Brian R.
Wore out three sets of tires already!
I'm still looking for a badge, and I have an update which unfortunately broadens the search for the identity of this bike instead of narrowing it. When I bought the bike it had a first generation Hercules hub brake. These were made by CCM (Canada Cycle and Motor) from 1908 until 1917. My first thought was that someone had used a locally available Canadian hub or wheel to repair an American bike. Since then, however, I have found three wood-rim, Toronto-built bikes with Hercules brakes: a Planet and two Hyslops. The Hercules Brake also appears in the 1922 Hyslop catalogue. My bike has a Fauber crank set, but low and behold, Fauber crank sets were also available in the 1922 Hyslop catalogue, and can be seen as early as 1900 in the Rice and Lewis (Toronto retailer) accessory catalogue. It's possible that a Canadian company imported frames from Great Western, assembled them with Canadian and American parts and put on their own head badge. If I can find a GW brand badge with 3 inches between the holes, I'll install it and call it an American bike. If none exist, however, I'll have to hope that I can identify the bike in Canadian trade literature and look for that brand badge. Below are pages from the 1922 Hyslop catalogue. So, if anyone has a badge from GW with 3 inches between the holes, I would love to hear from you!