Pierce from about 1900?

[gben]

Update, Could this be some sort of old track bike since the rear hub is a fixed gear?

I cleaned the bike up, took the seat post out and put it back in a bit higher, aired up the tires and rode it up the block and back a few times. Before I thought it had a rear brake but it does not, the rear tire just skids when you push back on the crank because the tires are hard and skid easily.

Front badge says bike is from Buffalo, NY, which is only 100 miles away from me.
Gearing is high, like one of the top high gears on my mountain-bike, not for doing any grades or hills. Rear rim is painted black and pinstriped like the frame of the bike, front rim is natural finish so it must have been replaced at one point is my guess.

I think I am leaning towards just hanging this bike from the ceiling or something similar. If am not going to go to the trouble of swapping all the parts out with new parts when I can just jump on my Marin Mountainbike or onto some other newer bike and go for a ride. I guess it is just a museum piece.....I don't think the bike will mind just as I will not mind if I live to be 113 and can still sit here and look at the world go by.

Thanks for all the info and advice so far, and I would love to hear any info or opinions of the bike and it's cycle-parts. I confess I rode the bike down the block and back with the bars up and flipped over so they were low, and either way it was fun.

 

[rustyspoke66]

Fixed gear was very common but like bikewhorder said, wow!! Left side drive train...?!

 

[filmonger]

This is interesting..... I have been told that the Pierce Arrow Museum has documentation. Since you are close - maybe you could stop by and do some research for us ( and yourself ) in their archives? I would be very interested in the outcome - as would others here in the cabe.

http://www.pierce-arrow.com/history

 

[gben]

It is geared very high, 46 tooth crank sprocket, 16 tooth rear sprocket. Whoever rode it last must have been riding only on flat streets and at very high speed. I used to do a bit of bicycle racing twenty or so years ago and I am pretty sure this is geared to do between 20-30 mph.

I got a little wind-up bell with the bike but it's bracket needed a bit of repair before it would go on, just needed a rivet and some cleaning inside. There was also a headlamp with the bike that has some issues, I will try to get it on in the near future.

More photos:

Rear wheel pinstripe matches that of frame:

Badge head-on:

Badge right side:

Badge left side:

Nickel plating on fork responded to Autosol cleaner:

Handlebar grip:

Headset:

Seat stem nut with Pierce script:

Serial number is in red!:

 

[bikewhorder]

That is a really outstanding find. I think being fixed gear that crank could go in either way and it would still work so this could just be the way someone decided to put it together. But that's just a guess..

 

[fordmike65]

Man that thing is AWESOME! I don't think I'd derust or polish anything. That patina is KILLER!

 

[locomotion]

check your PM, GBen

 

[filmonger]

Very very nice........and interesting. Any markings on that rear hub? Do marking on the rims say Lobdell? Is there any Paperwork in the seat downtube when you pull the seat stem? What are the markings in the Block Chain?

 

[scrubbinrims]

OH
MY
GOD
!
Chris

 

[TR6SC]

Beautiful. If I'm correct, your sprockets are 24/8x28=84 inches. That IS tall gearing.