was the original hang tag for the bicycle, but it says that it was made in the USA by Monark. I find that highly unlikely. The serial number also doesn't match. The tag says serial number 3631015. The serial number on the frame seems to read 3536 NW.


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## Shawn Michael (Jan 4, 2018)

I don't know what it is either, but the fenders and three piece crank look European. Are you wanting to restore it for sentimental reasons or to sell it? As is or restored it won't be worth much more than the smile it may bring to your mom.
Good luck! Shawn


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## Squiggle Dog (Jan 4, 2018)

Her bicycle seems similar to Hercules bicycles made in England such as the one pictured below. But, I have recently discovered that there was a brand called Scheuer which sold bicycles that look very similar to hers (pictured below the Hercules). However, upon further research, it seems that Bert Scheuer wasn't a bicycle manufacturer, but rather a designer/reseller. 

Adding to this, it appears that Batavus was a brand made in Holland which was sold by the Bert Scheuer brand and bears a striking resemblance to my mother's bicycle. This is all very interesting. I wish I could find close-photos of an identical bicycle or an original advertisement showing the bicycle.

If anyone can add information about her bicycle, I would greatly appreciate it! One day when I have the money, I want to bring it back to new condition and give it back to her.


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## Squiggle Dog (Jan 4, 2018)

Shawn Michael said:


> I don't know what it is either, but the fenders and three piece crank look European. Are you wanting to restore it for sentimental reasons or to sell it? As is or restored it won't be worth much more than the smile it may bring to your mom.
> Good luck! Shawn




I want to restore it to as new for sentimental reasons. I realize the bicycle is practically worthless monetarily, even in good condition, but it's something I will never sell, but hope to one day give back to my mother in brand new condition.


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## GTs58 (Jan 4, 2018)

Check out the bottom picture. Looks damn close if that dark line is tubing and matches your "cantilever" bars going to the rear dropouts. Guard doesn't match

 I had no idea who made my second childhood bike until a member remembered the details I mentioned. Mine was a 4 bar cantilever three speed lightweight with a three piece crank, aluminum fenders with rod braces.


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## island schwinn (Jan 4, 2018)

Clean the rear hub and look for any markings.looks almost like a West German or Austrian bike.


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## rollfaster (Jan 5, 2018)

Seen these before, usually badged as President or something.


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## tripple3 (Jan 5, 2018)

I had a 24" wheel girl's President
Completely original; but I don't know who sold it or made it.
It had a decal "Made in W. Germany"
I sold it recently for $100


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## Squiggle Dog (Jan 5, 2018)

GTs58--thanks for the ad! The pic of the girl's bike looks very similar to my mom's. Now we are throwing another possible brand into the mix--Kent. I wonder if Kent was another reseller like Scheuer, where they didn't actually make the bicycle, but contracted it out to another company, possibly the same one that made my mother's bicycle?

Tripple3--that 24" bicycle looks nearly identical to my mother's bicycle, other than the wheel size and width and of course different graphics since it's not a Western Flyer. But I would say that they were made by the same company.


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## Adamtinkerer (Jan 6, 2018)

These are the toughest bikes of the '60s to id. From what I've seen, most bikes badged as Bauer, Black Knight, Parkleigh, President, Royce Union, and the Sears' import lines were made by the Steyr/Daimler/Puch collective. They had several factories, with bikes coming from W. Germany and Austria. But, there were other, smaller co.'s, and the bikes look about the same, just 'European'. These co.'s mainly built lightweight 3 speed tourists in the style of the English Ralieghs, etc. In America, those were killing heavy ballooner sales, so the American co.'s developed middleweights in the mid '50's. The Euro response were the bikes seen in this post, and big retailers like Sears and Western Auto started selling them along with their USA built bikes.


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