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1935 Lewis Bicycle
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chitown
Cruisin' on my Bluebird
Interesting bike. I have a girls lightweight but it used compression brazing on BSA lugs. This looks more like a Schwinn with the rounded lug joining.
George Lewis. A man who saw it all happen. From racing High wheels in his college years (1885) to managing Mead Cycle Co during its peak (1900-1920s) then making aluminum bikes years before the rest of the industry to one of the first to use 4130 tubing for lightweights with his "compression brazing" techniques. I'm working of a short video on Mr Lewis which I hope to be done in the next couple months. A true maverick in the industry.
One of his club racers would be my holy grail bike for sure.
This photo hung in the offices of Mead Cycle Co during it's peak years.
Wichita Bicycle Club 1888
George Lewis. A man who saw it all happen. From racing High wheels in his college years (1885) to managing Mead Cycle Co during its peak (1900-1920s) then making aluminum bikes years before the rest of the industry to one of the first to use 4130 tubing for lightweights with his "compression brazing" techniques. I'm working of a short video on Mr Lewis which I hope to be done in the next couple months. A true maverick in the industry.
One of his club racers would be my holy grail bike for sure.
This photo hung in the offices of Mead Cycle Co during it's peak years.
Wichita Bicycle Club 1888
NBHAA
National Bicycle History Archive of America
Nice to see this stuff.
As stated, we have full files and catalogues from Monark-Silver King, Inc. We started collecting Monark-Silver King literature and eventually bicycles in the 1950s. We began publishing articles about Monarks and Silver Kings in the 1970s. For many years we had the only remaining prototype Silver King components and an original prototype Silver King frame from the factory. While that frame was stolen years ago when we were robbed, we still have the letter and sale papers to us– from the plant in Chicago. And we still have pieces like a special colorized headset for what yours truly named the "hextube" Silver King.
Yours truly also wrote the first accurate and full color historical article on the Silver King "hextube" for Cyclist magazine in the 1980s. This magazine was sold on news stands nationwide before the days of the internet. And the article showed an accurate 1948 model... including original fenders, original headlight and original rear hub with special brake arm and aluminum arm retainer. The kinds of things never seen on today's "restorations." The only thing missing from our 1948 Silver King "hextube" when it was photographed for Cyclist magazine in the 1980s was redwall tires (1948 models came stock with redwalls). We substituted whitewall tires for that 1980s photo shoot. Otherwise what is in the photos is absolutely accurate– right down to the special 1948 Lobdell saddle. We were the second owner from new.
Today we are second-owner of a Silver King "hextube" and the two special SILVER Silver King models that followed it, Including the M500 (which is currently being mildly refurbished). We have one model each of prewar Silver Kings and Monarks Even some Hawthorne Duraliums (including their original literature). Our Silver King Racer was stolen 22 years ago, but we still have photos and the literature on it. We also have both early and late versions of the Monark Super-Twin motorbikes, again with all matching literature. Finally we have numerous postwar Monarks and some Rockets and other related bicycles.
MSK was (at one point) exclusive distributor for Lewis Lightweights and Lewis Cycles, Ltd. Of course we have files and catalogues on Lewis Lightweights. These also include photos. National Bicycle History Archive of America also has this photo– or one just like it. In addition to a very, very large archival collection of Mead and Ranger catalogues, photos and paper ranging from the 1800s through the 1970s.
We also have the photo collection and papers of the Racing Stars of the 19th Century including photo files from their annual Chicago-area celebrations.
And we have many of the files of a long defunct Chicago-area bicycle museum that was in operation from the 1940s to 1960s. Collectors of today don't seem to know that this museum ever existed.
Yours truly knew James Mead III and featured him at one of our "Balloonatic" vintage bicycle meets in Southern California decades ago. We have the family's complete business history. We also saved many bicycle items from Wichita many years ago.
We also saved numerous items and catalogues from Mead Cycle's successive owners after WWII.
A personal friend– now long gone– worked with George Lewis in the 1930s. Yes, we have one of the original books published by George Lewis. This book also contains the Wichita highwheeler photo image as posted. Here is the original book that we have owned for many years. This is not generic information, but from NBHAA.
Leon Dixon
National Bicycle History Archive of America
(NBHAA.com)
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