Maybe a Dutch Bike?

[Oilit]

This bike was listed for sale a while back by @Notagamerguy, and I had to go to Philadelphia to pick up another bike a couple of weeks ago, so while I was there I stopped by and picked this one up too. He was thinking it might be English, and the lugs at the head look very similar to a late '50's Phillips I have, but I've been looking at some of the parts, and the front hub is Union, the rear hub is Centrix (German) and the rims are "Lepper Made in Holland". The serial number is on the left side of the seat post a couple inches below the seat lug, and it looks like there are two sheared off rivets under the paint that once held a head badge. It's been repainted and who knows what else, but if the wheels are original then it's probably European, maybe Dutch. Maybe these clues and some new pictures will jog somebody's memory.
Notagamerguy's post:

Sold - 50 humpback birmingham bicycle | Archive (sold or withdrawn)

I don't know much about this bike and was unable to find out what company it was sold under.

thecabe.com

 

[Notagamerguy]

This bike was listed for sale a while back by @Notagamerguy, and I had to go to Philadelphia to pick up another bike a couple of weeks ago, so while I was there I stopped by and picked this one up too. He was thinking it might be English, and the lugs at the head look very similar to a late '50's Phillips I have, but I've been looking at some of the parts, and the front hub is Union, the rear hub is Centrix (German) and the rims are "Lepper Made in Holland". The serial number is on the left side of the seat post a couple inches below the seat lug, and it looks like there are two sheared off rivets under the paint that once held a head badge. It's been repainted and who knows what else, but if the wheels are original then it's probably European, maybe Dutch. Maybe these clues and some new pictures will jog somebody's memory.
Notagamerguy's post:

Sold - 50 humpback birmingham bicycle | Archive (sold or withdrawn)

I don't know much about this bike and was unable to find out what company it was sold under.

thecabe.com

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Yeah i assumed it was some birmingham bike because of the fender and brackets

 

[Oilit]

Yeah i assumed it was some birmingham bike because of the fender and brackets

The drop-outs remind me of Birmingham bikes too. Holland and England are close enough that they probably sneak a peek at each other's bikes now and then!

 

[juvela]

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the painted finish on the chainset and the stem/bar set is a Dutch trait

are you able to read the small yellow transfer of the chainguard?

@non-fixie


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[Oilit]

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the painted finish on the chainset and the stem/bar set is a Dutch trait

are you able to read the small yellow transfer of the chainguard?

@non-fixie


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Most of the decals are pretty far gone, but in his post, Notagamerguy has a close-up one on the chain guard that says "Bullet". Maybe from a car model kit? I doubt the decals are original in any case, but I need to get a better close-up of the one on the head. If I can make it out, that would at least tell for sure if they're original or not.

 

[non-fixie]

Not a bike I recall ever having seen here in Holland. At first glance it looks very American to me.

Not likely meant for the Dutch market either, as it would have started life with a white "tail" and working generator lights. And probably a fully enclosed chain case. No evidence of those. "Repaired" chrome with silver paint is something that is fairly often seen on Belgian bikes. Centrix and Union are German.

Made in western Europe for the American market, maybe?

 

[Oilit]

Not a bike I recall ever having seen here in Holland. At first glance it looks very American to me.

Not likely meant for the Dutch market either, as it would have started life with a white "tail" and working generator lights. And probably a fully enclosed chain case. No evidence of those. "Repaired" chrome with silver paint is something that is fairly often seen on Belgian bikes. Centrix and Union are German.

Made in western Europe for the American market, maybe?

You're right, the bike looks styled for the American market. The English started styling designs for the U.S. market in the late '50's, but by the mid-60's everything was going to 10 speeds and Sting-Rays, so I'm guessing this bike is also from the late '50's or early '60's. But English bikes use English parts, and I'm guessing the same is true for French and Italian bikes, so the Netherlands was my next guess. I hadn't considered Belgium, but anything is possible.
What's the next thing to check for clues? I'm guessing the threads would be metric?

 

[non-fixie]

WRT clues, how old is this bike? Does it fit the period that European manufacturers were producing dedicated models for the American market? Sixties to mid-seventies?

Dating parts usually helps narrow it down, either by determining the models and their availability periods or, even better, date codes. Anything on the Centrix hub?

There is one thing that strikes me as odd/interesting about the frame: the seat stays are brazed onto the seat lug, but bolted to the drop-outs. Which in turn are brazed to the chain stays. Why?

BTW, I wouldn't eliminate Western-Germany form the list of suspects just yet.

 

[dnc1]

I agree with @non-fixie, looks a little German to me.
Although 'Union' brand parts were common on some British bikes I don't think this is British; I'm thinking late 1960's/early 1970's (West) Germany as a likely source.

 

[Oilit]

Searching for information on Centrix, I ran across this bike that has some similarities. Listed by a store in Madison WI. There doesn't seem to be much on Centrix, or at least not that I've found - yet.

Budget Bicycle Center - Vintage Junckers Dutch Flying Jet Middleweight Cruiser Bicycle Bike 17.5"

Vintage Junckers Dutch Flying Jet Middleweight Cruiser Bicycle Bike 17.5"

budgetbicyclectr.com