Very early Pope?

[walter branche]

i do not think you will be able to get the solid rubber off of the rim , enough to make a difference in saving it,. it will usually come off in chunks .. if the tires are on and showing ,, rubber all the way around ,, i would not destroy the original feature of the bike ,, get it down and clean it ,,.. leave the original tires, on it ,, they are tough to ride , bikes weigh like a tank, if you decide to put tires on it ,let me know ,and i will tell you someone in your area that can do that..

 

[pelletman]

If the originals are mostly gone it is no big deal to replace them. I can help you with that. Are you getting the bike? You also need to replace the seat leather. I have the stuff for that too. Then you need to ride with us in parades! www.thewheelmen.org

 

[davekingedits]

I just came back from the historical society, and the bike is definitely the early Pope in the photograph I was referred to later. The slightly dropped frame and the back fender that's integrated into the frame are both right.

I've taken some pictures. I just have to figure out how to dump them to my computer and I'll post them.

Pelletman, thanks for the offer of riding with the wheelman. I'm genuinely flattered. But looking at the bike again, I think it's best left preserved in the museum. I could remove the original tires without damaging them further (they are broken into segments and held on with electrical tape), but the leather on the saddle seems to be original and complete. It's too delicate for use, and I wouldn't want to replace it. So I think this is a case for conservation.

Thanks again,

David King

 

[pelletman]

You could take the saddle and the original hardware off, replace it with new leather and a reproduction cantle, ride the bike, then put the original back on for display without damaging anything.. Not a big deal

 

[Andrew Gorman]

I concur. Put on new tires and ride the heck out of it and get a few more people coming through the museum!

 

[davekingedits]

Thanks. That is a possibility, though I wouldn't want to ride it any further than in local parades -- the roads in western Massachusetts are just too vertical for that little spoon brake.

I've uploaded a picture and discovered the limits of a cheap cell phone camera in poor light. The image really isn't worth attaching. The bike is hanging from the ceiling in the Historical Museum Barn, which is only open on Saturday mornings. I don't know when I'll be able to get there with a real camera, get it down, and take some real pictures.

Thanks again for all your help.

 

[davekingedits]

I've downloaded the other two pictures and decided that maybe they are worth putting up.

Enjoy,

David King

 

[chriscokid]

whats the deal with you and the museum you work there? got a close friend that works there?? that is one special bicycle i would love to have

 

[Andrew Gorman]

That machine should not be hanging up in a tobacco barn! Clean it up and get it roadworthy for the next 120 years!

 

[davekingedits]

Actually, it's not hanging in a tobacco barn. It is where they store and display their larger exhibits, such as the town's nineteenth-century hand-drawn firehose cart or the up-and-down water-powered sawmill (also not functioning). It's clean and dry and patrolled to make sure no vermin move in. I actually don't think they're doing such a bad job of curating.

I'm a member of the Ashfield Historical Society and friends with the curator and her husband. I've also designed their website, www.ashfieldhistorical.org.

I am tempted to find a saddle and some tires for it, but I wouldn't have time for it any time soon. I was mostly interested in what the bike was, how rare it was, and anything else I could find. You've all helped with that, thanks.

David King