"Pop" Schwinn & Other Bicycles!

[HarleyCreation]

Kojack, I hope you don't mind if I copy your post to start a "Schwinn & Other Bicycles" thread. I had vaguely heard of this "Waterford" bicycle company, but not that it had a Schwinn family connection. I go thru Waterford all the time on trips "down below" to avoid Milwaukee freeway traffic and know that area and it backroads very well.

I think that a bicycle thread could be very interesting and fun because the roots of our sport lie in the humble pedal bicycle and no mistake.

A discussion of bicycles and bicycle firms also ties in with early motorcycling and early motorcycle construction techniques that might help Earl and Walter.

Most of us started out on a bicycle and have fond memories and stories to share.

These Waterford jobs look REALLY nice!

Originally posted by Kojack
Here's a side note to Schwinn. Richard Schwinn, Ignatz' great grandson, started another bicycle company a few years ago. The family lost control of their name for bicycle building so the new company is called Waterford. http://www.waterfordbikes.com/2005/d...ford/index.php

[INLINE4NUT]

HC,
Great Idea! I have had a little interest in old bicycles for awhile now and have two pretty nice wooden wheel ones in my house a early Reading Standard Board track Racer and a Harley Mans bike and I agree it is here where it all started. Lots of years ago I had the chance to score a Shaw Motor Bike from a fellow in eastern Quebec,we both had the same last name,I coresponded with him for some time but draged my feet and it was sold,shouldve,couldve,but didnt shame on me !!! But the quest still goes on till the day I die,you never know whats around the next turn !!

[Kojack]

I agree, there's lots of interesting history here. I appears that the Harley bicycles may have been built by the Davis company owned by George Huffman who later started Huffy. My first bike was a Rollfast handed down from my sister but Dad later got me a Murray and a Huffy. Both together wouldn't have cost as much as a Schwinn. Here's a pretty good site on bicycle history.
http://www.firstflightbikes.com/dayton.htm

[INLINE4NUT]

Kojack thanks for another interesting site to visit!

[LouieMCman]

The oldest bicycle company in the USA is Worksman out of New York City, see web site below. They make some of the best Industrial bike around.


http://www.worksman.com/home.html

[HarleyCreation]

Never heard of the "Worksman" bicycle, but they have some cool stuff like that 2-person tricycle.

One thing I like about bicycles is that they haven't changed much in design since the 1890s. I'm talking about the narrow-tire road or racing style bicycle with drop handlebars (we called "10-speeds" when I was a kid).

When you straddle a bicycle you are instantly transported 100 years or more back in time without having to own an antique. It instantly recreates for you the setting and conditions in which the first motorcycles were conceived and created.

All you gotta do is huff and puff up a steep hill once and then go FLYING down the other side without pedaling to understand the bicycle/motorcycle relationship on a personal gut level.

[Earl]

Re: "Pop" Schwinn & Other Bicycles!

Originally posted by HarleyCreation
I think that a bicycle thread could be very interesting and fun because the roots of our sport lie in the humble pedal bicycle and no mistake.

A discussion of bicycles and bicycle firms also ties in with early motorcycling and early motorcycle construction techniques that might help Earl and Walter.

My thoughts exactly. The early motorcycles were initially constructed from bicycle pieces/parts. Excessive vibration and stress caused the motorcycle builders to beef up and strengthen the parts that broke. An example of this is given in "At the Creation", when Walter Davidson was involved in a 300 mile endurance contest put on by the Chicago Motorcycle Club in 1906, and during the first day of the contest, the rear frame of his machine broke. Fully described on pages 94-95.

A very good early book that describes bicycle construction and repair techniques is "Bicycle Repairing", by S.D. Burr, copyright 1895, with various editions, published in following years.

Another good book is "Cycle Building and Repairing", published by Cassell and Company, 1904.

And yet another good one is "Motor Bicycle Building", published by David McKay, Philadelphia, 1907.



Earl and Walter have thoroughly enjoyed reading each and every one.

