# War time



## Euphman06 (Jun 2, 2015)

I'm curious as to what's out there. Anyone have a boys bike effected by the way? I'm not after an actual military issue bike (don't have the cash for that), but a bike that was effected by the war. I'm thinking of the Elgins with the painted on badges, blackout parts, etc...


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## Wheeled Relics (Jun 2, 2015)

"Victory" Bikes fall in this category?


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## Euphman06 (Jun 2, 2015)

Wheeled Relics said:


> "Victory" Bikes fall in this category?




I suppose if it had something to do with the war, right?


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## catfish (Jun 2, 2015)

Euphman06 said:


> I'm curious as to what's out there. Anyone have a boys bike effected by the way? I'm not after an actual military issue bike (don't have the cash for that), but a bike that was effected by the war. I'm thinking of the Elgins with the painted on badges, blackout parts, etc...




I've had a few in the past. Lots of them with black out parts, or painted rims and handlebars.


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## Wheeled Relics (Jun 2, 2015)

Found this on Mr. Columbia site: http://vintagecolumbiabikes.com/id103.html painted on V's etc wartime and postwar! 

http://vintagecolumbiabikes.com/id111.html


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## catfish (Jun 2, 2015)

Wheeled Relics said:


> Here's a good example on Mr. Columbia site: http://vintagecolumbiabikes.com/id103.html painted on V's etc indicating wartime and postwar!




Here is my Columbia Victory bike. It was saved from a scrap pile at the local dump in 1967.


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## the tinker (Jun 2, 2015)

When I changed tires on a 1930s Elgin That was found rusting away in a barn, one of the inner tubes said:WAR TUBE in 3/8 white letters. I gave it to a guy that collected WW2 stuff. Should have kept it as I have never seen another one. The tube was still good.  Has anyone else seen this on an inner tube? I still have the Elgin.


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## milbicycleman (Jun 2, 2015)

I have a 1942 Western Flyer women's victory bike for sale for $200.


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## 37fleetwood (Jun 2, 2015)

war time will limit you to Huffman and Westfield.


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## Euphman06 (Jun 2, 2015)

Nice bike...for sale?


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## 37fleetwood (Jun 3, 2015)

Euphman06 said:


> Nice bike...for sale?




if you're asking me, no it's not available. :o


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## Wayne Adam (Jun 3, 2015)

*Hi Jim*

Hey Jim,
   It's too bad you missed out on this 1942 Elgin I sold over a year ago here on the CABE. Definitely a wartime bike.
I think I only got about $300.00 for it............Wayne

PS...I didn't forget about your Schwinn fork. I'll be painting it next week......Wayne


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## catfish (Jun 3, 2015)

Euphman06 said:


> Nice bike...for sale?




My bike is not for sale.


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## the tinker (Jun 3, 2015)

the tinker said:


> When I changed tires on a 1930s Elgin That was found rusting away in a barn, one of the inner tubes said:WAR TUBE in 3/8 white letters. I gave it to a guy that collected WW2 stuff. Should have kept it as I have never seen another one. The tube was still good.  Has anyone else seen this on an inner tube? I still have the Elgin.




No one has ever seen this "WAR TUBE?"


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## milbicycleman (Jun 3, 2015)

@37fleetwood  For military bikes, Columbia and Huffman were only companies. But, for victory bikes any bike company at the time could have made them.


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## Euphman06 (Jun 3, 2015)

Hey Wayne..... got any curved seat tube bikes for trade? 




Wayne Adam said:


> Hey Jim,
> It's too bad you missed out on this 1942 Elgin I sold over a year ago here on the CABE. Definitely a wartime bike.
> I think I only got about $300.00 for it............Wayne
> 
> PS...I didn't forget about your Schwinn fork. I'll be painting it next week......Wayne


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## 37fleetwood (Jun 4, 2015)

milbicycleman said:


> @37fleetwood  For military bikes, Columbia and Huffman were only companies. But, for victory bikes any bike company at the time could have made them.




from September 2nd 1942, to the end of the war there were only two bicycle companies allowed by the government to make bicycles. the Victory bikes are either Westfield made or prewar and postwar.
as a caveat, the government did allow bike companies to build from parts they had on hand, but they were not allowed to produce anything new. there is some evidence that Schwinn may have built some Cycletrucks, but they may also have been from stock on hand.


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## ozzmonaut (Jun 4, 2015)

I haven't seen a war tube, but I have a very nice condition Allstate that says "WAR TIRE" on the sidewalls.


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## milbicycleman (Jun 4, 2015)

Thanks for sharing, thats interesting to know. My Western Flyer is definitely a victory bike as it has a the government issued license sticker on it, so I don't know how to explain that.


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## 37fleetwood (Jun 4, 2015)

milbicycleman said:


> Thanks for sharing, thats interesting to know. My Western Flyer is definitely a victory bike as it has a the government issued license sticker on it, so I don't know how to explain that.




who made your Western Flyer? do you have some photos?


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## Hoosier Biker (Jun 4, 2015)

I've posted this picture before of what I believe is at least a 41 or 42 Dixie Flyer frame.


