# Help identifying this early bicycle?



## thehugheseum (Sep 17, 2012)

This is my main riding bicycle and i have folks asking what brand or make it is all the time................i bought it in really rough condition and the badge is missing....identifying it would be pretty cool i would be very grateful


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## bricycle (Sep 17, 2012)

I don't know, but I know I want it!!! The Columbia motobike too....


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## Gary Mc (Sep 17, 2012)

Need more pics to help.  Close-up pics of rear drop outs, chainring, seat stays, & fork will help.  Also look for a serial number.  Could be under crank, under seat post, or on rear drop-outs.  See if you can determine hubs IDs/type.  All this will help narrow down make & year.

And I am searching those pics for a Columbia motor-bike I'm not seeing but Bri is, so please post a pic of it as well if you get a chance.  Now I'm just plain curious.....

Thanks - Gary


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## thehugheseum (Sep 17, 2012)

thanks! i kinda love this bike and it was hell to get-together even though it was really all there.............i chose to have clincher wood rims made for it so im able to use 28 x 1 1/2 pnuematic modern tires/tubes..............the original rims are only faint reminders of what once was,this bike is actually very fast

by the motobike do you refer to the ordinary in the background or one of the other bikes..............is this the proper place to ask about dating/identifying my ordinary?  i dont know jack about it either,last winter i built this wood rimmed bike and this winter i would like to get the ordinary going


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## bud poe (Sep 17, 2012)

*A pic from my site of the bike before he purchased it.  We saw this poor thing at the Davenport 2011 Meet and thought it was cool but left it behind...How's that for a before and after?  I can say every moving part on this thing was froze and Mr Hugheseum put in major work getting it back together, much props! 
Wish I had some more insight into the maker, good luck in your everlasting search for knowledge...  *
Pic is between the pit bulls...
http://blackdotmetal.blogspot.com/


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## thehugheseum (Sep 17, 2012)

no names on the hubs,lots of surface rust though and im not restoring..............and before bud poe even says it "yes i will of course get correct hardware on the chainring/crank............yes i believe the baby jesus weeps when he sees the 2 modern screws and the missing one to boot!....................luckily baby jesus cant even focus on it cause its always scorching


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## bike (Sep 17, 2012)

bud poe said:


> *a pic from my site of the bike before he purchased it.  We saw this poor thing at the davenport 2011 meet and thought it was cool but left it behind...how's that for a before and after?  I can say every moving part on this thing was froze and mr hugheseum put in major work getting it back together, much props!
> Wish i had some more insight into the maker, good luck in your everlasting search for knowledge...  *
> pic is between the pit bulls...
> http://blackdotmetal.blogspot.com/




bit bulls are the best!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Great family dogs!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## thehugheseum (Sep 17, 2012)

eh...................................


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## pelletman (Sep 18, 2012)

Nice beer can!  Look for slotted oval head screws with the correct thread on ebay, or your local hardware store.


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## thehugheseum (Sep 18, 2012)

great advice,why didnt i think of the hardware store? musta been all those beers


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## bricycle (Sep 18, 2012)

thehugheseum said:


> thanks! i kinda love this bike and it was hell to get-together even though it was really all there.............i chose to have clincher wood rims made for it so im able to use 28 x 1 1/2 pnuematic modern tires/tubes..............the original rims are only faint reminders of what once was,this bike is actually very fast
> 
> by the motobike do you refer to the ordinary in the background or one of the other bikes..............is this the proper place to ask about dating/identifying my ordinary?  i dont know jack about it either,last winter i built this wood rimmed bike and this winter i would like to get the ordinary going




The second pic, bike behind the blue bike...Not Columbia?  bri.


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## thehugheseum (Sep 18, 2012)

the tank bike? behind the daytonia is a ranger,the next bike after that is a elgin,after that is an iver johnson..............im not as into bikes as early motorcycle but the 4 of those bikes were very original so for now they can stay..............i really like the 1890s bikes and earlier than those would be more desirable to me..........im not trying to start a bicycle collection,antique motorcycles are plenty expensive


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## Rambler (Sep 18, 2012)

Looks like a Hawthorne to me.


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## thehugheseum (Sep 18, 2012)

were getting so off track im confused................do you think the 1890s bike is a hawthorne or are you talking about a background bike?


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## Rambler (Sep 18, 2012)

The 1890's bike you started the thread with. I believe it is a Hawthorne. I could be proven wrong but the front fork looks like my Hawthorne of the same era.

Below is photo of my 1899 Hawthorn for comparison.


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## thehugheseum (Sep 18, 2012)

neat! the forks and headtube do look like yours.............crankset looks different to me.............when i was building it i was over at a chums house who had several 1890s bikes in different states.........handling them and looking closely at them i realized my frame and forks were signifigantly lighter,lighter guage tubing and even smaller pins on the castings/joints

     does your hawthorne have serial numbers on the lower headtube?


