# Large Colson tricycle.



## Sulley (Jan 14, 2012)

I just picked up this 1940s? Colson tricycle, this thing is big and all origainal, 20" front wheel with 14" rears, im still looking for a pair of rear hub caps for it, i am getting a set that is not correct but i think i can make them work for now,grips are origainal and are perfect, the seat is perfect, the tires are perfect, the handlebars are real nice i had to clean them up a little, anyone else have one of these very big and very cool trikes.  Sulley


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## ridingtoy (Jan 14, 2012)

Wow Sulley...she's a beauty!  Glad you happened across it and not me. I'm afraid I would have had to cave and buy it. My two Colsons are both 12" models. The only tricycle I have with a larger than 16" front wheel is a 1930s Toledo - it has a 24" front and 16" rear wheels - large enough I can easily ride it. The 20" model you have is the largest Colson made at the time. I checked my catalog copy for 1950 and this model is shown, but the paint finish varies slightly. Yours probably is a year or so earlier or later. Terrific addition to your collection!

I've seen the size hub caps you need on ebay before, but not sure they are formed to clip on like the originals.

Dave


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## Sulley (Jan 14, 2012)

Thanks for the info, i wasn,t really sure of the year of it, its so nice i dont want to tooch it, i do have a set of NOS pedals comin for it, not sure if i will use them or not. Thanks again.  Sulley    PS  the PO took it apart to ship it, i can not beleave the great job he did packin this thing, took me over an hour to get it unpacked, i thanked him many times for the great job he did.


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## Sulley (Jan 15, 2012)

Well i made a deal to buy the little brother to mine, its not quit as nice but its all origainal except someone painted the rear steep, i think if im carefull i can get all that new paint off without bothering whats below it, also got a whole gaggal of hub caps comeing so i should be able to get something to work and look good.  Sulley


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## ridingtoy (Jan 16, 2012)

I remember seeing this smaller Colson model on ebay recently. The same seller had this one plus a larger one. Glad the trike found a good home! That rear step would be an easy project to restore the original paint scheme to. It should be all red like the rest of the trike except for the center raised design which is white.

Dave


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## Sulley (Jan 16, 2012)

Yep same seller had both, i had to do a little wheelin and dealin to get them for what i was willin to pay, i should have the smaller one this week, the PO not the seller painted the handlebars and stem with silver paint, i found some very nice chrome or maybe nickle under the paint, were they chrome or nickle do you know. Theres still a little of the white on the rear steep of the big one so if i do a little restoring i have something to go by. Sulley

Big trike rear steep


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## ridingtoy (Jan 16, 2012)

Oh OK...you got the big one he had, too! That one sure looks a lot nicer in your pics than it looked on the ebay photo. I'd almost swear it was NOS from your photos after cleaning it up. I believe the handlebars and stem are chrome based on the 1950 Colson catalog specs. Interesting that the standard models had bigger, fancier rear chrome hub caps than the higher end Imperial series model did.

Dave


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## Sulley (Jan 16, 2012)

You say you have a colson trike catalog, is there any way you could copy it and send it to me, i would be more than happy to pay you. Yea it was quit dirty when i got it im sure i will have to do the same clean up on this one, it looks like the small one had rear hub caps on it at one time but its missing the bracket on one side, i will have to make one. Thanks  Sulley


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## ridingtoy (Jan 16, 2012)

Yes, it's a B&W 1950 Colson Children's Vehicles copy I bought from Memory Lane Classics. They have some other trike literature from different mfrs. and years I'd also like to pick up sometime. How about if I email a PDF file copy, or would you prefer a hard copy mailed to you?

Dave


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## Sulley (Jan 16, 2012)

Email would be great Dave, you can send it to   sulley12001@yahoo.com       Thanks man i o you one. Sulley


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## ridingtoy (Jan 16, 2012)

No problem, Sulley! The new copiers at work do it all - copy, fax, PDF - you name it. I'll get it done for you in the next day or two.

Dave


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## Sulley (Jan 17, 2012)

Got some wagon hub caps today from a member, Thanks Gordon, i know there not correct but i think they look good, had to do a little cuttin on them to make them fit. Some day may be i will find the correct ones. Sulley


This is not my trike just showing what the correct ones look like. Im in need of two sets.


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## ridingtoy (Jan 17, 2012)

Pretty neat job in modifying them to fit up properly. Wish I was that talented with metal working.

