Any IDeas on This One?

[8ball]

A friend got this in 2008. Free donation to a bike shop he worked at in Utah. Yesterday it arrived in Idaho. No head badge but three screw holes, top two wrap around the sides.

A real beauty. Seems old to me.

Very "high design" on the fork stays - I especially like that feature. A TWO piece crank. Star-pattern chain wheel.

New Departure rear hub, front is ?

Tires: Cheng Shin


A bigger photo here: http://www.bkremer.com/8ballbikes/bikebig.jpg





Any help much appreciated. Thanks, 8

[rms37]

That is a very nice Iver Johnson Moto-Balloon approx 1934-1942. It is virtually all correct Iver except the chainguard which is a 60's add-on. You can dig here

http://thecabe.com/vbulletin/showthread ... light=iver

to compare the serial number (usually found on the seat tube just below the binder) to get a bit closer on the date. Extra points for the wire fender stays which were used by Iver for a period.

[8ball]

THANKS rms37!! We were joking that maybe it was a Iver Johnson! How funny. #549240

Excellent link - I see your posts there per dates. I appreciate the quick help.

[roadmaster]

Way cool bike!

[B607]

Is the gap between the tires and fenders correct? It looks to me like a 28" frame with 26" wheels. Gary

[8ball]

Is the gap between the tires and fenders correct? It looks to me like a 28" frame with 26" wheels. Gary

The gap is pretty big. Did these have 28" wheels when built?

[rms37]

The bike was built in the mid thirties during the time the industry was converting from 28” singletube wheels to 26” balloon wheels. Both sizes were available at the time and each company dealt with the change over in their own way. Some introduced shorter, wider forks and decreased radius fenders and used spacers to locate the rear fender in a “universal” frame. Others (Iver for one) widened things but did not immediately produce fenders in two different radii. The wide fork crown and wide fenders along with the spread of the rear seat stays shows this bike was meant to have 26” balloon tires. Iver later decreased the radius of the fenders and used a shorter front fork for balloon models but the early versions do show some air between the fenders and tires.

[8ball]

Thanks for all the help. I passed on the information and links to this thread to the bike's owner. He was elated that it was a Iver Johnson.

[Sorcerer]

I like it alot !! Good find IMHO.

Sorcerer