# Help identifying an old Hiawatha



## photo_mom (Apr 10, 2012)

The other day my husband came across a truck on the highway full of scrap metal. On the top of that pile was an old Hiawatha bike. He stopped the guy and bought it thinking it was much too cool to go to a scrap yard. I can't seem to find any information on the internet about how old this bike is or what it might be worth or if it's even worth restoring. Can anyone help?


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## slick (Apr 10, 2012)

It's a 1938-9 Hiawatha girls bike. Nice save. It is very worthy of saving. It has some desirable parts on it. It appears to be missing the tank. Other than that I would say it's about $300. If it had the tank it would be around $500. I wouldn't restore it. That original paint will clean up. Original paint is worth more than a restored bike in most guys opinions on this site including mine.


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## photo_mom (Apr 10, 2012)

Thank you so much!!


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## jpromo (Apr 10, 2012)

Nice pick! I've seen that fender ornament bring big money alone. But if you clean that up and get some fresh tubes in those tires, it'll be good to ride and be enjoyed for years to come


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## cyclebuster (Apr 10, 2012)

I need that bike bad. wish i had extra cash.


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## partsguy (Apr 10, 2012)

It is amazing how stupid and incredibly ignorant some people are. Surely the average joe scrapper would think of something as antique looking as that to be worth more than scrap. Nope. I applaud you and your husband for saving this rare ride from a crushing fate.

As said, 1938-39 and very hard to find. Very few girl's bikes are worth the time and money to fix, refurbish, or restore and this is one of the exceptions. If you can clean this up, and I strongly recommend that you do this over re-painting, you can have a $300 ride. All you really need is the tank and some good tires. I recommend white walls. Anything with a tank and/or rack MUST have white wall tires!

Or, if you want to make money the other way, it is worth money in parts as well. I've seen the fender ornaments hit $100 at least and $175 tops.

In my opinion, I would clean this up, repack all the bearings (its 75 years old, about time don't you think?), change the tires, and ride it as it is. If you find a matching girls tank for this bike, go for it. Now just keep an eye out for a men's frame bike and you two can go cruisin' together!


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## partsguy (Apr 10, 2012)

Oh, I need to add to this. Hiawatha (Gambles), Western Flyer (Western Auto), Hawthorne (Mongtomery Ward), Free Spirit (Sears), etc. never built their own bikes. They all had contracts with bicycle companies to build bikes for that division in the department store. Huffy, Murray, Schwinn, AMF Roadmaster, and Cleveland Welding Company (CWC) are only a few of the companies who had such contracts. I think this bike might be Colson built, though I may be wrong. Colson also built their own line of bicycles, as well as Packards and Elgins.

So a tank may not come off of another 1938-39 Hiawatha, it could come from an old Packard or Elgin for example.


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## ohdeebee (Apr 10, 2012)

classicfan1 said:


> Oh, I need to add to this. Hiawatha (Gambles), Western Flyer (Western Auto), Hawthorne (Mongtomery Ward), Free Spirit (Sears), etc. never built their own bikes. They all had contracts with bicycle companies to build bikes for that division in the department store. Huffy, Murray, Schwinn, AMF Roadmaster, and Cleveland Welding Company (CWC) are only a few of the companies who had such contracts. I think this bike might be Colson built, though I may be wrong. Colson also built their own line of bicycles, as well as Packards and Elgins.
> 
> So a tank may not come off of another 1938-39 Hiawatha, it could come from an old Packard or Elgin for example.




This bike is Shelby built, NOT Elgin, NOT Colson.


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## Freqman1 (Apr 10, 2012)

As the previous post stated this is Shelby built. Based on the chainguard and rack I think it is a late '40 model. Attached is a pic of a similar Shelby girls bike with the tank. V/r Shawn


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## partsguy (Apr 10, 2012)

Airflow style, I should have known better. If thats the tank you need, its gonna cost you dearly!


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## photo_mom (Apr 10, 2012)

Thank you to everyone for your help. I really don't know anything about bikes so all your advice is much appreciated. I think I'll do as all of you have recommended and clean it up and sell it. I may be posting it soon on here!


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## cyclebuster (Apr 10, 2012)

I have a 38 airflow frame here. those fenders, wheels, forks, guard, and crank would be correct for my bike. you could sell the fender bomb, seat and rack real fast, for the big money too.


