What kind of tricycle is this?

[Steve Collins]

Restoring an antique tricycle. I've got her in tiny pieces and now need to know what she originally looked like to move forward toward original. Looks a lot like a Gendron 1920's / 1930's, but after looking at thousands of photos, I can't find a match. Anyone know what I have?

 

[ridingtoy]

Really hard to tell without the head badge since different mfrs. of the time made nearly the same basic frame. With those rat trap pedals and adjustable handlebars it could date to as early as the teens. The seat is not original and dates to the late 1930s to 1940s.

 

[ccmerz]

You have a Gendron

 

[Steve Collins]

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[Steve Collins]

Really hard to tell without the head badge since different mfrs. of the time made nearly the same basic frame. With those rat trap pedals and adjustable handlebars it could date to as early as the teens. The seat is not original and dates to the late 1930s to 1940s.

Ah! The seat is going to be the hardest part because of its condition. The plate that sandwiches the leather is 1/3 disintegrated and the spring assembly very bent. Should I consider looking for a matching seat?

 

[Steve Collins]

/

 

[Steve Collins]

You have a Gendron

Oh good. That narrows it down a lot. Thanks. Are painted rims typical? I see no evidence of nickel on the rims and was planning to nickel plate them. I'm thinking paint now.

 

[ridingtoy]

Ah! The seat is going to be the hardest part because of its condition. The plate that sandwiches the leather is 1/3 disintegrated and the spring assembly very bent. Should I consider looking for a matching seat?

If it were me, I would try to find a seat similar to what it originally might have had. The seat on the older models would have been a short spring style like this one on ebay - http://www.ebay.com/itm/Antique-Tri...756524?hash=item1a0064cfec:g:TRwAAOSw~OdVXIf- - or a long spring seat as in the other Gendron photo above, depending on the age of the trike. I haven't seen photos or ads of trikes equipped with long spring seats any earlier than 1923 models, but either seat would look appropriate to me.

Yeah, those metal center pad plates aren't very thick and start rusting pretty badly once the pad is gone and the plate is exposed to weather and dampness. I have one like that on an old Taylor tricycle. The plate is pretty well pitted but at least still has enough metal to be reused.

Dave

 

[Steve Collins]

Do these hubs come apart without having to teak this sleeve clip thing that seems to bind the left and right bearings together?

 

[ridingtoy]

I've never tried disassembling a tricycle bearing...they appear to have been factory assembled and not meant to be taken apart like bicycle bearings. Probably best to just clean it up real good and add a little fresh lubricant.

In 1927, Gendron was acquired by American National which made similarly designed tricycles. Here's a site that has color ads from AN to give you an idea of the paint schemes used back then: http://www.tricyclefetish.com/american_national.php

Dave