1940's JC Higgins antique Tank Bicycle - Pricing and Dating?
05-08-20, 06:57 AM
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1940's JC Higgins antique Tank Bicycle - Pricing and Dating?
Hello, I came into this bike and potentially going to restore but want to see if anyone has more information on it? It's obviously rusty, but little corrosion and still have both headlights and back lights. Any info on a more exact time this was in production and what this could go for if restored? Thanks!
Last edited by thedude1280; 05-08-20 at 07:33 AM.
05-09-20, 08:56 PM
#2
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Just leave it "as- is". Don't try to restore it. Anybody interested in that bike is going to want it just like it is. Nobody is ever going to ride it again. It's a decorative item now. A wall hanger. Museum piece. Whatever. Be good. Have fun.
05-09-20, 09:31 PM
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https://thecabe.com/forum/
https://thecabe.com/forum/index/gene...ld-bicycles.3/
https://thecabe.com/forum/index/clas...s-1933-1965.9/
Those "Cabers" live and breathe the hobby of the ancient American built cruiser bicycles from the mid 1930's until the early to mid 1960's.
MY RECOMMENDATION IS THAT YOU DON'T WANT TO MODIFY, THROW-AWAY, SAND-STRIP-REPAINT, ANYTHING UNTIL YOU DETERMINE
FROM THE EXPERT CABERS, WHAT ITEMS/PARTS HAVE SIGNIFICANT VALUE TO THE "CABER-FREAKS" WHO OFTEN LOOK HIGH AND LOW
FOR THAT YEAR MATCHING, ROUGH PATINA MATCHING, ITEM, PEDAL, HANDLE BAR GRIP, SEAT, FENDER SKIRT, CHAINGUARD, TANK, OR STAMPED STEEL REAR CARRIER RACK... etc. What you might think is junk like the pedals, are sometimes sought after by these freaks because they are old, original, and have the weathered patina to match their existing bike. It is really strange, but those folks are really die-hards about the "correct" items. That is certainly true for them but somewhere in time, I don't know exactly because I'm not anywhere close to being a "caber-freak"...........somewhere in time, if I had to guess, oh maybe 1959 or 1960, that the "caber-freaks" cut off as the time period for something to have value when it has patina or crusty-less than showroom perfect appearance. It is weird but something 1958-1960 they all still seem to care about but anything newer even if showroom perfect, just doesn't have as much collectibility and value to those die-hard "caber-freaks".
That is just my know-nothing opinion based on some friends that are big-time into that caber scene. I admire their enthusiasm and knowledge but I don't understand how they determine what and why certain things are desireable to them. They are great folks that do love their bicycles. Too many sadly, cannot be convinced to wear a helmet while riding, no matter how one tries. The JC Higgins moniker was a golden-era for SEARS ROEBUCK & COMPANY as that name was used on bikes throughout the fifties and very early sixties, as well as post war Sporting goods and camping/outdoor gear before about 1962.
Find out what the expert caber-freaks say and recommend before doing anything to modify or discard anything from your bike.
After that, decide what you would like to do with the bike........................and have fun with it.
Again, I don't know enough, so I really don't know what I am talking about......but my guess is that the boys version (not step through girls model) has significantly more value but your girls version has all of the doo-dads that the caber-freaks seem to like........tank with lights, rear rack, fender skirt, ................basically any doo-dadded more fancy pants not plain-jane rider.................like American cars of the fifties it was all about Chrome, two tone paint, fender skirts, and gaudy fins and other doo-dads and wide whitewalls and anything rocket-looking...
You may determine that you can sell off the few valuable parts for much more than the whole-complete girls bike as she sits.....
The main thing is find out first, before modifying or discarding anything.
Have fun. If you want a cruiser, those are super-simple and will be really durable and ride nicely enough at slow 7 or 8mph speeds.
You'll always likely have somebody ask you: what year is that bike and where did you find it....................it will turn heads because most folks don't see a sixty year old bicycle on the street or bike path very often these days. That might be one reason that the caber-freaks like the really old bikes so much. It is all about fun!
https://thecabe.com/forum/index/gene...ld-bicycles.3/
https://thecabe.com/forum/index/clas...s-1933-1965.9/
Those "Cabers" live and breathe the hobby of the ancient American built cruiser bicycles from the mid 1930's until the early to mid 1960's.
