# New Acquisition, Goodyear Wings Marathon,  Original Paint,  Several Questions.



## frankabr. (Sep 10, 2011)

Found this at my LBS hanging from the ceiling in Asheville NC.   Traded an incomplete Huffy Dial A Ride, that was missing its tank and rear rack.  
This bicycle caught my eye as I have hardly ever seen an original pre-war in this condition.   Most are rust buckets.   This one has original paint.

It is a Wings, Marathon, Goodyear bicycle.   Skip-link, it is certainly pre-war.   My research shows that it was a Colson made product.   The tank does not have a horn or any function that I can determine.  I opened it up so that you can see the original unfaded paint color of the bicycle.  (Though the paint is in decent shape).  Wheels clearly are original.  Rear hub is Bendix,  Front hub is New Departure.

Serial number is:  B95634.  
Can anyone tell me the year?
Not sure how to put batteries in the Torpedo front light.   I took off the front cover, but the insides do not seem to want to come out.  Do I twist the internal stuff?  How is the battery changed?

Any comments would be appreciated, including value.

Thanks, F.A.


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## scrubbinrims (Sep 10, 2011)

*Not Colson*

Frank, 
That is a CWC product (and a nice one at that).
Rarely see a CWC badged bike for Goodyear.
Looks very similar to my mid late 40's Hawthorne "Comet," but that tank style continued through a number of years.
Chris


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## slick (Sep 10, 2011)

*New Acquisition, Goodyear Wings Marathon, Original Paint, Several Questions.*

Great score! But it's not a Colson. I think it's a Hawthorne. The headlight should be pretty straightforward. It should have a switch in the back on the bottom to turn it on , and a tray inside to install the batteries into unless the guts are missing? Maybe post a picture of the inside?


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## frankabr. (Sep 10, 2011)

*Thanks,  someone please agree on who made the bike and the year!*

Please, need a definite answer as to manufacturer and year.

Also, the guts to the light are there, just can't figure out how to get to them?

There must be a step by step process!   Thanks,  F.A.


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## frankabr. (Sep 10, 2011)

*Okay, I get it.*

It's a Cleveland Welding Company product,  Like Hawthorne and Roadmaster.   But what about the year?   And someone please help me with the light.
Thanks.  F.A.


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## geosbike (Sep 10, 2011)

frankabr. said:


> It's a Cleveland Welding Company product,  Like Hawthorne and Roadmaster.   But what about the year?   And someone please help me with the light.
> Thanks.  F.A.




push in on the reflector and turn counter clockwise


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## RMS37 (Sep 10, 2011)

The Bike is Cleveland Welding built and it is postwar. Several features mark it as being made between 1947 and 1949. Based on the serial number I would estimate the bike to be from late 1947 to early 1948.
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## frankabr. (Sep 10, 2011)

*Should I keep it original or add a horn to the tank?*

I know that answer probably is "no," but let me know.  Thanks, F.A.

P.S. I'm told that Goodyear CWC bikes are rare,  Any input?


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## frankabr. (Sep 10, 2011)

*Here is a picture of one of the Person pedals,  Are these pre or post war, or both?*

The pedals:


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## frankabr. (Sep 10, 2011)

*Thanks for all the great info,  The light works!*

Put the batteries in, and after 65 or so years, the light works!   High praise to old American craftsmanship.
F.A.


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## RMS37 (Sep 10, 2011)

I wouldn’t call the bike or the badging of it as a Goodyear rare, Goodyear is not the most common badge/retailer for these bikes but it is also far from the rarest as CWC was one of the many Goodyear suppliers for a number of years.

The tank you have with the special rear fastener requires the large off-side mounted button rather than the small drive-side top mounted one. I wouldn’t go to the trouble of trying to add one to a bike with good paint that didn’t have one though; I’d go for a period accessory horn and keep the bicycle original.

Regarding the pedals, I don’t know if they were still in production after WW2 or not, and if they were there may or may not be subtle differences between pre and post-war versions. The company that made them is still in business and often produced and reproduced items if there was a demand. So, they may be postwar pedals or they may be leftover prewar pedals that someone bought at a bike shop and added to the bike. Either way they look like they are in good shape and desirable.


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## bobcycles (Sep 10, 2011)

*nice bike*

Maybe a 1941 Cleveland built machine.  If you decide you just can't tolerate those strange looking pedals with the tear drop caps... I'd make you serious offer on them!


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## fatbike (Sep 10, 2011)

*The tear drop Majestics pedals*

There a really nice and desirable set of pedals. They mostly came on various top end modeled fleet bikes prewar 36ish through 39ish. A lot of people on the site would love to have a set of originals like the ones shown. The bike is a nice mid-late 40's CWC score. Pedals are the third of the value of the bike is my guess. And not typical on mid-late 40's bicycle or even correct.  I would offer you good money for them for sure if you ever want to let them go. Derek


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## RMS37 (Sep 10, 2011)

This bike is in a number of threads here tonight. The bike is not prewar, it is from 47-48. There are several features pointed out in one of the other threads that date to that time.


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