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What do you think about this 1920's wooden wheeled Firestone Fleetwood

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I'm gonna guess Cleveland Welding, '35, '36 or '37. See this thread:

http://thecabe.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?3332-Unknown-Bicycle-Any-idea-who-made-this

I think you are right on
IMG_2488.jpg

Look like mine
 
The frame and fork are definitely built by CWC. The chainring and curved truss rods point to 1937. The serial number is stamped below the crank. Post it and the year can be id'd. I'm pretty sure CWC didn't provide bikes to Firestone until 37 and possibly into 38.
 
get ready to have your preconceived notions thrown out.
Firestone began offering bikes in 1936. Firestone didn't actually build these bikes but contracted with someone else to build them. the most common of thes makers from this era are Huffman and Colson, but there are several Cleveland Welding made Firestone Fleetwoods out there in decent original condition. a little searching of this site will find them. your bike has the wrong wheels on it. it is indeed a Firestone Fleetwood made around 1936-37 and was originally a 26" bike. it was also made by the Cleveland Welding Company for Firestone. these are semi rare and interesting bikes, though not terribly valuable.

this is not your bike, but the catalog page from the 1936 Firestone catalog. this is a Huffman bike, but yours was outfitted in similar fashion.

1936FWFirestonepg35_zpsd1e09781-1.jpg
 
Firestone contracted with Huffman to have
ninety bicycles built for them in 1935.

The earliest example of the boy's specimen is a
motorbike-style bicycle of the era .. with a straight
undertank bar (no tank offered).

What separated the Huffman 1934 frame-design
from the 1935 design was the curving of the seat-
stays evident in the 1935 models.

During late 1935 .. Huffman designed their ''True
Streamline''
... having a ''drop-bar'' top-rail ..
and an undertank bar (no tank offered) that was
parallel to that top bar.

The 1935, ninety-bicycles contract-info is from a
private Huffman Manufacturing Co. autobiography
given to me by Tony Huffman, son of H. M. Huffman, Jr.
... sometime around 1990. I could be wrong on the
1990 date.

Was given specific notification to ''never publish'' the
autobiography ... but that i could verbally-share info
that was included.

The secrecy regards Huffman Mfg. Co. financial information.

Very-little of the document reveals Huffman bicycle-design
strategies. Much of the document indicates production-
numbers and cost / profit info.

Sometime in 1960, Firestone and Huffman celebrated
twenty-five years of doing business with each other.


That's my story and i'm stickin' to it.


.......... patric




early firestone 1935.jpg


early firestone 1935.jpg
 
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More great knowledge from Brother Patric!

Firestone contracted with Huffman to have
ninety bicycles built for them in 1935.

The earliest example of the boy's specimen is a
motorbike-style bicycle of the era .. with a straight
undertank bar (no tank offered).

What separated the Huffman 1934 frame-design
from the 1935 design was the curving of the seat-
stays evident in the 1935 models.

During late 1935 .. Huffman designed their ''True
Streamline''
... having a ''drop-bar'' top-rail ..
and an undertank bar (no tank offered) that was
parallel to that top bar.

The 1935, ninety-bicycles contract-info is from a
private Huffman Manufacturing Co. autobiography
given to me by Tony Huffman, son of H. M. Huffman, Jr.
... sometime around 1990. I could be wrong on the
1990 date.

Was given specific notification to ''never publish'' the
autobiography ... but that i could verbally-share info
that was included.

The secrecy regards Huffman Mfg. Co. financial information.

Very-little of the document reveals Huffman bicycle-design
strategies. Much of the document indicates production-
numbers and cost / profit info.

Sometime in 1960, Firestone and Huffman celebrated
twenty-five years of doing business with each other.


That's my story and i'm stickin' to it.


.......... patric




View attachment 233059
 
I don't doubt the wheels are 28" and I don't doubt the bike says Fleetwood. Personally based on what I see I am having a difficult time believing those wheels belong on that bike. Bike frame appears to be late 30's early 40's wheels appear to be metal clad so probably late 20's early 30's for the wheels but not the bike. Sorry if you disagree but I am simply stating what I can see in the photo.
I did a bit more research and I think it's a 1937 which makes me think that the bike is 26 but somebody put 28" on it because I don't recall any bikes in 37 to have had 28" wheels with wooden insides lol
 
The frame and fork are definitely built by CWC. The chainring and curved truss rods point to 1937. The serial number is stamped below the crank. Post it and the year can be id'd. I'm pretty sure CWC didn't provide bikes to Firestone until 37 and possibly into 38.
The serial is B68889
 
Hey to PreWarBikes this mornin' .... did you know that
20th-Century wooden bicycle wheels may be mostly 28''
by 1.5'' ... but those hoops were also available as 26'' ...
and 24'' and 20'' as well.

Wait a minit ... totally forgot the smaller than 20'' bunch ---
examples are out there.

Could be your wood wheels are 26ers (?) ... they sure don't
crowd the fork-height of your fork.

I always liked the ''talon'' aspect of that Cleveland Welding Co.
truss fork.



............ patric
 
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Hey to PreWarBikes this mornin' .... did you know that
20th-Century wooden bicycle wheels may be mostly 28''
by 1.5'' ... but those hoops were also available as 26'' ...
and 24'' a 20'' as well.

Could be your wood wheels are 26ers (?) ... they sure don't
crowd the fork-height of your fork.


.......... patric



Aarrrgh !! ... just re-peeped foto of your machine ... adding an
inch and a half of tire thickness to your wood hoops would really
crowd the wheel / tire areas of your machine ... the wheels themselves
don't crowd those areas so much ... but those tires ..... am calling
1-800-CRY-BABY right now !

 
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