Tricycle Fetish Blog

A TricycleFetish.com visitor sent us this photo, asking for info. The visitor though it would date to about 1935. It would seem that that age is within reason. The velomobile type pedal vehicle has a horn, drum brakes, brake light, headlights. Velomobiles or Velo-cars came into use around the 1930′s and were popular during World War II when gasoline was hard to find, and afford. The model and brand of this unit are unknown. Many had bodies and fenders and some even had roofs.

A TricycleFetish.com visitor recently sent us this photo wondering what she had and if it was worth anything. The tricycle is a late 1930′s Garton tot tricycle with a tractor type seat. The front wheel assembly is obviously not original and has been added at some point.  It’s pretty hard to tell the condition otherwise from the photo, but these are collectible. Not having a complete tricycle, not having original paint and having some visible wear and repairs will really hurt the value though.

Recently a TricycleFetish.com visitor sent us this picture of an old sulky type tricycle that he was looking to restore. Unsure of exact age, maker, origins, etc. Still a neat example.

Recently a visitor emailed this picture of a tricycle that was purchased at a flea market. It is marked Hausser on the headbadge and the pedals, appears to be a foreign make. If anyone has any info on the company, please let us know.

Q: got this old tricycle at a junk yard in va looking for car parts , haven’t been able to find out who made it , never seen one with the c shaped backbone like this . sure could use a little help thanks

A: You’ve found a vintage Murray Thunder Rod tricycle from the 1960′s. It’s pretty scarce. If you were thinking about fixing it up, you’ll probably wish you would have left it in the junkyard when you start pricing parts (there was an old stock unused motor in original box on eBay for $245). Below is photo of what your Thunder-Rod is supposed to look like.

Q: I’m trying to find information regarding a children’s tri-bike that I purchased many years ago at an estate sale. On the pedal are the words “Tri-Bike” and all that’s legible of the manufactures name is either “Mac C….” or “Mac G….”. There is a stamp on the underside of the frame that indicates “DALE 12-26-46″. I’m assuming this was an owners stamp perhaps with the date that a child received this bike as a Christmas gift.

A: You have a McClatchie Tri-Bike. This riding toy was a tricycle that you could convert into a bicycle as your child grew. It is very similar in design to the Anthony Brothers Convert-O Bike tricycle. Your tricycle (at least in the picture) is missing the rear step and one wheel. These are not really that uncommon, but information on the company seems to be non-existent. We’ve never found any information whatsoever and nobody seems to know anything about them. The date stamped on the tricycle is inline with when it would have been made. Below is a photo of a Tri-Bike with the rear plate.

Q: Hello, I have an unusual 3 wheeled bike–tricycle & I can’t seem to find anyone to help me identify it. It may be a v. rare early schwinn but I don’t know— Can you please take a glance at ebay item #xxxxxxxx & help me out with this thing. Thank You in advance for your time & expertise, Mike

A: First off, that’s almost a really cool picture. Take away whatever it is sitting on and get whatever is inside window out of the way and I think you have a great frame worthy shot of an old tricycle sitting on a porch with a great sunset in the background.

OK, now your tricycle…It’s not a Schwinn, it’s not rare and it will probably not sell on eBay. Sorry. You have a Colson chain driven tricycle from around 1940, give or take, they made virtually the same type of models for years. More Colson info & pics. The problem with this trike in particular is that it needs quite a bit of restoration for it to be usable. The problem with this type of tricycle in general is that they are heavier than heck and shipping them costs a fortune, and also, as far as collectors go, they take up a massive amount of room. What’s nice about them is that if they are in usable condition, it’s pretty hard to break one, short of running it over with a truck. Originally it probably had a little aluminum headbadge with the maker’s name on it.

A TricycleFetish visitor recently sent us this photo of a circa 1940 chain driven tricycle. The owner reports that it is marked Scala Manufacturing Co. We have no info on that company and Google doesn’t help much either with a search for the company name turning up only Italian and Asian companies with that name. Any info or insight that anyone has would be appreciated.

