Elgin girl's bike... year? info?

[eagle123]

Floating hub was a $2.00 option.

View attachment 2244913

Cool, thank you! What year is this page from?

 

[piercer_99]

Cool, thank you! What year is this page from?

I think that was spring 1940, this one is from the fall 1940 catalog

 

[Mercian]

And there’s the curved downtube (-:

 

[NBHAA]

Just curious, was the floating hub standard equipment on this bike or an add-on option?

Hello...

The Stewart-Warner Floating Hub was optional on any Elgin during the period it was offered as of the early 1940s. The customer had only to request it. On SOME Elgins this addition was extra cost. The hub could also be purchased over the counter from any Sears Elgin bicycle department.

People today see a page of a Sears catalogue and expect that what they see is universal gospel. It isn't. SOME Elgins at CERTAIN TIMES came standard with Floating Hubs... others didn't. This rule varied over time AND over marketing region.

Floating Hubs also came standard AND optional on other brands of bicycles such as Columbia and Westfield.

These hubs were also available as universal-fit aftermarket accessories– just as any hub might be (note photo of one of our showcases with NOS Floating Hub and Floating Hub in original box behind it). However, the hobby today does not realize that Floating Hubs for Elgins were different from the rest. We still have brand-new Floating Hubs in the box.

Finally... IF you ordered a speedometer, you got DIFFERENT side plates on your Floating Hub. While not shown in Sears catalogues, these were indeed available AND were installed on Elgins and other bicycles that were ordered WITH speedometers. Yes, we have the speedo side plates NOS.

See the image below for NOS Stewart-Warner Floating Hub and Floating Hub in an original box in one of our showcases ... all next to an Iver Johnson beanie...

Leon Dixon
National Bicycle History Archive of America
(NBHAA.com)

 

[mrg]

The one in the ad above is close but Murray built, @NBHAA what is the difference between a Elgin Floating Hub and the others?

 

[HARPO]

Here's the one I picked up yesterday...

 

[BFGforme]

Standard

So not standard, ad on option!

 

[Adamtinkerer]

And the '501' indicates Westfield built, not as prevalent as Murray's '502' , after they took the lead on Sears bikes, around 1938. They painted a LOT of ladies' bikes that deep blue color! I have one badged 'collegiate', briefly a junior brand to the Elgin, just prior to WW II. I found the matching color & patina, 'Elgin' embossed tank on ebay!

 

[spoked]

Cool Elgin !