Tricycle Fetish Blog

Q: I have a photograph of a boy on a tricycle. The photo was probably taken in Italy (1920-1925). Any information would be greatly appreciated. The photo will now be sent to you via email. Thank you!

A: It’s really hard to tell much about the tricycle since so much of it is obscurred by the boy who is sitting on it.  European tricycles are harder to date being that many of them had very similar designs for decades…and we don’t see many of them in the US.  But judging by what can be seen of the tricycle and the clothing, I’d say you are probably pretty close with your estimate.  I wouldn’t think the tricycle would date back into the teens.

Q:  Hi there, my dad owns an adult tricycle and he needs a wheel bearing. Can you tell me if you have one or where I can find one? Thanks

A: When you say “wheel bearing” I assume that you are referring to a full set of bearings, probably the old cartridge type that have a metal ring with bearings inside.  These will probably be somewhat difficult to find, and it is not necessary to get this type.  Loose ball bearings of the same size packed in the hub with some grease under the dust cover will work just fine.

If you want to do the repair yourself, just go to your local hardware store and buy some appropriate sized bearings and repack the hub.  If you don’t want to or don’t know how to do the repair, your local bike shop should be able to help without any problems.

Today we’re beginning a series of updates to the online tricycle price guide and manufacturers pages.  We’ll also be updating some other pages on the site as well.  We have hundreds of photos to add and a bit of historical information as well.

We’re also looking for interesting items for articles here on the Tricyclefetish.com blog.  If you have a restoration project that you’d like to show off, email us some pics and a story.

Q: Hi: I purchased an old Montgomery Ward Hawthorne trycycle. It has a three speed control on the handle bar that says high, nuetral and low. The cable is broke that goes from the handle bar to the gear box on the wheels. There is a small chain that comes from the gear box and the cable hooks into it. Do you know where I might find this cable? Thanks, Darl

A: Your local bicycle shop should be able to help you find just about any cable for an adult tricycle.  If they are unable to help, you might try checking some collector sites for antique and vintage bicycles as some of the gear assemblies used in adult tricycles were also used in bicycles.

Here at Tricyclefetish.com we get a lot of emails from people who are looking for a particular tricycle part.  Here’s one of the longest…  If you have a spare pedal, contact us and we’ll get you in touch with Liz.

Hi – I love your site!! I wish I was three, because some of these are ADORABLE.

So, I need some help. I’m copying my post to a list that I’m on, that will explain fully what I need. (Basically an Italtrike So Happy Pedal.) I’ve had no luck trying to get the “readily available parts” that they claim exist. Can you help me figure out what to do next? Thanks so much!

_quote_Some things just shouldn’t be in the same room. Wile E. Coyote and the Roadrunner. Nikon and Canon people. My son, and my friends’ daughter’s tricycle. They may have a bizarre attraction to each other, but someone always ends up getting hurt.

Despite many, many warnings, my son, who at worst could only be considered an unindicted co-conspirator, just can’t resist riding her tricycle. And by “riding”, I mean, “flying around the room, knocking into everything”. Mistakes were made. Things were broken. Pedals were lost.

And, since it’s not MY tricycle, I can’t just say, “Dude, you brought this on yourself. Looks like you’ll be using cardboard and duct tape for that pedal now!” Now, there’s an obligation. I need to find a pedal.

Italtrikes are freakishly cute. And painfully expensive (which is why you nab them if you find one, say, on Craig’s List). And as non-conforming as they are in their adorable looks, they are just as much so with the mechanical aspects. Threaded pedals, like on EVERY OTHER TRICYCLE ON THE PLANET? No, not good enough for Italtrike’s oh-so-creative designers. So, I need an actual Italtrike So Happy tricycle pedal.

Perhaps, in the back of your shed, behind the sleds that haven’t been used in a few years, behind the dirty inflatable swimming pools that you keep because seriously, a little bleach and they’d be good as new; behind the broken weedwhacker and the baby swing that you keep because even though you say you’re done having babies, those things are expensive and you’re not getting rid of it until your youngest is in high school; perhaps, just maybe, there’s a broken Italtrike So Happy Tricycle behind all that. And you just remembered that you had it, and wow, here’s a perfect way to get rid of it without feeling guilty for throwing away a nearly usable $150 tricycle. Don’t think of it as throwing it away. Think of it as mechanical organ donation. It could save someone’s life (mine).