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## Rambler (Sep 18, 2012)

thehugheseum said:


> does your hawthorne have serial numbers on the lower headtube?




Yes I do believe so, I will check to confirm for sure later this afternoon but at the moment I do believe best I can recall the serial number is stamped on the lower head tube same as yours.


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## thehugheseum (Sep 18, 2012)

very cool! if you can i would love to see more pics of your bike too..........like the badge,rear dropouts and crankset


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## bricycle (Sep 18, 2012)

Hugh, looks like a FH briggs shroud on da floor there.... you into old stationary engines as well??


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## thehugheseum (Sep 18, 2012)

ouch..............yeah so that area up there is supposed to be the impromptu antique cycle motors and ragtag bikes minimuseum,it started out not such a mess.............that shroud is a pb briggs,i have the case and a few other parts for that motor if you know anyone in need.........................i pulled the worst souless act upon this poor motor,it was beautiful,restored and running really nice.........................but a pb motor is actually a model d save for the case................so i have a mangy model d or briggs motor wheel that now isnt that mangy.........but i have the blood of a nice pb all over my hands

    im mostly into very early motorcycle and the briggs motor wheel definately tells a great story and has a special place in motorcycle history................really the briggs and stratton first born as well


     cool story..............so i had this mangy model d my chum thoughtfully gave me................i met the guru of motorwheels and he told me i needed to find a pb motor for parts but that they were very hard to find...........................30 minutes after i learned that i found this pb motor...................i called the guru immediately to confirm its pb-ness............his reply was "will you please buy my next lottery ticket?" theres plenty more to the story but thats more than enough rambling for now


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## bricycle (Sep 18, 2012)

I once turned down a running "P" for $600 bucks, just because I thought they were so ugly....live and learn I guess....


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## Rambler (Sep 18, 2012)

thehugheseum said:


> does your hawthorne have serial numbers on the lower headtube?






Rambler said:


> Yes I do believe so, I will check to confirm for sure later this afternoon but at the moment I do believe best I can recall the serial number is stamped on the lower head tube same as yours.




I checked the location of my Hawthorne serial number, turns out it is on the upper seatpost frametube rather than on the lower headtube. Fork looks identical to yours but that is probably not conclusive enough evidence to say for absolutely sure that yours is a Hawthorne or not, just a possibility.


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## Rambler (Sep 18, 2012)

thehugheseum said:


> very cool! if you can i would love to see more pics of your bike too..........like the badge,rear dropouts and crankset




I will work on taking some additional photos of my bike for your reference. Maybe later tonight or tomorrow before I have time to do so.


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## thehugheseum (Sep 18, 2012)

much abliged!


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## Rambler (Sep 18, 2012)

*1899 Hawthorne Reference Photos*

Hopefully this helps in determining if your bike is a Hawthorne or not...


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## thehugheseum (Sep 18, 2012)

very cool!  i think its safe to say whoever built it at least used the same or some of the same parts,my badge was pinned vertically but i suppose that could be different from model to model?


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## Larmo63 (Sep 18, 2012)

Rear axle peg, front fork coasting mounts, block chain, all pre-1900 indicators.


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## Rambler (Sep 19, 2012)

thehugheseum said:


> very cool!  i think its safe to say whoever built it at least used the same or some of the same parts,my badge was pinned vertically but i suppose that could be different from model to model?




I suspect that is an accurate assumption. Montgomery Ward never built Hawthorne bicycles, they had some other manufacturer build them for Montgomery Ward and put the Hawthorne name on them. Very likely the same bicycle manufacturer whoever that was built both bikes but to slightly different specifications. In addition it is very possible that your bike could be a slightly different year give or take a couple years also adding to the slight differences between the two bicycles.


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## thehugheseum (Oct 19, 2012)

*Heres another bike i would not mind identifying.........any takers?*

very nice riding bike






   very cool paint and pinstriping


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## thehugheseum (Oct 19, 2012)

more stuff,i didnt see a number anywhere,no sign of a badge ever being mounted


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## bricycle (Oct 19, 2012)

Great bike..... some times they used decals instead of head badges...
Those motors got my juices flowing...cool.


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## thehugheseum (Oct 19, 2012)

thanks,i hope we can identify the bike.............so i can show and tell the next couple monsters...........the motors and that case are just sitting waiting for some chums to stop by and move some things around.........then i can get the case properly full and cluttered with fire breathers

  any help greatly appreciated


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## bricycle (Oct 25, 2012)

thehugheseum said:


> thanks,i hope we can identify the bike.............so i can show and tell the next couple monsters...........the motors and that case are just sitting waiting for some chums to stop by and move some things around.........then i can get the case properly full and cluttered with fire breathers
> 
> any help greatly appreciated




I'm thinking 1893 or older. Great pinstriping!


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## thehugheseum (Mar 17, 2013)

*new skins for the 90s scorcher*

i picked up new tires from neil at 	http://www.retrocykel.com/  .............dang,they are so sweet


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