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## RandomParts (Jun 4, 2015)

37fleetwood said:


> from September 2nd 1942, to the end of the war there were only two bicycle companies allowed by the government to make bicycles. the Victory bikes are either Westfield made or prewar and postwar.
> as a caveat, the government did allow bike companies to build from parts they had on hand, but they were not allowed to produce anything new. there is some evidence that Schwinn may have built some Cycletrucks, but they may also have been from stock on hand.




I have a Roadmaster Delivery bike with blackout front Morrow, chain ring, and headset.  Rear morrow is not plated or painted and I believe it has a 1943 stamp.  

I have a set of War Tubes that still hold air for another bike.


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## 37fleetwood (Jun 4, 2015)

RandomParts said:


> I have a Roadmaster Delivery bike with blackout front Morrow, chain ring, and headset.  Rear morrow is not plated or painted and I believe it has a 1943 stamp.
> 
> I have a set of War Tubes that still hold air for another bike.




can't be a 1943, maybe a left over hub used on a 46.


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## RandomParts (Jun 4, 2015)

I don't believe that Roadmaster built any post war delivery bikes.  More than likely it was built with left overs.


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## the tinker (Jun 4, 2015)

ozzmonaut said:


> I haven't seen a war tube, but I have a very nice condition Allstate that says "WAR TIRE" on the sidewalls.



Thanks OZZ for that info. I have never seen that on a tire. Interesting that everyone in the country contributed to the war effort in anyway possible. All the bicycle manufacturers quickly changed gears. 
I remember as a kid in the 50s seeing something that wouldnt look right on a toy, bike, automobile or some common household product and if I asked about it my dad would say,"must of been built during the war." 
War time products would make an interesting collection.
household


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## 37fleetwood (Jun 4, 2015)

RandomParts said:


> I don't believe that Roadmaster built any post war delivery bikes.  More than likely it was built with left overs.




a good tell would be the date on the morrow rear hub. if it's a N or later it's a post war bike, it would have to be L or before to be from before the war. M=1943 N=1944 O=1945.
basically a=1931


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## RandomParts (Jun 4, 2015)

Stamped M4


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## rustjunkie (Jun 4, 2015)

Roadmaster delivery bike here with a black Morrow marked N3


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## Squiggle Dog (Jun 4, 2015)

I had a 1941 Hawthorne Comet with WAR TUBES. I've seen a few of them before.


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## 37fleetwood (Jun 4, 2015)

RandomParts said:


> Stamped M4




M4 indicates the hub was made 4th quarter of 1943. from there it would have been used on a bike built after that.
I usually estimate it would take at least a quarter between the time a hub is stamped and built and the time it ends up on a bike. then you could add a bit for the lag getting it to market.
I'd say your hub made it to market no earlier than mid 1944. that said, it could even be a hub produced in late 1943, but not put on a bike until after the war. one thing at least is now fairly likely, your bike is not from 1943 or earlier, unless you think the wheel might have been changed at some time.
I'd also say that for the most part, any bikes built from existing parts would already have been built by 1943. I have no dog in the hunt, call it what you like, but to me I'd guess it's a left over hub and the bike was built at the end of the war. either late 1945, or 1946. as for the argument that no one has seen a postwar CWC Delivery, the easy answer is no one is willing to admit their bike isn't some sort of war time superhero bike used to carry the A-Bomb.
the facts are these, from September of 1942 only Huffman and Westfield were allowed to build any bikes, and then only a few other un-named companies were allowed to assemble bikes from existing parts. which companies these were, and how many were built is anyone's guess, but for my money, I'd be very sceptical of any bike supposedly built as late as 1944 from parts already existing in 1942, especially considering the late hub date. what you'd be saying is that they had everything left over to build a bike from 1942 except the hub which was brand new, it sounds like a stretch to me.
all of this is conjecture, so you're free to go with whatever you think is the likely story, I'm just putting my two cents. I've done quite a bit of research when I got my bike which has a N3 Hub. I have called it a 1945/46. the only reason I rule out 1947 and later is that Huffman changed the way they did their serial numbers in 47, and it has the earlier serial type.


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## RandomParts (Jun 4, 2015)

Thanks for the info.  When I got the bike, it had seen some serious use as a delivery machine.  No telling whether the hub/wheel had been swapped out as a replacement.  I think that there is a pretty good CWC serial number thread out there which may shed some light.  I have heard that the Roadmaster deliveries were built from '39 to '42 with the earliest bikes having forks without the drop stand bosses.  Pre/post war really doesn't make much difference to me with respect to this bike, but it would be interesting to piece the story together.

Sorry for the thread hi-jack.


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## Robertriley (Jun 4, 2015)

Here's mine


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## tripple3 (Jun 5, 2015)

*War Time....*

I have a Morrow 41 with a K2;  I have a Mussleman rear blackout and ND blackout front "Set"; and 2 LABL stamped 1943 on "Battleship linoleum" (Cyclingday).
1 Murray frame with painted badge.
Why do we see Murrays if only 2 mfgrs were allowed to build??



37fleetwood said:


> a good tell would be the date on the morrow rear hub. if it's a N or later it's a post war bike, it would have to be L or before to be from before the war. M=1943 N=1944 O=1945.
> basically a=1931


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## mike j (Jun 5, 2015)

....


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## Euphman06 (Jun 5, 2015)

Im glad this turned into a nice little topic, but I put it in the wanted section because I was seeing if anyone was selling something, lol. Cool stuff though, so lets keep it in this section.


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