lgrinnings
I live for the CABE
Howdy folks-
I’ve got an 1893? Monarch diamond frame safety bicycle. As anyone can see, it's crusty. That said, all points of articulation move freely with the exception of the left pedal which appears crustier than the rest of the bike (but I haven't tried to free it up either). While the rims are long gone, the original hubs remain and spin without issue. Along with the missing rims, there is no saddle, chain, or front brake mechanism. With the exception of some remnants on the left side, the grips are gone as well. The serial number on this particular machine is 34,995. I'm guessing at 1893 because of the hard-tire/semi-pneumatic style handlebars and stem.
There's a fair amount out there about Monarch, but I'm struggling with matching it to a similar model photo to verify the age. I'm also struggling with what to do with it. The painted parts can be filled, but any real pitting on the one-time brightwork would require a herculean effort to bring back. That said, from a functional standpoint, most of the internals appear to be unscathed.
Any and all information and advice is sincerely appreciated.
Thanks in advance!
-Lester
I’ve got an 1893? Monarch diamond frame safety bicycle. As anyone can see, it's crusty. That said, all points of articulation move freely with the exception of the left pedal which appears crustier than the rest of the bike (but I haven't tried to free it up either). While the rims are long gone, the original hubs remain and spin without issue. Along with the missing rims, there is no saddle, chain, or front brake mechanism. With the exception of some remnants on the left side, the grips are gone as well. The serial number on this particular machine is 34,995. I'm guessing at 1893 because of the hard-tire/semi-pneumatic style handlebars and stem.
There's a fair amount out there about Monarch, but I'm struggling with matching it to a similar model photo to verify the age. I'm also struggling with what to do with it. The painted parts can be filled, but any real pitting on the one-time brightwork would require a herculean effort to bring back. That said, from a functional standpoint, most of the internals appear to be unscathed.
Any and all information and advice is sincerely appreciated.
Thanks in advance!
-Lester