traded 2 for 4 HERCULES

[outskirtscustoms]

On my way to the store I saw some bikes sitting in a yard so I had to stop and look. He says $30 take them all (4 bikes) or trade me for something I can ride! His son pipes up and says he wants a bike too. I think back to the two Schwinns I had sitting in my shed that were not selling so I told him I got two I'll trade you for the lot. DEAL!

These are what I got, I figure just in parts it's worth more than what I had in the two Schwinns and now him and his kid have matching bikes and can ride together. My good deed for the day I guess....lol. 8)

First up and I feel the best of the lot, a Hercules made in Birmingham England, I've heard the name before around collectors and I know nothing about it. I figured it's a shot in the dark but at the price it's like shooting in the dark with a scatter-gun, you're bound to hit something. It has a child carrier that I can sell to my neighbor (he's been looking for one), has a rack underneath the child seat which makes no sense but I'll take it anyway, and a generator and light, ANOTHER ONE! And I kinda like the frame lines and overall style of it. The rear hub puzzles me though. The arm has a check pattern on it with no name, and the only marking on the hub is a big B. Bendix????? I'll get some pics of that tomorrow when I get it halfway clean.

Bars I am guessing are not original also has the bent fork syndrome

has a Schwinn seat that I did clean after the pics and cleaned up nice

ANOTHER GENERATOR AND LIGHT for my collection

euro BB and a Bolt-on barrel kickstand...........that's a first for me!

Second I got a ladies Schwinn Caliente

also a euro BB

decent seat with only one blemish

some sort of mount I am guessing it was a generator but not there now

Even a mirror!

Third is a Rallye (Not to be confused with Raligh) this one is Made in Korea

ANOTHER Euro BB

and last but not least a Huffy Pro Thunder BMX..... I looked up the serial number because the
pedals (or lack there of) looked too familiar.... Turns out it is THE one I had when I was 13 !!!

I always did dig the bars

has one pad left on it

Ah the memories of riding with just a shaft for the pedal

 

[Spokeshave]

Nice grab. The Hercules has a bunch of potential.

 

[outskirtscustoms]

Nice grab. The Hercules has a bunch of potential.

Do you have any idea on what year it would be from, I am thinking 50's, the lines say late 40's early 50's to me, but the euro bb says 80's to me, I'm stumped.

 

[The LT]

Hercules is an english brand and from most of the hercules that I have seen they were mainly three speeds. Also they were using euro BB's back in the 50s on english bikes

 

[outskirtscustoms]

Hercules is an english brand and from most of the hercules that I have seen they were mainly three speeds. Also they were using euro BB's back in the 50s on english bikes

Cool, this one is a single speed unless it's a kick back 2 speed, I have yet to really look it over. I'll look it over more tomorrow. also the paint looks like it was painted. I think it was originally red. I'm gonna try to strip it and save the original paint.

 

[scrumblero]

"and last but not least a Huffy Pro Thunder BMX..... I looked up the serial number because the
pedals (or lack there of) looked too familiar.... Turns out it is THE one I had when I was 13 !!!"


:shock: are you serious?? thats soooo awesome!! what are the chances of that??

 

[outskirtscustoms]

"and last but not least a Huffy Pro Thunder BMX..... I looked up the serial number because the
pedals (or lack there of) looked too familiar.... Turns out it is THE one I had when I was 13 !!!"


:shock: are you serious?? thats soooo awesome!! what are the chances of that??

I know I thought it was pretty cool too, as far as the chances I owned A LOT of bikes when I was younger......well still do.... This is just one of several hundred I owned as a kid.....lol. I never had a bike more than a few weeks unless it was something overly cool then maybe a month. I traded bikes, sold bikes, drug more bikes home to tinker with. I basically ran a bike shop from the time I was 7.

 

[Metal Militia]

"and last but not least a Huffy Pro Thunder BMX..... I looked up the serial number because the
pedals (or lack there of) looked too familiar.... Turns out it is THE one I had when I was 13 !!!"


:shock: are you serious?? thats soooo awesome!! what are the chances of that??

very cool finding your old bike. i wish i had my bike from when i was 13. are you going to rehab it? looks to be about an 80.
what size wheels are on the hercules? i have a similar bike that uses 28's.

 

[outskirtscustoms]

"and last but not least a Huffy Pro Thunder BMX..... I looked up the serial number because the
pedals (or lack there of) looked too familiar.... Turns out it is THE one I had when I was 13 !!!"


:shock: are you serious?? thats soooo awesome!! what are the chances of that??

very cool finding your old bike. i wish i had my bike from when i was 13. are you going to rehab it? looks to be about an 80.
what size wheels are on the hercules? i have a similar bike that uses 28's.

