what bike takes this TANK ?
- Thread starter rico
- Start date
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Schwinn makes an Excelsior but Not with a tank that style. They did have a bike that looks like it may fit though. http://www.trfindley.com/flschwinn_1893 ... 38_14.html The Horn button is on the wrong side for most Schwinns.
Looks alot like a Hawthorne Zep too.
Looks alot like a Hawthorne Zep too.
Man, in an effort to see the rest of that DX, I just caught myself sliding my mouse so far to the right that it fell off the edge of my desk! 
Obviously that didn't work! Let's see a few more! I'm sure Rico wouldn't mind. (Nice find on the tank, BTW)
Obviously that didn't work! Let's see a few more! I'm sure Rico wouldn't mind. (Nice find on the tank, BTW)
There actually was a Schwinn balloon model (pre 1940) called a "roadster" or something like that, it had this frame shape roughly. Seems strange a non Schwinn associated bike would say Excelsior, but there were a LOT of bikes being built then.
That tank is an alternate version of the tank on the bike Cman posted. It is made to fit the Snyder built frames generically referred to as “Zep” frames. Although several different manufacturers produced frames that look similar, that tank will only fit the Snyder built double bar and camelback frames like the one pictured. The Excelsior is a reference to the “other” Excelsior bicycle that was not related to Schwinn. That company was bought by Snyder in the mid thirties and then used mainly as an assembly facility for Snyder.
Here you go...sorry for the hijack. This is a 1941 D96XE-1. I bought this bike in Pana, Il., a small town near here, in '94 or '95. (Home of Pana Car and Bicycle Show every July) It was in a barn and I bought it from a farmer for $75 after a friend told me about it. I should have taken some before pics. It was missing the rack and had the wrong chainguard and stem, which I found fairly quickly. I'm still looking for the correct rack for this smaller sized frame. I bead blasted it and painted it with rattle can Krylon. The color is International Harvester red...tractor paint. Got all the chrome replated, recovered the seat with deer hide, stainless spokes, converted a red band kickback to skiptooth using a New Departure cog and etc. I finished it in '97 or '98. It's a 26" bike but the frame is the smaller 16" size. (18" is standard) That's why the rack is angled so much...it's for an 18" frame. Unfortunately, I'm 6'2" and can't hardly ride the thing...at least not comfortably. It also has the original Witte Flyer badge. Witte was an old hardware company out of St.Louis that was in business until the 70's. There was a Witte Hardware in Pana at one time and the bike was likely sold there before WW2. Thanks for looking! Gary
Gary
RMS37 is right on the money with that one...Excelsior Cycle Supply ran from the late 1800's through 1936 when D.P. Harris bought the place... then turned into Excelsior MFG. CO. after that... stayed open until the mid 60's I believe. Most of the bikes that came out of there after 36' were labeled as Hawthornes or Rollfasts... I never saw one after 36' actually labeled as an Excelsior other than on the headbadge. btw... I have a frame for that tank...actually most of the bike, let me know if your interested.
