When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.

My First Pre-War Bike! (its not pretty)

#eBayPartner    Most Recent BUY IT NOW Items Listed on eBay
eBay Auction Picture
eBay Auction Picture
eBay Auction Picture
eBay Auction Picture
eBay Auction Picture
eBay Auction Picture
eBay Auction Picture
eBay Auction Picture
eBay Auction Picture
eBay Auction Picture
eBay Auction Picture
eBay Auction Picture
eBay Auction Picture
eBay Auction Picture
eBay Auction Picture
eBay Auction Picture
eBay Auction Picture
eBay Auction Picture

Neal405

Finally riding a big boys bike
I have been lookin to get my feet wet on a pre-war bike and Craigslist finally delivered. I purchased an Elgin bottlecap badged bike for 50 bucks and they also had a girls Hiawatha that the lady gave me for 20. With some research I believe the Elgin was made in the mid 20s in Indiana? My noob question would be, is this Elgin crank pitch bend correct? Its not like a dogleg where you can tell and I dont want messed up parts on it right away. Thanks for any info! Happy Sunday!View attachment 1448237
1448238
1448246
 
Last edited:
Ahhh I see it now! The rounded end is bent out. Thank you GTs58 looks like I will be using the other crank.
 
You may try bending it back. I was able to bend one this week without any specialized tools. Found a spot on my trailer frame where I was able to wedge it. Took a decent bit of muscle and just the right placement but it worked. Maybe try putting the bent end top pr three inches in a vice and use a length of pipe on the other end of the crank for leverage. Just go slowly and check it each time you push/pull
 
The “B” serial prefix might indicate about 1924 or so; and we see a Murray chain ring sprocket; (i.e., what else got changed in 97 years). The chain ring sprocket in the 2nd picture (left) looks more appropriate; (but Sears may have used a couple of others).

The cranks in the 2nd picture might not be correct; the cranks supplied with Excelsior built bicycles often had a distinctive “arch” in between the threaded cones. The arch facilitated fitting of the crank into the bottom bracket crank hanger.

The attachment 1448237 is not opening; was it a picture of the whole bicycle?
 
Last edited:
Thank you for your knowledge @Archie Sturmer I have attached a picture on how I received the bike. I did purchase what I thought would be the correct chainring. I was surprised to see how old the bike is when I tried to date it. I had never seen such a clean straight stamp on such an old bike.
1451960
 
Back
Top