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Learning about my Dad’s “Our Own Hardware” bike

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I’ve been slowly cleaning up my Dad’s boyhood bike. Lots of layers of Iowa rural road’s dirt has been removed from the wheels, hubs, and sprockets.

Is there a way to determine the manufacture date? Looking at old pictures, I’m thinking that my dad was around 10 years old when the bike was new. This makes the manufacture date around 1939-40??

I feel kind of guilty riding his bike, because all the miles on his “still working” Zeppelin speedometer belonged to him (3100 miles). I do, however, enjoy riding his bike around the neighborhood!!!

thank you for helping me learn about his bike

Scott

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Fantastic bike. I too wish I had my dad’s bike. I did pick up a ‘46 DX with an Our Own Hardware badge, same as my dad used to use for his paper route. I think my favorite thing about your dad’s bike is the slightly crushed rear rack - no doubt from riding his friends around town on it. Each generation from now on should put 3,100 miles on it, and then pass it on.
 
A while ago, My brother converted old home movies of my Dad’s boyhood to DVD’s. The screen shot from the DVD’s footage are not the best and I apologize for that. This is my grandparents and my dad’s dog ready for a ride. I figure that my dad was the camera man.
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The movie shows my grandma taking dad’s bike for a spin.

What caught my eye is that beautiful painted tank. Like you guys mentioned, Schwinn had great paint jobs. I wish that I knew what happened to that tank???

Scott

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