The Internet provides a wealth of information and websites such as this contribute to the body of bicycle knowledge. That said there is still much information contained in print that has not been digitized. The books listed here are part of my library and are used extensively for the research I do. I am not implying that these are the only books worth reading on the subject and if you have a book that you think is worthwhile then please contact me to see about including it here.
Many of the books listed here are compilations of contemporary ads, manufacturers catalogs, and dealer sheets. It should be understood that the manufacturers produced many regional, promotional, and special order models that never appeared in catalogs. Unfortunately many original bikes have been “catalogue corrected” and their true configurations are lost to time.
Some references are better than others but no book (or website) should ever be considered the final word on the subject. Bikes are still being found that defy what is found in print.
The mini reviews I provide here will hopefully give you enough information to decide whether a book will fit your needs. Many of these are out of print but can be found on both EBay and Amazon. Enjoy the ride!
Evolution of the Bicycle Volumes I & II
These two volumes are considered to be the original bicycle ‘bibles’. Volume I is three fourths period advertisements and literature with the last quarter containing color photographs of original and restored bicycles. There is a price guide on the last few pages but, in my opinion, these valuations are largely uselss. Volume II is the opposite of Volume I with about three fourths pictures. It, too, has a price guide. As an example it values a very nice original Schwinn Aerocycle at $1500+ and a restored Aerocycle at $1700+ ! Current value for a nice, original Aeorcycle will easily exceed $10k
Bicycle Blue Book
This book has been around since about 1996. The valuations include both bikes and parts but are hit and miss–mostly miss. Example: Schwinn Crossbar Speedo set-up $350+. Currently an original, complete set-up will bring 10 times that or more. It also has the auction results of the Schwinn family collection and some other misc info. The pictures are second and third generation photocopies and are generally fairly low quality.
Island Cycle Supply Company
This book has been around, I believe, since the late 1980s and has been reprinted several times. This is an exact reprint of the 1938 catalog and is a wealth of information of the parts such as saddles, pedals, lights, and accessories offered during this era. It starts of with Pierce and Rollfast bicycles but also includes sleds, tricycles (velocipedes), pedal cars, scooters, and roller skates!
Classic Schwinn Bicycles
This is a smaller format book and runs about 150 pages and all photos are black and white. The book starts with a typical history of Schwinn and is broken down into fairly broad chapters such as antique, heavyweight, middleweight, lightweight, etc… It does do a decent job of providing an overview of virtually all Schwinn products. The book also has a “Star” rating system (1-5) which generally follows the level of trim of the bikes but is misleading and innacurate. For example he gives a girls Hollywood a three star rating while all antique Schwinns (1895-1932) get one star. The bulk of this book focuses on ballooners, middleweights, and Sting -Rays. To really cover Schwinn from start to finish would require a sizable book or possibly volumes.
Classic American Bicycles
This book starts with an overview of the history of bicycles and for that I forgive the author for including a foreign made bike, a Draisine, the first bike. The book comes in at under a 100 pages so don’t expect a comprehensive study on the subject. Many of the bicycles are from the Bicycle Museum of America in New Bremen, Ohio. Most pictures are full color and the photography is all professional grade. Some cool bikes and a quick read.
Collectible Schwinn-Built Bicycles 1950s-1965
This book contains the price/fair trade sheets from 1951-1965. These list contain the models available each year to include model number, name, retail prices by zone, and options and accessories. The quality of some of these pages are marginal but largely useful. This section is followed by some period ads. All pics are black and white. There is also a serial number list from 1948-1965, and the AN code list for Schwinn cycle-locks.
Introductory Guide to Collecting the Classics
A standard size book that goes 98 pages. The book starts off with a couple of pages of “Ten tried and proven ways to find antique and classic bicycles”. Of course this is pre-internet! The book is then a complilation of rather random contemporary ads from various manufacturers. The thing I do like about this book is the inclusion of many of the obscure manufacturers and models such as the Bowden, Evinrude, and Mercury products to name a few. Some of the photcopies aren’t the greatest but for the most part the book provides a wide representation of the subject matter. The last few pages are devoted to how to restore a bicycle. In this case ‘restore’ really means to refurbish an original bike and there are some worthwhile tips here to prevent ruining a collectible bike.
