O.K. , you have my attention .
What a fantastic machine ! It would look just right being ridden by a hero from a Jules Verne , or an H. G. Wells , novel !
My first thought as I read your description was of a "monocoque" road-racing motorbike frame , made of riveted sheet aluminum , and sold around 1971 .
That motorbike frame was done with very-very many small "Pop-Rivets" ( a registered brand name by the way . . . ) .
But , the mystery bicycle is certainly authentically older than c. 1971 .
And the idea of a bored ( or unemployed ) aircraft worker might be a very good idea !
Here's a tidbit of information purely for inspiration - one of the items my grandfather was proud of , in his collection of neat-old-stuff , was a cigarette lighter machined from exotic aircraft aluminum , right around 1946 , in Wichita , Kansas . As a major aircraft producing city , Wichita Kansas was full of the finest materials , the finest machine tools , and many qualified people , all sitting almost idle , at the very end of WW II . The U.S. government not only scrapped huge numbers of actual aircraft , but also large amounts of raw materials , immediately after WW II .
I wonder if this bicycle might have been made right around 1946 or so ?
Darn shame that the front fork got bent . Could probably be carefully repaired . I wonder what might have been on the front fork :
light ?
front rack ?
extra stays for reinforcement ?
Raoul Delmare
Marysville Kansas
> This thing showed up at the LBS today. Not a vintage lightweight but
pretty
> interesting, and not sure who else to ask about it. If anybody has any
ideas
> on who, what, and where this thing may be please let me know. Construction
> is riveted sheet aluminum main frame, with steel headtube, BB shell, and
> dropouts riveted on. The workmanship is excellent with some nice fillet
> brazing on the forks where they form a sort of "triple tree" with mounts
for
> probably another rack. The rear rack formed from aluminum sheet is very
> pretty. It has a 3 piece crank and skip tooth drivetrain. One-off from a
> bored aircraft worker or an actually production bike? Thanks guys.
>
> Otis Willams
> GP Oregon
>
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