Q: Can you identify the tricycle in the photo. That is me about 1959 in Chattanooga TN. I believe that my dad bought most of my toys at  Western Auto and the brand name is Western Flyer. I have yet to even find another photo of such a trike. Thanks, Bob

A: Hmm? Don’t know if I’ve ever seen that one before. Pretty hard to tell from the photo. Could be a Western Flyer, since that’s what the wagon and tractor appear to be. The logo on the forks looks like the type of thing that Midwest tricycles had. It may have been made and branded for Western Auto by Midwest. We’ll post it to our Facebook page too and maybe someone will be able to help.

Q: I found a picture of me from 1967 ( I was 1! ) on some sort of AMF riding toy. It has a seat like a tricycle, but there are four wheels instead of three — two on each side — and no pedals. I’d like to know just what this thing is called. I’ve been racking my brain with every combination of terms (scooter, quad, kiddycar, etc.) to use on Google, but nothing matches what this toy looks like.

A: Hmmm, that’s a good question. Can’t say that I’ve ever seen one in a catalog or print ad to verify the actual name of the thing. It would probably be technically classified as a ride-on, rather than a tricycle or scooter. It was made by AMF and branded under their Junior Toy line. I’ve seen it called a Wee Wheeler, a Sit and Scoot, and a Wee Rider.  We’ve got one of these in stock, but it is far from being in mint condition. These were made for a number of years, and like AMF/Junior tricycles, they have different headbadges and those badges can be used to help determine the age.

Q: I’ve just bought this trike and wondered if you could tell me anything about it. Badge on the front says Siebert.

A: Your tricycle appears to be a mid-late 1930′s Siebert. It was an American maker that during the 1940′s developed a line of strollers that had wheels that could turn from side to side….though the company appears to have been making tricycles since the late 1800′s. Your tricycle is pretty scarce. Having every Siebert catalog or an ad with that exact tricycle on it would probably be the only way to date it more precisely.  This type of streamlined modern tricycle is highly collectible. Here is a a bit of info and a few more Siebert pictures.

Q: Back in the early1950′s to 1957 I got a tricycle for Christmas .It was a black and white police tricycle with windshield bell and I think a siren The windshield was lettered with POLICE at the bottom section. I can’t recall who made the tricycle it was one of the larger tricycles back then If you could help me find a picture and or the maker of this tricycle I want one in almost any condition to restore for my grandson tanks for any help you might give me.

A: Garton produced one that seems to fit that description in the early 1950′s. Visit our Garton manufacturer’s page for some more info and pictures. The problem that you’re likely to encounter is finding one that is intact with all of the accessories. They were basically a standard Garton tricycle with a siren and windshield and then some stars applied on a police blue paint scheme.

They have showed up on eBay occasionally intact and complete and windshields for them also show up occasionally. You can also always get a similar Garton tricycle and add a siren and windshield as well as the proper paint colors when restoring it. Would not be completely accurate, but it would look good and be fine for a child to ride.

Q: Can you tell me what brand/model my “police Tricycle” is? I was born in 1954 and I suppose I was 3-4 years old in this picture. I am the one in the front on the seat. Note the wood blocks for the proper pedal reach.

A: Your tricycle was made by Evans (some Evans tricycle info). Those tricycles were probably made for a few years during the mid-late 1950′s and possibly into the early 1960′s. We don’t seem to have any images of ads or catalogs with that type of tricycle. They are pretty scarce, but you can occasionally can find one on eBay from time to time…usually in pretty crappy condition.

Q: hello…here is a picture..the trike is original as far as we can tell..the seat is adjustable..the tires are solid rubber redlined..the tassels look to be original..the seat is padded  with chrome trim..the paint is almost metal flake looking..gold,green,,with a little silver in it..we have gone over the bike totally and the only id on it is the front sticker that says fleetwing on it…there are no serial numbers or marks that we can find…any help will be greatly appreciated..ty..

A:  Your Fleetwing tricycle was most likely retailed through the Jordan Marsh department store chain, based in Boston. It was manufactured by Murray,  in the 1970′s.  Murray made many tricycles for department stores and other chain stores. Murray would label the tricycles with a “house” brand name and sometimes special paint schemes and the chain store would market and sell them in their stores and catalogs under this brand.

