New Member Question About An 1898 Racer

[corbettclassics]

Thumbs up for Barracuda!!!! It's nice to see that other people take time out of
their day to help research bikes for other people.

 

[RichardD]

Found it!

National Rural and Family Magazine, April 13, 1899:

View attachment 288640

Wow!!!!

Fantastic. You are one bottomless resource on bicycle history.
Either you have a massive collection of data, or one "hell of a" search tool.
Either way, thanks for this.

The wheels appear to have been refinished, or replaced, not sure which.
Anyway I might be able to tell if they're the originals?

 

[barracuda]

Either you have a massive collection of data, or one "hell of a" search tool.

Well, I kinda got lucky. But once I started seeing information on Mr. Cobb, I had to know more. I mean, lotsa people have bikes that might have belonged to so-and-so, but here you are, with a bicycle upon whose very saddle sat the ass of "THE" Ralph Cobb, who for a scant few years before the turn of the century was apparently renown and notorious as the scourge of local wheelmen and acerbic sports-writers alike throughout the mid- and upper environs of The Hoosier State. Good color from the bicycle heartland, for sure.

 

[barracuda]

The wheels appear to have been refinished, or replaced, not sure which.
Anyway I might be able to tell if they're the originals?

You could check the hubs against the specs in the ad on the previous page, but even that kind of documentation is not ironclad. The rims themselves are unspecified generics, so if yours are of the correct general era they should be fine.

I wouldn't touch a thing. Someone held that bicycle very dear, clearly.

 

[filmonger]

Terribly Interesting and very cool bike!

 

[RichardD]

Found it!

National Rural and Family Magazine, April 13, 1899:

View attachment 288640

Definitely looks like the bike. Chicago Tube Co. name in that ad pretty much confirms what I can decipher on the faded lettering at the base of the head tube. Got a return call today from someone at the present day company "Chicago Tube & Iron Co. We'll see if there's any connection to the old company.
Should I leave everything on this "untouched"? So far all I've done is use a damp paper towel to wipe areas where lettering, or art work appears. Getting it damp has increased the contrast for images and lettering.

 

[dave429]

Fantastic! Love reading about the history. Leave the bike as is, be very careful with any cleaning so as not to rub away any of the details in the paint. Great find!

 

[pelletman]

Clean it up with Waxoyl and 0000 steel wool or the Scotch Brite equivalent. Be careful not to rub the decals off! Maybe use a old tshirt in those areas

 

[pelletman]

and a small brass wire brush...

 

[barracuda]

Personally I would not TOUCH that bike with an abrasive any coarser than a very soft cloth with some WD40 on it. From all appearances, it is an exceedingly clean, well cared for example. Don't use anything on it that you wouldn't mind using on the finish of your new car.

It's not supposed to look new, or even clean. Just leave that old girl alone.