Tricycle Fetish Blog

Q: Can you tell me anything about this tricycle, I can’t seem to find anything like it to get any info on it i.e. how old it is etc.  Thanks, Kate

A: Your tricycle is a Steelcraft circa 1935 made by Murray.  They also made fendered models of this type of tricycle, which are more popular and were the basis for the 1990′s Hallmark Christmas ornament pictured below.

You can see more pictures of similar tricycles on our Murray manufacturers page.

If you grew up the in the 80′s and have little one’s now, you can go back in time with replica Big Wheels.  They are just like the original ones that you had fun on when you were a kid.  Some of them seem to be being sold in limited quantities, so act fast.  Would also make a great Christmas present.  You can find a good  selection of Big Wheels on Amazon.com , or check out this site for original Big Wheels of several models.

Q: We came across this Western Flyer tricycle and I wanted to see when it was made and if I should spend the time cleaning restoring it?  Would you have parts for this one if I need them?

A: First, all the parts we currently have available are listed in our online catalog.  We sometimes get parts and add them to our catalog, but a lot of the parts are pretty hard to find.

Your tricycle looks to be a Western Flyer chain driven trike made by Murray circa 1940′s/1950′s.  They were sold in Western Auto stores.  Pinpointing an exact date would be nearly impossible as they probably made very similar tricycles for years.

Whether or not you should restore it depends on what you are trying to accomplish by doing so?  If you are doing it for nostalgic reasons, for a child or grandchild to ride, or for a “fun” project….it is probably worth doing – provided you feel it is worth your time and effort.

If you are planning on restoring it to increase the value or for resale, it is not a good idea.  You will never get your money back out of a restoration and certainly never make a profit.  The type of tricycle that it is, isn’t a super valuable type and isn’t something that collectors are yearning for, plus many collectors like to do their own restorations.

Our advice would be to refurbish the tricycle as best as you can.  A wire brush to the rust and some chrome polish such as SIMICHROME POLISH-8OZ 390250 will go a long way to making your tricycle look not quite so rough.  After you use a wire brush, use Permatex Naval Jelly Rust Dissolver on bare metal parts, like wheels and handlebars.  Naval Jelly will remove virtually all rust.  It will only take you a couple of hours and your tricycle will have a huge improvement.

Good Luck!

Q: I bought a little Murrary trike the other day. Looks to be in really good shape. I was just wondering what year it is and what it is worth?  Thanks

A: Your tricycle was probably made in the early 1970′s or possibly even late 1960′s.  They made similar models for a number of years.  To pinpoint the exact year you would need to have the catalog from the exact year of that paint scheme.  As far as value goes…we don’t normally comment on values on this blog, but I will say that the value is severely diminished due to the home paint job that covers up much of the original paint.  The cost and effort to restore it to even just the original paint job would be great.

Q: Found a very unique horse tricycle at an antique store. Wondering if you’ve ever seen anything like it.  Unfortunately, the photos were taken with my cell phone so they are not great.    Do you think it’s a “real” antique piece or a more modern piece?  Just FYI, the price they have this marked is $550.

A:  The tricycle is not a modern piece, but it really isn’t antique either.  It was probably made circa 1930′s.  We’ve never seen one just like this, and do not know the maker.  The cell phone pics weren’t great, so it’s hard to tell much about its condition, but the price seems reasonable for an antique store.

Q: I recently purchased a Gambles tricycle. The label has Gambles on it along with the name of the trike that I can’t quite make out. Any idea’s where I can find information on it?

A: Your tricycle is a circa 1950′s Hiawatha tricycle made for sale in Gambles Hardware Stores.  Your tricycle was made by Murray (you can even see that they used Murray hubcaps).    Hiawatha tricycles and bicycles were made by a number of different makers.  It was common with hardware and department stores to have manufacturers make tricycles and relabel them under their own brand name.  Western Auto is probably the most common company to do this, with their Western Flyer tricycles and bicycles being made by AMF, Murray and others.