Thank you!
Liz (who’s willing to travel quite a ways to pick this up if you have one.)

Q: I have a tricycle in my store that is in the same condition as it was when I purchased it over ten years ago.   An eBayer wrote to me that it is a reproduction. I have several photos — tried to show numbers stamped on it.   Please advise.  Thanks, Janice H.

A:  Don’t you just love eBay?  Your tricycle is obviously not a reproduction.  It is circa 1870′s-80′s.  Although it isn’t in the best condition, it is still a very nice tricycle and its pretty rare to find velocipedes from that era in any condition.  You posted almost 20 very large and detailed photos to your listing.  It would be hard to believe that someone could actually look at those and say that it was a reproduction or any type of fake.  The person who asked was probably looking to steal the tricycle, while your current price is already more than fair.

Anyone interested in the tricycle in question can visit the Foxy Lady Deals store, and you can always check out our Fakes & Reproductions page for more info on how to spot a fake tricycle.  As far as dealing with annoying eBay buyers?  You’re on your own.

Q: I have spent a lot of time and effort in trying to find out what type of tricycle I have. Everyone seems to have a different opinion about the year and the maker.. Hopefully you can shed some light on this for me.

A: It looks like a child’s tiller type tricycle made by Gendron in the 1880′s.  Often too much emphasis is placed on finding the make and exact year.  Tricycle models are often produced for a number of years without any changes, or changes only to paint scheme.  Add to that the fact that there weren’t bike shops like today, rather the trikes were sold at department and hardware stores…and identifying something gets even harder.

The only way to know for sure what exact tricycle you have would be to get a manufacturer catalog that featured that exact model AND have enough detail in the single drawn illustration to actually differentiate your tricycle from the others of that era.   …or find another just like it or a photo of one with the headbadge still intact, but that still won’t tell you the exact year it was made.  Most tricycles of that era were advertised by stores and catalogs simply as “velocipedes” and were not referred to by the maker’s name in print advertising.  So you need to actually find a dealer catalog that was sent to retailers.  Finding a 130 year old catalog can be next to an impossibility to luck into, and finding them online can prove very costly as some sell for more than the tricycles pictured in them….and then you still have to find the right one.

Value is unlikely to be affected by knowing the maker or exact year on a tricycle such as yours.  Also, there’s probably nobody out there that will argue with you if you just throw out any old date or date range  in the era.  It was not made before 1870 and probably not after 1890.

Q: Hello, I have a Murray tricycle I bought at a garage sale. It is approx. a 1960′s trike, I think. It’s in great shape except a “too heavy child” sat on it and crushed the front tire. I ordered a tire on E-Bay–what I thought was the size I needed–wrong! How do you measure for a replacement tire? Outside or inside diameter? Also the width of the tire—do I have to take the existing tire off and measure the wheel?  The trike is red, white & chrome. The tires have a red ring. It has 2 steps in the back. The front fender is red with a white 5 and the words “full ball bearing” and a white diagonal line. The existing outside diameter of the tire measures 91/2″. Inside diameter is 7″. The wheel is 1 1/2″ wide. Do you have any suggestions on where I might find a tire? What are my options if I can’t find one. Can the existing tire be “re-treaded”?
Your help would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you,
Marsha

A: First of all, a “too heavy child” did nothing to your tricycle.  A Murray wheel could be stood on by a “too heavy man” and not buckle.  It was probably sat on by a too heavy Ford or Chevy, most likely.  As far as the tire goes…  We are expecting a shipment of replacement tires in early September.  You can check our catalog then.

Finding tires, especially the right size can be pretty difficult.  Rim sizes varied between brands and a certain size on one tricycle may not actually measure the same on another.  It is often easier to buy another tricycle of the same size with a good wheel and swap the whole wheel with tire than it is to find an old stock tire that will fit.

Q: What can you tell me about this tricycle?

A: You look to have an early 1930′s Garton trike.  You can see more info on that company and Garton trikes on the Garton Manufacturers page.