dperry
Look Ma, No Hands!
Is this a Shelby Flyer track bike?
Shelby is known for cruiser and roadster bikes, so I’m surprised there was a track racing model. A bike like this suggests that Shelby had a racing interest, so I’m seeking any clues if there was a Shelby-sponsored bike racing team.
I got this as crusty barn find with petrified white-wall tires that was all-of-one-piece. After stripping and cleaning, I found a steel track frame with pointy lugs, a head tube with integrated headset cups, and pencil-thin 9.5mm diameter seat stays with open-air tops at seat cluster. These combine with thick chain stays and fork blades. The bottom bracket shell has a Partridges grease port. Stamped on the bottom of shell are numbers 22-12-39. If that’s when it was made, this Tuesday, December 22, 2020, will be its 81st birthday.
The parts are also from the same period. The Williams inch-pitch crankset has date code AA (1939), same as the 25-tooth chainwheel, and the Phillips quill pedals with Jef Scherens toe clips. Wheels are 28 x 1 1/2 in., with a wood rim cross-3 on front, and steel-clad wood-core rim cross-4 in back. The rear hub is a New Departure Model BRX, small flange, with 8-tooth sprocket. The Schwinn adjustable stem with dural clamp has track drop handlebars. Also there’s a customized cut-away leather saddle, I’m guessing a Mansfield. Only the toe straps are replaced.
Thanks for any comments,
Dave Perry
Shelby is known for cruiser and roadster bikes, so I’m surprised there was a track racing model. A bike like this suggests that Shelby had a racing interest, so I’m seeking any clues if there was a Shelby-sponsored bike racing team.
I got this as crusty barn find with petrified white-wall tires that was all-of-one-piece. After stripping and cleaning, I found a steel track frame with pointy lugs, a head tube with integrated headset cups, and pencil-thin 9.5mm diameter seat stays with open-air tops at seat cluster. These combine with thick chain stays and fork blades. The bottom bracket shell has a Partridges grease port. Stamped on the bottom of shell are numbers 22-12-39. If that’s when it was made, this Tuesday, December 22, 2020, will be its 81st birthday.
The parts are also from the same period. The Williams inch-pitch crankset has date code AA (1939), same as the 25-tooth chainwheel, and the Phillips quill pedals with Jef Scherens toe clips. Wheels are 28 x 1 1/2 in., with a wood rim cross-3 on front, and steel-clad wood-core rim cross-4 in back. The rear hub is a New Departure Model BRX, small flange, with 8-tooth sprocket. The Schwinn adjustable stem with dural clamp has track drop handlebars. Also there’s a customized cut-away leather saddle, I’m guessing a Mansfield. Only the toe straps are replaced.
Thanks for any comments,
Dave Perry
