Mike's bike... of DOOOOOOOOM!!!
- Thread starter PAracer
- Start date
silverbear
The Boy Who Never Grew Up
Love the old Elgins. Yes, someday an in frame gas tank and a nice drum brake up front would give it 'the look'.
SB
SB
To be honest, I don't know if it's an Elgin. The fella I bought it from thought it was, but I don't think he was too sure either. I haven't been able to find an Elgin that looks like this one. I have found similar Higgins, Schwinns and perhaps a couple others. He did mention that it had a skiptooth drive when he started working on it. I would guess the age could be in the 1930 to 1950 range.
If you have any knowledge of bikes in this era, I would be all ears.
I would love to do an in frame tank and drum brake. I think the drum is more of a neccessity. The coast really doesn't cut it at the speed this bike is capable of.
If you have any knowledge of bikes in this era, I would be all ears.
I would love to do an in frame tank and drum brake. I think the drum is more of a neccessity. The coast really doesn't cut it at the speed this bike is capable of.
bigbutterbean
Active Member
I have a Worksman front drum that I absolutely love. I will describe my experience this way. Basically for me, the drum by itself works about as good, maybe a tiny bit better, than the coaster does by itself. The two together will stop on a dime. So the drum by itself is fine for routine stops, and saves the knees from the impact of using the coaster brake. If you need to stop a little quicker, use the drum and the coaster together. This is just my experience, yours may be different. The Worksman drum is steel, the Sturmey drum I believe is aluminum, which is probably a bit lighter. I got the wheel complete with the drum, and my wheel weighs 18lbs, so if weight is a concern, perhaps go with the Sturmey instead of the Worksman, if weight is not a concern, Most likely go with the less expensive option. I got my Worksman for $35 used, so neither price nor weight was a concern for me. Either way, good luck.
silverbear
The Boy Who Never Grew Up
Some frame designs are so distinctive there is no mistaking them. Others are similar to each other and sometimes different manufacturers used the same frame made by the same company. Cleveland Welding is such a case. Searching around on the net should lead you to some answers. In the case of Elgin, the same company made J.C,Higgins later on. Pre WWII is Elgin, After the war it is J.C. Higgins. Sears was the big outlet. So generally it was skip tooth pre war and regular modern type after in the case of Elgin. Schwinn waited awhile before changing over, clear into the early 1950's.
I don't mean to sound like the big expert as I'm not. If it had a skip tooth then it is certainly vintage and whatever it is the bike has nice lines. It looks good!
SB
I don't mean to sound like the big expert as I'm not. If it had a skip tooth then it is certainly vintage and whatever it is the bike has nice lines. It looks good!
SB
Neat. Thanks! I try to soak up everything I read, whether it's here or elsewhere. I've seen this design in a few places. I'm finding differences in the smaller things like the lugging, or the way in with other joints are made. Rear drop-outs are also something that is different even on similar looking bikes.
BBB, thanks for the notes on drum brakes. I'm probably going to go with a Husky wheel. They come with a Sturmey drum. A little over $100 currently.
BBB, thanks for the notes on drum brakes. I'm probably going to go with a Husky wheel. They come with a Sturmey drum. A little over $100 currently.
bigbutterbean
Active Member
No problem. I looked at the Husky wheel myself, and may have ended up buying one if I'd had the money before I came across the Worksman wheel. That was pure luck. I attended a rally, and had the sense to take some parts with me to sell or trade, not even thinking of getting a drum brake. I got there and saw the wheel for $35, and right away I said, I gotta have it. I wheeled and dealed and hustled my way to selling enough parts to buy the wheel. I didnt want to carry any parts home, so I gave away what I had left after buying the Worksman wheel. I still feel like I came away with the better deal though. Worksman wheels are simply bulletproof, double walled steel and 11g spokes. I dont know how strong the Husky wheel is, but I am sure with a brand name like Husky, they dont make or sell any cheap, thin Chinese junk. So if you decide to go with the Husky wheel, I am sure that it will make an excellent upgrade, and everyone here that has a Sturmey drum simply raves about them.