MY RECOMMENDATION IS THAT YOU DON'T WANT TO MODIFY, THROW-AWAY, SAND-STRIP-REPAINT, ANYTHING UNTIL YOU DETERMINE
FROM THE EXPERT CABERS, WHAT ITEMS/PARTS HAVE SIGNIFICANT VALUE TO THE "CABER-FREAKS" WHO OFTEN LOOK HIGH AND LOW
FOR THAT YEAR MATCHING, ROUGH PATINA MATCHING, ITEM, PEDAL, HANDLE BAR GRIP, SEAT, FENDER SKIRT, CHAINGUARD, TANK, OR STAMPED STEEL REAR CARRIER RACK... etc. What you might think is junk like the pedals, are sometimes sought after by these freaks because they are old, original, and have the weathered patina to match their existing bike. It is really strange, but those folks are really die-hards about the "correct" items. That is certainly true for them but somewhere in time, I don't know exactly because I'm not anywhere close to being a "caber-freak"...........somewhere in time, if I had to guess, oh maybe 1959 or 1960, that the "caber-freaks" cut off as the time period for something to have value when it has patina or crusty-less than showroom perfect appearance. It is weird but something 1958-1960 they all still seem to care about but anything newer even if showroom perfect, just doesn't have as much collectibility and value to those die-hard "caber-freaks".
That is just my know-nothing opinion based on some friends that are big-time into that caber scene. I admire their enthusiasm and knowledge but I don't understand how they determine what and why certain things are desireable to them. They are great folks that do love their bicycles. Too many sadly, cannot be convinced to wear a helmet while riding, no matter how one tries. The JC Higgins moniker was a golden-era for SEARS ROEBUCK & COMPANY as that name was used on bikes throughout the fifties and very early sixties, as well as post war Sporting goods and camping/outdoor gear before about 1962.
Find out what the expert caber-freaks say and recommend before doing anything to modify or discard anything from your bike.
After that, decide what you would like to do with the bike........................and have fun with it.
Again, I don't know enough, so I really don't know what I am talking about......but my guess is that the boys version (not step through girls model) has significantly more value but your girls version has all of the doo-dads that the caber-freaks seem to like........tank with lights, rear rack, fender skirt, ................basically any doo-dadded more fancy pants not plain-jane rider.................like American cars of the fifties it was all about Chrome, two tone paint, fender skirts, and gaudy fins and other doo-dads and wide whitewalls and anything rocket-looking...
You may determine that you can sell off the few valuable parts for much more than the whole-complete girls bike as she sits.....
The main thing is find out first, before modifying or discarding anything.
Have fun. If you want a cruiser, those are super-simple and will be really durable and ride nicely enough at slow 7 or 8mph speeds.
You'll always likely have somebody ask you: what year is that bike and where did you find it....................it will turn heads because most folks don't see a sixty year old bicycle on the street or bike path very often these days. That might be one reason that the caber-freaks like the really old bikes so much. It is all about fun!
05-09-20, 10:20 PM
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Ramzilla is not correct!
Those caber-freaks ride only the ancient patina looking (weatherbeaten) ancient American steel from that era.
It would take nothing to make that JC Higgins roadworthy again, as that bike is so very very simple.
New Tires and Innertubes and probably new homemade inner-rim strips made from a discarded punctured road-bike/hybrid/mtn-bike innertube.
The wheels aren't significantly rusted, and the spokes are thick metal, and appear not rusty.
The Bottom Bracket is so frickinn simple, and you can buy the #66 caged bearings most anywhere on the web for less than $4 each shipped.
Tires and tubes are more expensive than the $14 27 inch ancient 32-630 road bike tires/tubes, but still for maybe about $40 or perhaps slightly less per tire, you can buy a fancy, period correct reproduction cruiser tire, and there are probably others in the $35 each range.
One thing is supremely certain and that is that you need to be SMART if you intend to RIDE any ancient bicycle and being smart means buying and installing brand new tires! I see too many dum-azzzes that ride these ancient cruisers that they paid probably $1000 for with what looks like the 65 year old tires from 1955. Yeah, these folks carry the "original" bit to the extreme. It isn't worth having the tire carcass fully separate like an 18 wheeler tractor trailer tire on I-75 in Georgia when its 101F in July. Bicycles only have 2 wheels and if that happens, you're going DOWN to the PAVEMENT!!!------------------broken clavicle, broken wrist, or just a simple concussion and some loss of skin................whatever it is...................YOU WILL WISH YOU WEREN'T RIDING ON THOSE 1955 Goodyear Thunderbolts or whatever................. You Will Also Wish That You Were Wearing A Helmet........................................DO MAKE THOSE CHANGES BEFORE RIDING THE DANG THING!!!
