Season's Greetings to All - 2024

 

It is hard to believe we are only five days from Christmas. This time of year, the days are short and the weather is pretty cold around here. I am working occasionally at my indoor "shop", which is a spare room in the upstairs of my house. The bikes are all stored away for the winter.

Around this time every year, I send out my Christmas/holiday type cards. My personal favorites are cards based on the artwork of William S. Rice. William S. Rice was an early 20th century wood cut artist  originally from Pennsylvania, but who worked his most productive years based in northern California. He made some beautiful "arts and crafts" style artwork of the mountain west prior to WWII. I'm especially fond of his works in the 1920s and 30s. 

 

Pomegranate Cards makes a wonderful pack of winter/holiday cards based on the works of William Rice. These are my "go-to" cards, which I've used for several years. They're almost a form of fine art on their own. 

 

I find they're the perfect remedy to the proliferation of internet-based, "do it yourself" type cards that people put together using collages of photos of themselves. The Pomegranate/Rice cards are simple and portray the beauty of winter in the western USA, including some wonderful areas of the National Parks. I'd rather that my cards portray the natural beauty of winter.

Packs of these cards are available again through retailers like Amazon, and bookstores like Barnes & Noble. 

 

Season's Greetings to all. May 2025 be a good year with health and success for you.

Bike History in America: WWII Part 1 - the "Gathering Storm"

 Many people know that the United States fought in World War II between December 1941 and September 1945 (at least I hope many people still know this). Fewer people know that even before officially joining the allied powers, the U.S. contributed war materiel to the allies, especially Britain and France. The U.S. supported the allies for a number of months before joining the war officially. 

 But what you may not know is that even before December 7, 1941 (Pear Harbor), the U.S. government was instructing manufacturers to prepare for a wartime footing. These instructions limited the use of certain materials or limited production to certain models of civilian products.

Bicycles were no exception. Let's take a look at a Schwinn directive, dating to October 1941, around two months before Pearl Harbor. [special thanks to Mark Mattei for making these materials available]

The following pages show how Schwinn bicycles, an American company followed a U.S. Government order to limit production of certain models. By fall 1941, it was becoming clear that the United States would eventually be drawn into the war. Schwinn was able to continue producing several balloon tire models and several "lightweights" (in American parlance, a "lightweight" was a bicycle similar to an English three speed type bike). 

Stricter limitations on use of strategic materials would eventually come, but even before the attack on Pearl Harbor, the bicycle industry was like so many other American industries in that it was moving to a wartime footing.

Copake Bicycle Auction October 2024 Recap

The 32nd Copake bicycle auction took place on October 12, 2024. With that auction in the history books now, let's take a look at prices on roadsters and similar utility bikes.

Overall, prices on utility bikes were quite low. Given the effects of inflation in the US market and the rise of electric bicycles gradually replacing traditional bikes, it seems like prices are down in much of the vintage bike hobby.  

[Note - the final price to the buyer is often higher when taxes, fees, and buyer's premium are thrown in. If the bike is to be shipped, the price of shipping also has to be considered. While these prices are pretty low on paper, the buyer's final "out of pocket" cost may be considerably higher].

This very clean men's 22-inch Raleigh DL-1 sold for $270. Given the outstanding condition, that's a pretty good bargain. The 22-inch frame is also a desirable frame size, given that it is paired with 28-inch wheels on the DL-1. Someone got a good deal.

 

 

The ladies companion to the men's DL-1 also sold. It also was in excellent condition. Being a ladies' bike, it sold for less money. At $210, it was not a bad deal at all.

This much older ladies' roadster also sold. At $180, it was not a bad buy, given it is a pretty well-equipped bike. Sadly, many of these bikes end up disassembled for parts for men's bikes. They deserve preservation in their own right, but at $180, you're often looking at something that will be parted-out.

This interesting Swiss Army bicycle sold for just $210. You'll often see these priced in the $400-$650 range online, but this example sold for a lower price. Someone got a very good deal, given how much these usually sell for. Swiss Army bikes have a collector interest apart from just "old bike people". Vintage military item collectors and Swiss Army collectors (think people who collect Swiss Army Knives) also like these bikes. Switzerland is a mountainous country, but the preference was for a single-speed bike there. They must get off the bike and push it uphill pretty often...

A slightly different item is this semi-custom Raleigh Lenton. This is a classic 1950s Lenton that has had a few upgrades, but everything looks pretty tastefully done. It sold for $360, which is a pretty good deal for a classic Lenton with decent upgrades. I have a beautiful, 1953 Lenton in that same color and size that I recently rebuilt, and which was a restoration winner in the 2024 Bikeforums "On the Road Again Challenge" (see HERE).

Final Thoughts

The prices on classic utility bikes and roadsters haven't jumped compared to previous years. They still are one of the more affordable categories in the vintage bike hobby. [For a contrast - look at how vintage BMX and mountain bike prices are through the roof the past few years]. Vintage "3 speed" style bikes are still a great way to own and ride an old bike, without breaking the bank. The one downside, I think, is that the past few Copake auctions have been pretty thin on classic utility bikes. One of their auctions a few years ago did have a nice variety of three speed bikes at good prices, but 2024, like the past couple auctions, had only a few of these bikes on offer. The prices were pretty buyer-friendly, but hopefully we will see more of these bikes turn up in future auctions.