Top 10 Most sought after Balloon tire bicycle

[Ray]

I'm not a fan of the Evinrude, Mercury, or four bar Elgins--I'd take a '57-8 WF X53 over any of those! Also I prefer the '37 Super Streamline to the '36 model so my list would be a little different. Also this would be the pre-war list I'd have a seperate top ten for the post war ballooners. v/r Shawn

I agree with you on the WF X53, Shawn. I own a 1956 and for sure it would be on my top 10 list!

 

[Freqman1]

OK here's my most sought after list pre-war

1. 36-7 Elgin Bluebird
2. 37 Dayton Super Streamline
3. 38-9 Shelby Airflo Speedline
4. 34-6 Schwinn Aerocycle
5. 40 Dayton Mainliner lit tank
6. 37 Roadmaster Supreme
7. 33-4 Elgin Black Hawk
8. 37 Colson Commander big battery tank
9. 37 Elgin Robin
10. 41 Colson Clipper springer

Post-war

1. 55 Schwinn boys blue Phantom
2. 57-8 WF X-53
3. 48 Monark hex tube
4. 54 J.C. Higgins Model 100
5. 50-4 Columbia Five Star Superb Super Equipped (R5)
6. 47-53 Roadmaster Luxury Liner
7. 51-3 J.C. Higgins Deluxe Colorflo w/batwing
8. 54-5 Evans-Colson Firebird
9. 52-4 Monark Super Deluxe/Cycle King
10. mid 50s WF Super


v/r Shawn

 

[scrubbinrims]

the A-list

1. Elgin Bluebird 35-37
2. Shelby Speedline Airflow/Hiawatha Arrow (w/o Knuckleguards)
3. RMS 37
4. 40 Dayton Champion Twinflex
5. 39 5-bar Hawthorne Zep with Shockmaster Fork
6. Hawthorne Duralium (aka the "Wingbar")
7. Mercury Pacemaker, Lit Tank Version w/ Aluminum Fenders
8. Colson 41 Goodyear Double Eagle Deluxe (Clipper with Cushioner Fork, Lit Rack)
9. Elgin 4-Star Twinbar
10. Elgin Robin

 

[Talewinds]

In an effort to depart from the trend of encouraging the value of items in my own collection... I own exactly zero of the Monark Aluminums, and I'm not really itching to, maybe simply because they're so regularly off the radar. However, it's interesting that these very unique and extremely rare bikes haven't gotten much traction during recent similar discussions. Between the Flo-Cycle, Wingbar, and Hex-Tube, Monark was REALLY doing something different and special with bikes during that era, yet we just keep trotting out the usual suspects......

 

[Andrew Gorman]

What the heck is an RMS 37?
edit-
A 1937 Roadmaster Supreme?

 

[Rayofsonshine2]

Rms 37

Thanks Andrew for asking the question I'll bet many of us had.

 

[frankabr.]

I'd add one other middleweight to desirable postwar bikes, The Huffy Radio Bike

I know its a middleweight, but it was probably one of the neatest bikes around. Certainly on most people's hotlist.

Best regards, F.A.

 

[npence]

What the heck is an RMS 37?
edit-
A 1937 Roadmaster Supreme?

Yes it is a 1937 Roadmaster Supreme.

 

[scrubbinrims]

My mistake for the abbreviation...it was late in the evening.
It goes a little something like this:

I hear what you're saying Talewinds, but it's okay to list a bicycle(s) that is currently in one's collection as the bicycles we as collectors have is related to what we regard.

Chris

 

[Luckykat32]

This is a tough list to put together, plus a few pre balloon belong in there too

1) 1928-29 Shelby Lindy

2) 1939 Alexander Rocket

2) 1936 Colson Commander

3) 1938-39 Shelby Airflo Speedline long nose

4) 1935 Colson Aristocrat

5) 1930-35 Hawthorne Flyer

6) 1934 Schwinn Aerocycle

7) 1933 Elgin Blackhawk

8) 1937 Monark Wingbar

9) 1935-38 Iver Johnson Mobicycle

10) 1948-50 Western Flyer Super