If you are trying to determine the genealogy of your bicycle by it's features, go to our Vintage Bicycle Price Guide
which details bicycle features, wheel sizes, brake types, etc., as well as showing a price estimate for your old bicycle.
If you are trying to determine the make and model of your bicycle, go to our Vintage Bicycle Picture Database
which details bicycle features, wheel sizes, etc., as well as showing a price estimate for your vintage bicycle.
| I just purchased a Hawthorne Trailblazer and am trying to find information on it and tips on cleaning it without damaging the paint. It appears to be a 1920-30 bike. It looks like those pictured at Nostalgic.net as 1920 Hawthorne, 1930 Hawthorne Flyer, and the 1930 Hawthorne Motobike 2.jpg. It does not have a tank or rack, but the paint scheme is the same as that of the 1930's Hawthorne Flyer pictured, except it has the colors of the 1930's Motobike. The fenders are painted, nor chrome. The bike has a crossbar on the handlebars, like the Flyer. The headbadge says Hawthorne across the top, and Trailblazer across the bottom, and looks similar to the headbadge of the 1930 Motobike 2.jpg photo. It does not say Ward. It has the double diamonds design on the seat tube. Would this have been a Hawthorne before they were affiliated with Wards? Anyone have any idea as to value? It appears to have old crusted grease on it. What is the best way to clean it? Any info is appreciated. Thanks. Larry by: 65.143.151.111 |
| Mild soap and water.Use a liquid dish soap and a soft rag.Go very easy around decals or where the paint changes color.For caked on grease,I use bar-b-que started fluid.(use out doors)You can clean all barring with this also.Repack with good cup grease from auto supply.If you have rusted bolts use liquid wrench (or similar product) and time---remember time is the cheapest product you can use,not using time will cost the most!---sam by: 69.151.98.53 |
| When you say "double diamond" could it be the "M" over "W" that was used for some time by "Montgomery Wards"? by: 209.247.222.40 |
| I was wondering the year of this old hawthorne bike I have. It has been restored. Is it worth anything? Any help you can give me would be appreciated. Thank you. I dont have a web page but I do have photos of the bike. Is there any other way I can email them to you? by: 68.79.120.192 |
| Hello, I have a Columbia five star bicycle that I need to remove the handlebars on. These are the type with the crossbar. Thanks. by: 69.143.70.129 |
| Loosen the nut on the top of stem (the part that holds the handlebars and goes into the front fork). Back it off 1/4 to 1/2 inch. Then tap it with a hammer. This will release the binder bolt and the stem and handlebars will come right out. Then back off the bolt which holds the handlebars to the stem. by: 70.19.131.27 |
| Take the clamp bolt compleatly out.Slide the bars out as you would a regular pair till you get to the cross bar.Rotate it till the small flat part at the welds on the bars will slip into the clamp split---sam by: 69.151.98.53 |
| Thanks, They slid right off. by: 69.143.70.129 |
| I did what was discribed and it still will not come out. What should i do??????? by: 207.200.116.5 |
| my buddy and i just purchased 7 straight bar balloon tire frames (pretty much bare) - thought i'd found a gold mine when i found your lil' deal on dating an old bike - 'til tried to use it and phhht! - looked for a 'contact us' link and ppphhhhttt! one of us needs work (probably me!) - i'd prefer to look the info up myself, but, any info on identifying these bare frames would be greatly appreciated! (i'll have pix tomorrow) thanx! grumpyoldfart by: 205.188.116.202 |
| Click on 'contact' at the top of this page by: 63.102.203.28 |
| The Salvation army had something weird today. It is a very old antique wheelchair with the hubs and parts and I think the whole thing came out of the Colson works and not just the wheel parts. It probaby dates back to the 1920's. The wheels are up front, with swivel smaller wheels in back and it is a high back style. Creepy because it's a wheelchair in general but I gather it came out of some closed mental hospital or someplace. Interesting and creepy at the same time. Complete with a strap to keep you in the chair until they let you out of it. Well, it keeps the person from tumbling out as well....' It was 8 hundred something and now down to 300.00 and it takes first prize of strange item at the Salvation army. There is a history there with that for sure, it was part of somebody's collection. I wondered how to motorize it, looked it over trying to remember Colson catalogs that I have and then I got away from it! It was interesting. I can not justify 300 for a vintage wheelchair but vintage American wheelchairs are not my thing. by: 68.41.204.197 |
| saw an english movie once that had very old wheelchairs--in England they had a handle like a wagon. by: 69.151.98.53 |
| They had Benny Hill skits where I saw this type of British wheelchair with the steerer. thanks Sam! by: 68.41.204.197 |
