Tribute or real?

[Euphman06]

I'm still looking for an authentic "in the rough" military bike that hasn't been discovered out there. This one caught my eye in a group of bikes for sale. I think (in my untrained eye and little brain) that it was someone's attempt at a tribute bike. Am I right?

 

[DaGasMan]

It certainly does appear to be a tribute. There are a few good things going for it. Like that front fender, handle bars
and grips, maybe the Delta Winner fender light, even the frame. But there's a few things that are just wrong. It's a
Westfield frame (maybe Columbia) but that looks like a Huffman sprocket, pedals don't look right, goose neck, wheels
and probably the hubs and spokes, seat, and that color is so wrong. It's gotta be that horrible krylon spanish moss. Yuck.
I'm not an expert and the photo only gives one perspective. But yeah, it's a tribute. I'd buy that front fender that's for sure.

 

[Mercian]

Hi, @Euphman06

I agree with @DaGasMan, a I think it's a 'tribute', but I'd love to know more about the frame.

Do you have better pictures of the serial number, or have it written down?

Based on what I can make out, it is G8????, ?7. If that's right, the only five figure G numbers starting with 8 occurred mid 1942, see my listing below.

So ?7 could well be J7, or July 1942.

You can see from the list that the Curved bar MG bikes finished around MG55000, perhaps March 1942, and then the majority of production for a few months were the Sports Tourist Lightweight models. Apart from the oddity of MG68264, which, so far is the earliest straight bar survivor, but is on it's own, G519 production restarts around MG87500, possibly August or September 1942 with straight bar frames.

So, what is this frame? I think @HUFFMANBILL may have more to say, but I understand that due to rationing, heavy frame bicycles like this were not to be built except for military contracts at this point. The J7 shows it was made too late for the curved bar MG batch (so, not a left over frame from this), and it was made after the earliest military straight bar, so presumably not made for the MG contract starting at MG87500, and then put to one side because someone changed the frame spec from curved to straight.

I don't know the answer, it's an odd frame, and I'd welcome any ideas about it.

Thanks,

Best Regards,

Adrian

 

[rustjunkie]

that's a huffman frame isn't it?

 

[Mercian]

Hi @rustjunkie

Sorry, no, a Westfield, though they are very similar (and this one does have a Huffman chainwheel).

Best Regards,

Adrian

 

[Euphman06]

It's being sold in a lot, I think there's a bit of a language barrier between us and he's 3 hours away. Not sure if I can get him to get a better picture of the serial number, I was surprised to get that picture, lol.

 

[rustjunkie]

bet a dollar it's a huffman

here's westfield seat mast:

wasn't going by the chainring for id, but it isn't huffman anyway

 

[Euphman06]

I thought Huffman at first too... but no means an expert. Also thought the chainring was a monark

 

[rustjunkie]

yeah the shape, tubing size, seat mast, all different

huffman, straight down-tube tho

curved

westfield

 

[Euphman06]

Also this one in the lot... Pretty sure "tribute" as well.