# 1935 Huffman Dixie Flyer?



## joannakeys (Oct 22, 2009)

Hi! Can anyone help me ID this bike?  My husband picked it up at an antique shop last week and we would like to sell it but don't know exactly what it is or how much it's worth.

The serial number is: 40180 with a side-way 3 below it.  The brass badge reads: Huffman Mfg. Co., Dixie Flyer, Dayton, Ohio. It has New Departure Model D Made in U.S.A. stamped on the brake and hub.  The chain and sprocket are skip-toothed (is that the correct term?)

My husband, an airbrush/sign artist, painted it based on what he could make out from the original paint.  We live in Oklahoma and when he cleaned it he had to get some paint back on it before it rusted.

Any help on this would be greatly appreciated!


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## supper15fiets (Oct 23, 2009)

...whe've had a specialist on huffman bicycles, but he's living for the last few months in "the break room"......


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## militarymonark (Oct 23, 2009)

lmao! thats about true


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## pedal alley (Oct 25, 2009)

thats how them old guys are .
just sitting around the breakroom.


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## RMS37 (Oct 25, 2009)

Hi,

Welcome to the CABE. While this is your first post and it looks like you are trying to sell your bike, I hope we can help you with your questions and you?ll join our group if the bike collecting bug bites you.

I?m not the resident Huffman expert but I can go some distance in answering your questions.

The frame is a Huffman frame. Dixie Flyer is one of the many badges used on Huffman built bikes.

Huffman entered bicycle production in late1934 and the first model was very similar to yours but had straight seat stays (the tubes from the seat binder to the rear axel) instead of the curved ones on your frame. Sometime during 1935 the frame style like yours was introduced and was continued in production into 1936.

The early serial numbers follow a different pattern than the later numbers and I don?t believe they have yet been fully decoded to determine exactly when a frame was produced.

The bicycle you have has a Huffman frame with the correct crankset and chainring but many of the other parts were scavenged from another bicycle to build the bicycle as it currently sits.

The front fork is not a Huffman unit nor is the chain guard or the fenders. The saddle pan may be original to the bike but the stem, bars and seat post are probably not. 

With respect to the market value of your bike, it has value both to collectors and to someone who is not a collector but is looking for a ?period? bike to ride.

Early Huffman bikes and frames are relatively uncommon compared to the products of other contemporary manufacturers and you may have already received emails from members of this group interested in your bike. Since it is not a complete original bike the collector value will be mainly for the frame and crankset and will be little enhanced by the repaint and the other parts.

To someone interested in a rideable period bike the value will be enhanced by the repaint and the fact that the bike is useable without further work. The value is probably close to equivalent to either camp with perhaps a slight advantage to you finding someone in the later group. 

With the economy still on shaky ground and judging by similar items I have seen sell (or not sell) at auction I would guess that your bike would not currently sell beyond the $200.00 level on eBay to either the collector or users groups.

I hope this helps


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## 37fleetwood (Oct 25, 2009)

so far the info given is correct, sadly these though rare don't have tons of value, and yours is missing so much. probably the hardest thing to find on yours is the fork, and it will be expensive as it is the same as the one used on the Safety Streamliners. here is a photo of my 1936 Firestone.


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## SimpleMan (Oct 25, 2009)

Like this one?


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## RMS37 (Oct 25, 2009)

No, not like that one, the early bikes (1934-1936) have a pinched crown fork that has an extended lip around the crown and a lower peak, the truss braces (when used) are also different as they are flatter and solid.

What you have is an even rarer fork which I have heard referred to as the Huffman "pup tent" fork. It was introduced for 1937 and replaced for 1938 although it was used occasionally after that.

Credit Patric Cafaro for the info and hold onto that fork!


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## ejlwheels (Oct 25, 2009)

*fork*

does anyone have spare truss fork for a '37?


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## jeep44 (Oct 26, 2009)

I thought I'd throw a pic of my Huffman up here,as I saw the unique chainguard on that Firestone-same as mine.


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## ejlwheels (Nov 16, 2009)

Roughly, how much would a truss fork for a '37 cost?
What should it look like?
thanks

ejlwheels: 
does anyone have spare truss fork for a '37?
ol'tin bender:
HAHA boy is that a good one! good luck!


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