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These old adds and photos are great! Mind if I ask where you find this stuff? I use the Hathi Trust and some of the other online databases, but I've been striking out with bicycle stuff! Thanks!

I definitely agree! I jumped the gun on posting the National add! I'm way better at identifying turn of the century automobiles than I am at bikes!

Those advertisements are awesome! Thank you for sharing those! The construction is definitely different between our bikes, yours certainly seems more refined and a bit more modern. I think the earlier suggested window of 1896-98 is likely for mine, judging from the construction of other frames...

I finally put some wheels on my Chicago Excelsior! It rides great, even though the seat is pretty rough. It goes well with my 1917 Maxwell, and the girlfriend's colorful pants! Speaking of color, I believe the bright green is original!

Well I spent a bit of time on the Amazon tonight. I think the black paint is going to clean up and look great! There is more of it than I originally thought! It looks as though the forks were actually nickel, there is a few remnants flaking off on the inside, but I wasn't able to get a decent...

My first impression when I saw it was that it may be mid to late 1890's. I have struck out finding much information on it however. The joints/frame construction looks early to me. Most of the Meads I've seen from 1900-1905 have smooth joints, not the overlapped/press fit joints like this one...

Good call on the scope! I actually restore antique cars for a living, so I have one in my shop! Early bicycles are a fairly recent hobby that I've picked up in the last few years, so I don't always consider how to utilize my automotive tools!

I picked up a new project at a farm sale this weekend! I'm still not sure on the exact year, but I'm guessing it's 1902 or earlier, my gut says earlier. I believe it's a racing model, however I haven't been able to track down the history yet. It's a 24" tall frame, with a 40" wheelbase. Amazon...

Does anyone have any idea how many different head badges were used? It seems like every Excelsior I have seen has a different head badge! Also, does anyone know when or if Excelsior used non-skip-tooth sprockets on pre-balloon tire bikes? I hope this is an alright area to ask. I found what seems...

It seems like I only buy things when they are crusty. I also have a '48 Columbia that makes these look really solid. I can't complain though, the Excelsior cost less than the tank of gas to go get it! (sorry about the crappy picture of Excelsior)