Excelsior Henderson 1921
This is a dealers brochure for both Excelsior Henderson Motorcycles as well as Excelsior, Henderson, World, and Admiral Schwinn built bicycles. A lot of people don’t realize Schwinn, at one time, was a major motorcycle maufacturer from 1912-1931. This bruchure feature several unusal models such as the Model 207 truss model for “Short, Stout Men”. These bikes are largely overshadowed by the deluxe balloon tire bikes but represent a period of Schwinn production that is not well known.
2 Speed Hi-Lo Drive Colson Bicycles
Despite the cover highlighting the Hi-Lo Drive this brochure actually shows the entire 1934 Colson line-up to inlcude the Racer and Tandem. In addition it includes specifications for frames, forks, finish, fenders, wheels, rims, tires, etc… . A worthwhile resource covering some fairly obscure models.
Schwinn Middleweights 1955-1970
There are a lot of Schwinn books that have middleweight info as well as all of the catalogs online. As the cover says this is a compilation so it is not a coomplete listing of every middleweight catalog page. This book goes about 80 pages or so (not numbered) and covers the bikes by model alphabetically. There is a chart in back that lists the type of paint and hubs available on each model. The book finishes with some random catalog pages and commentary by the author. A decent book that really could use an introduction as well as a table of contents. I think a novice will find this book a little difficult to use.
Schwinn Heavyweights 1946-1964
This is the companion of the middleweight book above. Although this book, too, lacks a table of contents it does have a good introduction that describes, in detail, how the book is arranged and what each section contains. This is a good thing because this book is three times larger than the middleweight book. Instead of alphabetical order as in the middleweight book this book arranges the models chronologically. A lot of really good information including catalog pages, Fair Trade sheets, and period ads. The second section of this book is devoted strictly to individual parts. It provides more of a general overview and is not detailed or comprehensive. For example it describes the Phantom seat but does not picture it or mention that there are different varieties of this seat used on certain years. The third section is an assortment of selected catalog pages showing parts and accessories. As it says on the cover this only covers the postwar models. All illustrations are black and white. If you collect postwar, balloon tire Schwinns this is a must have book.
Standard Catalog of Schwinn Bicycles 1895-2004
The history and scope of Schwinn production was such that one book is hardly enough to capture everything. This book published in 2004 is 224 pages and all photgraphs are full color. A couple of the restored bikes pictured have glaring faults sure to displease the hard core Schwinn collector. Besides these minor faults a well done book and if I were to recommend one book for Schwinn start to finish this is it. The book does a good job of intertwining the company history with model production to provide a more complete picture of the Schwinn story.
Schwinn-Built Bicycles Super Balloon Tire Bicycles 1933-World War II
If you have any interest in prewar Schwinns this is a must have book. This book was previously published in black and white but the full color version is worth every penny. This book contains reprints of all Schwinn catalogs from 1933-1941. There are quite a few websites that have the Schwinn catalogs but all of them are incomplete and this book fills those gaps. This book does illustrate a serious shortcoming of factory literature and that is they are woefully incomplete regarding all known configurations, options, and especially paint colors. For example the factory literature for most prewar models is black, blue, or red with cream. Obviously Schwinn had many other color combinations to include reverse paint schemes.
Walthour & Hood Bicycles & Supplies
This wholesale catalog is from 1924 and is 204 pages of bicycles, parts, tools, and shop supplies. The catalog is all black and white images but they are all crisp and clear. The lines of bikes featured include Davis built bikes including Dayton, Yale, National, Snell, Niagra,and Walco. Also Pierce, Emblem, and Roamer. A few tricycles and scooters are included as well. A great book to see what was offered during this period.
Vintage Bicycle Trinkets 1932-1942
As it says inside the front cover “This book is a compilation of of vintage bicycle parts and accessory ads from American Bicyclist and Motorcyclist magazines from 1932 to 1942, depicting many popular bicycle goodies.” The quality of the ad copies are above average and this book is essential to learning what is out there and when it was introduced. This is important if you want to ensure you are putting period correct accessories on your bike.