[Kojack]

I did a little "googling" and found some more info on them. It looks like they're one of the few bicycle companies that didn't dabble in motorcycle manufacturing. I wonder if that's why they're still in business.
http://www.nationalguild.com/Worksma...tworksman.html

Originally posted by LouieMCman
The oldest bicycle company in the USA is Worksman out of New York City, see web site below. They make some of the best Industrial bike around.


http://www.worksman.com/home.html

[kunzog]

Speaking of Worksman bicycles, here is a fairly new example that I built a box for that resembles an ice chest. Notice the drop in the front end and smaller wheel to accomodate the box. This "delivery bike" style was made by several manufactures, Schwinn called theirs a "Cycle Truck".

[HarleyCreation]

Now fast forwarding to the early 1930s, Morris and his three children now entered the business and began promoting his Worksman Business Cycles to Ice Cream Companies as vending vehicles. The first major customer which came on board was Good Humor Ice Cream. Pretty soon, the Good Humor Man on his Worksman Ice Cream Tricycle was a common sight in neighborhoods across America. The jingling bells and the shiny Worksman Good Humor Ice Cream Tricycle was welcome vision to children wanting a special ice cream treat.

I remember those things!

Yeah, they were pedal fore-cars with a big insulated ice-cream box out front and the guy rode it down the street ringing a bell. He sold Popsickles, Fudgesicles (my favorite), Dreamsicles, etc. out of it. Driving one of those things was a job that every kid dreamed of. But one day they just vanished and were gone.

If those pedal fore-cars weren't Worksman made jobs what else could they have been?

[HarleyCreation]

1897 Bicycles from "Cycling" mag

On the 1907 Chandler thread 23JDCA 808 posted a .pdf file from the March, 1897 issue of "Cycling" mag.

Very interesting early bicycle stuff!

http://www.aafla.org/SportsLibrary/O...outXXXI06u.pdf

Those 1890s bicycles were like having the motorcycle only without the motor! All the other necessary components have been invented and refined to a high degree. Novelty was the watchword and you can still feel the excitment of the age reading this stuff!

Notice how they brag about their seamless tubing, steel forgings, and high quality bearings! The Dayton "Track Racer" model got the weight down to 20 pounds! The Pierce had a pneumatic cushion frame! The Orient multi-cycles could seat up to 10 ppl and cost $600!

How could they do that stuff without modern high tech materials, billet aluminum, and computer assisted designs?

Was it magic?

Those 1890s bicycles were no "baby carts" either (like Hap would say), but cost big bucks and were aimed at athletic men and women (not old geezers like us!)

Looks like 1898 was the year of the shaft-drive bicycle and other chain-less designs and who can blame them? What is striking to me is that by 1897-8 the Pennington "Motor Cycle" was already in the past and the modern motorcyle has yet to appear in the USA.

But it was coming!

[bogwon]

Rollfast Bicycles

Kojack,
Interesting that you would mention the Rollfast as being your first bike. My mom worked in the H.P. Snyder Bicycle manufacturing plant here in my hometown of Little Falls, NY. In the 60's and 70's, it was almost inevitable that a new Rollfast bike would be either our Christmas present or Birthday present! These were constructed here as well as the Mossberg and other brands. I still have a few Rollfasts around here if you ever feel the need to relive your past. Bogwon

[Kojack]

Thanks for the offer, I'll keep that in mind. Right now, between other projects, I'm piecing together an old bicycle based on a '39 Monark frame. I started with a fairly complete roller but as I got into it I ended up scrapping everything but the frame and crankset. I'm about 3/4 of the way there.
Check out this company and their line of bicycles. They bought some of the equipment from the Rollfast company when they were shut down.
http://www.aerofast.com/aerofast/history.html

[bogwon]

Nice little link. Love to learn Rollfast history. I have a friend that collects them, as well. I think I may have a Monark around here. I have many antique bikes. I have definitely seen the Monark. I have a Hiawatha here too, I believe. Up in the attic!
Bogwon

[LouieMCman]

Here's what a bicycle should look like....
an old Worksman that I mounted a B&S washing machine motor on about 10 years ago, just get it moving and pull on the lever.