# need help



## arek72 (Jun 17, 2013)

Hi Guys, i'm new to this forum, i need some help. i bought this bike yesterday for my doughter, the tag is missing, i will love to find out what bike this is, manufacture, year, are any parts available. thanks, any help will be appreciated


----------



## ridingtoy (Jun 17, 2013)

Hi and Welcome to the CABE! What you have is a Taylor tricycle somewhere around the late 1940s to early 1950s, I believe. I have a 12" Taylor trike exactly like it. Taylor used that same basic tricycle design for many years, making pinpointing an exact year for this one kind of difficult. You can get a used head badge from this ebay seller: http://www.ebay.com/itm/370782558550?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1438.l2649#ht_382wt_909 

I believe MemoryLaneClassics has replacement ball end grips for the 3/4" bar used on Taylors. If not, you could post what you need on the Wanted To Buy forum on this site. The only other thing it's missing is rear hub caps. Those would be the hardest item to find since they need to be 3-prong caps to match the 3 slots in the hub. I found some on ebay awhile back, but they set me back $100 before finally outbidding someone else. Here's a page you might want to check out. You can see what type of hub cap is used. http://www.tricyclefetish.com/taylor.php Hope this helps!

Oh, and that's a nice Troxel seat on the trike. Perhaps you know someone in the family who is good with hand sewing to stitch the edging back on the seat. That comes loose a lot on older sewn seats as the thread wears and deteriorates from age. The seat is still plenty good and I'd keep it with the tricycle. Your daughter now has a tricycle that will outlast just about any other tricycle you could buy today. Even replacement tires can be found if those wear out. 

Dave


----------



## arek72 (Jun 17, 2013)

Dave,

first i like to say is thank you for your replay. i read a little on this forum and you know a lot  now a little about the bike, the seat is ripped and front mount is broken, i have to do some welding, the rear portion of the seat ( the mounts) are done with metal tape ( i don't think this supposed to be like this). the wheels look good, and yes i knew that there is something missing on them ( hub caps), bike is little rusty and some bolts are not original, i think they have to be square, also one grip is broken... i have a question, should i resore it or just fix the seat and leave it in this shape? i like my daughter to use it...
thanks
Arek


----------



## ridingtoy (Jun 17, 2013)

Arek, probably the best thing to do right now is fix the seat issue, get new grips, and just clean her up good. That would put it in a good, usable condition for your daughter. You can always look for correct parts and add them later on, and even do a complete restore after she's outgrown it if you want to fix it up really good. I might have a similar replacement seat if yours will take some doing to fix.

Oh, and if it were me, I'd definitely pick up one of those Taylor badges for $25. I've also seen new repop badges for $85, so these used ones are a good deal IMO. I might pick up one myself!

Dave


----------



## arek72 (Jun 17, 2013)

Dave,

i got the badge, actually i offer $15 and he took it, so $15 and free shipping that is a good deal !! I was thinking about restoring to bring the value up and sell it when my daughter stop using ( not sure if will be more restored). bike is all clean up, i just have to fix the seat and tighten the wheels


----------



## ridingtoy (Jun 17, 2013)

Glad you got the badge! I just put in an offer for two of them myself. The only thing about doing a full blown restoration on more standard model tricycles is that, unless you do most of the work yourself, you could end up spending a lot more than you'd be able to sell it for. By "full blown" I mean all chrome parts replated, complete new paint job, and seat having a professional looking recovering done. The Colson trike in my thumbnail photo is one I'd like to do a full restore on, and I know it won't be cheap because of all the chrome plated parts, but I'd just like to see that little trike shine real good again like when she was new. 

I checked my seats over. I have one with a bad covering, but appears to have the same undercarriage as yours. Maybe we could swap undercarriages if yours needs extensive work to make it right again? The mounting bolt center distances on mine are: rear bolts 3.5" apart, rear bolts to front nose bolt is 5.25" along center of seat. If yours is the same this frame will fit.

Just checked my parts stash again. I do have a NOS set of 3 prong hub caps to fit if you'd like to buy them. They are the same diameter as original Taylor caps and have the same depth to clear the axle end and nut. I was going to use them on my Taylor until I bought the other set I mentioned. just let me know...

Dave


----------