The Monark Book
Another one of the former Polizzi books. If your idea of Monark is of the aluminum variety only then I suggest you skip this one and get the Silver King book. Like the rest of the Polizzi books this one starts with a short introduction including a short history of the company. It is followed by a list of badges found on these bikes and then by a listing of each page with a description. The next section is some thumbnail color pics and then it covers most years with period black and white ads from catalogs. The July 2012 revision seems to have a little better quality as far as the copies. The book does a good job with the prewar but postwar is a little spotty. There is a section on the motorized Super Twin to include operation and parts. 122 pgs
Collectable Elgin-J.C. Higgins Hawthorn Bicycles
This book has been reprinted at least twice and is the definitive work on the Sears (Elgin, J.C. Higgins, and Sears) and Wards (Hawthorne) branded bicycles. The important thing to understand about both Sears and Wards (later Montgomery Wards) is that these were department stores and they did not manufacture their own bicycles. Companies such as Westfield, Snyder, Cleveland Welding, Murray and others built bicycles that were sold through these department stores. Some models were built exclusively for the stores such as the Bluebird for Sears and the Zep for Wards.
Sears branded its bikes as Elgin through 1946. In 1947 they were branded as J.C. Higgins up until 1964 when Sears began using their own label. Wards used the Hawthrone brand up until the mid 1960s. This book covers covers Elgin from 1933-1946, J.C. Higgins from 1947-1965 (1965 was really branded as Sears), and Hawthorne from 1934-1960 and is fairly comprehensive. This catalog is entirely reprints of the bicycle sections of the Sears and Wards catalogs. Some portions are so poor they are hard to see or read but this is the most comprehensive resource available for these bikes.
Roadmaster 1936-1941
Until this book was published there was no book for Cleveland Welding Co. bicycles. Roadmaster was the in-house brand of CWC and this catalog provides all the Roadmaster catalogs in their entirety from 1936 to 1941 in color. The author has skillfully placed other material throughout the book to fill in some holes and provide more info such as articles from the American Bicyclist and Motorcyclist magazine that give information on the beginning of CWC making bicycles, period ads, and excerpts from various suppliers and vendors that provide additional insight into the different models such as the uber rare ’39 Motor Master.
The author/editor has done a wonderful job cleaning up the images and there is no graininess or shadows as evidenced in some similar books such as the Shelby Bicycles book. The catalogs are reproduced in color and the author has also skillfully placed other material throughout the book to fill in some holes and provide more information such as articles from the American Bicyclist and Motorcyclist magazine. Also provided is information on the beginning of CWC making bicycles, period ads, and excerpts from various suppliers and vendors that provide additional insight into the different models such as the uber rare ’39 Motor Master. One error to be noted is the erroneous insertion of page 8 of the 1940 catalog into the 1941 catalog. The correct page should show the Model 396C-Men’s Special Fully Equipped. With a little online searching you can find this page.
Perhaps the biggest shortcoming of the book however is the omission of the 1937-39 models that were offered through Wards. Models such as the Double or Five Bar (tankless), Comet, and, the Zep confound many collectors because these models were sold through Wards but made by both Snyder and CWC and in the case of the tankless Five Bar by Monark as well. Even more confusing is that many of the Snyder models could also be ordered with the CWC “Shockmaster” spring fork.
In all fairness to the author the amount of CWC unique information on these models is nearly non-existent. Despite these missing models this is still the most comprehensive work on CWC bicycles to date and certainly a must have for the serious balloon tire collector.
Colson Bicycles (Revised 2013)
This book starts with a history of the Colson Corp. and is a revision of a Polizzi book. Like all of these books it has some color pictures in roughly chronological order of actual bicycles. It is then largely comprised of factory catalog pages starting with 1934. The 1935 literature is largely absent but from ‘1936-1941 it is fairly complete. The postwar portion skips a few years here and there but goes through the Evans -Colson period. This is the definitive Colson work so far.