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## cyclebuster (Apr 10, 2012)

actually, if you sold all those parts seperately on ebay you would have close to $600 pretty easy i am guessing.  Fenders like those bring 2-300, probably get 200 from the wheels if nice, that fender bomb easy 100 plus, seat could do 100, if its nice, crank and sprocket 30-50, guard 30-50, rear rack $150 any day of the week. bars and stem would turn 50 quick, grips if original another easy 30. 
yeah its a nice score. Find a male frame and you will have a 1500 bike pretty quick.


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## partsguy (Apr 10, 2012)

cyclebuster said:


> actually, if you sold all those parts seperately on ebay you would have close to $600 pretty easy i am guessing.  Fenders like those bring 2-300, probably get 200 from the wheels if nice, that fender bomb easy 100 plus, seat could do 100, if its nice, crank and sprocket 30-50, guard 30-50, rear rack $150 any day of the week. bars and stem would turn 50 quick, grips if original another easy 30.
> yeah its a nice score. Find a male frame and you will have a 1500 bike pretty quick.





Well, its not my bike but if it was I'd be darn tempted to part it out. But I wouldn't. I'd let someone else do the dirty deed. Personally, I grow sick and tired of going to a car show and seeing endless rows of two door cars and the same thing goes for mens frame bikes. Its nice to have something different, know what I mean? If a bike will clean up and look nice as well as run nice and smooth, then by all means, keep it together. Now, if this thing was covered in house paint, or had rust or a broken frame, yea I'd part it. Not in this case. Its history and a survivor.

Yea, I maybe young, but unlike most people my age, I realize money ain't everything.


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## slick (Apr 10, 2012)

PLEASE KEEP THE BIKE COMPLETE AND ORIGINAL! Don't part it out. Let another girl enjoy it as is. (which there are a few girls on this site that collect bikes that might be interested in it so I would just put it up for $300 plus shipping and go from there.) The part out prices listed above in another post are high retail prices. Trust me. I have the male version to this bike as well as the girls version as well as many other Shelby built bikes. It's a great bike that deserves to be ridden by a girl again. If nobody else bites for the $300 maybe i'll snatch it up and have 2 of them to keep complete. No part out guys! Come on!!


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## cyclebuster (Apr 11, 2012)

look older ladies bikes are not nearly as desireable, and like some others I have a male 38 Airflow. Where would you expect me to find those parts? All the male bikes got rode to death or crushed in the war. The only thing left is ladies bikes.


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## Bicycle Belle (Apr 11, 2012)

cyclebuster said:


> look older ladies bikes are not nearly as desireable, and like some others I have a male 38 Airflow. Where would you expect me to find those parts? All the male bikes got rode to death or crushed in the war. The only thing left is ladies bikes.



That doesn't hold true for everyone and for me they are much more desirable. I'm lucky that more men don't see it that way as it keeps the price low for me. Sadly I cannot save every girls bike but I will say that I've built up a pretty nice collection with plenty of desirable parts for boys bikes...but they'll never find their way to those as long as they are in my possession. 
edited to add: including an airflow and a hawthorne zep


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## Freqman1 (Apr 11, 2012)

cyclebuster said:


> actually, if you sold all those parts seperately on ebay you would have close to $600 pretty easy i am guessing.  Fenders like those bring 2-300, probably get 200 from the wheels if nice, that fender bomb easy 100 plus, seat could do 100, if its nice, crank and sprocket 30-50, guard 30-50, rear rack $150 any day of the week. bars and stem would turn 50 quick, grips if original another easy 30.
> yeah its a nice score. Find a male frame and you will have a 1500 bike pretty quick.




I would say keep the bike as-is. The prices above are a bit optimistic in my opinion. This bike does not have the really desirable rack or guard. I sold a pair of these fenders on Ebay for $100 (nicely restored). The fender ornament has been reproduced and the seat, wheels, bars, etc... are fairly easy to come by. The hard part of this bike (or any Speedline) is the tank. I bought the girls bike I have (complete) off Ebay for about $800 shipped so $300 or so would be reasonable in my view. v/r Shawn


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## photo_mom (Apr 11, 2012)

Huh, you guys all bring up some really good points. I could really use the $$ from parting it out but I understand your point about keeping all together. I'm sure I won't keep it because I don't want to invest in the tank part of it. The wheels need some work - they look like they've been sitting on the ground for many years and are pretty rusted. Otherwise everything else just looks like minor surface rust. Thanks everyone for your help and advice!


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