CCM - Points to Ponder

Thanks for your work on producing this chart as a reference.

Much appreciated

I have gone through a similar exercise. Some additional dates to consider:

1900: fire destroys the St. Catherines factory of Welland Vale and production moved to Goold's Brantford factory.

1902: CCM buys out the National Cycle & Automobile Company, acquiring Canadian rights to its patents and brands, notably Columbia.

c. 1902-1904: manufacturing consolidated in former Lozier factory at Toronto Junction.

1908: CCM trademarks Hercules  brand name on October 26. This name will be used on many CCM manufactured components.

1909: The Morrow designed coaster brake is dropped in favour of the armless Musselman design, which CCM manufactures under license using the Hercules name.

1916: juvenile bicycles with smaller frames and wheels are marketed

1918: Motorbike and Road Racer models introduced.

1922: Improved headset introduced with large diameter bearings and deeper cup flanges.  However, the most noticeable change is the new locknut with flats located at the bottom of the nut, instead of the middle, decreasing the probability of wrench slippage.

1923: Flyer model introduced with butted main tubes of high carbon English steel.

1923: Improved  Triplex crankset introduced. The chainring no longer bolts to the spindle flange but is sandwiched between the dust shield and crank arm with a slot in the chainring engaging a nub on the crankarm to prevent rotation.

1925: the New Hercules coaster brake is update with a redesigned stationary cone that permits the use of a brake arm.

1926: the CCM 26 coaster brake is introduced.

1927: rear mudguard reflectors introduced as standard equipment on premium brands.

1931: ‘double butted aeroplane seamless steel tubing’ used on Flyer racing model

1934: First mention of "cromol" tubing , used on Light Roadster fork

1934 Endrick style  rims introduced,  replacing Westwood rims except on Delivery models, budget Crescent line and wooden rimmed Flyer. Some models would revert to Westwood style rims as the war approached.

1935: Flyer and Light Delivery  specs mention "chromol"  tubing

1938: Custom Built Professional Racer spec's mention Reynolds tubing for first time but upper stays are still "cromol".  Flyer remains 'cromol".

1941; CCM announces September discontinuation of all Delivery models, all Motorbike models, all Balloon models, the Flyer and Custom Built Professional Racer, for the duration of World War II, as part of the material conservation program.

I don't know if you're also going to tackle ther post-war period but I have lots of dates for it.

Also, Cadet was not a one year brand. Sometime during World War II it was re-introduced as a budget brand. The 1941 catalogue has Cadet Motorbike, Men's and Ladies' models..

T-Mar,

I sincerely appreciate your input and vast knowledge.

This is exactly the input I am looking for. 

I have not yet considered post-war info.

I don't believe I have enough accurate information for the post-war years.

Thanks,

Mark

Mark,

If you ever want to have a go at Weston's post war years, let me know. I'm a bit spotty on the first half of the era but could probably overload you on the latter half..

T-Mar,

I would be willing to take on this project but will rely heavily on your knowledge and expertise.

I have a few post-war catalogues that I can start with.

I would like to work with you offline and work with you through email if that is ok with you.

Send me an email so I can keep your email on file. My email below.

Thanks,

Mark

mark.mcguire64@gmail.com

Thank you Mark and T-Mar for putting this wealth of information together!

Thanks Mark

Just wanted to add something to your information list.  I have a 1924 Crescent so I am not sure about the introduction date you have.  I could be wrong regarding the year of the bike.  The serial number is D11342 and it has the cresscent headbadge.  Something to ponder, Nicole

Nicole,

Thanks for your input. Very interesting. I believe you are correct on the year of your bicycle based on the serial number. All I can say is my research is based on CCM catalogue information. Based on the catalogues the ‘Crescent’ first appeared in 1926. I am not suggesting that the Crescent could not have been introduced earlier. Another possibility is the head badge on this particular bicycle is not originally to this bike. As I stated earlier ‘there were and are many CCM bicycle anomalies and discrepancies’ over the years.

Thanks,

Mark

Crescent was originally the brand of Western Wheel Works, a Chicago company absorbed by the American Bicycle Company, who formed a Canadian division, the National Cycle & Automobile Company, in an attempt to break into and dominate the Canadian market. The formation of CCM was, in fact, a reaction to the anticipated move of ABC into Canada. However, National had problems from the very beginning and was bought out by CCM in 1900. As a result, the Canadian rights to the brand names owned by ABC/National passed into CCM's hands.

Consequently, Crescent was probably owned by CCM since 1900 and may have been in and out of production, as a CCM brand or one licensed to a client, over a long period. The most famous of the ABC/National brands acquired by CCM was Columbia, which would become one of CCM's premiere brands.

Also, while the serial number is for the 1924 calendar year, the bicycle could be a 1925 model, as manufacture for the upcoming model year typically started in autumn, in order to have the new models in the stores for the lucrative Christmas season. We known that in 1924 total domestic production was 22K bicycles, of which CCM's share was probably around 15-16k. The serial  number of the subject Crescent is high enough that it could have been manufactured late enough in the 1924 calendar year to be a 1925 model.  I know there is an extant 1924 catalogue but is there an extant 1925 catalogue for reference? 

