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Over 50 original head badges for sale. Will sell all or individually $50 - $250 depending on rarity and condition.
Note the interesting Indian Bicycle Company factory bicycle registration tag with script on both sides, how many of these have you seen?
The US BICYCLE shown at the bottom of the second photo is a coat lapel pin.
A few sample photos are attached but I can send close up photos of other badges.

AS OF 04-27-20 - BADGES NOW SOLD OR PENDING PAYMENT ARE:
EXCELSIOR
HUDSON
PIERCE
PANAMA

Mike Cates
Phone:  (760) 473-6201 Voice Calls Only and No Texts
Email:  cates0321@hotmail.com

 
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Complete ca. 1890-91 Western Wheel Works JUNO hard tire safety version I sold from my collection so you can see what missing parts would look like. Love the curved brace at the steering head tube.
I still have antique bicycles, candle oil carbide early electric lamps, cyclometers, bells, over 50 name badges and original catalogs not advertised yet so inquire.
Mike Cates, CA.
(760) 473-6201
cates0321@hotmail.com
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GREETINGS

THIS IMAGE IS FROM BICYCLING WORLD ... and is Abbot Bassett with his wife.

1 - Can anyone identify the date of the print?

2 - What is the Model Tricycle?

3 - What are the years of production?


Any information will be appreciated.

If possible, kindly reply directly to:  lorne-shields@rogers.com
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Very best wishes to one and all. 

Regards ... Lorne Shields
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WTB anything to do with the Lu-Mi-Num bicycle made here in St. Louis, MO. Built fom 1893-1898.
 Even a rough frame or parts would be a good start!
 Thanks Dave

(314)941-3244
Dweber736@aol.com
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Fellow Wheelmen,
 
I hope that my joys and frustrations with the Penny Farthing Uruguay 51” high wheel ordinary replica can be of use to anyone considering purchasing one from abroad!  Here is my gallant steed, and I am proud to ride it to represent the Kentucky Wheelmen at events, parades, and pleasant rides about town.  First image is as built before shipping, the rest are my machine.
 
As an eager new Wheelmen in 2018, I scoured the Wheelmen message boards, auction pages, popular replica makers (RBR, Standard HW, Trott Ordinary, etc) and online classifieds for a used original or replica high wheel in the 50-52” wheel size.  My faithful Wheelmen friends visiting the Danville, KY Great American Brass Band Festival in 2018 had allowed me to hop onto their original high wheels to gauge my size, so I knew what should work depending on seat height and frame dimension.
 
Looking at the eBay ads for this replica, I was intrigued by its close-to-original appearance at a low enough price to meet my $2k budget.  It was described as a steel replica of a 1886 James Starley design.  Also attractive was that the seller was located in Florida claiming 7d shipping!  I decided to place the order after conversing with the seller, and the rest is history.  Turns out the actual bike was in Uruguay awaiting a purchaser, an unintentional mistake in the eBay listing.

All in all, I’m in it for the long haul with this bicycle after lots of hours of tinkering, fixing, and riding.  I hope to draw more and more people into wheeling while displaying this replica.  Alejandro, the builder, is improving his designs and is very accessible.  Purchasing another replica would have been less stressful, but I am glad to be riding high!  Also, huge thanks to Greg Barron of Rideable Bicycle Replicas and several Wheelmen for guiding me down the right path with tweaks and modifications!

Pro’s:
*Customer service is personal and responsive.  I learned quickly that Alejandro was the builder, and I was encouraged to work directly with him through the Penny Farthing Uruguay Facebook page.  He was always very prompt to answer any question I have had, and he has offered to send replacement parts free of charge to get me riding again.  These have included a replacement rim, spokes and replacement fork + handlebar assembly.  He occasionally checks on me and my satisfaction with the bicycle.

*Bicycle appearance is similar to original 1880s ordinaries.  I am impressed that this replica has a timeless look that appears to resemble the mid-1880s British design it was modeled after.  While not perfect, I regularly get asked how old it is.  2018!  This is part of what I was after when buying a replica, that and the dependability to ride lots of miles with less worries about maintenance.  Hoping for the best there.

*Hand-turned and carved wooden handlebar grips and pedals.  These are an excellent addition to the bike, completing an antique feel.  The pear shaped grips offer a good gripping surface while riding.  One day I may want to change to another style, but these look nice!  The pedals offer a solid surface to step on and give a one-of-kind appearance.

*Price is less than similar “historical” replicas. One reason I purchased this replica over a new historically-accurate replica from another replica maker was due to the price being $2000 (current eBay listings are <$2000).  This was easily $1000 less than the cheapest alternative with antique styling.  This is true, but I have found that the quantification of time to fix issues and necessary upgrade costs make spending that $3000+ on a more well-known replica worthwhile.  In many ways, you get what you pay for.