This branding practice also was done with bicycles. And it is a common practice. Also routinely done with consumer electronics as well.

Q: I found my younger sister’s tricycle while cleaning out my parent’s garage. My sister was born in 1966, so I am assuming the bike is from the 60′s. However, what confuses me is that while the seat says Troxel, there is no name of the bike manufacturer, only a decal that reads “ball bearing” on one of the two steps. I thought it was a Murray tricycle, but what do I know?!

A: It’s amazing how many emails we get with questions about Troxel tricycles. And you can usually find someone on eBay selling “Vintage Troxel Tricycle.” Troxel, as you clearly understand, is not a tricycle manufacturer. Troxel makes seats/saddles and helmets.

Your tricycle is most likely a mid-late 1960′s tricycle made by Murray. It was probably one of the tricycles they made for a department store chain like Western Auto (in which case it would have been advertised as a Western Flyer). Your tricycle looks to be in pretty nice condition for its age.

Q: Not sure what brand or year it is. It has the two step and bakelite looking round hand enclosures with sparkly handle bar grippers. It has possible space age grid half-way down the front tire. It is mint green and a seemingly green green for main paint areas. Love your site. Kerin

A: Your question is an example of exactly why we need a photograph to identify tricycles. Your tricycle is not considered a two step model. The two step models have two flat steps. Nothing on the tricycle is Bakelite, widespread us of it stopped years before this tricycle was made. The fender really isn’t considered Space Age (except perhaps by a few over reaching eBay sellers looking for keywords); it’s just a fender with partial skirt that has a pierced design. If anything on the tricycle is Space Age, it would be the hand guards.

OK, so what is it? It’s a circa 1950′s tricycle made by Midwest Industries or perhaps their parent company MTD – both made very similar tricycles, some of them using the same exact design. Originally there would have been a headbadge sticker that would have had the brand logo on it.

Though not the most valuable tricycles by any means, Midwest trikes seem to be quite popular and people really like the pierced fender skirt design.

Q: My cousin just gave me back my childhood low rider tricycle. I plan to fix it up for my daughter. I was wondering if you could help me identify it. It’s the exact same trike from the movie “The Shining”. Here is a youtube clip of the trike in the movie. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3t60oY0TbTU  -Mickey

A: It sure looks like an AMF “big wheel” type tricycle that I had when I was young too. We’ve been asked this question before and after a non-exhaustive search, we could find nowhere that told of make/model for sure, but we’re pretty sure that it was made by AMF.

Anyone know for sure? Leave us a comment.

Q: Looking to see if you can identify this unique tricycle/bicycle. Looks original, was told it is original. Sticker/plate on head tube is missing, no markings whatsoever. Your help to I’D make/year/value is appreciated in advance.

A: This is really a bicycle, but it was made by a company that did also make tricycle and didn’t really specialize in bicycles. It was made by Garton, probably circa 1950′s. I’m unsure of the exact age or if it had a model name. I’m sure bicycle collectors would be more up on this than us. Also you might try a site specializing in Garton pedal cars for more specific info.

Originally the basket would have been pretty much on top of the rear wheel and the front wheel had a fender than matched the “tank” and had graphics with spurs on them.

Q: Here is the tricycle that I am inquiring about. I would love to know anything you could tell me about it, like how old it is and things like that. It was my grandfather’s and he was born in 1908, and i tried searching for tricycles during that time but I did not find anything similar. Since he is no longer alive I can not ask him any info about it, so I was hoping you could help me. The right back wheel is broken also and I would love to replace it or have it fixed if you could tell me where I might be able to find a wheel or a repair person I would greatly appreciate it.

A: The tricycle was probably not ridden by your grandfather, unless we was a leprechaun. Your tricycle is a Sky Tot and was made by the Junior Toy Company in the late 1930′s. Though it isn’t as old as you had thought, it is probably much more desirable than most all tricycles from 1910.

As far as the back wheel goes…it depends on what is wrong with it. Replacements are hard to find, but not impossible. If you post photos of the broken wheel to the Tricyclefetish Facebook page, we’ll try to help further.