Re: [CR]26 x 1.375 / 599 mm tires and rims?

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From: "ternst" <ternst1@cox.net>
To: "Pete Geurds" <raleighpro@dejazzd.com>, <Classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>, "Sheldon Brown" <CaptBike@sheldonbrown.com>
References: <039e01c7340b$f7067a70$6401a8c0@peter5x12klm15> <p06240812c1c97c8da3b9@[10.0.1.10]>
Subject: Re: [CR]26 x 1.375 / 599 mm tires and rims?
Date: Tue, 9 Jan 2007 11:54:54 -0800
reply-type=response

Sheldon is very close. The 26x1.375 was the American counterpart to the English 26x1-3/8 and 26x1-1/4 "lightweight racer size". They came out just before the war and lasted into the '60's. These are referred to as hook-edge bead tires as compared to the British straight side. They received their biggest notoriety during the war and were put on the so called "Victory" bikes which were the only bikes made during war production times for the public. If I remember correctly one could only buy one if one had a job in a strategic war type industry, and one had to go to the draft board where one got a certificate to go to a bike shop and get the bike, which were of course limited supply . These were also the short lived production of the militaty folding bikes. I think the Victory bikes were mostly Columbia, I seem to recall Monarch Silver King out of Chicago,and I think also Murray or Huffy. Many of them had the Persons smaller saddles with a "V" in the middle of the saddle top. During the war most came with black painted hubs, many with the same treatment on bars, stems, cranks, and pedals, chrome and nickel being used for the war effort. This was the same time that cars had an A, B, or C sticker on the windshield for rationed gas use depending one's status the need of the individual, private, business, etc. That's when one also had to have the little red dime size red points for butter, meat, etc., which were also rationed. One could put a British size EA1 1-1/4 or 1-3/8 on the hook edge bead rim, and it would not fly off. Putting the EA3 26-1/38 would be a tight fit and mostly resulted in damaging the tire because of the rim diameter difference.Very similar as trying to put a 1-1/38 EA3 on a Schwinn rim which was made for the larger diameter EA1 rim but Schwinn made their basic cross section 1-3/8 so it was not compatible with the more popular British standard 26x1-3/8 EA3 size. Those in the business new the 1-1/4 English EA1 size was the same and we would sub the British tire on Schwinn rims, and didn't have to be locked in to Schwinn's higher price. The tubes were interchangeable, unless it was a very small !-1/4 tire, then one needed a smaller cross section tube so it wouldn't fold/wrinkle and rub through. Most of the 26x1.375 bikes were coaster brake, but many had New Departure or Bendix two speed hubs. The US companies tried to stay with the American suppliers, but Sturmey Archer was superior and when the English onslaught of 3-sp type bikes from England came on in the '50's the US companies couldn't compete very well so the English took over that market along with Steyr for Sears, some French, and then Japanese. There was some very baaaad stuff coming in those years and the 26x1-3.75 went to it's demise. That's when many US firms brought in the foreign bikes with the US labels on them. At that time in the early '60's we could sell a Genuine British 3-sp bike at the lowest price for several years for $29.95, our lowest ever! So that was a little fun trip down memory lane.
Ted Ernst
Palos Verdes Estates
CA USA


----- Original Message -----
From: Sheldon Brown
To: Pete Geurds
Sent: Tuesday, January 09, 2007 9:12 AM
Subject: Re: [CR]26 x 1.375 / 599 mm tires and rims?



> Pete Geurds wrote:
>>I found two websites which mention this rim and tire size.
>>Both mention they're an obsolete size for "Very old U.S. lightweights ".
>>So what kind of bike are we referring to?
>>Not a ballooner(26"x2.125"), or a pre-balloon tire bike(single tube
>>-28"x1 1/2").
>>A road bike, or track bike?
>
> The bikes I've seen these on were '30s-'40s adult general-purpose bikes,
> similar styling/purpose to English 3-speeds, but generally with just a
> single speed coaster brake. I've mostly seen them on Columbias.
>
>>If you haven't guessed, I have a set of these and I'm wondering what to
>>do with them.
>>The rims are painted red with white or cream pinstripe, and the rear has
>>a New Departure hub with skip link sprocket.
>>Tires are "GOODYEAR RIB".
>
> Somebody wants these desperately for a restoration. Sorry, I don't know
> who...
>
> Sheldon "Good Luck" Brown
> +-------------------------------------------------------------+
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