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Identifying Hiawatha

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If I am not mistaken Gamble's was the ONLY store that sold Hiawatha's. But CWC, Shelby, Murray Ohio, Huffman Manufacturing, and AMF were among the known manufacturers of these bikes.
 
Update on the Hiawatha:
1. I found out the bike has not been ridden since the early 1970's. In about 1974 it was taken to Illinois, where the original owner, my father in law was from, and put in storage at his in laws place, my mother in laws parents, because they moved from Michigan to Des Moines. My in laws did not have room to store in their new home in Des Moines at the time. My mother in laws parents moved to a new house in 1984 at which time the bike was finally taken to Des Moines where it sat in storage until it was moved to Sioux City, Iowa in 2015.

2. The headset, bottom bracket and hubs have all been taken apart, cleaned and repacked with the original bearings and reassembled. There is no damage, pits or scoring in the races or cups. I believe my father in law had repacked these and took good care of them before. Which explains why the originals can still be used.

3. I have the frame, rims, and tank back at my house so I can clean it up before I have the bike shop reassemble the bike. The wheels are off the bike and so is the tank.

4. The bike is not going to have any restoration done on the frame, body, etc. It is going to be cleaned up so the bike can be reassembled. It does have surface rust and the chrome parts are pretty pitted with corrosion. There is also still a lot of caked on dirt and even cob webs stuck to the underside of the fenders. The rear sprocket area even has caked on grease on the outside of the rear dropouts.

How to clean the grease, dirt, and cobwebs is pretty self explanatory. Clean rags, mild degreaser and soap and water will do so very efficiently.

But how do I clean the corrosion and rust off? What would you recommend? WIll the right grade of steel wool combined with CLR work well on the painted surfaces? On the parts that were chrome or not painted should I take a powered wire wheel to it, such as the one that attaches to my power drill or bench motor?

Please advise. Thank you.
 
On chrome or un-plated metal I would use a fine brass wire wheel-nothing too aggressive. On paint you could try an OA bath followed by a thorough rinse and a coat of Johnsons Paste wax to seal the surface and bring out a little more luster. See my project thread on the '25 Columbia for my results. V/r Shawn
 
An OA bath sounds great but i do not have a tub or container large enough to place the frame in. Plus submerging it into liquid will defeat the purpose of rebuilding/repacking the headset, bottom bracket and hubs.

I am limited to using a spray bottle or dipping a rag or steel wool into a small container of cleaning solution to apply what ever the liquid cleaning agent is, and my garden hose sprayer to rinse with clean water. I have extensvie expeience in cleaning bicycles. I clean and relube my Vision R40 recumbent about every other month during the spring and summer. As long as I do not directly spray water at the bottom bracket, head set or hubs there is no risk of the grease being rinsed out. The same will apply with the Hiawatha.

Keep in mind the springer front end, fork, front fender, and handle bars are all still attached to the frame.

Other than an OA bath or any other method involving submerging the bike into a very large container of water, how would someone recommend I clean as much rust and corrosion off of the painted surfaces as possible with out further damaging the paint?
 
Ok so WD40 and 0000 steel wool. Just be careful around any pin stripes or graphics. Maybe a coarser grade of steel wool for the more heavily corroded parts or the wire brush depending on how bad they are. BTW when I do an OA bath I completely strip the frame and all components--the service e.g. lube comes afterwards. I bought a little kiddy pool at Wal-Mart for about $8. I can get all the components of a ballooner in no problem. V/r Shawn
 
Ok so WD40 and 0000 steel wool. Just be careful around any pin stripes or graphics. Maybe a coarser grade of steel wool for the more heavily corroded parts or the wire brush depending on how bad they are. BTW when I do an OA bath I completely strip the frame and all components--the service e.g. lube comes afterwards. I bought a little kiddy pool at Wal-Mart for about $8. I can get all the components of a ballooner in no problem. V/r Shawn

There are no pin stripes or graphics. At least not any more. There may have been at one time. I did look at how CLR brand Calcium Lime Rust remover works and it seems to be the best for a chemical rust cleaning agent. I also looked at the Zep brand of the same and it wil lnot work so well because it is not meant for painted surfaces. The Krud Cutter brand and it will work to both remove and inhibit rust but not sure how it will work on painted surface, if it will damage the paint. I will have to find out.

I do like the WD40 idea. Next to duct tape, and JB Weld it is one of my favorite products to use and has an incredible multitude of uses. But will the regular from the spray can work to remove rust or do i need the specific Rust Remover Soak? I kind of get the feeling the specific rust remove is only called that because it is in a pourable container and not sprayed from the can. Or does it have an added ingredient the spray can does not?
 
Mike, I just bought one of these and need some parts. Looking for a chain guard, tank and bars.

IMG_6887[1].JPG
 
I will upload photos as soon as I can.

I have what I think is a post WWII but pre 1950 Hiawatha. It has a springer front end, tank with horn button and presumably a horn inside, a battery box, and a rear rack. The serial number on the bottom bracket appear to start with "G56" and end with "A". I cannot tell the letters or numbers in between. The headbadge does NOT say Gambles on it nor is there a serial number on it.

My research has lead me to think it is post WWII and pre 1950. The serial number references I have found show serial numbers ending in "F" mean the Hiawatha's were manufactured in 1949. Photos I have found show Hiawatha's without the springer front end after 1950.

The research I have done has lead me to discussion topics on this forum site and information on other web sites that have helped me to determine the approximate age of this bike. I have also discovered Hiawatha's were built by Cleveland Welding Company and Shelby Manufacturing Company, with a few models made by Murray of Ohio and Huffman Mfg. The were sold largely by Gambles but also by retailers such as Sears.

I am the second owner. I inherited this bike from my mother in law, after my father in law passed away about 8 years ago. He was born in 1939.

I know Gambles used to be one of the stores that sold Hiawatha's but would Gambles have sold a Hiawatha without the Gambles serial number or without a head badge that says Gambles?

What year does the letter "A" at the end of the serial number designate?

When did Hiawatha stop having the springer front end added?

Where else would I find a serial number on this bike?

The bike is in need of a full restoration. I may not fully restore it an may only get it running mechanically again and donate it to the historical museum/society in the community the original owner grew up in. but first I need to track down as much info about this bike as I can.

Any info. would help. Thanks.
Hello. Just stumbled onto your post, many years later. I have this bike, and just pretty much chased all the parts for the past year. Just looking for the correct seat now. Eould love to discuss more if you want?
 
Hello. Just stumbled onto your post, many years later. I have this bike, and just pretty much chased all the parts for the past year. Just looking for the correct seat now. Eould love to discuss more if you want?
Records for Hiawatha bicycles, including model numbers, original catalogues, dealer info and serial numbers are at National Bicycle History Archive of America (NBHAA.com)... where they have been since the 1970s.

We also have the records for Cleveland Welding Company (CWC), Shelby Cycle Company, and Murray-Ohio Manufacturing Company (NOT "Murray of Ohio" as so many online "sources" refer to it). All of these companies (and others) made bicycles for Gambles stores under the brand name "HIAWATHA." This information is NOT posted online and is not in a DIY format, but yours truly can access it for you.

The entire history of Hiawatha bicycles does indeed exist. Nobody needs to guess at it or do DIY "research." Also a friend of mine actually designed many of them (we have those records too).

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

HiawathaBicycleItemsNBHAAWM.jpeg


Hiawatha1939DealerbookCatWM.jpeg


HiawathaDealerbookItemsNBHAAWM.jpeg
 
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