# very rare silver king



## dave the wave (May 22, 2012)

http://philadelphia.craigslist.org/bik/3031398090.html


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## bikewhorder (May 22, 2012)

What?!? somethings amiss.


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## chitown (May 22, 2012)

bikewhorder said:


> What?!? somethings amiss.





Yes, I'm not the one taking those pictures. 


Anyone here tried to get response from seller? No phone is a little fishy. But it does look like south Philly so who knows.


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## ohdeebee (May 22, 2012)

*I got a response*

I got a response right away. Funny thing, the price went up.


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## Nickinator (May 22, 2012)

what was it?

Nick.


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## scrubbinrims (May 23, 2012)

*Yo Adrian!*

Nothing amiss, nothing fishy, and Nick it is a very rare Silver King 26x from 1939 having the early (and not the best design) horizontal springer fork, the near end of Silver Kings before the war.
Similar twinbar design and looptail suspension as the flocycle, but no secondary top tube and no floating ride plate notable among other differences.
Check out the head tube wing...killer!
Unfortunately, this bicycle was involved in an accident and the fork is bent (will straighten) and the headtube has some small fissures from that impact.
An unfortunate surprise upon live inspection, but whaddayagonnado?
Don't know what direction to go in with these small cracks...fill with aluminum solder and polish or epoxy.
The hornlight removal also looked painful, but the new (but incorrect) hornlight looks like it will conceal well.
Chris


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## Rust_Trader (May 23, 2012)

So your the reason the guy went from $350 to $500. Then to not answering my text, lucky I don't live on the east cost or else .... 

The bike was going to be picked up today but I assume the offer was raised leading to not getting response to my text. I only wanted the seat....


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## scrubbinrims (May 23, 2012)

Greens07 said:


> So your the reason te guy went from $350 to $500. Then to not answering my text, lucky I don't live on the east cost or else ....
> 
> The bike was going to be picked up today but I assume the offer was raised leading to not getting response to my text. I only wanted the seat....




There was an extreme amount of interest in this bicycle...a couple dealers had offered blank checks matching any incoming offer.
I am not the reason for the increase any more or less than numerous others.
The meleee was getting crazy then the seller told me he was taking it off the market, one final text offer and only final arrangements had to be made...or it was going you know where...
I too coveted the saddle and a consideration in the figure agreed upon.
Real bummer about the damage, but still a great deal all things considered.
Location. location, location, Chris


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## chitown (May 24, 2012)

Nice grab Chris. So now it's time to start a thread in the Classics section.

Wavy Davy, if only you got a finders fees for all the great CL postings you've passed on to us at the cabe. I'm sure it makes for some crazy bidding and the seller gets overwhelmed with volume of us fellow bike nuts all texting, emailing and calling with the same thing in mind.

Congrats again!

Chris


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## scrubbinrims (May 24, 2012)

Thanks Chris.
I am fine with the discussion here...never been one to post a "look what I found" thread and folks down the road in research can find these 26x pictures and those I will post as the restoration progresses.

This is not a 350.00 bike (as the seller posted) and there was at least one person, bicycle bill that has one and had advised the seller to list in an auction house and offered to help.
Big thanks to bicycle bill on that one, that really is what strokes me the wrong way... folks that aren't in the mix for buying a bicycle chiming in and offering values that disrupt the process for those that are.

I only wish I had paid 350.00 or even 500.00, but it was a unique circumstance with the seller being an extension of a community charity of recycling bicycles, so I paid what I had committed even after the eyeball test.
In all likelihood, the 26Kis a 2-4K bike on condition and completeness, the hornlight a major factor in the total as far as components go.

The 26x is among the rarest, a step down in frequency to the Elgin Gull, and chances are that most collectors will only see it in pictures, never in person.

We are friends Santi, but please understand I was focussed on the seller and this bicycle only (not knowing who else was in pursuit, only in retrospect), location can be both an advantage and a disadvantage...it goes both ways, and there was no way, no how this bicycle was going for the cost of a nice "autocycle" metal lipped troxel saddle in urban Philadelphia.

I offered what was appropriate, moved vigorously, with the benefit of being 4.5 hours away (and flexible to get there yesterday).

Actually, I have stopped looking at craiglist ads outside of areas I can't drive to after disappointment after disappointment.
I did not see this after Dave's posting, I cultivate the mid-atlantic area at least once a day, most often twice.

Chris


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## tpender3 (May 24, 2012)

*silverking*

Great find Chris I know it going to a good home.
Tony


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## scrubbinrims (May 24, 2012)

Tony thanks.
Funny you would come into this thread as I was going to reach out to you to help me bend this fork back...my tool is best for localized straightening out the threaded headtube whereas your works fully installed that might better acheive the needed results in this circumstance...just need a donor frame as I wouldn't dare do it in this one. 
Chris


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## Rust_Trader (May 24, 2012)

I'm glad the bike went to you, I only wanted to buy it for the seat as I'm not a big fan of those bikes. A fried of mine has one I think I posted pictures of it long time ago. It's a very nice bike but I just wouldn't keep it for long lol.

Btw Im just giving you a hard time and of course I didn't expect to get it after the guy started pumping the price up.


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## dave the wave (May 25, 2012)

*searchtempest.com*

searchtempest.com is what i use to find bikes for sale on craigslist.


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## prewar (May 28, 2012)

*Price hiking*



scrubbinrims said:


> Thanks Chris.
> I am fine with the discussion here...never been one to post a "look what I found" thread and folks down the road in research can find these 26x pictures and those I will post as the restoration progresses.
> 
> This is not a 350.00 bike (as the seller posted) and there was at least one person, bicycle bill that has one and had advised the seller to list in an auction house and offered to help.
> ...




This is unfortunate!  I want to believe that sometimes it is unintentional / helping someone from getting burned. IMHO alot of people do this to make it appear that the items/bikes they sell are worth more or just to screw others from getting a deal that they cannot get to.  If it's found to be people on the CABE it should be known and policed. 

In Memorial Day Fashion. Loose Lips Sink Ships


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