I would have loved to grab one of those NOS Colsons, like in your photo, when they were offered on ebay. Just couldn't swing $300 at the time. 

Oh, and Colson PDF file has just been emailed.

Dave


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## Sulley (Jan 17, 2012)

Thanks Dave, yep i got the email with the PDF file, very interesting to look at. Thanks again.  Sulley

You can almost see in this picture the back side of the cap where it attaches.Its cool the cap doe,s not rotate with the wheel.


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## Sulley (Jan 19, 2012)

I got the little brother today, well it really should be call the middle brother seeing it is the 16" modle, its in great shape, not as nice as the big one but still very nice for an origainal, im going to try and do the same hub caps as the big one.  Sulley


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## ridingtoy (Jan 19, 2012)

The 16" also looks 100% better than in the ebay photos. Amazing the difference in appearance a little cleaning can accomplish. They both now look in very good condition for being 60+ years old.

Dave


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## Sulley (Jan 20, 2012)

Yep it did clean up nicely, got the white paint that someone had put on the rear step off easley with thinner, theres a dent and chip in the front fender i may try and fix but its still in great shape. I do have the pedals i am cleaning them up today. Whats nice is the grips and the seats on both are in great shape.   Sulley


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## Zephyr (Jan 25, 2012)

Those are amazing! When I saw the blocks on the pedals of the small one it reminded me of my first tricycle. My dad had made blocks similar to those. It was red just like those but I doubt it was a colson. It was my mother's one when she was younger. Thanks for the souvenirs!


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## Sulley (Jan 28, 2012)

Yea i switched the blocks over to the bigger trike, my grandson who is 6 today wanted to try it out and needed a little block help on the pedales. Sulley


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## PCHiggin (Jan 28, 2012)

Sulley said:


> I got the little brother today, well it really should be call the middle brother seeing it is the 16" modle, its in great shape, not as nice as the big one but still very nice for an origainal, im going to try and do the same hub caps as the big one.  Sulley




Nice trikes Sulley,they look like made like a tank too.


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## Sulley (Jan 28, 2012)

They are heavey dudy for sure, very stabail to.  Sulley


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## Sulley (Mar 15, 2012)

Lookey what i just got, NOS grips, neck and bar for my Colson trike, my bars and grips are nice but the origainal bars the chrome is gone and they are down to the nickel, they shine nice but these are real nice.  Sulley


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## ridingtoy (Mar 16, 2012)

Sulley, is that the one which just sold on ebay? I was thinking of bidding but the stem is different on my Colson Imperial. If that is the same one I saw I'm glad you got it!  By the way, would you be willing to sell your original handlebar. It's still in lots better shape than mine. Let me know...

Dave


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## Sulley (Mar 16, 2012)

Hey Dave, just pay me the shipping and its yours, PM me you info and i will get it out, im going into the hospital on wednesday and i wont be home for quit a while.  Sulley   PS   i will send you a picture of them.


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## Sulley (Mar 16, 2012)

The grips are perfect and origanial, bars are not bent and they shine up good.  Sulley


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## ridingtoy (Mar 16, 2012)

Sorry to hear you have to go to the hospital. I hope everything will be OK and you have a quick recovery from whatever procedure you're going in for. I'll send you the information shortly. Thank you very much!

Dave


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## Sulley (Mar 17, 2012)

Thanks Dave, ill have my laptop with me , as long as i am not in the ICU i can use it, the sad part is i wont see my bikes, my grandkids have a great lineup they will be able to ride this summer and my wife and daughter said they would take lots of pictures and vidios.  Sulley

My oldest grandson loves this Schwinn Gladiator.


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## Fergus50s (Apr 26, 2012)

*Colson Emblem*

Hi,

     I still have my original 20 in. Colson tricycle from the early 50s.  It is not in as nice shape as the ones in this thread.
I am thinking of fixing it up a bit starting with a new emblem.  My tricycle has the single hole for mounting this.  How is it mounted?  Is it riveted?
I'm not sure I would know how to rivet it.  Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Jim Ringquist


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## Sulley (Apr 26, 2012)

I think it is called a blind rivit, you would need to take the forks off so you could get in the neck tube to put a backer againced the rivit to pean it over, most hard ware stores have these blind rivits.  Sulley


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## fatbike (Apr 26, 2012)

Very cool! It's amazing on even the trikes Colson used the same deco commander stem look. Thanks for sharing.


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