# 19teens track bike project. Can anyone identify the maker?



## Stephen Crowley (Mar 3, 2018)

Hi everyone, I recently (yesterday) acquired an old beat up track frame with all the parts except for the fork which was misplaced when the previous owner sold his business. Everything is in pretty rough shape but the craftsmanship and detail work suggests that it was top of the line when it was new. The bike came with a stack of photocopies of 1920s newspaper clippings and some emails and letters from around 1998, when it was given to the person I got it from. It's a long story and I'm still piecing it together but as I understand, the bike was ridden to victory by Gus Lang at 1918 nationals in the amateur category. It was then passed to Fresno, CA racer Alvin Drysdale (who later built frames in NY), who then sold it in around 1923 to Cental Valley junior phenomenon Robert Smallie. Smallie went on to win many races throughout California. Decades later Smallie gave his old bike to a fellow who worked at the a Sacramento Bee, who then he gave it to Bob Johnstone, original owner of The Bicycle Business in Sac. Yesterday Bob came into the shop (I'm the mechanic) and knowing that I was interested in old bikes, he passed this relic to me.

Does anybody here have any knowledge of this bike or any others like it? It has some very unique design features, like the dramatically carved lugs and bb shell, beautiful sleeved chainstays, reinforced and mitered seatstay junction, and an integrated headset. 

Sorry for the crappy photos, I had to leave the bike at work tonight since I rode in today, but I'll post many more pics as the project progresses.


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## dnc1 (Mar 4, 2018)

Nice bicycle!
I think @mongeese has a machine with similarities to that bottom bracket.
I'm sure that with better photos you may narrow. It down to a maker, or two!
Plenty of people to help on here.
"Wastyn" is a name associated with similar lugwork, but I'm no expert!


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## dubsey55 (Mar 4, 2018)

Hard to tell anything , really , need better pics!  I see a nice BSA front hub there, , many track bikes of similar vintage used their equipment. Frame  mayby Bastide, which would be great!  Look for pics of Bastide bikes ,  Awesome bike, fantastic provenence, good luck with it!


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## oldspoke (Mar 4, 2018)

Hello Stephen,

Send an email to the folks at Classic Cycles attention Jeff .
Great guy - I bet he can help.

http://classiccycleus.com/home/rentals/about-us/

http://classiccycleus.com/home/#

Glenn


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## Stephen Crowley (Mar 4, 2018)

Thank you everyone for your replies! I got the bike home and took some more pictures of it. It came with a bunch of parts mostly in good shape for their age. At some point somebody took a drill to the BSA chainring so I'll have to fill the holes. Frame has quite a few dents and dings, some that have been partially filled. All in all everything looks structurally sound and funcional except for the ancient wooden rims and spokes. Enjoy some more photos!

Edit: looks like I'm unable to upload photos right now for some reason so I'll try again tomorrow


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## gben (Mar 5, 2018)

Stephen Crowley said:


> At some point somebody took a drill to the BSA chainring so I'll have to fill the holes./QUOTE]






If it is a real racing bike with a real racing history then you should put it together saving every bit of the past that can be saved including finish and modifications. If someone drilled holes to make the bike lighter or for some practical reason that sounds cool.
     An old bike with a history is more important than anyone who owns it now.

     I fixed this old Norton motorcycle up, but I left the drilled, primered brake pedal on it that a previous had modified exactly how I found it because it is a representative of the 1960s motorcycling mind and a part of the bikes history.


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## Stephen Crowley (Mar 5, 2018)

gben said:


> If it is a real racing bike with a real racing history then you should put it together saving every bit of the past that can be saved including finish and modifications. If someone drilled holes to make the bike lighter or for some practical reason that sounds cool.
> An old bike with a history is more important than anyone who owns it now.
> 
> Gotcha. Maybe I'll leave the holes, they just look so sloppily and randomly drilled


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## Stephen Crowley (Mar 5, 2018)

Here's a bunch more photos!


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## Stephen Crowley (Mar 5, 2018)

And more photos


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## Stephen Crowley (Mar 5, 2018)

And some more photos


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## Stephen Crowley (Mar 5, 2018)

And here it is with parts hanging on it


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## mongeese (Mar 5, 2018)

Possible Wastyn
             Or   BSA or
                That guy across the street from Wastyn. 
                Or Drysdale. 
Are there any photos of the fork crown ? Close up on front ,back,and side please. And a close up of the lug brazing where lug connects to the top tube.


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## bricycle (Mar 5, 2018)

Awesome!  those tires are worth a mint!


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## mongeese (Mar 5, 2018)




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## mongeese (Mar 5, 2018)

This stamping here signifies the number three.


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## gben (Mar 5, 2018)

If you weld or braze up the holes in the sprocket all you will do is destroy any hardening it has no matter if it is through-hardened or case-hardened. Also you will warp it. The smart thing to do is to just carefully clean everything, Give the bike a lube and put it back together how you found it. That will preserve it as a historical document and they are only original once. If you ever go to sell it then it will fetch as much or more in original condition as it would if someone "restored" it. The best restoration is when nobody can tell it is restored. It has history, it has patina, and that is what I like best about it. Any genre of antiques or collectibles that is well established values originality and patina. If someone refinishes and repairs a piece of early USA furniture that was presentable as is they will erase most of it's value, just as nobody touches up paintings by old masters unless it is either that or losing them. 

There was nothing wrong with that bike when you got it. Hang it on the wall or ceiling of your garage as a centerpiece until you learn enough to do it justice or pass it on to it's next home.


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## Stephen Crowley (Mar 5, 2018)

Gben thank you for your reply, now I'm thinking twice about doing anything with the chainring. If I do fill the holes I  will braze pieces of steel rod with 56% silver at a relatively low temp, and due to the thickness of the material I would be surprised if there was any warping. The frame itself has some spots that have been partially repaired, so I'm considering repairing the rest of the worst dents and then leaving it be until I can learn more about it and maybe some day doing a full restoration.


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## mongeese (Mar 5, 2018)

I would be interested in the geometry of the holes put in the BSA sprocket. Make me a map.


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## mongeese (Mar 5, 2018)

There is a very rare constellation usually only seen around the Dundee Illinois area called the O’bryCycles belt. Could be a lead.


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## mongeese (Mar 5, 2018)

Could be a bike race route, or put a clock over it and see what shows up. There is a reason the holes are where they are.


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## Stephen Crowley (Mar 5, 2018)

mongeese said:


> View attachment 764732






mongeese said:


> Could be a bike race route, or put a clock over it and see what shows up. There is a reason the holes are where they are.




Possible Illuminati influence!


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## Stephen Crowley (Mar 5, 2018)

mongeese said:


> View attachment 764732



you mean the stay would have originally been open, as evidenced by the reinforcement? or what?


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## Stephen Crowley (Mar 5, 2018)

mongeese said:


> View attachment 764752 This stamping here signifies the number three.



thanks Sherlock


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## Stephen Crowley (Mar 5, 2018)

mongeese said:


> Possible Wastyn
> Or   BSA or
> That guy across the street from Wastyn.
> Or Drysdale.
> Are there any photos of the fork crown ? Close up on front ,back,and side please. And a close up of the lug brazing where lug connects to the top tube.



The fork is a placeholder just so I could hang parts on it for the photo. Along with the bike I was given a cool old sandcast fork crown, a pair of fork blades, and a steerer tube. I am going to build a replica fork after I've done some research so I can make it look as authentic as possible. Looks like early track forks had a much larger radius curve than the tight French style that I'm used to building so it looks like I'll also be making a new bending die... love a good project!


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