It would be interesting to see photos of the subject Crescent bicycle. If it's in largely OEM condition and the configuration is basically the same as the 1926 model, then that would increase the probability of its legitimacy, especially if we consider the possibility of a 1925 model manufactured in late 1924.

T-Mar,

Thanks for the above information.

There is no reference to a CCM Crescent in the 1925 catalogue.

Mark

Hi again,

Thanks for the information.  I am going to try and post a few photos of the bike: serial number, badge (which has not had the overspray from a previous poor paint job completely removed yet), the seat, and an overall image.  This might help.  I have considered the posibility that I am mis reading the D in the serial number - maybe it is a G,O,P,Q,U, but it looks like a D to me.  Again, thanks in advance for any info.  I have had quite a bit of help from John Williamson and he might be able to provide more expertise on the bike as i know realtively litte other than what I could find on this site.  I now have two varnished wooden wheels on the bike - supplied by John; however, I will post pictures of what the bike came with as well as a recent picture.  Things I think might help identify the year: beautiful leather seat with two animals on either side of a crest on the sides of the seat, jelly bean style chain ring, full front fender, rear eyeletted fender, both the front and rear fenders are round in profile, the front wheel was wood with a few layers of black paint - still held air while the back wheel was metal rimmed with a patent pending new hercules brake with arm which could have been switched when the rear wooden wheel broke, very cool warwick innertubes, beehive grips, badge seems to be original (the left side of the badge has a smooth headed screw/rivet and the right side of the bage has a rougher rivet/screw, and the layers of paint do not have a different badge pattern or markings on the head tube). 

Ok sorry I don't want to high jack your points to ponter thread with my bike.  Something that might be interesting to add to your list - when were eyeletted guards and chain guards discontinued?  I know most people are not as interested in the ladies bikes, but I love the look of these older loop frames and it might be a way to help identify them.  

Sorry had to post twice to be below 10MB

Sorry, better resolution

I would be very interested to see a picture from a catalogue or similar of the enameled chain guard that comes with the ladies bike mentioned in the ad for the crescent that you posted.  Do you think it would be the same as part No. 889 in the 1918 catalogue?  I am considering making a maple wood and lace guard for the bike that you could order in the 1918 catalgue (No. 852) but perhaps these would have been obsolete by 1924-25-26?  Anyway, it was very interesting reading your list mark and thanks for the picture of the crescent ad.

Nicole,

The mainstream ladies’ bicycle chain guard was Part# 838 in 1924 – 1934.

Catalogue picture below. This guard and others are also shown in the 1918 catalogue.

Below is the guard shown on a ladies’ model bicycle.

Mark

Thanks very much Mark.  not sure if I will ever find one but good to know what I am looking for.  As I was looking around the forum yesterday for pictures of bikes from the 20s, I came across two posts of others who have 1924 frames with the Crescent badge - Wayne Gillies found a mens and below his comment is another user who had a ladies  .  Perhaps since overproduction was the name of the game in the 1920s they had a lot of surplus frames from 24 that they used in 26.  I also used some of the posts online to determine that eyelettes were on the rear fender of ladies bikes in 1934, but were not in 1938 so I guess they were discontinued sometime inbetween.  Anyway, thanks so much for the photo of the guard and the very interesting compilation of information from this era.  Nicole

I have a 1914 catalogue from C. Munson, 413 Spadina Ave., Toronto. He offers various bicycles and parts, including new lower-priced bicycles made for his firm in England. One interesting part of the catalogue is a large section devoted to around 125 used bicycles which he is offering at prices between 9.00 and 35.00 dollars. A brief description of each used bicycle is given, including the make and model. A large percentage of the used bicycles are CCM products. It would seem that this includes 8 bicycles identified as "Crescents". Other probable CCM brands include;

Brantford (5)

Cleveland (12)

Cleveland Chainless

Cleveland Hygienic (3)

Columbia (3)

Dominion (2)

Gendron (3)

Imperial (4)

Ivanhoe

Massey (5)

Massey Harris (4)

Massey Harris Hygienic (3)

Perfect (4)

Perfect Hygienic

Perfect Chainless

Rambler

Hubs listed for these bicycles include Hercules, New Departure, Morrow, and Eadie. Some have roller chains, and others have inch-pitch chains. Given this information, it appears that Crescent was offered as a low-priced CCM Brand very early on (definitely pre-1914). Other lower-priced bikes offered by CCM in the teens included the Model F, the Model M, and the "Standard". When you examine these other models, you have to wonder if they were actually made by CCM, or some other manufacturer(s), and just sold by CCM. Why did they choose Model F and Moderl M as names? Did the First World War affect CCM bicycle production?

This is the cover of the catalogue.

One note about the introduction of the CCM Flyer. CCM offered a "Blue Flyer" racing model by at least 1908, and possibly earlier.

Here is a page from the 1904 CCM Cleveland Catalogue that shows the CCM "Blue Flyer" model. The more modern version of the Flyer appears in the 1921 CCM Catalogue as a new model.