Unknown Wheelman Badged Racer ca. 1900

[Jesse McCauley]

Some of you may have seen this bike, it came up and was sold a couple times on Facebook before I managed to bring it into the proper bicycle market.

Holt's Lake is in NC, I don't know of any other references to Holt's Lake but I'm open to ideas.

Bottom bracket has some Iver Johnson qualities perhaps?

My best guess? Maybe a LAW commissioned bike? Maybeee a prize bike? Other thoughts?

The "No. 5292" confuses me, thats a big number for such an obscure bike/badge.

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[carlitos60]

Cool Badge!!!

 

[Jesse McCauley]

So I called the frame a racer for no other reason than the size of the Chainwheel but is that innapropes?

Based on the fit and aging I would wager this is the original bottom bracket / crankset hardware.

I don't think I would want to cruise around town geared to this Chainwheel but maybe they were just harder in 1900.


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[dfa242]

"...maybe they were just harder in 1900."

Everything was harder in 1900.

 

[tripple3]

30 tooth ring! Wow.
give me a push; get me started....

 

[barracuda]

Is this the same bike?

https://thecabe.com/forum/threads/what-is-it-help-please.111286/#post-734137

It's not "Holt's Lake", it's Holt's "Lake Bearing" Special, i.e., the Lake Anti-Friction Bearing.

 

[bricycle]

Maybe it's a member badge?
you can see someone removed wording from beneath the oval...

 

[Balloontyre]

The badge could be a custom, as were many LAW badges, some had owner names on them. This badge doesn't look original to me, meaning, it's been cleaned or removed or both. Could have come from a whole different bike and put on this one by the same owner when they got a different bike.

The chain ring is just one of many sizes available at the time, they came larger too, not necessarily a racer.

 

[Jesse McCauley]

Is this the same bike?

https://thecabe.com/forum/threads/what-is-it-help-please.111286/#post-734137

It's not "Holt's Lake", it's Holt's "Lake Bearing" Special, i.e., the Lake Anti-Friction Bearing.

Yep it's the same one, I didn't know there was a thread open on it already! It was pretty exposed on Facebook but the owner got a bunch of b/s and low ball offers.

I made an offer with the benefit of picking it up in person and I got the bike.


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[Jesse McCauley]

The badge could be a custom, as were many LAW badges, some had owner names on them. This badge doesn't look original to me, meaning, it's been cleaned or removed or both. Could have come from a whole different bike and put on this one by the same owner when they got a different bike.

The chain ring is just one of many sizes available at the time, they came larger too, not necessarily a racer.

The badge has been tampered with, there was some secondary text that was removed long enough ago that the badge has aged evenly-

I suspect though that this badge and bike have been together since 1900, there is a 3rd outlier badge hole behind the badge but it is off center to the other two, Almost looks like a miss-drilling.

It does seem likely the badge and bike have nothing to do with one another aside from the life-story of the original Wheelman rider.


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