| Seems like Antiques Roadshow has thrown a rather unfair curveball with Vinny. Of course, the show's highlights make note of the "19th-century antiques to 1960s classics" they will be covering...even if the only examples of a post-1920's bike is comprised of a two second clip of a ballooner and a Lemon Peeler Krate pedaling by. No more then a sarcastic nod towards the flashy appearance of the Krate and ballooner bikes (So what? Highwheelers are just as laughable at) were mentioned. Not even a minutes glance was given to a ballooner or a Krate, the Highwheelers got whatever pitiful time they allowed on the show for the segment. That's not the end of it though - the show featured abselutely no sign of our good friend Vinny, the man who brings us this great site. Perhaps they preferred the fancy title of this fellow Dave, being a top member of the 'Wheelmen's Association.' The least they could have done was contact Vinny to note that his two hours of work would be notably absent, and not to expect anything on March 2nd. Ah, well, it was probably all in favor of squeezing more time in to exhibit the works of "eccentric illustrator" (read: "cuckoo lunatic") Edward "Gory" Gorey. Guess this is what to expect from the idiots in the TV world - they know the general public will be just as happy watching the inferior as they would the superior. Just my two cents. I may throw a nickle in if I find I forgot to rant on a few other points of this disgrace. -Kurt P.S.: At least we won't have to worry about losing our coveted flea-market and thrift shop finds. by: 64.12.116.201 |
| Yeah, where were the bikes that people living today would have actually seen and ridden? I was hoping to see some art deco bikes and Krates and maybe a classic three-speed or something. Instead it was just fancy antique high wheelers and such. Hey, those antiques are out of my league! Show me something I might find at a yard sale or some bikes I remember from when I was a kid! by: 63.102.203.28 |
| I also watched the episode of Antiques Road Show in hope of seeing an array of bikes, not a concentration on only highwheelers. What a waste! And I agree that Gorey was given to much time. I had anticipated seeing bikes from all different years, especially after seeing a Schwinn Lemon Peeler (like mine) go flashing by. And what about the old guy riding a B-6 in the parade? Could have been a really informative and fun segment, especially sice I always watch the show and the same old furniture, jewelry, etc is always shown. This episode really had potential and no one took advantage of it. I hope the shows producers are reading this!!!!!!! Fred A by: 167.206.46.68 |
| We're still knocked back on our heels here at OldRoads. It took time, money and effort to bring a load of correct, clean examples of bicycles from the 1930s, 1940s, 1950s and 1960s to the filming of the show back in September. I really thought we were on the right track by bringing bicycles of those eras. We chose period cycles which represent cycling in America in those decades - bikes you'd own and you'd see on the bike rack at school or you'd ride while delivering newspapers; bikes you'd see downtown or at your neighbor's house. After spending 2+ hours talking about the bikes with the show's host on camera, I had no doubt the cycles and I would be on the program. My only question was for how long and would it seem too detailed or too pedantic. You may have seen the 1937 Sterling or the 1969 Schwinn Sting-Ray Lemon Peeler being ridden by the host at the intro to the show. That was our only aired contribution to the program. Vin - Menotomy Vintage Bicycles, Inc. http://OldRoads.com by: 70.19.187.103 |
| Ok Fine Vin, set the record STRAIGHT. Make a film the bike hobbiest would like to see, and could learn from. Lots of amateur film makers. you have the bikes. you have 10 years of commentary from all ranks of bike enhusiasts. they dont. make a nice 2 hour presentation, include an hour or so of interviews with collectors, with the intent leading into saleable videos documenting restoring bicycles into 5-6 seperate and saleable segment videos. Restore a balloner and a Krate on camera. make seperate complete detailed instructional videos, to sell to new hobbiests. include an hour or so of interviews with collectors by: 24.236.207.158 |
| >> Make a film the bike hobbiest would like to see.. Been there 2 times now on the movie front and another 2 times on the Discovery Channel and History Channel front. Basically gave a way a perfect Raleigh Chopper to one effort and many hours, truck rentals, etc. to the others. Also been in print a dozen times but the work never was worth it. Nuts and bolts are one thing but getting exposure where you can reach a large audience - and show them stuff they remember and were into years ago - is bigger than OldRoads. In the end its a labor of love which is ok, but it also takes a ton of time and logistics. My mistake was talking this one up. The Roadshow go in touch with us today to say the bicycle segment was split into 2 pieces. The 1930s to 1960s segment, our segment, will air this summer. When it gets close, I'll talk it up again. Vin - Menotomy Vintage Bicycles, Inc. http://OldRoads.com by: 70.19.131.27 |