The Monark Silver King Bicycle 1934 to 1948
Ok so my expectations were that this book would contain mostly cleaned up images from the Monark book as well as the Elgin/Higgins/Hawthorne book. Well I was wrong! It does contain the material from those books but these are clean copies that you can actually see instead of dark blobs. This only scratches the surface though because the author has incorporated a lot of rare, seldom seen material here including yearly catalogs, pictures and excerpts from contemporary trade mags, patent drawings, and obscure retailers. There are complete listings of components of many bikes as well as other interesting facts. For instance did you know the ’36 M1 was available with colored tubes and truss rods in red, blue, green, and black? According to the lit this was dye-not paint. Do you know what Monark called the 26X in it’s advertising literature? Yea there was a girls 26X too. How about a 28″ wheel aluminum racer? One of my favorite SK products were the tricycles. Personally I’m not a fan of the 24″ bikes but for those of you who dream of Flocycles and Wingbars this book is an absolute must have for your library.
Newsletter by John Presents Shelby Bicycles
When it comes to marque specific books the collector usually only has one choice. Many of these were put together by the late John Polizzi. The Shelby book is one of his efforts and has been reprinted. Like most of the rest of the Polizzi books it begins with a short history, some color photos of bikes and parts and then a listing of the pages with year and models on them. The primary content is a combination of period ads and catalog pages. This book could really benefit from a revision to enhance both quality and content. There are a lot of gaps and the quality of the pics is pretty poor in places. That said this is the only Shelby book so if you are a balloon tire collector this should be in your library.
A Book on Huffman Built Bicycles
If any of you have the old Huffman book and are wondering “Why should I buy the new book” then let me offer my reasons why. First you will notice the new book is thicker even though it has four less pages. This is because the paper is heavier stock than the old book. The new book actually adds more content by reducing the redundant photos contained in the original book. The number one benefit though to the new book is that you can actually read every page. In the old book there were some parts that were totally illegible due to the poor quality photocopies which, in many cases, appeared to be third and fourth generation copies.
A very useful feature in this book is the heading at the top of each page to let you know what catalog the content came from e.g. 1938 Huffman. In the old book you would have to keep flipping back to the front to figure this out. As I mentioned this book is a few pages shorter but the editors replaced redundant content with new material such as the ad for the Briggs and Stratton head tube lock. I spent about $100 on the individual Huffman catalogs and the only advantage here is the color in those cats which I still recommend for the hardcore Huffman collector. If there is one thing missing I would recommend is the color chart for the ’41 Huffman line (These are sold on EBay). Another well produced product and I highly recommend this one for your reference library.
Rollfast Bicycles
This the book to have if you are a collector of Snyder built bikes. The book covers the years 1932 to 1958 with both color and black and white ads. Understanding the relationship between H.P. Snyder, D.P. Harris, Rollfast and the other brands can be a little confusing but this book contains an excellent article explaining this relationship. Included are the popular Hopalong Cassidy bikes or “Hoppies” as collectors call them along with some material on an aluminum prototype and all the “V” series deluxe bikes.
Collectible Schwinn Sting-Ray Bicycles 1963 1/2 - 1979
I believe this is the Sting-Ray book to have unless you are interested in the story/history of the Sting-Ray. An invaluable resource because it contains vitually every specification chart for each year/model. These charts include part numbers and pictures are included of accessories as well. Some Schwinn service bulletin excerpts are included for the disc brake option as well as Krate assembly. Production charts (total Schwinn-not just Sting-Ray) along with serial number charts are included. Fair trade dealer sheets are included along with period advertisements. A data rich resource necessary for the serious Sting-Ray collector. All illustrations are black and white but are clear and readable.
Schwinn Sting-Ray
A smaller format book that does an excellent job of telling the Sting-Ray story. The author did a great job of researching the history and the color photography is first rate. The book is 96 pages and includes a short chapter on the competition such as the Sears Screamer, Murray Eliminator, Ross Apollo, and Raleigh Chopper. The author enjoys drawing the analogy of the Sting-Ray being the muscle car or hotrod of bikes. Not so much for the restorer but necessary to understanding the Sting-Ray story. While the Huffy Penguin may have beat it to market the Sting-Ray was the benchmark for muscle bikes.
