Need some input on this one please.

[gtdohn]

Just purchased this one and I have no idea of what it is. Does anyone have any info on what it could be? Has very stout frame with a double wishbone like the Napoleon.
Looks to be original G&J wood rims, what I believe is a 1901 Morrow coaster brake hub with a barrel hub up front. Chainring is a mystery also and it has 32 teeth. Badge holes are vertical and 2-3/4" apart. Frame is 26" and very light. Under all evidence of old red paint, it appears that the frame is nickel plated.
Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you

 

[ditchpig]

'Red Head' Elgin King ??

Maybe bad guess.... most Elgins seem to have split seat stays.....but the chianring looked close to me...

 

[gkeep]

Nice score! Are those early clincher wood rims? I've seen that chain ring here someplace. Somebody much more knowledgable will know the answers. Looks liek this frame will clean up nice!

 

[FreedomMachinist]

Nice and tall Monostay frame ! The crank set looks like "Fauber" I'd say. They had a Design-Patent on this 5-devided Star- Pattern.

I have seen this Fork Crown on a Butler, but there certainly were many others with that arch-type fork crown...

 

[FreedomMachinist]

Like gkeep indicates: the rims look like clinchers, beaded tired. The front hub looks like on my G&J Rambler, so maybe G&J rims...
But the machine itself is certainly not a Rambler. ..

 

[Ricker]

Nice find! There were quite a few triple crown bikes that used fauber cranks with the different sizes as options. Here is an interesting ad for one:

And I have what is believed to be a Gopher out of Minneapolis:

 

[Ricker]

Here is an ad showing the crown sprocket:

 

[gtdohn]

Anyone else make this style of triple crown (monostay) frame?

 

[Iverider]

I bought this bike—thanks @gtdohn —and hung it on my wall in order to collect a few more parts and do some research. For some reason I decided to look inside the bottom bracket shell and I see what looks like paper, so of course I get out the flashlight and various pokey metal rods and wire and out comes the build tag!

Kinda cool, but virtually undecodable except for the color “B green” which probably means the red paint is not original.

Hopefully I can make some connection with the code or find a catalog with “B Green” as an option (maybe the B is an abbreviation or is it someones name?) but I think the number by the date could be 7/97 hard to tell for sure, and maybe that’s not the date at all since it overlaps the “for” category as well.

I didn’t realize it at the time of purchase, but there is a bit of a wrinkle under the top tube where someone bent it. Maybe someday I’ll attempt to bend it back using bikewhorder’s head tube rearrangement method.

I’ve been doing a bit of internet archive browsing and have found numerous models of 3 crown bikes which I believe began in 1897. I have to assemble my findings as I’ve mostly been digitally clipping bits from trade pubs such as Cycle Age, Referee and Bicycling World as I go through them.

The stuff I’ve been reading lately has lots of mention of seamless tubing in the late 1890s and early 1900s, but this bike clearly has seamed tubing leading me to believe it’s either early in the production time period of 3 crown frames, or it’s a less expensive make.

 

[Iverider]

I just came across an article that Luthy & Co. produce their bikes with "Brewster Green" enamel. I'm assuming that was a common name for a color at the time, so thought it doesn't confirm or deny the make of this machine, it's something for me to consider in the search to discover the maker. The Luthy ad in the same magazine (Cycle Age April 12, 1900) shows a nice ride with a Fauber Hanger, and a cool Road racer with curved cranks.