An actual bike to ask the thousand experts about! For those that prefer illustration to prose, there are photos at:
http://knittinghistory.typepad.com/
You'll find them under the photos of the bike stand (from my last message). Poor photography -- I'm just figuring out how to get a closeup on this digital thing.
Story time! The first thing spotted, while approaching the end of the row of used bikes outside the Davis Salvation Army thrift store, was the edge of a bike license plate about halfway down the line. Real? Disneyland souvenir?
It's real. SACTO 29337 -- it's a Sacramento license plate. I'll probably hate the bike, but maybe they'll be willing to let me buy the license plate off it....
Blue bike, ladies' three speed, but not Raleigh. Not anything I know. There's no brand decal on the seatpost, just an area of white paint with a yellowed decal of country flags over a globe -- no words. The upper decal on the seatpost says "Made" before it's ripped in half, with a little something I can't read yet remaining of the other edge. The bottom of that decal says "Sears, Roe" before the tear, so it's not a custom. :)
Squeezing around front, the headbadge says "CYCLIA" (what?) "Made in France."
A French-made 3-speed sold by Sears. The hub isn't Sturmey-Archer, it's J.C. Higgins. Didn't I read somewhere that's a Swiss brand? Maybe it's a J.C. Higgins bike under a different label. Hey, there's a long-U bike lock on the saddle -- J.C. Higgins again -- but a "Made in U.S.A." imprint on the back of the lock. The seat has a "LAMPLUGH" plate on the back. Never heard of it, and I'm way past curious now.
What is the deal with the shifter? It's marked J.C. Higgins. You've got to push down the shift lever to disengage a little -- button? nubbin? -- from a hole in the top plate of the shifter, then push or pull the lever to the hole for the gear you want. It works, though.
At this point in the buying process, I'm just walking ignorance. I don't know what the heck the darn bike is. Price tag: $25. Well it's worth buying for the education alone.
Once out of the used bike row and into the sun, I gotta say the thing has got some charm. Dark blue paint with gold box lining, even some nice gold lining on the head lugs. This would clean up. No horrifying squeeks. My wife likes blue. Sold. (It took Julia all of 30 seconds to name it "Belle.")
And besides, Cyclia will show up in the CR archives and all my puzzles will be solved.
As you've guessed, since I'm writing this, Cyclia doesn't show up in the archive. Doesn't show up on Google. I do find J.C. Higgins, as I recalled, was a Swiss company. I think it was just supplying parts here, though.
Dunno what the whole business weighs. It's chunky, of course. (Not even as bad as the unlugged and undoubtedly off-topic, 1980's-ish aerodynamic, probably Motobecane dressed for Halloween in Celeste Green with a Bianchi head-tube sticker, also picked up at the Salvation Army. Haven't peeked down the seat tube, but I think the Bianchi-becane is filled with Campy's Nuovo Record lead shot.)
What is this bike? Any info or suggestions (or howls of derision for having rediscovered the French Huffy) welcome.
Dan (ho, boy, is this guy not Sheldon Brown) Kehew Davis (French Huffyville) California