# Balloon Tire Shelby Lindy.?



## Rust_Trader (Sep 9, 2012)

Got my Lindy this morning and it has triple step wheels, the gap between the fork and tire is small enought for the ballon fender type. Also the 26" tire clears the fork gap. The graphics on the tank are the same as the other tank I found earlier this week. Tanks are different, one with square edge and the other is more rounded.

Here's some pic, any help on this bike would be appreciated. Any pictures or literature that I can see or buy would be awesome.


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## rustyspoke66 (Sep 9, 2012)

Great find do you have any other pics? So we are to assume that these came in standard 28's and balloon? Makes sense. These are the only two pics I have of a Lindy.


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## Gary Mc (Sep 9, 2012)

Greens07,  I am pretty certain that is not a Lindy tank. 1) it shows a biplane which is incorrect & 2) I am pretty sure all the Lindy's had just a script "Lindy" on them but sure someone else can confirm.  I'll try to find some pics I have saved & post this week.  Most of the tank versions I believe had a rounded cigar style tank but I know I have one pic somewhere of a regular toolbox tank bike but the bike was a restore so not sure of originality on that one.  Scott (Cabe owner) was at one time selling reprints of the Lindy catalog from one year.  I'll see if I can find the link or some info.  Pretty sure these were made from 1928-1934???? May have also been some later versions.


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## scrubbinrims (Sep 9, 2012)

Out of your comfort zone with this one Santi 
Cannot help much other than pics of my 30/31 which would probably have been badged a Lindy except it was made for a local sporting goods store that had their Fox label.
Tough to find early Shelby stuff and I think I saw a Lindy bananna tank on Nostalgic Dave's so it had a long run...wonder why they are so scarce?
I can understand the Lindy script on a cigar tank, but on a toolbox tank, I wouldn't rule out the plane decals as original at this point.
Chris


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## Rust_Trader (Sep 9, 2012)

Nice bike but so limited on info. I know the lindy script was used on the early models with the oval badge. I wonder if the balloon tire one had a different decal on the tank. This bike I got has to be a 34-35 model. It has a morrow hub that I need to clean off and see the date code.


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## Rust_Trader (Sep 9, 2012)

This one sold at Copake a few years ago, 28" wheels with slanted frame/tank.


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## Gary Mc (Sep 10, 2012)

*Pics*

Here are some more pics:













The first bike belongs to a CABE Member & is in the gallery.

Second pic is from NBHAA.

The last 3 pics I believe are a Shelby Flyer being turned into a Lindy reproduction: More info see "THE FIRST CHARACTER BIKE: 1928 Shelby Lindy":

http://dialyourride.wordpress.com/page-4-the-first-character-bike-1928-shelby-lindy/


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## Gary Mc (Sep 10, 2012)

*More Pics - Copake*

More:



















These are from the Copake auction.


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## Gary Mc (Sep 10, 2012)

*Ad & Catalog*

Catalog/Ad pics:


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## Gary Mc (Sep 10, 2012)

*More Pics - CABE archives*

Here's one more bike albeit in pieces:











Also from the CABE archives.


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## Gary Mc (Sep 10, 2012)

*Original catalog copy*

See partial brochure I posted above from Scott McCaskey's note posted as last post in thread at:

http://thecabe.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?25058-Shelby-Whippet&highlight=whippet+lindy


Greens07, I think that is everything I have on Lindy's which is not a lot but hope it helps.  You really need to determine year by posting a s/n & maybe someone can help & long shot find the catalog.  I will be following your progress on this one.  To me the Lindy's are really the Holy Grail of bike collecting as they are just so rare.  Good luck with this bike. !!!!!!!!  It is way cool BTW even if the tank turns out wrong.


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## Gary Mc (Sep 10, 2012)

*From NBHAA*

From NBHAA: This is the red bike with white darts I posted:  "1931 Lindy (by Shelby)

Charles Lindbergh was one of America's greatest heroes in the late 1920s. After his transatlantic flight feat, nearly every manufacturer who made anything was anxious to tie in with his success and heroism. But few people today know that there was a bicycle built just for such a purpose.
In 1928 The Shelby Cycle Company of Shelby, Ohio introduced their "Lindy" bicycle to commemorate this American hero. A little miniature "Sprit of St Louis" airplane sits on the front fender and the propeller was designed to spin as the rider pedaled along! Though few were ever sold, this bicycle was just a suggestion of things to come with what we call "character bicycles" and opened a whole new realm of what would follow later from various companies (Gene Autry, Hopalong Cassidy, Donald Duck, just to name a few of the later character bicycles).

In any event, the Lindy was originally built as a separate line (from other Shelby products) for several years and came in many models and trim levels. Most were red-white- and blue colors, of course.

This particular Lindy shown is a 1931 version which is largely the same (except for minor details) as the 1928 version. The Lindy was one of the first bicycles to adopt chrome plating and you may notice there is some mixture of chrome and nickel plating on this bicycle as the latter was being phased out. Most of the paint on this bicycle is original, as are the seat and tool bag (and yes, the tool pouch is where the factory always put it on the rear carrier despite eyelets for same in the seat.)

Today, Lindys are so rare, there are probably fewer than ten existing in the hands of collectors and of these, even fewer are this complete or original. This is the first time this Lindy has been on museum exhibition."

http://nbhaa.com/indexoakland.html


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## Gary Mc (Sep 10, 2012)

*Some Great Info*

More info:

http://dialyourride.wordpress.com/page-4-the-first-character-bike-1928-shelby-lindy/


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## Gary Mc (Sep 10, 2012)

*1937 Lindy Airflo*

They were still making these bikes in 1937 in the form of the 1937 Lindy Airflo.  See:

http://www.nostalgic.net/bicycle936


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## Gary Mc (Sep 10, 2012)

*Lindy ornament reproduction*

Nostalgic Reflections reproduces the "Lindy Aircraft 1928-38 Airplane Bicycle Fender Ornament (aluminum)  #LC0001".  These can be found at:

http://www.nostalgicreflections.com/castingsindex2.html


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## Gary Mc (Sep 10, 2012)

*Ad*

Here's one final ad I had:






Greens07,  As you can see I kind of have a "fascination" with these bikes as a huge fan of Charles Lindberg's accomplishments.  I think I've saved every reference or pic I have found over the last couple of years, there just is not a lot out there on the web that I've seen.  I need to see if Scott still has reproductions of the original catalog too. - Thanks - Gary


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## Rust_Trader (Sep 10, 2012)

Thanks Gary for all the info.


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