Seeking help in identifying this barn fresh racer

Submitted by tinsnail on Wed, 03/16/2016 - 20:26

Hello everyone.  I am very happy to have joined this forum!  My initial contact was with a forum member who was kind enough to help me along with gaining understanding of my bike, but I wanted to share what I have with everyone here to try to make some sense of what I have here.  My plan is to restore it, but there are a few stumbling blocks.  First being, WHAT IS IT? Secondly, what color?  (I am a sucker for glossy black bikes, though!), and thirdly, what make/manufacturer?

Here are all the details I could obtain off of the bicycle:

-Front/Rear hubs are PHILLIPS SUPERIOR, with Phillips tommy nuts 

-Cranks are stamped UTILITY, pedals are Phillips rat trap

-Seat, though worn, is an EMPIRE

-Rear hub is a flip/flop, fixed on one side, freewheel on other, stamped CELTONIA

-Rims are stamped DUNLOP CANADIAN SIZE 28"

-All hardware seems to be Phillips.  

HERE IS WHERE THINGS GET MORE INTERESTING:

-There are No serial numbers stamped into any of the lugs, top tube, or seat tube.  

-There is no head badge, nor tack holes to support the existence of a head badge (I looked from inside head tube)

-The only numbers are found under the bottom bracket.  Stamped into it is "516579," and in raised letters (molded?) "G196".  These do not correspond to CCM serial numbers, yet the frame by design of the seat stays, and overall construction, even the rear dropouts....look like a CCM Road Rader, to my eye.  (sorry, photo is upside down)

3 Comments

Submitted by jdwillia on Wed, 03/16/2016 - 22:54.

Hello,

Humphrey sold a number of English Road Racers alongside the rebranded CCM. I suspect that that is what this is.

Regards,

John Williamson

Submitted by tinsnail on Fri, 03/18/2016 - 07:13.

Was Humphrey a dept store brand?  Forgive me, I'm a Yankee.

Submitted by jdwillia on Fri, 03/18/2016 - 09:32.

No, Humphrey operated out of Ontario and was a stand alone company selling to cycle shops. They sold mainly CCM products that carried their own headbadge. I have the 1940 and 1953 Humphrey catalogs, but I am not able to get them out right now. In the last little while I was looking through them and noticed the extra Road Racer (or Club Racer) versions that were English based. My guess is that they were in the 1940 catalog since, at some point, CCM bought out Humphrey. Perhaps someone else on the list can offer more information. Of course we forgive our American friends. Happy to be of help.

John Williamson