Vintage American Balloon Tire Bicycles 1930s though 1960s Vols I & II
This set of books by Geoff Greene sold out pretty quick. These volumes are comprised of both manufacturers catalog pages and hardware/department store advertising. Because these are arranged more by brand than manufacturer there are a lot of ads that you don’t see in the marque specific books. There are also more obscure ads such as the Evinrude and Bowden Spacelander along with some obscure motorized stuff. I learn something new everytime I read through these books.
Columbia 1931 through 1941
The Westfield Manufacturing Co. traces its roots back to 1877 and was the oldest bicycle manufacturer in the United States. Columbia was the in-house brand name. The prewar bike starts at 1931 and although it says “thru 1941” the ’41 models are not included. The ’41 catalog is reproduced so this is easily rectified. The book is largely black and white but has color ads as well. The book chronicles the prewar bikes through the annual catalogs. The book also contains the Westfield serial number system from 1936-1972.
Columbia Bicycles 1948-1963
This is the companion book to the prewar book. Not as complete year wise as the prewar book. For example the first catalog shown is 1948 then 1952, 1956, 1958, and a smattering of pages after this that look like ’60, ’61, and ’63. Largely black and white images which are clear and readable with some color pages.
The Big Book of Vintage Bicycle Hubs
Like building wheels there seems to be some preconceived notion by a lot of people that hub rebuilding is some mysterious science. Except for some of the geared hubs these things are actually pretty simple and servicing and rebuilding these hubs is not hard. This book has the adjustment charts as well as exploded views to help you get that 75 year old hub rolling (and stopping) smoothly.
Collecting and Restoring Antique Bicycles
When I was trying to find out something about a potential purchase of an ordinary (high wheel bike) this book was recommended by several very knowledgeable collectors. If you are a collector of pre 1890 machines I would call this a must have . The author does a great job of explaining what right should look like along with a lot of other valuable information.
Schwinn
This book is only 94 pages and is a smaller format. The author devotes a total of six pages to the time period 1895-1950 so this should give you some idea how light on content it is. The photographs, while high quality, are mostly of middleweights, lightweights, and Sting-Rays and not even the top models. Wikipedia probably gives a better overview of Schwinn than this book. Maybe I’m biased but a book on Schwinn that doesn’t even have a good picture of an Aerocycle isn’t much of a Schwinn book.
The American Bicycle
This is what I generally consider a coffee table book. The authors used their access to the now defunct Bicycle Museum of America in Chicago to create this work. A combination of high quality photographs plus period photos and advertisements are liberally used throughout. The book also does a pretty good job of covering the relevent history of the bicycle in America. Overall this book presents the material well and should be included in any bicycle library.
Glenn's Complete Bicycle Manual
Glancing at the cover you get the idea this book is more focused on geared road bikes which it is. Despite that it does have sections on coaster (Bendix) and three speed (Sturmey Archer) hubs but covers all facets of bicycle safety and maintenance in great detail. Althought the focus is geared bikes many of the topics are directly applicable to all genre of cycling. It would be hard to find a more comprehensive repair manual than this one.
50 Years of Schwinn-Built Bicycles
This book has to be a staple of any true Schwinn fan’s collection. The book is a tribute from Frank W. Schwinn to his father, Ignaz, who founded the company. A decent, high level, history of the company along with some great factory and other photographs. This book has never been reprinted to my knowledge but copies usually pop up on EBay or other outlets.
Original Bicycle Supply Factory Identification Manual
A lot of collectors simply call this the “ABC Book” because it is sold by ABC Services. The book is evidently a Western Auto (Western Flyer) bicycle parts book. This unassuming book has a wealth of information particulalry focused on postwar and includes serial number charts for major manufacturers except for Schwinn. The charts for the most part seem to be accurate except for the prewar Huffman numbers which don’t coincide with what I’ve observed. The book appears to list every Western Flyer model by manufacurer by model number from the Fall of 1953 until the end of 1959. The book also has detailed hub and brake exploded views of most hubs. The book finishes with parts such as fenders, bars, stems, and saddles. Worth it just for the serial number charts.