KeepBiking

Hi all!


This might be an interesting question.

We have a vintage bike that has no brand markings. Ladies, 3 speed, 26″ tires. No fenders. We are trying to find the maker, and a year, if possible. Not sure if it is AMF.

It has a head badge emblem of “Conqueror”. Trying to do searches online, but nothing comes up. Maybe it’s a rare bike.

The center of the handle bars has “Brampton” and “Made in India”. (not BrOmpton)

The front wheel wing nut has “Luxe” and “Marcel” or Marcal.

The wheel hub has no apparent markings.


Any idea about this bike??

Thank you for your help!!



Regards,

Mike

Insidious C. 

There are a couple pics in KeepBiking's album.

juvela

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cycle certainly has a British appearance which would fit right in if it were manufactured in India

there appears to be a marking on the head of the crank arms, are you able to read it?

shell of rear hub should be marked with a date, cycle appears to be of 1960's era, or possibly very early 1970's

would have been fitted with mudguards ex-works

head emblem mounted with fasteners so it is not just something someone has stuck on there

odd that it exhibits eyelets on fork ends but not on dropouts...

any marking on pedal end caps or on wheel rims?

do back side of crank arms carry any marking? bottom bracket cups?

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cudak888 

It has all the hallmarks of a transition-era (early 1960s) TI-Raleigh product. Thick stays, scoop cutout on the lugs, Raleigh-pattern rear dropouts, generic fork crown used on these secondary-brand models (by the way, fork has taken a hit - the steerer tube needs to be straightened). The original fenders are missing.

Raleigh would produce a bike with anyone's badge on it if they met a minimum quantity of bikes for a given order. This is probably one of them. Production from Raleigh of India is unusual to see in the States, but not odd - Raleigh had satellite production plants there and in many other worldwide locations. EDIT: Reply indicates the crank is marked Made in India, not the bike.

"Rare" is a relative term and it is often conflated with "desirable." Is it rare as far as finding another one in the States? Probably harder than finding the Raleigh equivalent, so perhaps likely "yes." But does it mean its desirable? No. As a collectible, it's trash. As a bike cleaned up and serviced by someone who knows what they're doing (remember, they'll have to know the general intricacies of working on an old 3-speed and know how to cold-set that steerer tube), it could be a very practical machine of value for what it is as transportation, with a bit of "I know I'm riding an old bike kitsch" thrown in for good measure. However, this type of refurb job usually only happens if one of these bikes finds a flipper who's also a mechanic who has a soft spot for 3-speeds, because the amount of time, effort, and knowledge required to fix this thing will easily exceed what they'll ever sell it for. Or if it finds a DIY-friendly owner willing to learn how to repair one of these themselves, and invest in the bike tools to do it.

Put simply, you're not retiring on this bike by selling it, which is - I assume - the question you were leading up to.

-Kurt

KeepBiking

Hello! Thank you very much for your reply, and the tips to check.

Just inspected those areas more closely.

At the bottom of the frame, underneath, between the bracket cups, there is a serial number- 3966365.
The arm is only engraved "Made in India. Brampton"

No markings on the pedal. Nothing found on the rear hub.

The rim is marked "Stuckey Archer, England. EA 23-0. 26 x 1 3/8.

Wasn't there a brand of "Brampton" ?

For some reason, searching on Ggle does not show any relevant results. The only mention I saw of a "Conqueror" bike, was someone that questioned on Yah hoo, of an AMF Conqueror bike..

Seems odd that there are not more search results of a 3 speed, Conqueror bike, Brampton, made in India. Try it, see what the results are.


Thank you again!

Insidious C. 

Brampton manufactured various cycle components. Link.

juvela

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there was also a Brampton of France entity which produced pedals and drive chains

not relevent to subject cycle





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KeepBiking

insidious_c , cudak888 , juvela: Thanks for your replies! Sorry can not reply individually to each reply, as it will not allow sending a message that includes the specific message of your reply (as if it is a url). Nor will it allow to send with a typed website name.

Good points about the repairs to a vintage bike, and cold setting the steerer tube! The word "rare" has synonyms such as "unique". When there is little to no information found across the world wide web, that would be a rare occurrence. I have no idea how many of this Conqueror model was produced, or sold to the U.S., so it does seem a rare item, per the www searches. Across the U.S. market, items have been discussed online and traded for decades. Apparently the Conqueror bike model, not very frequently....hardly ever... The name Raleigh was seen in some search results, though not with the Conqueror model bike. One did have someone who wrote a question of a AMF Conqueror bike. on ya hoo.

The only verified item I found of the Conqueror bike, was the same head badge (loose) that was sold on ebay for aprx $14.00.

The query was to identify a background of the bike and brand, which was strange to not find more online. The valuation isn't important just now.

Being a ladies style bike, I wouldn't be riding it. It is solid, the tires hold air, the brake mechanisms work, just need pads. Straighten that left handle bar that is bent inward. Had to take a lot of force to bend it like that!

Very interesting learning of vintage bikes!

Thanks again to all!

T-Mar

Conqueror was originally the brand of the Conqueror Cycle Company, founded in Coventry circa 1896. I'm not sure how or when they became part of Raleigh. Given their location, they were likely part of the Humber (1932), Triumph (1932) or Rudge-Whitworth (1943) acquisitions.

cudak888 

It is now!

https://www.ebay.com/itm/324656778001

It's amazing how many people will actively deny that they're looking to sell their old pile - in the hopes that they'll be able to squeeze more free advice out of enthusiasts.

-Kurt

juvela

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...and gain information they can add to their sales patter to make the item sound more attractive...


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cudak888 

If they didn't post a picture, it'd certainly sound more attractive.

Thankfully, the pictures make it obvious that it's in need of a major overhaul, a number of missing bits, and cold-setting before it's anywhere near usable or safe as a bicycle.

Right now, it's a $25 bike-as-planter, and not even that without a basket.

-Kurt

thumpism 

And did you notice the "Being a ladies style bike, I wouldn't be riding it?" Unenlightened to boot.

Hummer

Conqueror is a trademark of Tube Investments of India. The name was first used in the USA in 1967.

In 1947 Tube Investments purchased Hercules Cycle in the UK.

Tube Investments of India was set up in 1949 with the assistance of Tube Investments, Brampton Fittings, Wright Saddles, and possibly other companies. So this might explain the "Brampton" stamping.