Cleveland Welding "ARFLITE" Find

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jimw1960

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I bought this one off craigslist as a pile of rust a few months back and just finished overhauling it. I'm trying to figure out what it is. The seller said it was a Shelby, but I don't find any shelby marking on it. Only identifiers is a faded Cleveland Welding decal on the down tube, a New Departure model D coaster brake, and a headbadge that says "ARFLITE." Searching on google, I can't turn up any info on Arflite bicycles. Anyone ever heard of this brand? Mainly I'm trying to figure out when it was made.

This one shows the headbadge
4357930664_eec3b7a3df.jpg


Here it is in profile
4357930654_0b3f9d2844.jpg
 
its definitely a CWC. give it a minute, rms37 is a CWC genius and will get ya squared away on every angle of this bute! diggin the red rubber with that green :mrgreen:
 
Neat, I don't think I've ever heard of that badge before! Closest would be "Airflyte", but that's a Huffman badge. Yours is very CWC though. -Steps out of the spotlight, and awaits the mighty Phil!- -Adam
 
Thanks all. I'll check the serial number when I get home tonight. Too bad I forgot to take any before pictures. It was pretty rusty; the chrome on the rims was badly pitted, so I stripped and painted them with silver POR-15. Batteries had leaked in the horn tank and badly rusted the frame under the tank, so I stripped down just the rusty areas and POR-15ed them. Kind of a bad touch-up job on my part, but I thought the rest of the paint had enough character and patina that I didn't want to do a total repaint.
 
Help! Trying to Date my CWC "ARFLITE" bike

I finally checked my serial number and it doesn't make sense to me. Can anyone put a date on Serial No. "H28407 A Cw"?
Any help would be appreciated.
 
Sorry, all parts are staying on this bike. Check Ebay, you see them come up for bids every now and then.
 
jimw1960 said:
Sorry, all parts are staying on this bike. Check Ebay, you see them come up for bids every now and then.
Click to expand...

Well, they don't come up on Ebay, at least not in the 6+ months I've been looking, nor do want ads placed either here or on the CABE produce anything. I suppose I find it odd, that you would be so particular about a girls bike, unless you have a particular girl in mind to ride it.
 
ChadB said:
jimw1960 said:
Sorry, all parts are staying on this bike. Check Ebay, you see them come up for bids every now and then.
Click to expand...

Well, they don't come up on Ebay, at least not in the 6+ months I've been looking, nor do want ads placed either here or on the CABE produce anything. I suppose I find it odd, that you would be so particular about a girls bike, unless you have a particular girl in mind to ride it.
Click to expand...

wow :roll:. seriously...rude. its his find. let him do as he pleases. id keep it as is. that things bad A!
 
yeah, dude. seriously. Some of us do have wives and girlfriends (or both?). This bike is 100% original and I plan to keep it that way. I was going to keep an eye out for you and let you know if I come across anything, but now... well, I'll probably still keep an eye out for you because I'm nice like that. You learn to be patient in this hobby. I've been looking for over a year for the correct rear reflector for my spaceliner. Then just yesterday, I'm over a friend's garage dropping off some handlebars I didn't need and he hands me this reflector and asks if I had any use for it. It was the exact one I needed--for free! Karma is your friend in this game.
 
Both of you need thicker skin. I didn't insult anyone, nor did I say anything offensive to anyone. There was nothing "rude" about my post. Many people, and in my defense I do not know the OP of this thread personally, come across girls bikes with accessories that they have no idea are valuable or collectible. Therefore, I had reason to believe that perhaps the OP didn't realize that the headlight on his bike was made of un-obtainium, was not available in any condition anywhere, and for that reason I asked about it.

Furthermore, I'll state the obvious..Girl's bikes aren't worth much. That's why I put the caveat "Unless you have a particular girl in mind to ride it" in my response. I don't need to be lectured on biology, about the birds and the bees..I have a 5 year old daughter myself. Now that the OP has explained his rationale for holding onto the light, for originality's sake, that's fine. I just wonder if the bike originally had red tires.
 
ChadB said:
Both of you need thicker skin. I didn't insult anyone, nor did I say anything offensive to anyone. There was nothing "rude" about my post. Many people, and in my defense I do not know the OP of this thread personally, come across girls bikes with accessories that they have no idea are valuable or collectible. Therefore, I had reason to believe that perhaps the OP didn't realize that the headlight on his bike was made of un-obtainium, was not available in any condition anywhere, and for that reason I asked about it.

Furthermore, I'll state the obvious..Girl's bikes aren't worth much. That's why I put the caveat "Unless you have a particular girl in mind to ride it" in my response. I don't need to be lectured on biology, about the birds and the bees..I have a 5 year old daughter myself. Now that the OP has explained his rationale for holding onto the light, for originality's sake, that's fine. I just wonder if the bike originally had red tires.
Click to expand...

well to me, it came off like you were trying to make him feel stupid for keepin a girl bike together so you could get your hands on what youve been looking for for a while on here. :roll:
 
ChadB said:
I just wonder if the bike originally had red tires.
Click to expand...

In my opinion, tires are consumables and replacing them does not affect the originality of the bike. Some purist collectors and museum curators may disagree. In any event, the tires are NOS and correct for the period, though not original to the bike. By the way, you do come off a little pushy, so might want to work on the interpersonal skills. Light still is not for sale and if I ever decide to sell it, I won't sell it to you.
 
nice bike, i have the western auto version.... and the headlite. take video of you smashing it with a hammer!!!! :wink: :lol:
 

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