There is so much riding on your tires------------YOU!!!..........and you sure as heck don't want the experience of you hitting the asphalt being "the price of an education."
The pain, recovery and physical therapy will be much worse than your patient portion of the medical bills for orthopaedic surgeon, anesthesiologist and outpatient hospital and office visits related to the crash.
****DO NOT EVER RIDE ANY BICYCLE or Motorcycle WITH OLD DETERIORATED/CRACKED RUBBER!!! ****** You're asking for it if you do.
Okay to maybe test the bike by riding 100ft in the driveway or cul de sac before immediately installing new tires or at least fresh recent used tires that are decent enough to ride on.
Those caber-freaks ride only the ancient patina looking (weatherbeaten) ancient American steel from that era.
It would take nothing to make that JC Higgins roadworthy again, as that bike is so very very simple.
New Tires and Innertubes and probably new homemade inner-rim strips made from a discarded punctured road-bike/hybrid/mtn-bike innertube.
The wheels aren't significantly rusted, and the spokes are thick metal, and appear not rusty.
The Bottom Bracket is so frickinn simple, and you can buy the #66 caged bearings most anywhere on the web for less than $4 each shipped.
Tires and tubes are more expensive than the $14 27 inch ancient 32-630 road bike tires/tubes, but still for maybe about $40 or perhaps slightly less per tire, you can buy a fancy, period correct reproduction cruiser tire, and there are probably others in the $35 each range.
One thing is supremely certain and that is that you need to be SMART if you intend to RIDE any ancient bicycle and being smart means buying and installing brand new tires! I see too many dum-azzzes that ride these ancient cruisers that they paid probably $1000 for with what looks like the 65 year old tires from 1955. Yeah, these folks carry the "original" bit to the extreme. It isn't worth having the tire carcass fully separate like an 18 wheeler tractor trailer tire on I-75 in Georgia when its 101F in July. Bicycles only have 2 wheels and if that happens, you're going DOWN to the PAVEMENT!!!------------------broken clavicle, broken wrist, or just a simple concussion and some loss of skin................whatever it is...................YOU WILL WISH YOU WEREN'T RIDING ON THOSE 1955 Goodyear Thunderbolts or whatever................. You Will Also Wish That You Were Wearing A Helmet........................................DO MAKE THOSE CHANGES BEFORE RIDING THE DANG THING!!!
There is so much riding on your tires------------YOU!!!..........and you sure as heck don't want the experience of you hitting the asphalt being "the price of an education."
The pain, recovery and physical therapy will be much worse than your patient portion of the medical bills for orthopaedic surgeon, anesthesiologist and outpatient hospital and office visits related to the crash.
****DO NOT EVER RIDE ANY BICYCLE or Motorcycle WITH OLD DETERIORATED/CRACKED RUBBER!!! ****** You're asking for it if you do.
Okay to maybe test the bike by riding 100ft in the driveway or cul de sac before immediately installing new tires or at least fresh recent used tires that are decent enough to ride on.
05-11-20, 08:01 PM
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The front light is called "batwing".
The original ones go probably for around 200$.
There are reproductions for around 100$.
The bike is a Colorflow. 50's
I don't know the value of a girl's bike, but the boy's bikes are pretty expensive. People on TheCabe are saying that the boy's bike is the most desirable postwar bike by collectors.
I am sure somebody will like to have the pair for his boy's bike.
Make some researches. You'll find a lot of info.
The original ones go probably for around 200$.
There are reproductions for around 100$.
The bike is a Colorflow. 50's
I don't know the value of a girl's bike, but the boy's bikes are pretty expensive. People on TheCabe are saying that the boy's bike is the most desirable postwar bike by collectors.
I am sure somebody will like to have the pair for his boy's bike.
Make some researches. You'll find a lot of info.
__________________
1992 Torelli Nitro Express; 1972 Claud Butler.
1992 Torelli Nitro Express; 1972 Claud Butler.
Last edited by marius.suiram; 05-11-20 at 08:11 PM.
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05-21-20, 07:08 PM
#8
Senior Member
05-21-20, 07:10 PM
#9
Senior Member
If it was mine, I'd put it out in my front yard and plant an avocado tree in the basket.
