Hey all , I was cleaning out my grandmothers shed and found these old bikes in there. If anyone knows models / age of them please let me know ! TIA
by ApprehensiveRow9500
Hey all , I was cleaning out my grandmothers shed and found these old bikes in there. If anyone knows models / age of them please let me know ! TIA
by ApprehensiveRow9500
2 Comments
I am into vintage bikes and I have restored a few but I am certainly not an expert, so take this with a grain of salt. I would say those are all generic 1970s department store bikes. Not high quality, not valuable, not fun for a shop mechanic like me to work on. EXCEPT that Elgin. I don’t know anything about Elgin but I would guess later than 1930s based on the fact that it has a headset and not a headclip. I would guess 1940s or 50s based on the skip tooth chainring. Look at that brazing! Look at that fork crown, that stem! That thing is a work of art.
Edit: looking at that style of seatpost I would estimate late 30s early 40s.
The last two, 60s/70s bike boom bikes, great condition, value largely determined my your location. Big bike cities, you could get $200 ish for either, give or take. I’m not familiar with the brands. They’re likely catalog bikes (Sears most likely)
The Elgin, on the other hand, is a WW II era bike. Off the top of my head, they’re associated with Murry somehow. Bought out by or became, I remember seeing lots of them in old Sears catalogs doing research on other bikes from the era.
One particular year(???)/model (Bluebird) among the highest priced bicycles ever auctioned. Think it was the first model with an imitation gas tank, a precursor to the 50s space -age themed cruisers Murry was famous for, if my memory serves me right.
Do some homework on the Elgin. Prewar bikes are pretty rare to begin with, and this ones in steller shape. Might be best to consult a few antique dealers over bicycle folks, one who deals with both would be ideal.
https://thecabe.com/forum/ is a great starting point.
Lots of sites with scanned Sears catalogs (fun rabbit hole reguardless).