Con’s:
*Steering head lifetime uncertain.  I have cracked the steering head at the fork after less than 40 total miles of riding.  A friend advised me that I may have not allowed enough play in the steering head keeping the top bolt too tight, and I did change the seat position with the RBR upgrade.  The original seat is on a leaf spring several inches further back.  I had a friend weld the steering head back together, but it failed again after 20 miles more riding.  Alejandro’s customer service was excellent though, sending me a new fork and handlebar assembly within a couple weeks.  Since I have rebuilt it with the new fork, it seems to be going well after 20+ miles of riding.

*Shipping packaging is not very secure. Everything was wrapped together in plastic with a cardboard shell.  It may work well for short distances, but it definitely shows the miles once delivered to Kentucky 5200 miles later.  In the original shipment,  I had several spokes bent, the large rim dented in multiple places, and the tire rubber coming unglued.  The mailman who dropped the original package off said that they had to rewrap the box in plastic wrap to keep it all together before delivery.  The replacement rim and fork had similar shipping concerns.

*Wheel truing is a challenge. I’m pretty sure when the 51” wheel is packaged, the wheel is round and true.  However, by the time the wheel arrived with some bent spokes and bumps in the rim, I had to spend considerable time correcting the roundness and spokes.  When I couldn’t eliminate the bumps and wiggles from the wheel after partial spoke removal and manipulation, I contacted Alejandro the builder.  He offered to send me a new rim and some spare spokes with me only paying the shipping cost.  I respoked the entire wheel with the new rim and settled with a couple bumps in the turn.  Because the new rim wasn’t painted and most of the spoke paint had been chipped away, I repainted the wheel, adding some copper color to the hub!  BTW I talked with another US buyer who had minimal trouble with his wheel.

*Fit and finish: Upon unwrapping, I spent about 30 minutes shaking out weld slag pieces from inside the fork and frame through open holes at connection points.  It seriously sounded like a rain stick until I emptied all that out.  The “Penny Farthing Uruguay” and SN stamp on the top of the seat leaf spring looked very handmade with numbers overlapping. Instead, I ordered metallic stickers for the head tube with my own “Monociclos Uruguay - Penny Farthing” logo I replicated from some of the Facebook photos.  I am proud of how far this replica has traveled, and I wanted to give kudos to the builder.  Otherwise, the flat black paint easily chips, so I bought some touch-up paint for this frequent need. 

*Handlebar and fork assembly is all welded together. This makes any future handlebar replacement or modifications impossible.  Since the handlebar contacts my legs on each pedal stroke with the Rideable Bicycle Replicas leather saddle, I could benefit from some higher “mustache” bars.

*Cranks are on the short side.  My second upgrade would be Rideable Bicycle Replicas adjustable three position cranks.  These provide more power and make riding on hilly terrain easier.  These RBR cranks are slightly wider though that required some machining to fit well with the cotter pin.

Thanks for reading, please let me know your thoughts!
Barak
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1892-1893 Western Wheel Works Juno. Wrong seat, mismatched grips, missing pedals, missing tires. Everything else original. Early pneumatic bicycle.

$1200

LOCAL PICKUP ONLY in Milford, CT
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I have two more original CLEVELAND head badges like the one shown for sale if interested.
Mike Cates
(760) 473-6201 Voice Calls Only and No Texts Please
Email: cates0321@hotmail.com
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will some one send an email message to all current message board members when the new message board is active?
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Hi Eric,

I remember website discussions at last year's business meeting, but don't remember the decision to limit forum participation to members only.  If that idea was floated or agreed upon, I should have spoken up.  In this day and age, a website is the first way people learn about anything--and its most engaging feature is a discussion forum.   A new person's interest always starts with a question, and they have to be able to ask it.  To exclude these encounters is to cut off our club's life's blood. 

We are likely mistaken if we think forum access alone will entice new members.  It's the resulting conversation that brings real interest.  People have other places to talk for free, and that's where they'll go.  But it's better if they're welcome here.

Yes, we should limit some privileges to club members, like downloadable content and member information.  But the discussion forum is our best opportunity to engage the public and foster interest.  Our forum's activity has already been dropping off, and I fear this change will absolutely kill it.  The club will forfeit its most valuable asset.

Thanks,
Paul Rubenson (member since 2005)
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Renewal update.

There was a snafu in my system to notify members of their renewal status via the Newsletter address block.  For members who had not renewed for 2020, there was to be the words 'renew now' in the address block. Those words were lost by the printer.

Today, I dropped off a big pile of postcards to those members who have not renewed from last year to this year.  If you receive one of these postcards in the next few days, we hope you'll renew with a check and form sent to the Treasurer (address on back of Newsletter) or on-line via:
https://www.thewheelmen.com/sections/membership/membership.php

Any questions about your status, drop me an e-mail at:
MemberShip@thewheelmen.org


Richard DeLombard
The Membership Guy
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