The Official CABE Bicycle Sign Thread

[100bikes]

 

[100bikes]

 

[Major Taylor Archive]

Here's one I picked up recently. It fits into the front triangle of a bike frame. No idea where the shop was located. I'm in the Northeast so possibly somewhere nearby.

 

[Burgess1108]

Here's one I picked up recently. It fits into the front triangle of a bike frame. No idea where the shop was located. I'm in the Northeast so possibly somewhere nearby.

View attachment 2080691

Likely Waverly, Mass??

 

[cyclingday]

 

[Major Taylor Archive]

Likely Waverly, Mass??

There’s a Waverley neighborhood in Belmont, MA but no town by that name. Could also be just a random name. Nothing comes up when I Google it.

 

[NBHAA]

Anyone named Jimmie ?

View attachment 1786158

Yes... I knew Jimmie. He was located on Mack Avenue on the east side. His last location that I knew of was on Gratiot Avenue, just off of Mack. But this was in the 1960s.

Yes, I bought parts from Jimmie back in the 1950s and 1960s.

A friend of Jimmie (Mr. Green) had his used bicycle shop in one of my dad's commercial buildings on Mt. Elliott.

Finally, another of Jimmie's friends was Acme Bike Shop on Mack Avenue. Owned at various times by a Mr. Rivers and a Mr. Jackson. In Acme's basement was the largest collection of Silver King bicycles I have ever seen in my life– and THIS was in the 1950s. And I assure you, I've seen a LOT of Silver Kings. Last time I viewed the location, the building was completely gone. However, one of the locals told me that when the building was knocked down, the basement had never been cleared. Meaning those Silver Kings are likely still there and merely covered over!

I knew and dealt with many of the bicycle shops IN Detroit (not near but IN Detroit) during the old days.

Leon Dixon
National Bicycle History Archive of America
(NBHAA.com)

 

[NBHAA]

Jimmie was a fellow that owned a bicycle shop on Gratiot & Mack in Detroit in the 60's thru the early 2000's.
He was a foreman at Budd Wheel ( they stamped out 1/4 panels ,hoods ,etc for Ford & GM )
on Detroits east side and opened the shop to help out the kids in
the neighborhood. He surely didn't need the $$. His was a Bicycle Shop but he also repaired Lawnmowers,
sold some Go-Kart stuff, had roller skates, made keys and a dabbled in a bunch of other stuff. The neighborhood was/is still rough but he stuck it out. Tons of stuff when I cleaned it out, one of my best hauls ever ....

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View attachment 1786879

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Hello... Jimmie's shop was older than the 1960s. The Gratiot location was much later. He originally was on Mack Avenue. I bought things from him going back to the 1950s.

Jimmie's was primarily a used bicycle shop where he refurbished old bicycles and sold them. He occasionally had something new.

Jimmie's buddy was a fellow named Mr. Green. Green had another used bicycle shop. It was located in one of my father's commercial buildings on Mt. Elliott off of Mack. Green had an old green pickup truck that rarely ran. Most of his transportation was on an old Schwinn B-6 or an old Schwinn CycleTruck.

Used bicycle shops were once very, very common in big cities back in the times up to the 1970s. There were once lots of them scattered all over Detroit.

Yes, Jimmie worked at Budd Wheel not far off of Conner Avenue. This was his regular job. The shop was merely a sideline. The old guys who worked at Budd Wheel used to pronounce the company name as if it was one word: "budweeyo." Always said quickly. I knew him, yes.

Leon Dixon
National Bicycle History Archive of America
(NBHAA.com)

 

[Hobo Bill]

eye found a couple byke signs hiding out and bailey

 

[marching_out]

Picked these up earlier this spring.