# New member with pics



## bcnu2 (Dec 2, 2007)

Hello all! Thanks for allowing me to be a member! Have a few questions about three cycles that have found their way home with me. After doing some work for a local farmer, he mentioned that he had a few bicycles in his barn that had been there quite awhile. Being a fashion photographer, I'm always on the look out for great props at down to earth prices. He let me have all 3 for $75. Maybe I spent too much, yet you'd be surprised what some prop shops charge for broken down old bikes for posing. LOL. I thought I might at least be able to put a coat of paint on them for photographs. Anyway..I'm sure most of you can identify these bikes by the attached photos, yet I am clueless.
One appears to be a Murray Mercury with Western Auto tires and says MO-P-21 on the pedal crank along with 223939.
The one that is disassembled has no numbers on at all and no headbadge, sooooo...maybe someone could clue me in on that one.

The other has a Belknap Bluegrass badge with Goodyear All Weather tires. Oddly, this Bluegrass appear to be either Red, white and blue or black and has the words 'NAVY' across each fender. Maybe a military Navy base bike? Looks like it may have had a headlamp at some point as well. I can find no numbers on that frame either. 

All three are really rough and I doubt worth anything at all, but I thought I'd get some pro opinions before I started tearing them up and stripping them down to paint as props. Maybe some colors scheme help too would help. You guys are great and I look forward to hearing any information or ideas on these three amigos!

bcnu2


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## militarymonark (Dec 2, 2007)

welcome to the forum


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## bcnu2 (Dec 3, 2007)

*Thanks*

I appreciate the welcome MM. Any ideas on what these bikes are? I'd really hate to ruin something special. I see from the forum that you are a wellspring of knowledge and information...especially about parts! Did my bikes have tanks, etc? Is it true that these old bikes are painted with serious lead paint? Are they worth restoring?
Sorry for the barrage of questions, just want to get started soon on at least one of them. Have you ever seen a bike with 'NAVY' painted on it? These are 1950s bikes, right?


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## militarymonark (Dec 3, 2007)

well i wouldn't worry about the lead paint we've all been taking that stuff off for years and no side effects besides wanting more old bikes. What size wheels are on the first picture and the 3 picture looks to be a murray and yeah i would say it might have had a tank at least you can  put one on there. The last picture looks like a monark general frame and yeah you can put a tank on there. Looks like your missing a few parts though. The forum should help you out. To find out what your bike may have had  you can search nostalgic.net and look at their picture archive.


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## bcnu2 (Dec 3, 2007)

*Hmmm...*

I really appreciate your good eye and your help. I try out the address you mentioned and look for similar frames and color schemes. I don't really have to be too particular as far as looks goes as these will be for pictures and not for resale, but as long as they're nothing special, I'll throw on a coat of paint and use them as props. I will get those tires measurements by the end of the day, yet one of them has old BF Goodrich tires on with ancient patched tubes in them. The tire reads: 26x2.125
How exactly do the tanks attach to the frame? I see no holes for a tank and only the NAVY Belknap has two holes in the front fender for the headlamp. Anyway, thanks for the heads up on the missing parts, but since I don't know what these bikes looked like to begin with.....I have no idea what to replace...LOL
And I'm worried that sand blasting these things would turn them into rolling paper...they each have about 3 coats of paint on them holding them together,...Haha~
Would you say these are 1950s or 60s bikes?

Thanks again. Hope the great people in this forum can enlighten me more in the weeks to come!


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## militarymonark (Dec 3, 2007)

if the tires are not bad meaning a small amount of cracking isn't bad. I'd keep them and use them although you might want to change tubes


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## militarymonark (Dec 3, 2007)

late 40's and 50's do you have any more?


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## bcnu2 (Dec 3, 2007)

*Cracked for sure...*

Yeah those tires are shot. It looks like this particular barn flooded many times over the years...LOL There is ONE tire intact that reads as a SPECIAL IRC Japanese Tyre, ...It could still be used I suppose...All of the Western Auto tires on the other 2 bikes are shot,too...

These are the only 3 bikes he had in the barn...I hunted for more and for parts, but came up empty handed. I did find the Belknap headbage near the bike and picked it up...it's pretty destroyed too. I was barely able to make out what it said. The Belknap is the NAVY bike.

I looked at nostalgic.net and did see one Monark that was a close match to the disassembled one I have. Yeah, ..I see that the front fork had a second set of braces running down to the wheel hub. Those are missing on mine as well.


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