# Fresh Find:Elgin Twin Bar 20



## fordmike65 (Aug 2, 2012)

Hello fellow CABErs. I came upon a very unexpected surprise during a late night skim of my local Craigslist. I found blurry,badly lit pics of an upside-down bike hanging from rafters. I enlarged the pic,and still wasn't quite sure what I was looking at. Not only due to the bad pics, but because I'm fairly new to the Vintage bicycle hobby. I thought I saw 2 top tubes,2 lower tubes, but couldn't make out the seat tube. Was this an Elgin? Similar to the one I drooled over being sold in the classifieds here just a few weeks ago? I forwarded pics to fellow member lobsterboyx(Danny). I knew he had a couple of his own and would be able to tell right away. Sure enough, it's a Elgin Twin Bar 20. The ad had been posted at 10:51pm. I was texting to set up a meet by 11:10pm. So, I did what any excited bike collector with a job would do. I made up a well planned out excuse to be 3hrs late to work this morning! I picked up Danny on the way there to take advantage of his Twin Bar expertise to ensure I as making a wise investment. Here she is,as I purchased her. It had been sandblasted(why must everyone do that!),primered,wrong wheels,bars,grips & I believe seat installed. Other than that, she looks pretty complete. The seller also threw in an extra pair of newer import G3 copies & a really nice Schwinn skiptooth crankset. Danny hooked me up with a correct air-cooled rear hub assembly,so I can lace it up to a set of crusty drop-centers for now. I plan to go through and clean,grease & adjust it up for daily riding until I can come up with the needed parts & more importantly $$$ for a complete resto.


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## Rust_Trader (Aug 2, 2012)

Very nice find  congrats.


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## Buster1 (Aug 2, 2012)

Score!  Ready for paint of your choosing!


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## MagicRat (Aug 3, 2012)

Yeah Im jealous.

Nice Score!


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## cyclonecoaster.com (Aug 3, 2012)

*Looks Familiar*

Here is my original paint 20 -- I got it on a large auction site many moons ago -- rode it last Saturday to the Huntington Beach US Open Surfing Competition -- RIDE VINTAGE -- Frank


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## lobsterboyx (Aug 3, 2012)

Mike and I had a fun day, It was good to see him jump in to this level of collecting. Its a clean bike that needs just a bit to be cruising. Congrats Mike - see you sunday!


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## bricycle (Sep 18, 2012)

Mike, here's that saddle...fringe comes off.


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## DonChristie (Sep 18, 2012)

Los Angeles CL score? Damn, you lucky dog! Congrats! Gonna ride it at the LB swap this weekend?


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## fordmike65 (Sep 18, 2012)

Yeah, I was pretty surprised myself. Still need a few things like a correct front hub, bars,light & rear reflector. I'll be at the Antique Drags in Barona this Sunday, so I won't be able to make it out to the swapmeet this time. I took my Twin Bar to my first Coasters ride last month. It did pretty well, except for the seat riding up...Ouch!


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## fordmike65 (Sep 18, 2012)

Can anyone help me decipher these numbers stamped on the lower tubes under the BB? I'd like to know the year if possible. I can get better pics if needed. It just means I have to manage the awkward task of flipping it over that Twin Bar owners know all too well. That's the only time you really miss not having a seat tube.


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## Balloontyre (Sep 20, 2012)

The numbers on the tubes under BB are hard to read, and lots of um too. I can't tell if that is a Murray or Westfield built bike.
Can you take a pic of the rear from above the rack looking forward, and a better shot of the digits, both will help in identifying and dating the bike.


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## fordmike65 (Sep 24, 2012)

Don't know if either one of these will help some. I'll flip her over and sand a bit to see if I can make out the numbers any better.


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## Balloontyre (Sep 24, 2012)

*Westfield*

Great shots, it's a Westfied bike, should be real easy to determine the year once you uncover the serial. The letter that precedes the number is the year indicator.


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## fordmike65 (Sep 24, 2012)

Thanks for the info. I'll flip her over & check the numbers a bit better when I get home tonight after dinner.


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## fordmike65 (Sep 24, 2012)

I usually ride one of my bikes to my local barbershop one Saturday a month. It's less than a 1/2mile to downtown, so it's a nice leisurely ride. Sometimes my girl will join me and go to a small antique shop a few blocks away while I'm getting my Doo trimmed. Afterwards, we'll grab some lunch,and if we're not in a hurry, a couple beers as well. Sometimes a few too many. Anywho, this was the first time I took my Twin Bar out there. You should've seen the looks it got! The things rusted, in primer & people were staring,asking what year it was,where I got it,how long I've had it. No one had never seen a frame anything like it. The guys at the barbershop crowded around,checking it out, noticing new details with every glance. The absence of a seatpost grabbed the most attention, but they also noticed the frame design,sheetmetal,shroud,etc. The Twin Bar really is quite a unique bike. I feel very proud and fortunate to have one. Someday, I plan to restore it to it's former beauty. Thank you all for all your help so far. I still have a long way to go....


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## lobsterboyx (Sep 25, 2012)

It looks fantastic Mike! congrats again, lets see that colson you just picked up!


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## THEGOLDENGREEK (Sep 25, 2012)

VERY NICE FIND ... i like the elgin you found. I do have a rear carrier for that if your intrested and with a jewel all original. PM if your intrested.



> "All I got in this world is my balls and my word and I don't break either of 'em for nobody!"


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## volksboy57 (Sep 25, 2012)

Cool Score!


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## fordmike65 (Jun 4, 2013)

Thought I'd post a few updated pics. I found a men's rear fender with correct Delta #15 reflector attached,though it has the incorrect Murray braces. Picked up some semi correct 26" wide Torrington's, and SW/Air Cooled wheelset, which luckily came with the chainadjusters. All I need now are the correct rear fender braces & cranknut.


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