pedalpower17
Finally riding a big boys bike
It’s finally time to clean up my Davega girl and get her road ready. I plan to share the steps of the process here on the CABE, with the hopes of mining all the knowledge out there, maybe some practical tips and suggestions along the way.
This Davega story began three years ago when I wanted a prewar rider for cruising the neighborhood with the family. I had no particular make or model in mind, just waiting for something to catch my eye. Thanks to fellow Caber, Rollo, I was able to pick up a 36 Davega Reggie McNamara Roadster. Love the bike! That led to reading Colonel Albert Pope And His American Dream Machines (great book), and also discovering the basic story of the Davega department stores in New York City. I was really entertained and fascinated by both stories, Pope and Davega.
While researching the Davega company, I went to eBay and entered the name…and got lots of results for all kinds of sports equipment, including baseball gloves, ice skates, tennis rackets and golf clubs from the 30s and 40s. And there, way down at the bottom of the page of items was the Davega girl!!! The seller was the Lowry Street Pickers in Smyrna, TN, just south of Nashville. They got it from an estate sale and had had her for a long time. She was incomplete, modified and imperfect with skinny tires, but looked to be a nice survivor. I saw potential to be a great mate for my 36….as well as a cool rider for my 5’2” wife! Also, worth mentioning, I always thought that those laced skirt guards gave the prewar ladies bikes a cool uniqueness, not to mention encouraging more women to ride….and who doesn’t love to see women riding bikes! When I noticed the eyelets on the rear fender of the bike, my mind was made up. I paid $115 for the bike in the Spring of 2018 and then, the following September, made the road trip from MI to pick it up. More than a year later, it’s time to start bringing her back to life.
The goal is preservation of what appears to be OE on the bike and replacing non-OE components with something that is at least close. For this project, "close" will mean a component that, according to catalogs in the Westfield book and other images, could have been spec on Davega, Westfield or even Columbia-branded bikes in the late 30s or just before the war, at a similar equipment level (i.e. tank, light, truss rods, chain guard). The 39 and 41 Westfields pictured below will be guides, recognizing that my Davega probably had slightly different specs. Rust will be removed from all components.
Mr. Colombia confirmed that the chain ring, assuming it’s original, makes this a junior model.
A drop stand was installed and I’ve already picked up a few components for the project. I'm planning to patina paint the tank to match. At this point, the only missing items are the horn to fit the tank and the skirt lace loops for the rear axle.
This will be a slow burn, unrushed effort. No pressure of a finish date goal. I'm just gonna enjoy the process, component by component.
This Davega story began three years ago when I wanted a prewar rider for cruising the neighborhood with the family. I had no particular make or model in mind, just waiting for something to catch my eye. Thanks to fellow Caber, Rollo, I was able to pick up a 36 Davega Reggie McNamara Roadster. Love the bike! That led to reading Colonel Albert Pope And His American Dream Machines (great book), and also discovering the basic story of the Davega department stores in New York City. I was really entertained and fascinated by both stories, Pope and Davega.
While researching the Davega company, I went to eBay and entered the name…and got lots of results for all kinds of sports equipment, including baseball gloves, ice skates, tennis rackets and golf clubs from the 30s and 40s. And there, way down at the bottom of the page of items was the Davega girl!!! The seller was the Lowry Street Pickers in Smyrna, TN, just south of Nashville. They got it from an estate sale and had had her for a long time. She was incomplete, modified and imperfect with skinny tires, but looked to be a nice survivor. I saw potential to be a great mate for my 36….as well as a cool rider for my 5’2” wife! Also, worth mentioning, I always thought that those laced skirt guards gave the prewar ladies bikes a cool uniqueness, not to mention encouraging more women to ride….and who doesn’t love to see women riding bikes! When I noticed the eyelets on the rear fender of the bike, my mind was made up. I paid $115 for the bike in the Spring of 2018 and then, the following September, made the road trip from MI to pick it up. More than a year later, it’s time to start bringing her back to life.
The goal is preservation of what appears to be OE on the bike and replacing non-OE components with something that is at least close. For this project, "close" will mean a component that, according to catalogs in the Westfield book and other images, could have been spec on Davega, Westfield or even Columbia-branded bikes in the late 30s or just before the war, at a similar equipment level (i.e. tank, light, truss rods, chain guard). The 39 and 41 Westfields pictured below will be guides, recognizing that my Davega probably had slightly different specs. Rust will be removed from all components.
Mr. Colombia confirmed that the chain ring, assuming it’s original, makes this a junior model.
A drop stand was installed and I’ve already picked up a few components for the project. I'm planning to patina paint the tank to match. At this point, the only missing items are the horn to fit the tank and the skirt lace loops for the rear axle.
This will be a slow burn, unrushed effort. No pressure of a finish date goal. I'm just gonna enjoy the process, component by component.
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