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Early racer ID needed... clues provided

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lgrinnings

I live for the CABE
Okay... I need some help identifying this racer. Here’s what I know and some photos...

Head tube is 4”. Badge holes aren’t uniform. From the front, the right badge hole is 1 5/16” from the bottom. The left badge hole is a little over 1 5/8” from the top (or 2 3/8” from the bottom). Both holes are back beyond the halfway point of the head tube circumference.

The dropouts have a simple hole and no threaded adjusters.

The seat stays swell and taper down to the dropouts starting at 11/16” at the seat tube and swelling to 13/16” at the fender brace (not drilled) and then tapering back down. The width (outside edge to outside edge) at the fender brace is a hair under 2 1/2”.

The bottom bracket is split with Fauber hardware. The serial number 20179 has an “R” above it which I’m assuming denotes “Racer”.

Fairly certain the fork isn’t original to the bike which opens the possibility of a stayer style racer perhaps. Anyhow, that’s what I know. Let me know your thoughts. Any and all help is greatly appreciated.

-Lester

01C53971-C467-4AAE-9591-D98F77CF5233.jpeg


89CCD289-6E90-42CB-949B-A58FEB7994FA.jpeg


2D29E9E6-B9F4-42A1-9B27-90867052F62E.jpeg


0125D5CE-116A-473B-B2B9-8719E717E82D.jpeg


6A3FC86A-E930-4F5B-A133-8841B072D147.jpeg


9F08B26A-3418-435F-937F-D8735BAAE91C.jpeg


0C5E92E0-00A1-439D-B022-3B5849E7D749.jpeg


46A1C1E5-253E-4D29-B7EA-DE859CDECC5A.jpeg


E6A4187F-BE1C-4FF8-8380-7BE584D11A9D.jpeg
 
Looks Miami alright... here’s my badge and a few other pics inside wheel space is 1 1/2 inch 1 15/16 on one bade hole. Cant get measure on other side. Or serial numbers it packed away tight.

Awesome, although they may both actually be pre-Miami. Your badge has Hudson Manufacturing - Hudson, MI and not the Miami Cycle info. I think that Miami bought out Hudson around 1911 or so.
 
Does this look Miami-built to you Patric?

-Lester
============================================

Lester ... it does look Miami ... but it is not a Miami,
with the rear dropout plate that it sports.


The dropout plate on your red-mystery has a hole
sloppily-drilled by a shade-tree mechanic ... not a
factory technician.


Back in the day … there were some axel-adjustment
features that required a hole to be drilled in the area
where the sloppy hole is placed.


But .. come on now … the sloppy hole has taper to it ..
and it appears the drill-bit that drilled the hole did not
even make a pass completely-thru the dropout plate.


Also … Miami-Built machines are not consistent in their
use of axel adjustment-screws. It may seem that the
Miami-Builts, more often than not -- have no axel adjust-
ment-screws built in to the rear dropout plate.


But when they do appear … they are often seen as the
''the three alternating, threaded pup tents''.


In addition … many Miami-Built machines DO have rear axel
adjustment screws ADDED to the back-end of the plate.


This adjustment screw worked by ''pulling'' the axel to the
rear … thereby aligning the rear axel to the frame … AND
creating a tautness in the chain.


I believe your red, mystery machine is more closely
related to the pre-Miami Hudson .. built in Michigan.


….. patric

Throw me a bone, please.


0125D5CE-116A-473B-B2B9-8719E717E82D.jpeg  mystery hudson.jpg


redline1968 michigan hudson.jpg
 
The dropout plate on your red-mystery has a hole
sloppily-drilled by a shade-tree mechanic ... not a
factory technician.

Thanks again Patric. I think I would have agreed with you had I not come across this post of, what appears to be, an earlier Hudson Racer. I’ll have to clean up around the holes and see if the taper is the result of the sloppy overpaint. Maybe the holes are even threaded. If I were to guess, and let’s face it - that’s all I can do here, I’d say the dropout plate shape on the blue racer is a later iteration and evolution of the plate pictured below and in the following link... What do you think?

https://thecabe.com/forum/threads/hudson-racer.98411/

C2F8C326-C70E-4363-BF24-13E317BA27D9.jpeg
 
@lgrinnings


============================================



Back in the day … there were some axel-adjustment
features that required a hole to be drilled in the area
where the sloppy hole is placed.


But .. come on now … the sloppy hole has taper to it ..
and it appears the drill-bit that drilled the hole did not
even make a pass completely-thru the dropout plate.


I believe your red, mystery machine is more closely
related to the pre-Miami Hudson .. built in Michigan.


….. patric

Throw me a bone, please.

==================================================

Lester ... It appears that you and I are in agreement with one-
another -- that your red mystery is actually a Michigan-born
Hudson.


Sweet bicycle it is.

The rear dropout plate with the sloppy hole drilling may - in fact -
be factory … OR an attempt to retrofit a Michigan-Hudson type
adjuster.


Could it be that your. machine is very early … and the Michigan-
Hudson type adjuster had not yet been developed ?


OR … is the ''camel-hump'' feature on the drop-out plate a feature
to allow more steel to surround the Michigan-Hudson type adjuster ?


But wait … am now presenting a mystery of my own.

Your red Hudson features a Fauber cranking system.

Those Michigan-Hudsons had D&J cranking systems >>> Is it
possible the I.D. of the crankcase housing is the same … fitting
either the Fauber OR D&J cranking systems ?


Does Fauber technology predate D&J technology ?

..... patric
 
Last edited:
Thanks for all your help Patric. I sincerely appreciate it. Here’s the paint removed from the hole... no threads and certainly looking more official.

1282C4B0-D5DA-4569-A59D-82AED02BF37F.jpeg


What’s crazy is, the bike below, although not a racer, is part of my late father’s collection, but it’s 2 hours away and I don’t have a shot of the dropouts.

9AFC47C9-61E5-4840-8C23-AE4A347719CE.jpeg
 
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