I THINK they are 26" but I haven't really looked closely at it yet so i could be wrong.
As far as the Huffy goes I'm going to clean it up and see how well it cleans up then go from there. Maybe try to find some re-pop pads for it. and of coarse swap the pedals.... :mrgreen:

 

[Wildcat]

I've got a Birmingham Hercules, with a frame similar to that, but with 2 top tubes and a downtube like a reverse cantilever. I found a serial number, 1556 on one of the dropouts. I've researched, but can't find much info on year, except that Hercules became a Raleigh off brand about 1960, then they were made in Nottingham. I saw a 1960 ad for a bike like mine, made for Montgomery Wards. Mine has a drive sprocket with H as part of it. Yours looks like the later sprocket they used on many bikes, it's possible it was changed out at some point. Your forks look just like mine, only bent, so I would guess yours is 1960 or older. The curved frame would look great done up as a Pashley Governor type bike.

 

[outskirtscustoms]

I've got a Birmingham Hercules, with a frame similar to that, but with 2 top tubes and a downtube like a reverse cantilever. I found a serial number, 1556 on one of the dropouts. I've researched, but can't find much info on year, except that Hercules became a Raleigh off brand about 1960, then they were made in Nottingham. I saw a 1960 ad for a bike like mine, made for Montgomery Wards. Mine has a drive sprocket with H as part of it. Yours looks like the later sprocket they used on many bikes, it's possible it was changed out at some point. Your forks look just like mine, only bent, so I would guess yours is 1960 or older. The curved frame would look great done up as a Pashley Governor type bike.

Pashley Governor??? I'll have to google that.... I'm actually thinking of stripping the spray paint of and seeing what the original looks like. and if it's not save-able I'll probably throw on some upside down cruiser bars and make it a boardtracker.

 

[Dr. Tankenstein]

It's pretty cool, getting back an old 'friend'. You need to go 'Rat Rod' on that puppy, clean it up and restore it for 'old times sake'.
Now, as for the men's Hercules, man I like the lugged construction of that frame. With no cantilever bars to get in the way of a tank, it would make a great candidate for a motorized boardtracker!

Can't wait to see what you do with them!

Cheers!
Dr. T

 

[Tailwinds]

Hmmm, that is quite an odd Hercules. I too picked one up a couple of weeks ago, but mine looks more like traditional dowdy English 3-speeds. That head badge is unfamiliar to me as well. But it has the cottered cranks and lugged frame, nothing is screaming that it isn't what it appears to be. Here's a link you can use to research....

http://herculesmuseum.wordpress.com/her ... o-history/

 

[Wildcat]

Check the rear hub shell for a name and a 2 digit date. If it's a Sturmey Archer it will have a date on it. That will date your bike if it's the original wheel.

 

[outskirtscustoms]

Check the rear hub shell for a name and a 2 digit date. If it's a Sturmey Archer it will have a date on it. That will date your bike if it's the original wheel.

The back wheel I am guessing came off of a Schwinn, The tires say Schwinn Spitfire on them, The bars are from a 1967 Schwinn, and the seat, and generator / light set are Schwinn. Looks like someone parted out a Schwinn to build this.

It has almost no markings on the hub, Just a big letter B and I did a bit of cleaning on it and found what looks to be "Redlion" etched into it. (Not Redline.... :lol: ) The hub looks very "oldschool" I've never seen one like it, Also I took the tires off and there are no Rubber spoke cover strips they are CLOTH!

As far as plans on this bike, the original paint was shot and he preped the metal well before painting so I am stripping it down.
I am thinking in 3 directions with it, Antique white with colored lugs, Flat black and ratty, or sand it all down and leave it Raw.

 

[Wildcat]

Or if you don't feel like messing with it, sell me the frame, forks, and cranks. My Birmingham Hercules frame was welded on and bent. It rides, but not as it should.

 

[outskirtscustoms]

Well I started in sanding it down and smoothing it out and getting ready for paint.

Found the serial under a few layers of paint 1576083

As it turns out it is a VERY convincing Hercules FAKE. But I don't really care as it still looks cool and I feel better about modifying it now. When I sanded down the seat tube 3 letters started to pop through the paint
A M F.......... Time to Ratify the problem

Anybody need a set of good condition Schwinn Spitfire tires???

 

[outskirtscustoms]

Wait a minute, I have an AMF Hercules chain guard......Was AMF made by Hercules? or Hercules made by AMF? Same Hercules?

I'm puzzled here :? :?:

 

[M.Martian]

As far as plans on this bike, the original paint was shot and he preped the metal well before painting so I am stripping it down.
I am thinking in 3 directions with it, Antique white with colored lugs, Flat black and ratty, or sand it all down and leave it Raw.

I'm partial to leaving it raw (with clearcoat) myself.

 

[outskirtscustoms]

Sweet bike, I like the raw look, lots of sanding yet to go...... :wink:

Any thoughts on the history of my bike, I am puzzled :? , I'm seeing AMF which is American Machine and Foundry. On the other hand I'm seeing Hercules, an English brand. Then I have a chain guard with both on it that came from another bike so I know somehow they are related or maybe I'm going crazy.......lol